"Have you encountered other rivals?!" exclaid Priam.
Dishnu was the first rival who hadn't tried to kill him when they t. Priam was now a bit wary of those among the new civilizations who had finished the Tutorial the quickest.
Dishnu blinked, his eyelids like vibrant green leaves, before making a peculiar sound. Seems like the twittering of a small bird, Priam mused.
I've only encountered two other rivals besides you, but the Forest revealed to the presence of ten people. The plants know how to listen
"You're speaking in the past tense," remarked Priam.
One of them is already dead, hunted by the Var Elegis.
"Arnold..." Priam gritted his teeth.
Kazuki turned to him, and Priam quickly explained his encounter with the homunculus.
"A being of no honor is as repugnant as it is dangerous," comnted the hoplite. Priam almost laughed, thinking back to his first eting with Kazuki. Apparently, there were rules to follow even in rival assassinations.
Priam turned to the Drya, who was gently caressing so blades of grass.
"Is it chasing us?" he asked, his voice oozing with anger. If the Var Elegis threatened his family, it would find Priam standing in its way.
Dishnu blinked, and Priam felt his anger and fear dissipate. He knew he should have feared soone who could dispel his negative emotions, but it was complicated to be afraid of the Drya. He looks like the son of Buddha and a dryad.
Your anger contaminates the world. Don't let it control you, advised Dishnu before continuing. The Var Elegis has ceased his pursuit since the Reunion. He must be preoccupied with the Necromoon.
"The undead wolf was tainted by that thing. What exactly is it?"
According to Nature's mory, the Necromoon descends periodically. Then, the living hide and the dead awaken.
"Im on a bad news streak So, it's an astronomical phenonon corrupting the world. I suppose we'll have to wait for it to pass."
Dishnu shook his head.
The curse has already corrupted one of our rivals. I felt his rage and indignation. He will hunt us down.
A foreboding feeling washed over Priam. "How is that possible? Does he still have free will?"
The necro wolf was imnsely powerful, but it was feral. If there had been a glimr of intelligence left in the beast, it would have slaughtered Priam and everyone else.
That's the impression I got.
"The corruption starts with the body and then attacks the mind. Perhaps he secured his mind," suggested Kazuki, nervously rubbing his cursed wound.
That's possible, Dishnu agreed, looking at the hoplite's bandage.
Despite his constitution and resilience, the wound was incredibly stubborn. If anyone other than Priam were affected...
"Is there a redy?" Kazuki asked.
None that I know of.
"Log-a-rhythm - my tree - might be able to synthesize sothing," Priam proposed.
Dishnu pondered before closing his eyes. Log-a-rhythm's branches began to stir, and Priam sensed an inquiry. His tree indicated that the Drya wanted access to specific fragnts of its mory.
Priam hesitated for a mont before agreeing. Block the mories concerning those present in your whitelist.
Usually, Priam wouldn't have so readily agreed, but the Drya could access the mories of the clearing's trees to understand most of Log-a-rhythm's history. Moreover, if he tried to force his way I wouldnt be able to stop him. Again, a feeling of weakness overca him. Gathering his colossal will, Priam crushed the emotion and summoned a sense of hope.
In this world, weakness is temporary. I was an insect compared to Kazuki just a few weeks ago. I'll catch up to Dishnu soon, he encouraged himself.
Finally, Dishnu opened his eyes and made a sort of pout.
It may be possible, but he will suffer to unlock a resistance
"He?" Priam looked at the Drya in confusion.
Log-a-rhythm was a male elf before.
"I'm not sure there's much of him left. Anyway, I think I can command it him, to ignore his pain."
In addition to appeasing the Drya, Priam wasn't particularly keen on torturing the nascent intelligence of his tree.
Thank you. However, he could fail to develop a resistance.
"Do we have a choice? We don't know how long the Necromoon will linger."
Priam wasn't one to bury his head in the sand to avoid problems. If the phenonon persisted, soone would eventually be infected. It would then be too late to save them.
Kazuki seed hesitant, and Priam noticed.
"Do you know sothing?"
The hoplite took a few seconds to think. "The night is falling earlier, and the temperatures are dropping. In the evening, there's a light spot in the sky that's slightly enlarging..."
"A light spot? Like a moon?"
"Possibly, but it's still very far. If its influence grows as it gets closer..."
The news didn't sit well with Priam, who grimaced.
"Everyone needs to unlock this resistance," he decided.
The Drya didn't seem concerned by the news. If Kazuki had managed to unlock a resistance, then surely he could too. Watching him tend to the clearing's herbs and flowers, Priam had an idea.
"Dishnu, I have a proposition. Log-a-rhythm's influence on the surroundings is growing. By growing large enough, he could protect a part of the forest by sharing his resistances..."
You want my help in cultivating the tree?
Priam almost felt ashad to propose such an unbalanced partnership for the Drya. But he had nothing to lose.
Dishnu stared at him. His inhuman eyes, the color of honey, remained open, while his broad but solid figure stood still. Refusing to look away, Priam presented his argunts.
"If Log-a-rhythm fails to develop resistance to the Necromoon, everyone will die. The flora and fauna will beco puppets of a force beyond us. But if he manages to resist, he can pass on this quality."
At least, that's what Priam counted on. Dishnu caressed a blade of grass lengthwise, seeming to see more in it than Priam ever would. The two beings were on different trajectories.
Again, Dishnu chirped.
Both unique and part of a whole... I accept.
Priam's smile froze as he watched the Drya's next actions.
To the astonished eyes of the onlookers, Dishnu plunged his hand into his chest cage. The wood that composed his body creaked and then split. Inserting his fingers into the fissure, the Drya pulled out a blackened and shattered bone.
As large as a human femur, the bone fragnt exuded an aura that made Priam step back. Dishnu laid the bone on the ground, and the grass began to gray.
With a disgusted expression, Priam identified the object.
[Identification]
[Fragnt dos - Tier 2] - A bone fragnt corrupted by the NecroMoon.
Laconic...
"You kept this within you?" The aura of the fragnt was so vile that Priam was reluctant to touch it. Nevertheless, the object would allow them to train their resistance in a nearly secure manner.
Dishnu nodded. The Guardian watches over the forest. It's my responsibility to bear this curse
For the first ti, Priam sensed a negative emotion in Dishnu's voice. A crackling of flas consuming a trunk that sounded like a declaration of war. So things could irritate a Drya.
More importantly, Priam felt Dishnu's aura increase. Now that he was no longer compelled to keep the equivalent of a biological bomb within him, his strength was laid bare. The Drya was monstrously strong. His race evolved with nature, and the Elysian environnt benefited him even more than the other rivals.
A smile stretched across Priam's lips. He looked forward to training.
I must go, announced Dishnu. I'll return tomorrow to help Log-a-rhythm.
"... Thank you." Priam found it hard to fathom the Drya, but he hadn't tried to kill or steal from him. That was sothing. Even as the sound of his voice didn't reach the edge of the forest, the Drya had already vanished.
A breeze swept over the adow, causing the grass to sway. A mont later, the herbs tainted by the necrobeast and the bone turned black. The Guardian of Nature had no intention of leaving behind such an abomination. Nature had called back its children.
Sighing at the casual display of power, Priam turned to Kazuki.
"I have a quest to finish and resources to find for Log-a-rhythm, but before that... I'm going to train," he announced.
The hoplite wore a serious expression. "Likewise."
"Would you mind giving so advice?"
Kazuki arched an eyebrow. "Are you finally deciding to learn to use your spear?"
"It's now or never."
Lying on the ground, Sphinx watched Priam train. His movents were slow but precise. She had no doubt that her friend would soon be an excellent spearman.
Not far from him was Kazuki. The System had taught Sphinx the hundred most common human languages, but hoplite wasn't among them. Yet, she understood the Champion's character relatively well. Advocating duty and honor, Kazuki was a sort of modern-day knight. Or perhaps a samurai. Sphinx had so gaps in her history knowledge.
In any case, the hoplite was training hard. He was already a true killing machine, but it seed not to be enough for him. I wonder how powerful he is with his armor.
"Are you training hard?" a voice called out.
Suppressing a yawn, Sphinx turned to Mirscella.
"I'm trying to manipulate gravity by lifting this pebble," she lied.
The old woman sat down next to her with a smile. "You avoid physical training because your true form is too imposing? Don't worry, Priam's illusion camouflages us. Without it, Blueberry would spend his days sleeping in the tree.
Sphinx thought the bear would have appreciated the program.
"My strength lies in my bloodline," Sphinx replied, shaking her head. "I need to learn to control karma and gravity."
The real reason Sphinx didn't use her true form was that she wanted to be able to accompany Priam. Her friend was happy to carry her when she was small, but he couldn't lift a monster weighing over ten tons. Leaving her princess spot - his head - was out of the question.
Mirscella folded her hands. "What a plan! You're training hard so Priam takes you into the forest with him, right?"
Sphinx got up, roaring with the power of a kitten. "Exactly! He'd better work hard if he doesn't want to leave him behind!"
The corners of Mirscella's lips stretched.
"Perfect. By the way, I think its ti for you to release Rose."
Sphinx looked at the old lady, stunned. She had completely forgotten that she had swallowed her second human pet before going through Priam's inner world portal. After spending over four hours in her pocket dinsion, the girl would likely be angry.
Oops. Maybe she'll forgive if I ow? Humans seem to like that...
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