"Hold it."
Kazuki halted his precise carving and presented the wooden piece to Alain. The architect-carpenter-craftsman examined it from every angle before breaking into a satisfied grin. The hoplite's Spear Mastery allowed for such intricate cuts.
"It's perfect. I'll need three more like this, Kazuki, if you please."
"With pleasure, Alain," the hoplite replied in fluent English.
As the hoplite continued his ticulous work, Alain swiftly ascended Log-a-rhythm. He could have asked the magical tree to open a portal directly to its upper branches, but there was sothing satisfying about using his muscles to climb. Alain still rembered the weight of age and his atrophied muscles before the apocalypse. Today, he could reach the top faster than a monkey.
One of the upsides of the System, I suppose. Those who survive get stronger.
He passed Rose's and Sphinx's cabins a few seconds later, eventually arriving at a construction site. Log-a-rhythm had laid a large square foundation, and the beginnings of a structure were visible. This third cabin was ant for Kazuki and his wife.
In the center of the square wood slab, Alain found Louis sitting cross-legged with closed eyes.
"Apologies for interrupting your ditation, old friend, but I have work to do," he warned.
Alain waited a few monts for a response that never ca. Furrowing his brows, he circled around his friend and crouched to face him.
"Louis?"
A snore answered him.
"LOUIS!"
"Huh? Oh!" The old man jolted awake, shouting. "You just ruined my ditation, you idiot."
"You an your nap," chuckled Alain. "You need to move, Im going to test a new technique."
"A construction one?" Louis asked as he stretched.
"Yes. I think it might help level up my skills to rare rank," Alain smiled.
Indeed, his skill level-ups were becoming scarcer. [Carpentry] had plateaued at level 17, and [Construction] at level 16. So far, Alain had assembled cabins using pre-cut boards and vines - his seafaring past made him an expert in knots. Unfortunately, it was no longer enough to improve his skills.
"You'll use this?" Louis asked, pointing at the piece of wood in Alain's hand.
"I'm going to see if it fits well with another piece. Without tools, I have to use kigumi joinery."
Louis raised an eyebrow, and Alain explained.
"It involves fitting two complentary pieces of wood together. One has a tenon that slots into the mortise of the other."
Louis grunted, taking the piece from Alain's hands. He examined it from all angles before understanding.
"You're just inserting the male part into a female part. It's like making love but with pieces of wood. No need for complicated words."
"... Anyway, the point is to join pieces of wood without glue, screws, or nails."
"Smart. Reminds , it's been a while since I've made love. Think Mirscella..."
"Sort it out with Mirscella," Alain sighed. "And mind your language around the kids."
"Priam is an adult."
"I was talking about Rose and Sphinx. Otherwise, it'll be Mirscella will play the male part with her blades in your body."
Louis shuddered. Suddenly, Alain felt a presence caress his mind. According to Log-a-rhythm, Dishnu had returned. Damn.
"Take down," he said aloud, ignoring Louis's surprised look. The square base of the construction site lit up before sucking him into the magical wood. A mont later, the tree gently deposited him at its trunk's base.
In the middle of the clearing, at the edge of Log-a-rhythm's barrier, Dishnu awaited. Despite the illusion that should have prevented it, the drya locked eyes with him, and he nodded in greeting.
Alain felt his heart tighten. Dishnu wasn't exactly an enemy, but he wasn't an ally either. He was here for Log-a-rhythm, and without Priam, the tree wouldn't hold out against the guardian of nature.
"Sphinx!"
A mont later, his son's friend appeared. Drool still trailed down her cheek, a sign that he had just awakened her from a deep slumber.
"Yes?" she asked in a sleepy voice.
"Go fetch Priam, please."
The request fully woke her. "But I thought that..."
"Right now," Alain interrupted. For the mont, Dishnu remained passive, waiting patiently by the barrier, but he didn't want to take any chances. Alain hadn't sent Sphinx looking for his son to respect the rules they had set, but they needed him now. Kazuki had confird he was no match for the drya.
"Understood!"
Sphinx focused for a mont, and soon a miniature portal appeared. She jumped in.
The first thing Priam did upon returning to Elysium was to take a deep breath. The air laden with aether had been missed. Despite the dire conditions, his resistances in Valaryth had risen agonizingly slowly. It was frustrating.
The sight of his father dispelled his thoughts.
Priam, thank god you're okay, Alain said, pulling him into a hug.
I... Sorry, Dad, Priam replied, embracing his father. He had announced he'd be gone for a few hours and ended up absent for over a day. His father must've been worried sick.
With slightly reddened eyes, Alain released his son. The drya's been waiting behind the barrier for three minutes, he said.
I'll take care of it, Priam responded, directing his gaze towards Dishnu.
"You're an explorer, a lover of adventure."
"Maybe it's adventure that loves ," Priam replied. Despite the barrier, the drya had sensed he'd returned from another world. His aether skills were terrifying...
ntally, Priam authorized Log-a-rhythm to open the barrier. The drya stepped into the clearing and stopped straight away. Kneeling, he reached out to caress a broken blade of grass. Priam, Alain, Sphinx, and all the others watched as the plant regenerated, straightening up before their eyes.
Apparently satisfied, the drya continued on, pausing now and then to invigorate a flower or restore a root. Two long minutes later, the drya reached Priam.
Hello, everyone. I bring a gift for Log-a-rhythm, he announced.
"As long as it's not a dowry," Louis muttered.
"That's very kind," Priam thanked, ignoring the old man. "May I know what it is?"
Dishnu placed one of his hands on his abdon. His ribcage then opened, revealing a glowing root.
"The NecroMoon is approaching, and the forest will need protection. Log-a-rhythm grows fast, but a tree needs an ecosystem to thrive..."
Priam looked pensive.
"You want to bind Log-a-rhythm and the forest together?"
"I want to consecrate Log-a-rhythm as a lord. It will watch over the network that connects all plants, and in return, they will give it a share of their Potential."
Priam nodded. If it were possible, he was highly interested. There were nurous potential upgrades for Log-a-rhythm, and so were quite costly.
"How do you plan to do this?" he asked.
"Since ti immorial, it's been the role of drya Guardians to balance the forest. My predecessors established rituals," Dishnu explained.
"Okay, but I want to be involved."
If the drya attempted sothing - like "liberating" Log-a-rhythm, for example - Priam wanted to be able to react.
"You're his partner, it's better that way."
Status: (Average value for a Homo sapiens male before integration: PHY 10 / N 10 / TA 0)
PHYSICAL:
Strength 357
Constitution 604
Agility 383
Vitality 508
Perception 566
NTAL:
Vivacity 313
Dexterity 384
mory 120
Willpower 599
Charisma 418
TA:
ta-affinity 295
ta-focus 225
ta-endurance 173
ta-perception 84
ta-chance 216
ta-authority 12
Potential: 683
Tier 0
[He Who Eludes Death] charge: PRID.
[Tribulation]: Three Tribulations pending.
Future Tribulations delayed until:
Ti: 177 days 2 hours 26 minutes 57 seconds.
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