While sprinting, Gabrielle wiped her tears with the back of her sleeve. As she approached, the two hunters guarding the boar pen furrowed their brows.
"Oh, it's little Gabrielle. Is there a problem?"
"Open... the... pen..." The teenage girl could barely speak, her breath short.
The two guards exchanged uncertain glances. Despite her status as an apprentice apothecary, Gabrielle was too young to command them.
"I know you're not one to spout nonsense, but I need to know why," one of the two n said.
Gabrielle opened her mouth, stifled a sob, and closed it again. Seeing the orphan's condition, the two guards understood sothing serious was happening.
"OPEN THE PEN!"
Broli was rushing towards them and his panic convinced the guards.
Cries temporarily drowned out the groans of the Gaeserts. These savages know how to use their vocal cords to mourn their dead.
With a gesture, Ophis, Chief of the Snaherts, dismissed his scribe as the tent flaps opened.
"Five of my huntresses. Three of my warriors. Dead. Twelve others are in a coma, poisoned!" Braato's rage was genuine, and Ophis frowned.
Four guards entered the tent, weapons ready, but none tried to intervene. The Chief of the Gaeserts was a colossus capable of tanking attacks from a Tier 5. It was ridiculous to think the four Tier 3s had a chance, but they were doing their duty.
With a slight nod, Ophis dismissed his n.
"I'm aware, and I'm sure you know I'm innocent."
In different circumstances, Ophis would have loved to reduce the number of Gaeserts sharing his island. However, the Necro event was raging, and he needed all the allies he could get.
"If I had any doubt, I would have already knocked your jaw off," growled Braato. Ophis rolled his eyes but made no comnt. "I want you to find whoever did this."
"Why ?"
"Because the skulc’s butthead who did this thinks like you. The coward prefers to divide us rather than strike head-on."
Ignoring the insult, Ophis narrowed his eyes. Braato raised an interesting point.
"The enemy knows us. We must stand united to thwart their plans."
"United? My clansn are demanding payback. None of them will be willing to step up to the front lines during the next corrupted attack to defend your Snaherts. Politics isn't our strong suit."
It was the understatent of the century.
Ophis suppressed a grimace. Without the Gaeserts to tank the assault, his fighters would be injured. How many would fall against the Necromoon’s slaves?
"We stand as allies, and I treat this assault with utmost gravity," declared Ophis. "I shall conduct an investigation. In the interim, may I dispatch our Shaman to attend to your wounded?"
Mama Apo was an exceptional healer, but poison was the Snaherts' business.
"The poison ain't the problem; it's just a carrier for necro corruption."
"Our adversary abides by no rules," Ophis grumbled. The Necromoon claid the souls of those it killed. For the tribesn, it was a profound insult. "Can't the Sun Shop aid those in a coma?"
The System provided pills to combat necro corruption. Although they ca at a price, Braato would have paid without hesitation to save his clansn.
"The pills we can get our hands on are just too weak."
"... Thus, only one solution remains: The Auctions."
Returning to Oasis, Priam found his father and Rose discussing with Hyshana.
"It would be dangerous to wait any longer," warned Alain. "The current defenses won't last a second against Tier 2s, and we don't have the skills to upgrade the walls ourselves."
"Every point invested in traps and turrets pays interest. Defenses bring in nothing," Hyshana pointed out.
"What's happening?" Priam asked, appearing next to the campfire. The two humans jumped, surprised by his arrival. The hoplite had a more violent reaction. A light blade appeared in Hyshana's hands and stopped a few centiters from Priam's face. The sword disappeared the next mont, and she gave him a black look. Only Blueberry didn't react, focused on his grilling.
"Do you want to give a heart attack?" asked Alain.
"There's no more inheritance; I don't see the point," Priam winked. The old man burst into laughter.
"How did you do that?" asked Rose, her eyes shining.
Priam shrugged. "I can ride the mist and make it invisible to you. You saw appear spontaneously, but I just stopped my fusion with the mist."
"Is it a skill or your Concept?" asked Hyshana.
"My Concept. [Moon Mist] mainly helps enhance its power." Without the skill, Priam could only summon a limited amount of mist per second from the ambient aether. With it, he could consu his own aether to create a cloud in a few seconds. A small cloud. "The legendary upgrade will certainly help go beyond my Concept, but the epic skill isn't enough."
Priam understood that skills were based on Concepts, but the advantages of the forr over the latter were still a bit unclear. He knew his doubts would be cleared when he obtained his first natural legendary skill. "What were you talking about?"
Alain and Hyshana opened their mouths at the sa ti, but Rose was faster.
"After destroying hordes of corrupted all day, we've accumulated quite a few Sun points. Hyshana wants to invest them in traps and turrets to earn even more points. Alain suggests a more defensive option: upgrade our wall to survive the hypothetical appearance of Tier 2s," explained Rose.
"The best defense is offense," said Hyshana. It didn't surprise Priam that the hoplites knew the saying.
"Solid and well-defined walls would allow us to build other structures and protect our guests."
Priam turned to the Forum. The Guardian of Secrets wasn't at much risk, but Ymir's bison wouldn't fit into Log-a-rhythm. In case of an attack, it would die.
"Can't we do both?"
"Being average everywhere is being good nowhere. The idea is not to abandon one or the other strategy but to prioritize one. We need to choose a direction and an identity for Oasis. As the Lord, it's your responsibility," declared Hyshana.
"What do you an?"
"Does Oasis aim to be an offensive outpost built around Log-a-rhythm, or do you want to invest to create a solid and habitable base?"
Priam looked at Log-a-rhythm, the first gift he had received from the System. Vibrant with green, gold, and crimson, the tree seed to sing as the wind swayed its leaves. Soaring into the air, it seed to defy the universe to bring it down again. A defiance echoed by Priam.
"I chose the na Oasis for a reason. This base will be a sanctuary for my loved ones in this terrifying world. A ho that will welco us after every journey. A haven of magic to study the mysteries of aether and the System... The outpost will be Concepts Archipelago. Oasis will be a ho. Yours too, Hyshana."
"You sound more like a Shield than a Spear."
"A Spear for humanity; a Shield for those I love."
Sothing changed in Hyshana's gaze. "Then let's upgrade the wall. Here's the hoplite's contribution: forty thousand Sun points."
"Thank you."
Priam opened the Sun Shop.
Sun Shop:
Territory:
So infrastructures are available as blueprints at half the cost.
Protective Barrier II (10 000 points) - A protective barrier capable of covering 1 000 square ters and stopping attacks from an average Tier 0 Elysian Baron.
Camouflage II (10 000 points) - A camouflage enchantnt covering 1,000 square ters, disrupting the senses of an average Tier 0 Elysian Viscount.
Alarm I (5 000 points) - An alarm covering 500 square ters, detecting most common Tier 0 intruders (Elysium standard).
…
Necro Purification Ritual I (5 000 points) - A ritual purifying the ambient aether from the curse of the Necromoon. Covers 500 square ters.
Natural Growth Ritual I (5 000 points) - A ritual accelerating the growth of living beings, particularly effective on plants. Covers 500 square ters. Possibility to add organic remains to enhance the ritual's efficiency.
Guardian of the Forest Ritual III (25 000 points) - A ritual elevating the status of a Guardian of the Forest. Strengthens the symbiotic relationship between the two parties. Increases the Guardian's domain size to 2,000 square ters.
…
Holy Guardian V (100 000 points) - Develops the power of your Holy Guardian and grants it the potential of a Duke. Only a High Tribulation can improve your Holy Guardian's Soul Tier.
Properties: Immune to the Necro curse. Resistant to the Necro Concept. Cannot leave your Territory. Developnt speed x5. Number of available resurrections: 5. Natural affinity (Moon): 100% (50% (base) 50%).
…
Tribulation Chamber II (10 000 points) - Improvent.
Rampart III (25 000 points) - Improvent.
…
Sun points: 155 244
"I think we'll be able to upgrade more than just the rampart," smiled Priam.
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