Two Hundred And Five
“That’s better.” I sighed, the barrel of water we had let through the wind barrier (after careful observation from our Mystic Eyes of course, to be sure there was no leakage of the deadly Myconid Spores) used to sluice us down, washing off our suits. The now tainted water, full of dying Myconid spores, we gathered in a separate empty barrel for disposal later, when it was safe. Grulgor and Ixitt had left the barrier when clean, while Hyacinth, Shaeula and I had stripped off our rubber suits, as we no longer feared spores of this level.
“Indeed it is.” Shaeula shook her damp hair, relieved to be free of the stifling confines of the hood and mask. “I must-must admit to being rather impressed at the feat we have achieved. Still, the work is not-not yet done.” She looked at the tree, in its tragic condition. Asha was crying, still in her protective gear, though we had at least washed her down, but the dreadful wounds her tree had endured were reflected back to her.
“It will be fine, master, mistress.” Hyacinth said, observing. She was back in a maid unform, pulled from who-knows-where, and was offering us mugs of cold, clean water, which we took gratefully. “It is still alive, sooo we can save it. Nooo problems for us!” she pushed out her ample chest pridefully.
“Yeah, even so, I can see why she is anguished.” I sympathised, certainly. We had handled the tree roughly. It had already been desiccated and ravaged by the fungus that crawled all over it from the spores, veins of corruption running through the wood, and its remaining branches were bare of leaves, like skeletal arms reaching for the sky, but our descent had wounded it greatly. First we had worked hasty surgery, ripping away the majority of the bark and a number of branches, with even more snapped and cracked from the mad journey down through the pestilent forest. In addition, the wind-weasels and harness hooks used to secure it and us had dug deep, exposing so core heartwood, and it was criss-crossed with deep gouges from Shaeula’s pinwheels and water-lasers from the Myconid Aquamancers. Still, Hyacinth is right. it’s alive. And we can keep it that way.
Now we were back in our Territory, we could draw on the aether that the Ether Spires gathered, rather than wastefully pulling ether from the Silos and converting it, and since Shaeula was bound to a Throne, she too could benefit. I was already starting to feel refreshed, so it was ti to start work on the decontamination. Though damn, this is no easy task. Even so, without the constant reinfection from windblown spores, I think we can do it.
Patting the crying Asha on the back, she looked up at in surprise, her eyes moist with a mixture of grief, pain and hope. “You can take off the gear now. It looks like the spores all got trapped in the barrier mixture so you should be safe. We’ll clean it off, boil it and then work on healing your tree. But first, let say one thing.”
She looked at quizzically, and I grinned. “Welco ho!” At that the dam on her emotions burst, and she slumped to her knees, wailing loudly.
“You made another female cry it seems.” Shaeula mocked gently, amused, and Hyacinth nodded.
“Master breaks many hearts, he is a sinful man, nooo question!”
“Yeah, yeah. You both know she’s just overwheld by the realisation she doesn’t have to die in that hell.” I waved them off. “Give her so space, we need to get to work on this. I want the tree stable quickly, we have to head back and retrieve the other two, if they survived. Of which I have my doubts. Without Asha there, I suspect the weaker Rhyming Trees will succumb quickly. Still, there’s no way the Myconids would expect such a quick second raid, and the other trees are much smaller and lighter… It seed like a joke that I was planning to uproot a massive tree and run with it on my back for miles, but with Body Enhancent and aether lightening the weight, it was by no ans impossible for the smaller trees.
“Very ambitious.” Shaeula approved. “I am most-most pleased. My husband should be greedy! Very well, I am exhausted, but I can at least assist you.”
The first step was to remove the contaminated barrier cream. We dug a quick moat around the tree to contain it, and I then used aether, concentrating on imagining a deluge of water clinging to the tree from the top down, washing all the tainted sli into the trench. Since imagination was a key factor in using aether effectively, with my ever-increasing stats, my ability to use it was growing rapidly. Since I broke the bottleneck to Rank 6, I can feel my talent growing the more I use it. Lightening the tree so much was definitely a hard task. I think the day I reach Rank 7 is not too far off.
As the tree was sluiced off, the moat filling with foul water, I idly wondered if other candidates were improving as rapidly as I was. So will be, surely, but I have no doubts a lot will be like Kondou Kazuo, unwilling to put in the effort. That was one reason I wanted the Tree so badly. It was risky, but a risk I could anticipate and manage, but in exchange, the reward was a massive long-term benefit.
“I see you thinking.” Shaeula said, working her healing on Asha, who had finally stopped crying. “So just what-what do you plan to do with the bounty the tree provides?”
Using aether to boil the mass of filthy water, a task that would have been far easier with fla energy, but sadly I was only just starting to recover that, I considered my answer. It was obvious, really. “First thing we need to do is continue to increase our ether generation, so I think we take the bounty it gives and upgrade all the Ether Spires to Rank 3 at the least. It may cost three hundred thousand ether for a rush build, but tying up a queue for fifty days isn’t great, and the quicker we get them, the quicker they pay for themselves and start giving us profit. When they are all Rank 3 we should have very significant amounts of ether coming in, and we can consider so more ambitious builds, like Rank 4 Ether Spires or even a Rank 3 Throne. Maybe so Rank 3 and 4 Barracks too.”
My Eye scanned the bubbling goop, noting the spores had died off. It slls positively vile though. I’ll get the weaselkin to drain the crap and fill in the ditch later. “All right then. The tree… ti for so Ether Healing.” I decided to start from the top, climbing up using the fissures in the trunk. Once I reached the crown I looked out over my Territory, the strange auroras of the Boundary overhead casting everything with a pretty glow. Yeah, it’s nice up here, but I’ve no ti to enjoy the view. Idly wondering whether Asha would let us build a viewing platform and terrace up here for drinking and relaxation, I extended tendrils of aether into the tree, seeking out pockets of corruption. It was simplicity itself to annihilate the tainted spores and fungi, since I had adapted to it, but there was still a lot. Even as I destroyed pestilent pockets of corruption, I was using Ether Healing. The scarred wood was swelling, cracks filling in, and fresh bark was forming, soft and springy, slling of nature. Beside , one branch suddenly burst with leaves and blossoms, and several cracked branches started growing, with fresh buds sprouting from the trunk, slowly becoming new, virgin branches.
Pretty! I beca lost in the healing, finding it truly fascinating how the tree was both a plant and sohow also a Fae. I could also feel Asha through it, though only faintly, and as my healing energies brushed her bond with the tree I could feel her shiver. Slowly descending the tree, I continued to be surrounded by blooming branches, until a voice snapped out of my trance.
“I think-think that should be enough for now.” Shaeula said, grinning, sitting below on a branch. “You have been at this for so hours.”
Really? I looked up to see that I had descended nearly a dozen tres, and the canopy of the tree was hanging above like a natural parasol, green leaves and pink and white blossoms shining with ruby and garnet energies. “Whoa, yeah, I must have worked hard.” Indeed, my mind was fuzzy with exhaustion and my chakra network was burning from effort, though the sensation felt good, natural. Looking down I could see the base of the tree was also restored, around three tres of fresh bark and branches jutting out. On seeing my gaze, Shaeula grinned. “I have not-not been slacking either. I thought I would-would fortify the base of the tree and the roots. I believe even if we do no more the tree will endure, though when we have more-more ti we can complete the healing. But first-first there is soone who wishes to see you.”
Looking down I could see Hyacinth, busily using her nature energy to infuse the tree, but beside her, Asha was looking up at us, with a solemn expression. I waved, and she shivered, before bowing, keeping her head down. We quickly descended, and on reaching the ground she looked at us, biting at her lip, tears flooding down her face.
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