ShipTeaser

  “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 Myid Spores) used to sluice us down, washing off our suits. The now tainted water, full of dying Myid spores, we gathered in a separate empty barrel for disposal ter, when it was safe. Grulgor and Ixitt had left the barrier when , while Hyath, Shaeu and I had stripped off our rubber suits, as we no longer feared spores of this level.

  “I is.” Shaeu shook her damp hair, relieved to be free of the stifling fines 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 tragidition. Asha was g, 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.” Hyath said, . She was ba a maid unform, pulled from who-knows-where, and was us mugs of cold, water, which we took gratefully. “It is still alive, sooo we save it. Nooo problems for us!” she pushed out her ample chest pridefully.

  “Yeah, even so, I see why she is anguished.” I sympathised, certainly. We had hahe 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 reag for the sky, but our dest had wou 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 some core heartwood, and it was criss-crossed with deep gouges from Shaeu’s pinwheels and water-sers from the Myid Aquamancers. Still, Hyath is right. it’s alive. And we keep it that way.

  Noere ba our Territory, we could draw oher that the Ether Spires gathered, rather than wastefully pulliher from the Silos and verting it, and since Shaeu was bound to a Throne, she too could be. I was already starting to feel refreshed, so it was time to start work on the deination. Though damn, this is no easy task. Even so, without the stant reiion from windblown spores, I think we do it.

  Patting the g Asha on the back, she looked up at me in surprise, her eyes moist with a mixture of grief, pain and hope. “You take off the gear now. It looks like the spores all got trapped in the barrier mixture so you should be safe. We’ll it off, boil it and then work on healing your tree. But first, let me say ohing.”

  She looked at me quizzically, and I grinned. “Wele home!” At that the dam on her emotions burst, and she slumped to her knees, wailing loudly.

  “You made another female cry it seems.” Shaeu mocked me gently, amused, and Hyath nodded.

  “Master breaks mas, he is a sinful man, nooo question!”

  “Yeah, yeah. You both know she’s just overwhelmed by the realisation she doesn’t have to die in that hell.” I waved them off. “Give her some space, we o get to work on this. I want the tree stable quickly, we have to head bad 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 Myids would expect such a quick sed raid, and the other trees are much smaller and lighter… It seemed like a joke that I nning to uproot a massive tree and run with it on my bailes, but with Body Enha aher lightening the weight, it was by no means impossible for the smaller trees.

  “Very ambitious.” Shaeu approved. “I am most-most pleased. My husband should be greedy! Very well, I am exhausted, but I at least assist you.”

  The first step was to remove the inated barrier cream. We dug a quick moat around the tree to tain it, and I then used aether, trating on imagining a deluge of water ging to the tree from the top down, washing all the tainted slime into the trench. Since imagination was a key factor in usiher effectively, with my ever-increasing stats, my ability to use it was growing rapidly. Since I broke the bottleo Rank 6, I 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 didates were improving as rapidly as I was. Some 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 wahe Tree so badly. It was risky, but a risk I could anticipate and manage, but in exge, the reward was a massive long-term be.

  “I see you thinking.” Shaeu said, w her healing on Asha, who had finally stopped g. “So just what-what do you pn to do with the bounty the tree provides?”

  Usiher to boil the mass of filthy water, a task that would have been far easier with fme energy, but sadly I was only just starting to recover that, I sidered my answer. It was obvious, really. “First thing we o do is tio increase our ether geion, so I thiake the bounty it gives and upgrade all the Ether Spires to Rank 3 at the least. It may cost three huhousaher 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 signifit amounts of ether ing in, and we sider some more ambitious builds, like Rank 4 Ether Spires or even a Rank 3 Throne. Maybe some Rank 3 and 4 Barracks too.”

  My Eye sed the bubbling goop, noting the spores had died off. It smells positively vile though. I’ll get the weaselkin to drain the crap and fill ich ter. “All right then. The tree… time for some Ether Healing.” I decided to start from the top, climbing up using the fissures irunk. Once I reached the 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 time to enjoy the view. Idly w whether Asha would let us build a viewing ptform and terrace up here for drinking aion, I exteendrils of aether into the tree, seeking out pockets of corruption. It was simplicity itself to annihite 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 usiher Healing. The scarred wood was swelling, cracks filling in, and fresh bark was f, soft and springy, smelling of nature. Beside me, one branch suddenly burst with leaves and blossoms, and several cracked braarted growing, with fresh buds sprouting from the trunk, slowly being new, virgin branches.

  Pretty! I became lost in the healing, finding it truly fasating how the tree was both a pnt and somehow 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 desding the tree, I tio be surrounded by blooming branches, until a voiapped me out of my trance.

  “I think-think that should be enough for now.” Shaeu said, grinning, sitting below me on a branch. “You have been at this for some hours.”

  Really? I looked up to see that I had desded nearly a dozeres, and the opy of the tree was hanging above me like a natural parasol, green leaves and pink and white blossoms shining with ruby and gar energies. “Whoa, yeah, I must have worked hard.” Indeed, my mind was fuzzy with exhaustion and my chakra work was burning from effort, though the sensatio good, natural. Looking down I could see the base of the tree was also restored, around three metres of fresh bark and branches jutting out. On seeing my gaze, Shaeu grinned. “I have not-not been sg 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 ehough when we have more-more time we plete the healing. But first-first there is someone who wishes to see you.”

  Looking down I could see Hyath, busily using her nature energy to ihe 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 desded, and on reag the ground she looked at us, biting at her lip, tears flooding down her face.

  “Oh e on, no tears.” I chided her. “This is a happy occasion. Your tree will live and thrive. Hell, we even have another Rhyming Tree not too far away, though it’s a darkness element. I promise you, we’ll drive out the Myids too. One day the Spring and its surrounds shall bloom anew. Maybe you eve, pnt some trees over the graves of your fallen kin.”

  “You surely must-must be doing this on purpose.” Shaeu muttered beside me. “Sometimes I find myself in agreement with Eri. Still, it matters not-not I suppose. A dryad is a worthy…”

  I didn’t catch the end of Shaeu’s whispers, as Asha suddenly threw herself at me, ing me in her long auburn hair. Her face was close to mine, beautiful tears spilling from her yellow eyes. “I would like that. They would like that, a peace. What was it you said, that I had to live for them now, sihey ’t? Well I shall live, my tree shall live, and one day the forests shall return.” She looked at Shaeu then. “After all, perhaps one day the Spring of Clear Refles will be your Territory. You have the bloodline and pedigree for it, it seems, for as its liberators, who could tell you no?”

  “You think so small.” Shaeu smirked. “But I do not-not disagree. It shall be ours, and then you restore it to the pristine forests, rivers and kes. Anyway, how long-long are you pnning to g to Akio?” she raised one eyebrow, amused.

  Asha realised she was still ing me in her hair, her body mere inches from me, and she flushed, her pale, green-tinged skin turning a light pink. On releasing me, she bowed once more. “Akio, Shaeu Tu Shae Dannan. I shall keep my Oaths. The tree will live. I will live. It is not cured yet, I feel the pain of the rot deep within still, yet it is oreat, and fresh life surges through me.” She smiled then, a little impishly. “My only pint is the earth element here is not as rich as my old home. It is suffit, yes, but it will take quite some time to fortify it to the depths I love.”

  “Well, about that…” I checked the Elemental Silos and grinned. Not quite there, but soon. I whispered something to Shaeu and she nodded, joining me in plundering what wind energies we had within the Silos, speeding our recovery and creating space to absorb more earth element. “I nning something for a while, but maybe it’s the right time.” Right, build queues. Let’s take a look.

  The first queue on the Build Queue Spire had pleted the two Rank 2 upgrades to my Silos, and had one and a half days left on aal Silo to Rank 2, with one more following that.

  The had the hrone of Heroes with just half a day left, which pleased me, followed by two Barracks upgrades to Rank 2, for a shade over twenty days total.

  The Throne of Heroes Rank 2 upgrade in the queue now had twenty-nine and a half days left, while my final queue had four Ether Spire upgrades to Rank 2 (two more having pleted while I was away) and theerial to Boundary e Rank 2, for a total of thirty-five and a half days left.

  Right, so the cheapest Queue to clear would be the Elemental Silos, and that is helpful too…The cost was only around seven thousaher, so I dropped that without a worry, clearing out the queue. My ether stocks were standing at well over a huhousand, even sidering what I’d drawn in to vert to aether to support my reckless tree-stealing exercise, and the further excess I had blown stopping the tree from smming down when we exited the Ring Gate. Yeah, the bounty from Myid murder is det indeed…

  White Snake Earth Altar Rank 1 Uhis building only be structed at Shirohebizumi shri will strengthen all earth-aspected creatures and allies under your and, and this ability will be magnified for the kami of the shrine and his adherents. The kami of the shrine will be able to gather more adherend utilise it more effectively. Earth element produ and purity in the area will be increased, very slightly increasing the ce of unique elemental earths f.

  This was the building I wanted, and now that I was examining it with my Mystic Eye of the Tree of Knowledge I could see through the previous question-marks, the amber letters intriguing. Adherence seemed to be the belief and prayers that nourished certain spiritual beings such as kami! On a hunch I checked the Ether Spire description, and indeed, while there were still amber question-marks, some had beeed, and adherence could also be collected by Ether Spires, though apparently at a pitifully insignifit rate.

  The Elemental Silo was a touch low on the five hundred earth elemental essence we needed, but it would only take an hour or so to fill up the st few drops we needed. Cheg the rush-build options, luckily it only doubled the ether cost, not the cost ial essence, so I could afford the huhousand for an instant pletion. It was killing two birds with oone as well. I had promised Izumi-san and the White Snake kami I would strehe power of the kami and the shrine, and in addition it would please Asha. Rank 2 was even more iing, however. The cost to a quarter of a millioher and two and a half thousah elemental essence, but it offered further strengthening, and also… earth element aspected allies have their maximum level raised by two. The kami of the shrine, his adherents a worshippers have their maximum level raised instead by four.

  “Does this mean what I think it does?” I asked Shaeu, and she thought it over, before nodding.

  “I think so. I believe Kana and her family would be, being the guardians of the shrine. A modest boost, but a wele one indeed-indeed.”

  “I am fused, what are you talking about?” Asha asked, stroking the healed lower trunk of her tree, as she had wandered over instinctively while I was lost in thought cheg the menu. Her eyes were still teary, but she looked more at peace.

  “Oh, just what I do to help you find this pce a bit more liveable.” I grinned as I watched the elemental essence fill the Silo. “After this maybe we could retrieve the other trees, if they survived.”

  “I do not hold out much hope, I am afraid.” At the mention of the other trees in her dying grove, her expression twisted. “They were gravely sied, and without the presene, even in my maddeate, they will quickly succumb. Even so, I appreciate the ses.”

  There we go. Time to spend big… “Well, maybe this will cheer you up.” I decred, and queued and rush-built the Earth Altar. Immediately a pretty, shrine-like building, surrounded by white satues draped with brilliant crimson shimenaes, sprung ience, and the red-tiled roof and white and red walls began to glow with earth energies, the density around us increasing noticeably.

  “What did you do?” she asked, stunned.

  “What master always doooes!” Hyath decred, from behind the tree where she was toiling away. “Making things better!”

  “The ground, the air, it is full of an even richer energy!” Asha exulted, and Shaeu stuck her hands on her hips and jutted out her chest proudly, as if this was her work being praised. I guess in a way it was. She helped us gather ether after all.

  Our happy talk was interrupted by the White Snake kami, who came slithering over, and suddenly I was busy again, with more expnations.

  ********

  The White Snake kami was rather pleased, as I expected, and even the Boundary version of his shrine looked more respectable now, as if adding the Earth Altar outbuilding had affected it too. Still, I had other matters on my mind, and had spent some of my remainiher, to finish the Throne of Heroes Rank 1. I also stuck the final Rank 1 Barracks upgrade to Rank 2 in the vat queue I had, just to utilise it properly.

  Now I was meeting with Ixitt and Suzuki Haru-san, Shaeu beside me. Ixitt looked weary still from our struggles, but his shing tail signalled his excitement, while Haru-san was bobbing there shyly, her ghost sisters indistinct blurs behind her.

  “I wao speak to you both, as you are the two primary didates for this Throne.” I said, getting straight to the point. “Haru-san, I promised I’d get you back to the Material, and this do it, but… to be ho, I need Ixitt mht now. I’d like it if you wait until we upgrade this Throne. I hope I queue it in soon, since we should have much more ether ing in. I feel bad about making you and your father wait though.”

  “I uand.” Haru-san said quietly, her ghostly face downcast. “I know you have been good to me. I worry for daddy but… if you could pass on a message, let him know I am all right and thinking of him, I endure.” She implored me, and I nodded.

  “Of course. Anything to make the two of you feel better. And don’t despair. I hope before Christmas you reunite, a Christmas miracle ihough then, you’ll have a lot of work to do for me.”

  “I know.” She said quietly, looking at Shaeu. “You are not evil like him. The smile of the girl as she stands by your side shows me you are kind. I’ll help you, as I promised, if I go home and see daddy again…” a thin trail of phantom tears down her cheeks made me feel bad for her, but I had decided to not let myself be swayed by the tears of girls unless it was absolutely necessary. Hardening my heart I turo Ixitt. His expression was rapturous, but I had to be firm.

  “This is a big reward, but an equally stern obligation.” I warned, and Shaeu backed me up, telling Ixitt to heed my words. “You’ve ben a great help to me, but when you accept the Throne, you bey ally and servant in truth, an unbreakable bond unless we both agree to end it. you live with that?” I finished.

  His answer was a toothy grin. “Is that even a question?” he ughed. “Listen to me, you healed me, you gave my family and my kin a pce to live. ushed the boundaries of Mortal Engineering to such a degree the vile Myids are helpless before us. We stole a moon-damned Rhyming Tree from the forest of death!” His ughter grew more frenzied. “I have made guns, mortal artifice I have long envied. Ulfuric, my old friend, looks as if a weight has lifted from his broad shoulders. And now you say I walk the mortal world as the princess does, see with my own eyes, experiment, master my craft as no Fae ever has?” He bowed to me. “I don’t even sider it a price to pay. I would follow you and the prio the end of your journey, for only through that I ever be satisfied. If I was a woman, I would be proposing right now!”

  “Yeah, no thanks, I live without that.” I ughed. “So, you are resolved to aid me, craft what I need, improve our ons, armour and sce to heights beyond both mortal and Fae?”

  Haru-san looked a bit put off by his eager vehemence, but there was a twinge ret in her eyes. Don’t worry, your time will e soohan you think.

  “Resolved?” Ixitt scoffed. “I would rather die than miss out, and being under your rule is no hardship. Besides, the princess wishes to be Queen, does she not? I’ll be quite the favoured ohen, a fair turnabout to those that sed me for being ratkin. Now dey no longer, Akio, my master! I accept!”

  Here we go! And with that, Ixitt was my sed Chosen Hero. I had expected Fae-Boo level but it didn’t, maybe as he wasn’t a Noble Fae. Still, now I could check his status, which I did, amber letters fring brightly, as Ixitt capered around, snickering, marvelling at the new knowledge he gained of my Territory.

  “Hmm, you aren’t that strong, are you?” I said, perhaps a touch rudely, and he sniggered.

  “Well, of course not. My bloodline is rather pin, uhe princess here. I rely on my crafts and iy to bance my weaknesses.” He patted the shotgun at his waist. “One does not o be strong to be deadly, and brains often overe brawn.”

  “True. I like both though.” I agreed. “Still, you don’t have a Fae css. Is that because you don’t have a, as far as I see?”

  “Perhaps.” Ixitt shrugged. “Though being ued does have its perks. I notice the princess was rather unfortable around the Rhyming Tree and the dryad. Earth and wind seldom get along.”

  “I would not-not say that. It was somewhat unpleasant, and having the density of earth element raised here makes me itch, but I ot-not be bound by that forever. After all, I am also a Fae of fme. Admittedly, fme does not much care for earth either, but still…” she pouted, arms crossed.

  “Well, one day you’ll master the earth too, I’m sure. Anyway, I’m curious about a few of your skills so I’m taking a look, Ixitt.” At his nod my Eye glittered amber.

  Mortal Engineering – A rare school of crafting that blends multiple teiques and arts together with mortal knowledge and know-how to create devices that bring great weal or woe, and often surpass the limits of either mortal or spirit. A Mortal Engineer has good fortune when perf experiments and finds their success rate when utilising multiple disciplines of crafting and sce together greatly increased, with the ce of an ued positive oute.

  Faecraft- A measure of the ability to utilise elemental energies and Fae arts and sorceries, to create wonderous devices that often draw on the mysteries of fortune and charm.

  Alchemy- The art of creating potions, powders, chemicals and ois that have mystical and magical effects. It also dabbles with metallurgy and healing, and the arts of transmuting oerial into another.

  “Well, okay, those are all kind of cool. I want them. Your csses too.” Fae-Crafter offered boosts to Precision and Acrity, as well as crafting success, and could be gained by haviher Crafting and Faecraft skills, so I was halfway there, and Master Of Many Crafts required five different types of crafting skills, but increased Fortune and crafting success signifitly.

  “I am humbled by your praise.” Ixitt grinned, rubbing his hands together. “I hardly wait to get started on learning all the knowledge I . Chemistry, biology, physics, engineering… so many books and resources. Just tell me what you wao make, and I’ll produce a wonder you have never seen before!”

  “Well, you’ll have to wait for a while.” I could feel my elemental energies having rgely recharged within me. “Because we’ve tarried here too long. We o try for the other two Rhyming Trees now, before they die. Grulgor. Shaeu, you get Hyath. I’d hate to let them slip through rasp…”