Chapter 5: Log-a-rhythm

Chapter 5: Log-a-rhythm

As the three suns seemed to disappear as if gradually melting into the night sky, Priam was thinking. He didn't want to make a hasty decision but wasn't planning to sleep another night outside the Hut.

Select the initial theme of the "Hut":

Abundance - Life II

Abundance - Aether II

Protection III

Tribulation Resistance II

Camouflage

Attraction

Underground

Comfort

Volume

Secret Passage

Water control

...

Priam concentrated. If two neurons were to connect, it was now or never. A wrong choice could lead to his death.

"Most of the themes are pretty obvious. The Shack already benefits from Abundance - Life I, Abundance - Aether I, and Protection II due to the synergy with the original tree. Tribulation Resistance II... I guess the tree doesn't want to die again against a tribulation. I wanted a tree that doesn't attract attention, so Camouflage or Secret Passage are good ideas... But if I can boost the fruit production or protection offered by the tree, it may be more interesting if the increase is exponential rather than linear!"

If the tree could produce resources like Passiflora, Priam could become extremely powerful while being safe in his home. He could already see himself sipping Passiflora syrup while endlessly increasing his stats. I'll be the most powerful vegan in the world!

The young man admired his new home. The trunk had no fixed door but could open a portal to let an inhabitant in. Priam could communicate mentally with the Hut. He sensed that it was looking for more seeds, unique fruits, or rare resources to grow faster and unlock new themes.

As the suns shone their last rays on the world, Priam decided.

"Abundance is an interesting theme, but I can find food in other ways. I can't hide for months or years in a tree. That's the lifestyle of Wuxia characters and immortal cultivators. Impossible for a normal human."

Priam stepped back to look at the tree in all its glory. Illuminated by the last rays of sunlight, the leaves looked golden.

"Protection II looks like it gives the Hut a huge amount of strength because of the original tree. Just look at the dead tree that was still recognizable, where the normal trees just disappeared. I have to focus on survival, which means Camouflage or Secret Passage. The problem with Camouflage is that a tree alone, with nothing around it, will remain visible no matter the illusion. Might as well take Secret Passage!"

Selected theme: Secret passage.

All the plants are linked within a giant web. You can open a portal to the Hut from any tree within a hundred meters.

Without additional resources, the next theme will be selectable in 30 days.

Perfect!

Priam walked over to the tree and put his hand on the trunk. The bark was soft, but the wood had a solid feel that pleased the young man. He mentally commanded the tree to open, and the wood became fluid. A liquid veil, green and golden, seemed to have merged with the trunk. Passing through the portal with his hand, Priam felt like he was stirring foam. He moved forward into the passage.

As he entered the Hut for the first time, Priam marveled. For the first time since the portal - which he had not had time to appreciate fully - he contemplated the true wonders the aether allowed. His home was spatially augmented: the volume of the Hut was greater inside than the volume of the tree measured from the outside.

Sensing his questioning, the Shack sent him a mental explanation. The tree did have a trunk with sap and wood, but a small dimension was hidden inside. It was attached to the primary dimension of Elysium. The bigger, stronger, and better the physical tree, the more stable, larger, and more comfortable the space in the Tree House would be.

The Guardian spoke, wrapping his words in aether to convey their intent, if not their exact meaning.

"Peace warrior. My name is Dishnu, Guardian of the Dryas. I do not seek war, I do not steal resources, and you will find me tomorrow as you do today: at peace."

Arnold closed his hand, and the spear of light disappeared. He did not understand the Drya's words, but he was aware that the Drya was not looking for war. The Empire, with the help of its archives and artificial intelligence programmed to predict the new world, had established that some beings would be peaceful or neutral. Not everyone could be thirsty for hegemonic control. Unfortunately for Drya, Arnold was the representative of the Empire. His opponent manipulated the aether with a disturbing naturalness, and Arnold wanted to eliminate the competition. He was educated to do so, almost programmed to follow the Empire's lead.

Dishnu instantly sensed that the homunculus was not going to stop its assault. Dryas were sensitive to emotions and the aether. Blessed by it, they could understand every living being. This blessing, this gift from the aether and the gods, drove them to be peaceful. The Dryas knew life's value and that few beings were inherently evil. But Dishnu also knew when a battle of ideas was lost. The Var Elegis would not be reasoned with by words - and they still shared no language - but by actions. That would take time.

For the time being, Dishnu intended to survive. They could become friends later. A second passed, then the fight resumed.

Arnold approached the Drya using all the power of his legs and the jet thrusters in his back, which were instantly created by his unique anatomy. On Earth, his speed would have been enough to break the sound barrier during his acceleration. Still, the atmospheric pressure in Elysium was too high, preventing him from achieving this feat. The homunculus wanted to get as close as possible to the Drya to blur the nearby aether and limit the tree-man's abilities. He knew he was outclassed in this category, but destroying was always easier than creating.

Dishnu quickly retreated and disappeared into a tree before emerging from another twenty yards away. He could use two nearby trees as portals and relied on this ability to avoid getting too close to Arnold. The two opponents had quickly figured out their respective abilities, and Dishnu knew he was physically outmatched.

Arnold stopped abruptly and turned around, sending light pulses from his hands to hurt the Drya. The Drya dodged the photonic attacks by running into trees, but its hosts were quickly burned. After about ten seconds, a fire had already broken out, and a hundred trees looked like torches. The Keeper of the Dryas and Nature would not let Var Elegis reduce more trees to ashes. Sometimes you have to punish the child to teach him a lesson. [Natures Wrath]

As Arnold activated a nuclear reactor inside him to increase his power tenfold, the trees in a two-hundred-meter radius rose. Thousands of aether-strengthened branches and roots, strong enough to shred steel, slammed into Arnold.

The homunculus smiled. Living for more than a century in the order of the Empire, he had felt nothing in that time. He had never tried to feel anything, for that matter. But the Tutorial had changed that. He discovered that he liked to fight. That he wanted to win.

"[Armament: Nova]"

The forest lit up.

Status: (Average value for a male Homo sapiens before integration: PHY 10 / MEN 10 / META 0)

PHYSICAL:

Force 23

Constitution 35

Agility 34

Vitality 51

Perception 24

MENTAL:

Vivacity 60

Dexterity 17

Memory 29

Willpower 44

Charisma 36

META:

Meta-affinity 8

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