The walk through the linear moss-covered hallway was reminding Wit of his brief adventures through the roots down in the depths near the fusion amber, though not as claustrophobic, or hot.
It wasn't the appearance of the hall that brought on the memory, it was the abundance of energy and life filling the air from the electric current running through the tiny mushroom-covered moss. He could feel the tingles through his static much more clearly down here, wherever down here was.
Wit thought he knew about all the places in Babel other than the first floor and down, it was obvious now the tower had more to it than meets the eye.
Still, the wound kept him unsteady and unable to focus too much on his surroundings. He leaned his shoulder on the wall while he stumbled his way down the corridor. His amber-red blood was slowly trickling out from between his fingers, and his vision was getting blurry.
All from one accidental gash, he thought bitterly.
He didn't know how long he walked through the unknown hallway but the young Omni eventually came to a roundabout that led to other mossy entrances like the one he had just excited. He was on the brink of passing out from blood loss but he thought it best to scout out the new area before resting.
The ringed corridor that Wit slowly circled with his fossilized wisp, allowed each entrance to connect their mossy tendrils to what seemed to be the center of the electric current running through the vibrant moss that he's seen all over the first and second floor.
There were a total of eight open entrances that led to other sections underneath the wisps nest and possibly other locations that Wit wasn't previously privy to.
Wit briefly wondered what this section of the tower's purpose was, before making himself comfortable against a wall. It had to be some sort of specialized room that handled power at one point before Babels’ fall, he hypothesized. But isn’t that what the Amberator is for?
Putting those thoughts to the side for the moment, he looked at the crystal fossil resting by his side and began concentrating on it.
From what he can tell, he was still connected to the crystal in the same way he was connected to the amber nucleus core. He could still push and pull the crystalized resin with his static, while also using it as an anchor point.
All things he's learned to expect from his nucleus, but now he was looking for how to reverse its sudden change.
From previous experience Wit knew most of these things came intuitively, so he tried to let his instincts take over.
Nothing immediately stood out, and with the lull in time Wits mind began to wonder as it usually does. He thought about the [sapslugs] evolving into [ambersnails] from literally sucking the energy out of the fusion Amberator, and how similar their process of crystallization was to his nucleus.
The crystalized amber must just be the stored energy…and now that I think about it, it's such a simple observation. And with that thought came another. If the crystal is just stored energy, wouldn't the solution be to just drain it?
Eyes closed, and sitting crisscrossed he placed his hands on the warm crystal amber; once again feeling its potential. This time the potential was heavy and solid, not loose and fluid like it felt in previous times. He began by spreading his static tingles around the crystal looking for some type of purchase.
But no matter how hard he tried he couldn't grasp his metaphorical static hands around the almost slippery solid potential, leaving him somewhat stumped on how to siphon off the energy.
After some more static probing, Wit realized that not all of the crystal was solid. Directly in the middle, was a soft interior the size of a gumball. What that told him was that the nucleus had reversed itself by hardening its outside and softening its insides unlike its usual soft exterior and crystal interior. Exactly like the [ambersnails].
With something familiar to work with he reached out with his static tingles and squeezed the fluid potential putting pressure around the sap. In an instant the hardened amber exterior liquified while the middle hardened, grew, and fractured into three new nuclei cores.
All the sweet energy-rich sap that was previously solid, enveloped Wit and sank into the creases between his [exoBark]. He couldn’t begin to describe the feeling of live energy integrating and sufficing his whole system on such a massive scale all he could do was gasp in pure ecstasy with his eyes rolled back.
He would’ve drowned in the energy bliss if Poindexter’s voice didn't ring in his mind with urgency.
Snapping his eyes open, he had just enough time to roll out of the way of the wisps’ squiggly plasma beam. It tried to trail him with it but Wit was faster in throwing out his amber nucleus to catch the neon energy.
Intuitively he now knew he could release another two nuclei cores, so while the one was midair sapping the energy from the wisps’ beam he summoned the other two.
It was easy attaching both of the clear sticky nuclei to the wisp and dragging it down to the floor. Before the [plasmawisp] could even wiggle in retaliation, Wit statically locked the creature down, pacifying its aggression. He grinned savagely in satisfaction.
“I like your gusto new wisp ‘One’, but let's put all that energy into something more productive, yes?” Wit said while curling his prehensile [exo] tail and began priming his [hive] organix.
⚡️
Wit ended up going into hibernation shortly after linking with the newly named ‘One’— his body seemed to need to rest in order to process the massive intake of energy from the fossil he absorbed. At least he wasn't hungry any more.
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He woke up two days later to a loud boom that rattled [Yggdrasil] and shook him awake. He felt fully refreshed and well rested, he uncurled himself from wisp One's warm embrace wondering where all the commotion was coming from.
There was a thin layer of thin white roots growing on both him and the wisp that he had to break as he got up. There was also ankle-deep water throughout the ringed chamber that wasn't there when he fell asleep.
“Huh, that's new?” Wit muttered, wiggling his toes in the water and stretching out all his limbs while letting out a satisfying purr, only then did he feel an intense hunger pang through his gut. That didn't last long,
“Approximately forty six hours Wit.”
“Did you just read my mind Dex?”
“No, you sent over a telepathic communication. You must have done it subconsciously,”
“Ah, wait forty six hours?!”
He grimaced no wonder he was so hungry, but he looked on the bright side, his arm injury was healed with the influx of amber he absorbed, he also now had three nuclei under his control, and to top it off a new wisp to command.
Things were certainly looking up, but still, he felt the other day's failure looming over his shoulders along with the hunger in his stomach. He again swore to himself to be better than he was before.
With motivation pumping in his veins, he first ordered One to go see what that loud noise was all about, carefully.
“Now let's see where we are, pull up the map Dex.” Wit ordered with his Omnitrix raised.
The pixels began forming the three-dimensional map of where he’s been so far in [Yggdrasils] interior. In Wits’ opinion it really just showcased how little he’s truly traveled in the few days he's been reborn.
Only two and a half floors, though he couldn't be too upset about that, the environment and its inhabitants have kept him from moving too fast. That and all the sleep he needed for some reason.
Where he stood now was directly underneath the second floor as he surmised from his relatively shortfall down here. The 3D image showed the ring and corridor he traveled through floating high above the first floor and centered in the middle of the tower just like the Amberator that lived in the basement. He wondered if this area was connected to the Amberator somehow, and if so, how?
Looking at the mossy fungus-covered cylindrical walls of the hidden room, Wit suddenly noticed an [ambersnail] underneath a mushroom cap comfortably resting, its shell steadily glowing amber.
Wait a second don't tell me the [ambersnail] trails that the moss grows on, are actual real electric circuits carrying power from the fusion Amberator to here?!
Otherwise, where else would it be getting its power? Wit pondered excitedly as he circled the fully moss-covered cylindrical room, with seemingly no entrance to its interior.
It seemed all the core functions of Babel's operating system were protected by being hidden in its dark core, away from all the children that used to inhabit its floors. Seeing the many similarities to the Amberator made Wit wonder if this mossy hidden room had phenomenon quintessence to offer just like the fusion amber did.
Was it possible to acquire more adaptations like he did when he received his [nucleiåmberus] organix, possibly with the abundant electric circuit moss? Speaking of …
“Poindexter, designate the name for this organism as [circuit moss] from now on. Also, continue your observations that you made from the sample that we collected…wait hold that thought, I'm getting something from One.” Wit began to list out orders to his a.i., but received a ping from wisp One with an update on its given task.
One was relaying that it found the source of the noise and was asking if he should return to him.
Sending over the intent of patience, Wit then twitched out his [multiperspectivity] visors to see what his insect was seeing. Just in time to see a piece of jagged lightning pass by, followed seconds later by a loud thunderous boom that Wit could hear and feel all the way from his location in the center of the tower; a testament to the power on display.
So that's what thunder really sounds like, how intimidating, Wit thought feeling somewhat nostalgic, remembering the times he used to stare out into thunderstorms for hours but hearing nothing before his rebirth.
Wisp One was apparently witnessing a heavy torrential thunderstorm raging outside of [Yggdrasils] walls.
That also explains the ankle-deep water, it's slow but the rain is steadily making its way in through the fissure. Hopefully it stops before it gets too bad.
With the confirmation that nothing was amiss, he beckoned One to return and retracted his visor— returning to the task at hand.
“Continue your observations on the [circuit-moss], Poindexter.” Wit ordered while continuing his own observations of the closed room.
“Certainly Wit, the plant sample of the designated named [circuit moss] that you provided has shown signs of hybridization, two separate species becoming one. Those species being, mycelium and moss.”
“Loading database…mycelium is a root-like structure of a fungus consisting of a mass of branching, thread-like neural connector roots that allow all plants to communicate with one another through weak electric pings. They are vital to almost all species of plants, many species opting into co-evolving with the fungus much like the moss it's currently in symbiosis with.
“Moss on the other hand is a plant that typically forms dense green clumps or mats, often in damp or shady locations. The individual plants are usually composed of simple leaves that are generally only one cell thick, and have only a limited role in conducting water and nutrients. Though much simpler in function to the mycelium they are known to grow rapidly and hold large stores of water.”
“Coupled together the [circuit moss] is not only allowing energy from the Amberator to travel through its circuits but also nutrients, water, and electrical signals.” Poindexter’s analogous voice explained, connecting certain dots that Wit has already observed.
“So if the amberator was the heart of [Yggdrasil], this room and the [circuit moss] must be its central nervous system kinda. These mycelium moss circuits probably kept everything in working order for the tower-turned tree. Sending signals throughout their entire growth grid using the sap trails that are everywhere.” Wit said, getting excited.
“While on the other hand, the nuclear fusion amberator just supplied everything with practically infinite energy and nutrients utilizing its most likely self created amber made creatures to spread that power out.” Wit concluded, eyes wide in realization, he started to finally see some of the properties of the small ecosystem that had taken over Babel.
Wit now had to know what was in that cylindrical room no matter what, it could hold old Babel secrets that he would love to get his grubby paws on, or it could be the start of a new organix which would increase his survivability if it worked like the first time. Either way, he was getting into that room.
But his stomach growled bringing him back down to reality, he needed to eat. His one nap under the sun and all that amber sap from the fossil gave him enough to work with for this long but he needed a real solution and fast.
Looking at the mycelium mushrooms and [ambersnails] all over the cylindrical room coupled with Poindexter’s explanation that they both were highly nutritious made Wit finally decide it was time to partake in nature's delicacies.