Chapter 51
The crystallized flower glittered in front of me. The notification to possibly absorb it was a tantalizing finger, beckoning me off the path of righteous leisure.
I honestly felt a bit embarrassed by how tempted I was by the prospect of swallowing the hunk of Kami energy. My imagination whispered of an overwhelming change. Considering the Mana and Stat boosts I earned while incorporating a little bit of Mana from the Squirrel Champion, how hefty a benefit would its Kami provide to me…?
In front of me, the negotiation flowed back and forth without requiring my input. I was aware enough to understand Sage continued to bully the Kami, but my attention remained traitorous. The trek through the forest had been dangerous and exhausting. My Health had gotten scarily low. Wouldn’t this power enable me to avoid those dangers…?
A part of me began to rationalize the decision. Of the three Chimera Core Siblings, I was the weakest. I would likely remain the weakest, as Violala observed earlier, even if I most efficiently took advantage of our advantages as Chimera Cores.
But what if that could change? What if I could become strong, just by swallowing this flower?
I couldn’t tell if it would be a step forward or a step back for my second life. I had no idea Mimi would say.
Well, maybe that wasn’t exactly true. She had made her stance on grasping for treasures that didn’t belong to me. With a great effort of will, I averted my eyes from the sparkling temptation. At least for now, it would be foolish to gobble up this.
Being afflicted with indigestion would be the least of my worries, with an angry grizzly bear within reach.
Besides… one coherent thought stopped me: why had I sought a different end, preventing the duck Kami from killing and devouring its neighbor, if in the end, I had just been the one who consumed this flower?
Sage maintained her domineering attitude, even while our negotiation position softened. She repeatedly sneered, snorted, and made comments in the spirit of ‘well, if this is truly so undesirable to you, we will just slaughter your people’.
The Kami cub roared, glowered, and snarled in response. She let him bluster as much as he wanted, and often the land deity talked himself out of his hardline position. The Fae squirrels peeked their heads further and further out of their trees, watching wandering discussion. I stood above the crystalized flower. Nightshade and Violala watched silently on the other side of the clearing.
More than anything, I appreciated the peacefulness of the tableau. Was it arrogant of me to feel proud?
Bit by bit, it became a little easier to dismiss the temptation of eating the flower myself. That action would destroy this fragile peace.
We had come here with a vague mission from the Kami, which had included a push toward heavy-handed slaughter. The quest came with a direct acknowledgment that we may need to kill all of the Fae Squirrels to accomplish our goal. Yet as a former human, I wasn’t willing to accept that.
Not at least without a little bit of effort.
Strength held a dominant role in this world; even though I would probably never seek out combat like Nightshade, I wouldn’t flinch from it. That attitude would see everything precious I’ve accumulated in this life taken from me. But I wanted to invest in this new life, not slaughter my way through it.
After all, I just introduced currency to the wetlands. What’s the point of being a leisurely money printer without a bushy-tailed working class? Huhuhu.
Eventually, the cub begrudgingly agreed to test Sage’s bold claim that we had generously solved all of the problems. At the imperious direction of the Kami, two of the Shamans of Retribution scurried over to my position. Their paws trembled as they carefully dug away the dirt around the crystal flower and plucked it up. They carried it with the utmost care and most of the dirt fell away as they moved the crystal outside the influence of the Kami’s Mantle.
They stood, eyes widening in fascination, as they shuffled just outside of the reach of the Eternal Oak tree and looked at the slender crystal stem they held. Above glowed a pale white flower. Below stretched a twisted mass of crystal roots.
We waited for almost twenty minutes, simply waiting for the crystal barrier to fail or the Seed to gradually lose its power without the protection of the Mantle. But I could see the pulsing life energy flowing without interruption.
Somehow, the crystal prevented the dissipation of the Seed without inhibiting the natural cycle of energy. The flower sowed connections with the land and pulled little bits of energy from the deceased back into itself. The Seed continued its essential work.
I didn’t miss the opportunity to examine the strange energy of the Kamis.
Your Skill (Earned) Mana Sensitivity has grown to Level 25(+7).
The gaps in the waves of the Kami’s energy were small, but over time, those fickle openings gave me a larger scope of vision above the flowers. Perhaps it was the influence of my newly acquired Insight Stat? But eventually-
-I spotted my quarry.
Your Skill (Earned) Detection has grown to Level 25(+3).
Your Skill (Earned) Mana Sensitivity has grown to Level 25(+8).
Please note: Special Proficiency obtained! Please continue to over-Level for the possibility of receiving a [*\_/*](Earned) Skill variation for Mana Sensitivity.
My mind briefly stalled, caught between two distractions. In the end, I set aside the notification and looked into the depths of the foliage above us. There, pasted against a twisting branch by the trunk, hung an obsidian leaf. All the leaves were dark, but this crossed a threshold into the abyss of a moonless sky. As soon as I witnessed it, I knew this was the Kami’s Mantle.
Curiously, none of the life energy radiating off the Seeds below touched the Mantle. Perhaps that’s what eventually alerted me to it; the black life hung completely still, surrounded by dark green leaves that were buffeted by an invisible wind.
Yet I couldn’t help but wonder about why the Mantle felt so different to my senses. I remembered my own reincarnation, which obviously didn’t involve any physical transference. The Kami is divided into three parts. Perhaps they correspond roughly to Body, Mind, and Soul. This, then, the Mantle, would be the soul-
Wait, Plasm is obviously the body, but then the Seed would be the mind? Why would a mind act like a spiritual bank…
Hah, well, it’s not like every fantasy setting would be covered in the whimsical imaginings of Earth-
Your Skill (Earned) Monster’s Wisdom has grown to Level 25(+18).
It’s actually been a while, System. Has your absence made my heart fonder for your mocking? But also-
With this segue, my mind snapped back to the other interesting bit of information: that extra notification, indicating over-Leveling could lead to a Skill variation. I suspected I would be forfeiting the bonus Achievement calculation that would happen at the next Growth Threshold if I accepted such a shift, but it was also possible that having a pivotal Skill would be more valuable to improving the next evolution possibilities.
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However-
Doesn’t this bit in the notification, I tilted my head to the side. …look like a face?
Your Skill (Earned) Mutinous Grit has grown to Level 13.
Your Skill (Earned) Short-Term Prediction has grown to Level 10.
Your Skill (Earned) Mutinous Grit has grown to Level 14.
I suddenly felt entirely sure I shouldn’t meet the ‘eyes’ of that small emoji face in the notification.
“Hmph?!”
Almost guilty, I straightened; across the small clearing, the bear cub whirled around from his vigil next to the crystal flower. His eyes shot up to the black leaf, the Mantle, hanging in the canopy of the tree.
Although it hadn’t moved through all the pulsing life energy, the leaf shivered as I received those increases in Skill Level.
Did I cause that…? I felt an ominous sinking in my inner jelly. Also… what would have happened if I hadn’t been within the screen of a Kami’s Mantle?
Seriously, what the hell is this face…? Maybe Nightshade was correct; involvement with the deities of a fantasy world was a bad choice.
“My patience begins to run thin,” Sage folded her tails across her chest. “I have not incinerated your pathetic underlings for your hubris of questioning the word of a Skyrage. Yet now you make me wait well into the evening to satisfy your petty fears…?”
The Kami cub growled, but there was little heat in the sound. He looked at the crystal flower, then back at Sage. “You are purposefully obtuse. My Seed is split across all five flowers. And beyond that, the limited efficacy-”
“Brother Tallum,” Sage gave a dramatic sigh.
During the waiting period, my Mana had refilled; due to being my only non-(Temp) Stat for a sizable period, my Wisdom was quite robust. At Sage’s signal, I walked to the next flower and activated my first Blessing.
Due to your unique actions, your Blessing Seep Blessed Oils has earned +7 Proficiency!
Tsk, System, always so stingy. Such a drop in gained Proficiency for the second flower.
Once again, lavender liquid trickled down and encased the flower in a crystal barrier. Upon examination, the time limit until the crystalline substance faded remained the same. Sage wiggled a tail.
The Kami regarded me with heavy eyes. “You ask me to put my people at your mercy for the rest of their existence. Should you ever fail to re-apply this crystal barrier, they would perish. How could a being of blight be worthy of that responsibility?”
Perhaps because we seemed to be reaching a critical point in the notification, I felt nervous. I made a joke. “Your lack of faith in your own capability is surprising, Kami. Won’t you ensure I never waver?”
The Kami’s eyes suddenly seemed hollow. He took a heavy step forward.
Nightshade sent me a humming communication pulse via jelly. The Kami believes, by assenting to the covenant, he walks toward the embrace of death. I can sense the trace of the abyss in his gaze. Therefore, your words were a blatant provocation.
Brother Tallum, your sense of humor is amusingly barbed.
“Ah,” I blurted out the word. I didn’t quite understand that line of reasoning, but I trusted Nightshade. I hurried to provide reassurance. “...can I tell you about a dream of mine?”
“You undoubtedly dream of a bleak expanse of darkness, creature of blight.” The Kami growled. “A pit beyond the reach of light and holiness.”
Yet the fact he didn’t step forward was enough of an opening that I continued. “I dream of a home. A place… to savor my life surrounded by those important to me. To not need to spend every moment fearing that peace will be shattered in an instant. To have invested and built up a stronghold worthy of protection.
“Now, I admit that in this world, it is likely impossible to completely eliminate an element of violence-”
Especially in a place populated by misunderstanding-prone monsters-
“-yet I do not think we need to remain isolated as we are now, in a bunch of small warring tribes. After all,” Now I turned my attention toward a small anxiety I had, after an earlier discussion with Violala. “As the surrounding Kamis awaken, life flows into the land. Even if we are now content to remain here, fighting amongst ourselves, will other forces be content to let us do so? Especially as the resources we possess grow more valuable?”
Your Skill (Language) Bestial Comprehension has grown to Level MAX.
An Interesting Achievement: For pushing a core Language Skill to its MAX Level, +1 to all non-(Temp) Stats.
Ah, if only all twelve of these Stats were non-(Temp). Interesting that Language Skills have different Level caps-
Actually, wait, what is with this Level Up Timing-
The intensity in the Kami Cub’s eyes changed. “...I finally see. An unholy union, yes, but not one without benefits. You… and the Kami behind you. You’ve already taken aim at the human Deities, haven’t you? Heh.”
What? I tried not to show my shock. Don’t say such ominous things. And please, consult above, about the surrounding beings being misunderstanding prone. I simply wish to establish a functioning economy. I am Tallum, the leisurely banker.
“In that case…” The Kami paused and considered for a few moments. Then he nodded decisively. “Okay, I will surrender my Mantle into your care, provided you give me an oath that you will protect my people, so long as you live.”
“Great one! Your descent is imminent-- why bother negotiating with these foreign monsters when their presence loosens your seal? If you fight for a few days more-” The Shaman of Retribution began with a pleading tone, then ceased speaking due to slapping its own squirrel paws across its mouth when it realized it had just revealed how pressing the issue of the Kami had become.
I saw Sage’s tails twitch; to my surprise, she managed to resist the urge to kill the offending speaker.
…perhaps I should provide Sage with responsibilities more often. She might have become over-involved in her role in the past, but it at least mollifies the worst of her fickleness…
“You foolish…!” It actually felt quite amusing to see the short-tempered Kami turn his fury toward one of his own followers. With a breath that caused its muscular chest to quiver, the Kami calmed himself. He huffed out a breath and I was surprised to sense bitterness from his crinkled expression. “We could certainly choose to revert back to the old ways. Bickering while humans plunder our most valuable gems. But don’t you see what this little monstrosity promises? A different future. A future… where the largest and most threatening sword… is held in the hands of the Kamis…!
“After so many years, perhaps the stranglehold held by those four old monsters will loosen and a Fifth Tier II Kami will ascend!”
Are we actually engaged in the same conversation? I almost felt apathy to the rampant conclusion-jumping. Really, it’s just enough to have access to the forest resources and the fae squirrel population-
“We accept your surrender,” Sage spoke in an authoritative tone. “In exchange for your compliance and Mantle, the meaningless lives of your subordinates will be spared. With the caveat that we refuse to be held responsible for their stupidity.” Sage shot me a knowing look. “Also, as proof of your sincerity, please explain the workings of your summoning circles. Undoubtedly Brother Tallum would dismantle their secrets on his own, but your cooperation would earn our goodwill.”
“Hmph,” The Kami clearly took issue with Sage’s tone but still made an imperious gesture with his muscular bear arm. “Nastor. Handle this. The process of the Seed crystallization appears to take time anyway, so we might as well spend the interim fruitfully.”
“Delivering our secrets unto the enemy-” The Shaman of Retribution, Nastor, was aghast.
“If you do not comply, we will eliminate you.” Violala proffered a serrated foreleg in a grim promise. “Failure to obey the dictates of the deal falls under the category of Fae Squirrel stupidity.”
“How dare you take that tone with my people!” The Kami growled and turned to the Venom Mantis. He jabbed a thick claw forward. “No one speaks to them that way! And even if you are correct in their poor impulse control… even for something like that, only I, who leads them may call them out on it! No matter how often it happens! And even should they be deserving of punishment, all such punishments need to go through me before being executed.”
Why bother to point out the obvious when this Kami rambles his way there eventually?
Hearing even his Kami speaking that way, the squirrel slumped in defeat. He turned to me, fur bristling. “If not for the orders of the Kami, I would grind you and your kind beneath my heel!”
Honestly? I blinked casually at the squirrel in front of me. This sort of attitude makes me feel better. Hatred is a more trustworthy emotion. Plus, this whole process is just a precursor to me exploiting you economically.
If you are going to be a cock about the array, I won’t feel bad about your meagre wages.