Jiran slowly eyed the Timberling warrior up and down, noting her complete lack of armor—her body was protected by layers of bark grown atop random portions of her skin, “You wield a spear and a bow, are you from hunting or conflict?” He wondered aloud.

Her pale skin was lightly flushed after Jiran’s careful perusal and her sly, inviting smile was a clear sign she hadn’t minded his gaze in the least, “Conflict is my sect, I say with respect,” She sang while possessively brushing her fingers over her new spear.

I wasn’t ogling you! Okay, note to self: Don’t be so obvious about looking for the best parts of bark to reinforce. Whatever, after I get started, I’m sure she’ll understand.

He motioned the woman a little closer and she instantly complied, blinking up at him through thick, dark eyelashes. Jiran thought he had been getting better at reading their alien expressions, but at the moment, he couldn’t fully interpret her reactions: There was surprise and confusion, mixed with something new displayed through a single lifted brow and specific, spread-out leaves on her shoulders and head that vibrated in pulses with a short delay.

That looks almost like a… mating dance?

Jiran shook his head, doubting his train of thought, “I’m going to start by reinforcing your bark. It might hurt a bit, but once I’m done, it’ll be far stronger. Are you ready?” She nodded eagerly and Jiran lightly touched her shoulder, intending to test a space the size of a square centimeter. His touch caused the skin of her neck to flush a deeper crimson and those same specific leaves to tremble even harder. He ignored her reaction, his focus already split and strained to the maximum. One of his minds worked to prepare the pile of ash floating inside his aura, the rest formed hundreds of threads of mana.

His aura and the threads dove into her bark, mapping out all three layers in exacting detail. The first layer was malleable, capable of flexing with her movements and fully melded with the hypodermis’s muscle and fat tissues. It also contained the most amount of nerves and was directly connected with the veins that carried sap through the many layers of her body. The nerves ended just as they reached the second layer of bark, which was the thinnest and also the most delicate—seemingly acting as connective tissue designed to easily break away, thereby protecting the first layer if the third was damaged. The outermost bark was thick and tough while being full of cracks that served a dual purpose: They allowed sections to be torn off in case of damage without sacrificing too much of the overall protection and also created decent freedom of movement.

Jiran’s aura held her shoulder still while his threads of mana wormed through the cracks in her outer bark, digging out half of the soft middle layer. This left a gap between the outer and inner bark less than the thickness of a sheet of paper. Rivulets of sap, so small they would be difficult to see with the naked eye, immediately began to seep into the wound. His aura held the liquid at bay while he began filling the thin space with purified ash. Once the gap was filled, Mana Confluence turned the carbon ash into several dozen layers of graphene.

“I-it tickles, like tiny prickles,” She bit her lip, her eyes boring into Jiran’s.

He barely heard her, only taking note that she didn’t seem to be in pain. He wasn’t surprised since he had done his best to avoid the nerves in her bark. His focus remained unwavering as his finger trailed from her shoulder down her arm. Hundreds of filaments of mana radiated from his hand and into her as he repeated the graphene reinforcing until he reached the back of her hand where the bark stopped. The entire time he was working on her arm, her mouth had been wide open as she made strange crackling sounds like a campfire. He gently but firmly turned her in a full circle and repeated the processes across her back, hips, stomach, and legs, until every centimeter of her bark had multiple sheets of graphene inside it.

The entire process took about three minutes and by the end, she was panting heavily, her skin flushed and her gaze a thousand kilometers away. Jiran waved his hand in front of her face while calling out to her but she was completely unresponsive. With a shrug, he set her to the side with her weapons and met the eyes of the next person in line. He furrowed his brow, realizing that at some point while he was intently focused on what he was doing, the next Timberling in line had changed.

Wasn’t it one of the young guys next? When did they swap? Wait, why are all the guys at the back of the line now? Whatever, now that I know what I’m doing it should only take one or two minutes per person, including the weapons. Once I have a handle on the differences between them, I can move onto the next phase.

He motioned her forward and at the same time, Enthralling Touch drew out half the mana in her body to replenish what he had used on the previous woman. She gasped in surprise, but stepped forward and handed him her spear and bow. Her entire body was vibrating with nervous energy so Jiran smiled warmly at her and spoke in a reassuring voice, “It’s going to be fine, I won’t hurt you, promise.”

“I-I know, that you are no foe. I-I’m merely nervous to receive your service. Please be gentle. It’s my first time, but I’m sure it will be sublime!”

For a long, drawn-out moment, Jiran froze, his eyes completely unable to pull away from the leaves around her head and shoulders that danced rhythmically in exactly the same way as the previous Timbering.

No, no way… I’ve seen all their parts clearly with my aura and there’s nothing unusual about those organs. I’m definitely misunderstanding her… right?

The murmured whispers of several nearby women suddenly registered in his ears, “D-did you hear her clicks?! I counted twenty-six!”

“Twenty-six? That’s impossible, such a divide is truly uncrossable. The most I’ve ever heard of is five and they say that sister did barely survive.”

“Siloralalianara, I’ll trade you thirty bushels for your spot in line! I cannot wait, this position must become mine!”

“Not in this life, I’ll defend my spot through any strife!” After the first Timberling made the offer, suddenly, dozens of them were shouting out similar deals and Jiran’s aura instantly hardened to block their bickering.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

Thirty bushels? Defend with her life? What the hell? Honestly, it doesn’t matter. I’m not sending a single one of them into battle without better protection. They’ve gone their entire lives depending on their bark to protect them so they’re used to fighting in a way that utilizes those natural defenses. Making entire suits of armor for each of them is out of the question since it would take way too much time, mana, and resources. This is the only reasonable way, so regardless of what they’re getting out of it, I’ve got to see it through!

After quickly reinforcing her weapons, his aura held her still so she wouldn’t twitch while he painstakingly reinforced her bark. By the time he was done, she was just as incoherent as the first one so he set her aside. The next one in line was panting with blurred eyes and her leaves were vibrating before she even stepped into his aura; the desire in her gaze completely unmistakable. With a weary sigh, Jiran surrounded his workspace in a bubble of elemental light that absorbed and refracted every spectrum so he wouldn’t be distracted by the clamoring of the Timberlings in the rapidly growing line.

image [https://i.imgur.com/LlXURdW.png]

Several hours later, Jiran noted Mayalyn entering the range of his aura. She spent a few seconds absorbing the line and the pile of recovering women before poking her head inside Jiran’s sphere of darkness. She watched him with narrowed eyes, not saying anything until he finished with the Timberling he was working on.

“Aajiran, what are you doing to them?” She spoke slowly, her voice laced with suspicion.

“Uhh, turning their bark into armor like our suits,” Jiran met her eyes, refusing to look away or allow even the slightest hint of shame to color his emotions.

“They seem to be… enjoying it.”

Jiran shrugged, “Yeah, I'm not sure why.”

“Have you asked them why?” Mayalyn questioned in a demanding tone.

“Nope and I honestly don't want to know. If I find out, I might stop, which would get some of them killed.”

After his response, she stared at him for the longest five seconds of his life. “Okay, when you need a break, we should talk.”

Nope, better get this resolved now.

Jiran walked toward her and grabbed her hands. She didn’t resist as he gently pulled her all the way inside the dark bubble. Once in the middle, he plopped down so they were sitting with their knees touching, “I’ll take that break right now. After killing so many tier sevens my emotional state’s been all over the place. Spending some time with you is exactly what I want right now. So, what did you want to talk about? If it’s about the Timberlings, I can make them regular armor, it’ll just take a little longer.”

Mayalyn shook her head, “No, that is not it. You are trying to do everything by yourself again. If this upcoming battle is as bad as you think it will be, we must also ask the People for help.”

Damnit. I didn’t even think about that. Probably because I… don’t want to. They’ve already lost so much. I instinctively want to protect them. I can’t ask them to fight for me when I know there’s a high likelihood of them dying.

“I don't want to involve The People after everything they've been through.”

Mayalyn bristled; her tail rose straight up behind her, and a low, throaty hiss escaped her lips, “You have truly underestimated us. We have chosen to make the empire our home, how can you think to deny us the right to protect it? You did not even give us the option!” She clenched her fists and a trickle of blood oozed from between her fingers. She looked down at her lap, unwilling to meet his eyes as she vibrated with barely repressed fury, “Jiran, I want you to take me home now.”

Crap. I just stuck my foot in my mouth again. How would I feel if I’d been pulled from my home, forced to set up in a new land, then wasn’t given the option to protect that new home? Of course I would hate that. Once someone chooses a home, regardless of the circumstances, it's obvious they would want to protect it to the best of their ability, especially if their backs are to the wall and failure means death for them and their whole family.

Jiran’s voice was harsh when he finally responded, causing her to instantly jerk her head up, “Mayalyn, I was wrong. I shouldn’t have said that. I’ll take you home now so you can alert them of the coming danger. I’ll re-open the portal in three hours and anyone who wishes to join the battle can come to receive weapons and armor.”

Mayalyn’s gaze darted back and forth between his eyes and her tongue flickered out to taste his emotions. Seemingly satisfied with what she found, she nodded firmly, leaned forward, and kissed him. “Your ability to see reason and quickly change your mind when you are wrong is why I love you so much. Well, one of the reasons.” Jiran’s jaw dropped at her admission.

Did I just hear that right? Yeah, yup, definitely did. Okay, don’t make a big deal out of it, it’s just words that express what we both already knew. So… why can’t I think straight?

“And I uhm, love… your hair! It’s really bletty…” Jiran’s tongue tied itself in knots, creating a portmanteau from blue and pretty.

Agh, my emotions are all over the place! Stupid challenger density!

Quick as lightning, he reached out and took her hands in his again, Mana Confluence repairing the puncture holes in her palms, “I love you too, Mayalyn.” She burst into laughter, throwing her head back and cackling so hard she fell over, clutching her stomach. “Hey! I was being serious!” Jiran frowned.

Mayalyn’s laughter died off into giggles as she slowly regained her composure. She looked up at him with tears in her eyes, “I knew from the first moment you fell in love with me. Did you think I could not taste how you felt all this time? Because the People can feel each other's emotions, we do not often express them in words, and I only now realize you might not know how strongly I feel for you, too.”

“Ohh,” Jiran heard himself say, his mind reeling from the revelation. “When was that? I mean, when did I fall in love with you?” He wondered, his brain completely unable to form rational thoughts as his pounding heart sent heat rushing through his cheeks in embarrassed excitement.

“When you rescued me after I was kidnapped. You were quite dashing,” The last of her laughter faded away as she smiled fondly, replaying the memory in her mind’s eye.

“And when did you…”

“In the tunnel we dug to the teleporter, when you silenced Viyolla and stood up for me. You were so tired at the time that you did not even think about what you were doing or saying. That is why: Because you acted on instinct, and that instinct was to protect me. After that, I could no longer doubt my feelings were true.” Jiran groaned, realizing that everyone else must have tasted their feelings then too.

They all knew. From the very beginning, everything I've felt might as well have been an open book to them. I mean, I knew that. I guess I just didn’t know it.

She sat up and patted his cheek, bringing him back to the present. “Take me home now, please. It is long past time we prepare to do our part.”

“Right after I get a few more minutes with the woman I love,” Mayalyn giggled as Jiran pulled her onto his lap and wrapped his arms around her. Her weight settled on him and her strong scent flooded his nose. He fully released the tight grip he’d been holding on his emotions, falling head-over-heels into a moment of complete relaxation.