Sean felt the moment the oasis was restored. It was honestly hard to miss, despite the fact they had left the water’s edge almost immediately after Auntie Ta and Warabe had. A swift breeze blew through the trees, and a sudden feeling of vigor swept through every tree, fruit, and branch nearby. The distinct weight of the place returned, bringing with it that vibrant, humming presence from underground he had felt before the attack.

“Looks like they’re finished.” Sean commented to his friend. “How’s your stomach? Doing any better?”

“Hrnngh.” Gel responded, somehow transmitting a gurgling tremor that sounded suspiciously like the warning one received right before their stomach forcibly evacuated itself. “Not reall–hrrkkh.”

A trickle of water dripped down Sean’s leg, quickly followed by a small stream headed towards his foot. He stared incredulously down at it.

“Did you just–”

“Nope!” Crimson liquid surged down Sean’s leg bones, rapidly soaking back up the spill. “No, I did not.”

“Are you sure? Because it looks like you just–”

“That water is positively filled with nature mana!” Gel interrupted quickly, though every word sounded like he was huffing them out. “I’d like to see you drink so much without puking!”

“You didn’t have to drink that much, you know. The prompt back when I took some even said ‘further consumption may lead to unknown effects’.” Sean pointed out. “And here you are, gulping down unknown effects. You’re doing this to yourself, you know.”

“I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again.” Gel asserted, speaking like a boxer barely holding onto the ropes to stand. “I will not allow my food to beat me. If I can eat it, then it will be eaten-hrkh!”

Sean patted his friend in a consoling fashion as the slime threw up oasis water a second time, though to his credit Gel ate that, too. They stayed that way, resting in the grass for a time until Auntie Ta returned. The aura of violence she had carried recently was gone, and to Sean’s orbs she looked much more like the woman he had first met. Calm. Relaxed, and with just a touch of amusement in her eyes.

“Warabe is staying with his clutch for now.” She announced, taking up a spot in the grass not far from the pair. Behind her, the brush quivered as if someone were following. “There is nowhere better for him to recover, but he bid me give you his thanks for the aid you rendered in its retrieval.”

“He is most welcome.” Gel said brightly, having purged (and re-purged) the last traces of nature mana water out of himself roughly twenty minutes ago. “I haven’t eaten so well in days!”

Auntie Ta smiled, and tossed a dull, faded keyring in Sean’s direction. The gelaton caught it easily, noting the two dissimilar keys it bore. One was a dull grey almost as faded as the keyring, while the other was a bright, burnished bronze. The first looked much like any key Sean might have expected to find back home, whereas the second had jagged loops inside the ‘teeth’ part. Small symbols were etched in what looked like green pen along its surface, though he recognized none of them.

“Those are the additional thanks Warabe wished to impart.” Auntie Ta explained. “The older one opens Dervash’s sewer grates – or at least it did when he left – while the second opens a lockbox inside the Silversand bank. He said if you were going to infiltrate the city itself, then you might as well have a real reward for doing so. Just present the teller at the front with that key, and they’ll handle the rest.”

“A mystery gift! I love it.” Gel said happily. “I assume everything inside is ours?”

“Naturally.” The druid said, beckoning over to the still-moving grass. Out popped another small horde of floofs, this time carrying a familiar pot from Auntie Ta’s kitchen. “Also, I thought you might like to sample the dish you were preparing before we were so rudely interrupted earlier.”

Gel audibly gasped, and Sean’s skull twisted into his best approximation of a wide grin.

“She really knows you, doesn’t she.” Sean remarked to his friend.

“She’s the best aunt I’ve ever had.” Gel said reverently. “Do you mind?”

“Not at all.”

Sean had barely gotten the words out before a crimson whip shot out from behind his back and dove directly into the pot. Auntie Ta chuckled, and when the floofs brought the severely depleted container over – the gelaton took his own swig directly from it. It felt incredibly wrong to be gulping down food like this in front of polite company, especially since he still couldn’t taste any of it, but a few seconds later a prompt appeared in his vision that chased those thoughts away.

Congratulations, you have consumed a full portion of the dish: Tribean Trimleaf Soup! Your health has been temporarily fortified by ten points for the next six hours. Any damage you sustain will be taken from this amount first before it affects your current health.

Note: This recipe’s base effect and duration have each been increased by 100% due to its excellent quality.

The dish’s effects were so beautiful, Sean almost shed a tear. He covered his orbs with one hand, mimicking closing his eyes. Now if only I could have tasted the damn thing, this would have been a perfect moment.

“Tell her thanks for me?” Sean asked Gel, reading over the prompt one more time before dismissing it. As the slime passed on their mutual gratitude with abundant enthusiasm, the gelaton couldn’t help a note of excitement work its way up his spine.

Not only was food capable of delivering powerful buffs, but it seemed that his skill as an admittedly amateur chef was also coming into play in a major way! According to Auntie Ta, there were four levels of quality on either side of ‘average’ when it came to making food. From worst to best ,the scale went: Abysmal, trash, inedible, poor, average, good, excellent, outstanding, and magnificent. Each dish received a different enhancement or penalty at each quality level, and it looked like tribean trimleaf soup had a massive effect and duration bonus for each step!

If we head out relatively soon, this buff might just last long enough for us to need it. Sean thought, his excitement and pride over the dish he had created being so useful quickly getting dampened down by his undead nature. Even so, he was still satisfied. Both with himself, and with the result. Looks like no matter what world you’re in – a good meal always makes a difference.

While the other two chatted about what Sean and Gel had planned for the giant settlement – which basically boiled down to having the tribe make reparations to the oasis in the form of whatever it was that the druid might actually need around here – Sean focused his attention on a new option that had appeared in his status screen. One that had shown up next to where he normally accessed his manasphere map after they had taken over the hilltop. He had known he would have questions about whatever this turned out to be, and since he now had a ready resource to acquire answers from, Sean decided to open the option marked ‘Territory Sphere’.

What popped up next would have taken his breath away if he still had any.

When Sean had first dove into the manasphere, it had looked like a small map that had gradually unfolded out to form an interlocking network of dizzying size and scale. The territory sphere on the other hand emerged immediately to the forefront of his vision, appearing as what was obviously an entire planet. This was obviously the world he was on, and Sean marveled at being granted what was effectively an astronaut’s-eye view of it. The stunning effect was diminished somewhat as the surface was obscured, but still.

This is phenomenal. Sean thought, admiring the view for what it was.

Almost all of the landscape was covered in impenetrable dark grey fog – much like the manasphere – which meant he couldn’t actually tell where he was. Nor could he garner any real useful details about surrounding areas or even count the number of continents. The only portion that was lit up in detail and fully covered, was the portion it zoomed in on.

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It wasn’t much. Just a small hilltop, jutting out from a nondescript section of a wide desert. As the hilltop appeared however, the network of interlocking nodes Sean had been expecting appeared with it. The nodes themselves layered over the hill and beneath it, expanding underground into areas he could somehow make out, and others he could not. There were even mini giants standing on the hill, as well as–

Is that me?

Sean tried to squint at the image, but of course that changed nothing about his clarity of vision. Instead the image zoomed in further, and he was treated to a mini representation of himself and Gel lounging atop the rock at the hill’s summit with a miniature golden crown on his head.

Damn. Sean thought, a bit surprised at himself. I rock a crown.

Putting aside his amusement at becoming some version of royalty for the moment, Sean saw that there was a clearly defined hexagonal border around the hilltop. There were also hexes adjacent to the territory he now ruled in every direction, though they were mostly greyed out. Only one line from his network of available nodes stretched out into each, and there it met only a single node.

Is that how I unlock more territory? How many points do I–

As soon as the thought came to him, a section of text floated next to the hilltop before disappearing.

Current Territory Node Points: 0

Guess that answers that. Sean mused, before examining the few filled-in nodes that had apparently already been purchased. Presumably by either Big Smash or Longbeard at some point in the past.

Strength of Ten

Description: Allows workers to count as more than just singular individuals when contributing physical labor towards a settlement’s advancement, improvements, or resources. Contribution increased based on worker’s might attribute.

Mana Aspect: Order

Logical choice. Sean found it interesting that this option was still ‘his’ now. He apparently didn’t have to go back and unlock it again. Is that the case for everything they unlocked? Or do you only keep a certain amount?

Sean didn’t have that answer, so he resolved to ask Auntie Ta about it as he surveyed the three remaining unlocked nodes for his territory.

Sand Wurm Den

Description: A living space set in a cave system that is suitable for the breeding, raising, and training of sand wurms.

Mana Aspect: Nature

Salt Mine

Description: A mine shaft leading to an abundance of salt.

Mana Aspect: Order

Basic Structures (Dune Giant)

Description: The basic structures necessary to form a habitable settlement for the dune giant race.

Mana Aspect: Order

Hmm. Sean hadn’t seen descriptions so bland in all his time here. It looked like these three at least had only remained because they were part of the territory itself. Maybe ‘Strength of Ten’ is unlocked because they’re giants? And how do I get more points?

Seeing no reason to remain in the menu without a way to spend more points – other than to tantalize himself with options they didn’t currently have a way to afford – Sean dismissed the territory sphere. He waited for a gap in Gel and Auntie Ta’s conversation, seeing as the two appeared to be winding down. When it came, he addressed the slime.

“Ask her how we get more territory node points.” He urged his friend. “And whether she’s open to sharing any more information on this whole system with us.”

Gel did just that, but the druid laughed at his first question.

“You have to improve your territory to get more points.” She said, clearly amused. “Build something, develop an area, convince more creatures to live there… there’s an endless number of ways to do it. But, generally speaking, you have to invest into your territory first before it provides ways for you to reap the rewards of doing so.”

“What else can you tell us?” Gel asked, going straight for the ‘help us figure out what we’re doing here’ method of acquiring information.

“Plenty.” Auntie Ta remarked, her emerald eyes sparkling. “Though I recall you saying you wanted to head out soon, and you still have one of those giants waiting rather patiently for you at the edge of my land. Might such a conversation not be better served for another time?”

“She’s got a point.” Gel whispered to Sean through their bond. “I’m all for whatever gets us to our next meal, but it seems like a waste of our time to run back and oversee the giants when there’s an entire city we could be devouring just down the road.”

“I was just thinking the same thing.” Sean admitted. “Leading a tribe sounds fun and all, but managing it sounds like a chore and we were already planning on having Longbeard go back to do it for us. I say we get a little more information out of her on how it works, get what she promised to pay us earlier, and then head out to the city. We know we’re coming back here after we figure out who Mister Badboots is anyway, so it’s not like we’re going to be gone for too long.”

“True.” Gel acknowledged, before the slime returned his focus back to Auntie Ta. “You make a great point, and while I love the food here – not so much your water – we really do need to be going. How about you set us up with that payment you promised for the death of those who attacked the oasis, as well as the reward for retrieving the clutch. I know we never actually came to terms on what those payments would be…”

Gel let that statement hang in the air, seeing if Auntie Ta would finish it for him. When she did not, the slime continued. “... but I have nothing if not faith in your generosity and good judgment. Mostly your generosity.”

“Ah yes, I am known for that.” The druid said dryly, glancing over at the line of desert animals that had once again formed at the water’s edge. Sean noted that despite Rastegar’s obvious incapacitation, not a one of the creatures was acting out of turn. If anything, they were being more polite than before. He didn’t blame them.

“I had three gifts in mind for you when I made that offer.” Auntie Ta revealed, standing up and extending out her hand. Her staff leapt up to it almost immediately, which launched a floof high over her head. Sean suppressed a soundless snort of amusement at the creature’s expressionless face and wide eyes tumbling end over end through the air.

“The first is this.” Lifting a pouch from the ground that Sean hadn’t actually seen earlier by its loop with the end of her staff, Auntie Ta offered it to them. “Inside you will find several recipes I believe you will find useful, as well as some of my personal notes and those of others on the topic of mana-infused dishes in general.”

Sean reverently took the soft, tan leather pouch and resisted the urge to open it immediately. He slipped it into their pack instead, promising himself that the first thing he would do once they got back out in the sands was give its contents a read.

Well, have Gel read it to me, but that’s effectively the same thing. Only I don’t have to worry about not paying attention while traveling in a monster-filled desert. It’ll be like listening to an audiobook… only without the pause function.

“The second are these.” Auntie Ta untied another pouch, this one a deep forest green that Sean noticed was made of heavy leaves instead of leather. She tossed it to them. “You’ll find a few items and ingredients in there that you would be hard pressed to find elsewhere, and some that will help you actually serve the dishes on the recipes I’ve just given you.”

Gel caught this one, and Sean could feel the internal turmoil the slime had over whether or not he should consume the entire thing right then and there. In the end, it was likely the promise of its contents being used for more meals he would undoubtedly consume later that kept the bag from being immediately dissolved.

“And the third gift… was to be my aid in your fight with your former master.” Auntie Ta revealed with a small, wickedly fierce smile. “I assume you desire his end after the tale you told me, do you not?”

“Oh, we absolutely do!” Gel said immediately. “We’re still prepping the table for that particular meal, but he is absolutely on the menu.”

“What type of aid is she offering?” Sean asked Gel, who relayed the question.

The otherwise unassuming druid, who they had watched single-handedly batter and fry her way through a battlefield of giants, simply smiled at the question. As if she had been expecting it, and they had fallen for the bait.

“I’ll tell you when you get back, if you return with what I want.” Her smile broadened, as she gestured towards the direction of Dervash with the tip of her staff. A staff that somehow now had another floof perched atop it, staring wide-eyed at them. “Now… you boys have some contacts – I mean, meals – to catch now, do you not?”

Sean nodded, and the pair of them took the dismissal for it was. They thanked Auntie Ta once more for her help, promised to also look into retrieving her armoire, and then jogged back over to where Longbeard was waiting on them.

“Best. Aunt. Ever.” Gel asserted as they left. “Do you think she’d sear Bancroft with a lightning bolt for me if I asked? I don’t want her to kill him for us, I just want to see if she can fry his grimy little beard off. Give him a good char, you know? Let him really feel what happens when you mess with us.”

“You mean before we eat him?”

“Right before we eat him, yeah. A short lesson, sure. But one that I think is worth teaching.”

Sean’s clattering laughter spilled out, as he chuckled all the way over to Longbeard.