The screams of the dying people in the plaza sounded out from around me. More people would arrive in time. Better to clear everyone out who resisted first and start fresh. The cart was pulled up to the pillars. The store was only tier 2.
That was annoying. “You didn’t even try and talk to them, I had set things up for us to take over,” Nox said.
“Pointless. I am the Ritualist, I control all before me.” I savored the feeling as one of my werewolves ripped a woman apart and began to eat her flesh. The taste was divine. My hybrids needed food. What better nourishment was there than people?
My slime hybrid followed along cleaning up the messes. Grow and grow. Soon you would engulf entire cities. I smiled at the thought.
“We need people to grind out crystals unless you can control your monsters-“
“Summons,” I corrected her.
“-summons that far.”
“No, but I will soon control the city and more importantly the store. People will work for me or starve.”
“Then I guess it is up to me to explain that? Unless you plan on doing it yourself?” Was she sassing me? I was a genius. Still, I could recognize a good point when I heard it.
“You are in charge of organizing it all. People need to bring back 100 crystals each for food and water. They can turn them into me at the plaza. Or one of my hybrids.”
“What about the sensing? Our deal?” She had been helpful, if a bit cowardly.
“Ah yes our deal.” I considered it and the silence stretched out. I was enjoying the taste of a heart as blood squirted in my mouth. I could feel energy and power course through me. “Very well. Take crystal powder and then go into negative energy. Keep repeating that over and over.” Too much and too often, your mental processes would slow down.
Were my hybrids a way around that issue? Most likely, they just got better and better. Another brilliant insight into how energy and crystals worked. “Thank you Ritualist. Now for the crystals we stole.”
“I will be keeping them all.” She paused and looked at me. “Unless you have a problem with that Nox?”
“No problem with that Ritualist.” She had a problem, but I was in charge.
“Good, good. Now go let the people know about how things will work from now on.”
“I will. Ah, this city used to be named New Cairo, but I am guessing you don’t want to keep that name.”
“A name, hmmm. I think Heaven would be appropriate. For it is the crossover point from humanity into the beyond.” For I was going to transcend death and become God. This was just the first step on my journey. I began using one of my hybrids to move the chests over to the pillars.
I upgraded the store to level 3 and purchased two buildings that jutted out on their own next to the plaza. The one building I turned into a block of solid stone. So, people couldn’t melt their way to me. This left the other building isolated. I began to furnish and fortify it. Door after reinforced door to get to me on the second floor. The first floor was a spiral to extend the path as long as possible. The second floor was mostly wide open, but with extra thick walls, so I could conduct more experiments. It was amazing how versatile the system store was.
But one thing it lacked was my genius and insight. Once Nox everything set up, I would have a steady flow of both crystals and test subjects. I would look into everything and pry open the secrets and exploit them for my benefit.
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Once I was done with my purchases, which totaled up to around 200,000 points. I kept the remaining crystals as I made my way to my new home. I unlocked door after door, entering my secure sanctuary. I had my hybrids deposit my crystals and began to settle in.
It would be nice to have my own shower, lights, and ovens. I moved my hybrids outside and had the werewolves lock the doors behind them. I was moving monsters to all the nearby buildings. I needed to start summoning more and testing how falling into negative energy effected hybrids. Hmmm, well I needed hybrids more than monsters.
Still, I couldn’t leave myself defenseless right now. I would regain everything I spent in the last battle and more in due time. There was research to do as well. Hybridization had opened up so many doors. Could I combine monsters, combine hybrids? There were so many questions that required answers.
I felt bad about the people I had killed. I could have hybridized them. I considered the pregnant woman. Could I breed my hybrids? So many questions to answer and experiments to design. I hadn’t noticed reproductive organs on my hybrids or my summons. Maybe a workaround?
“Ritualist.” I had been lost in my summoning and planning. Nox was speaking to one of my hybrids outside my building. “I rounded up these ten people.” She gestured at the people behind her. I had my hybrid nod.
“They know they have to give you 100 crystals if they want food.” I had summons guarding the store pillars. I had my hybrid nod again. “I am going to be heading out tomorrow morning, once I get these people organized.” I had my hybrid shake their head.
“I need to grind up crystals of my own and to scout the area.” My hybrid shook their head again. “Can I come in, or you come out so we can have a proper conversation.”
“Manage,” I had my wolf hybrid growl out. My control over its fine movements was getting better.
“You want me to manage this place? If you didn’t forget, Michael isn’t dead. I need to prepare for when he shows up. That means level 2 crystals and grinding.”
“Leader,” my hybrid growled out.
“You want me to appoint a leader to manage things here?” My hybrid nodded. “Alright. You, what is your name?”
“Ali,” the man said.
“Well congratulations, you are now the new speaker for the Ritualist. His will is law. Each person gets 100 crystals, brings them back, then you will given food. Don’t get injured.”
“But the monsters, we can’t fight.”
“Weapons,” my hybrid growled. I would get the hang of speaking through it down in no time.
“Swords would work best on the monsters around the city. If you manage to earn more crystals, you can purchase a sword. I will buy five for people here initially. The rest you all have to earn. Does that work Ritualist?”
I had the hybrid wolf nod at that. “I will be leaving tomorrow morning. I should hopefully be back soon,” Nox said. Good, that way she could manage everything I needed to have managed.
“Work,” I had my summon growl out. The man scurried away as Ruth got them set up. I began to move my monsters to test out how negative energy effected the hybrids. I moved them to isolated areas of the city.
I took some of my crystal powder in liquid and began to push my energy into summoning a level 2 monster. It quickly dropped my energy to zero and the monster was summoned. The crystal powder wore off and weakness hit me.
I could sense the energy pulling towards me. I had no connection with my hybrids either. When I finally recovered, the tethers did not reappear. I quickly summoned more level 1 wolves and let them out of my base.
I quickly found the hybrids and they had gone feral. I wiped them out with my summons easily enough, only losing a few in the process. I couldn’t train with negative energy and build an army. That was good to know. I quickly got back to summoning more monsters. I had trained enough. Now it was time to build up a powerful force.
After that I would need to consider my options. What I really needed was a level 3 monster, but the upkeep would be massive and the summoning cost. It would take 1,000 energy to summon and 100 of my Regeneration to upkeep.
I needed to increase my Regeneration even more. I would gather enough level 3 monsters to kill a level 4 monster and get enough crystals to make powder to summon one. I would need at least 1,000 Regeneration, preferably more, but with something like that I would be unstoppable.
I had heard the stories of how Michael was crippled by a level 4 monster. The thing was, once I got one, I could easily get two, three, and soon an entire army. With the thicker tethers, I could send them far away and control multiple zones and cities.
Soon, I wouldn’t even need anyone except to make hybrids. I was being stupid. Why did I need Regeneration? I could just make hybrids that had no upkeep cost. I would just grow and grow and there would be no one and nothing that would be able to stop me.