Finally I found out how to fuse things differently. If something has a physical body and I put a spirit inside it enhances the original. The body holds the spirit in place while it gets fused. There is a caveat of still being the same kind of plant or animal, but it shows promise. Should have tried it right after fusing Snow like that, but did not think her abnormal growth was because of that.

The finished plants have a way higher potential for Mana and siphon more for their own growth. Plant evolutions are way more often seen in those plants and can even take in Miasma better for mutations. This opens many roads to improvement I tried to reach in one simple move. For this occasion I take over Reds body and facepalm myself, for wasting so much time for such an easy solution to be right there.

New batches are in work for my testing gardens. Hopefully they can get interesting affinities. Well Alchemy and Potion making are still in early stage and can not even been said to be started.

…

While being out with Boost I notice the smell of humans in the air. If I found them Roots should have noticed them too, but let them through without fuss. They are coming from the east, so it might be Mink with her expedition to my tunnel. Earlier than expected and before the Roots. Clever from the Roots to just let us fight and reap the benefits.

Even if they are not that evil as I depict them, letting such a large group of Mercenaries travel through the woods without fuss is an obvious sign of them wanting us to crash against.

Looking through the trees with Boost I notice the group slowly making their way forward. Guards with heavy weaponry are all around, scouts being inside the circle for protection from the forest and just scanning the area, Magicians holding wards up and travel with the supplies, this whole expedition is made for breaking any resistance to accomplish their goals. This 20odd Group is way more powerful, than I anticipated. They might really value my Domain for using so many Mages and Mercenaries. I need to prepare and add more defenses to hold this much firepower at bay.

As I turn around to get back to the Tunnel an Arrow nearly misses me. Not an arrow, a small tree with a sharp seed as tip. The reason they missed was the Wind around me helping Boost out as he is liked by the wind. Using a storm as a shield I tried to flee until a barrage of arrows ended Boost. They took now even Boost.

…

Why do all of them just take from me? I hate this feeling of people taking from me without giving anything. I will make them all pay!

…

The Tunnel is silent, but I am hard at work. On top of the Tunnel I start creating rocks for dropping right on top of the whole Gate. Even Magicians can not hold multiple Tons of Rock in the air for long. Snow was shocked as I just grabbed her with kinetic Miasma and threw her into the Portal. Seeds and dried plants got also put inside. Many resources get protected and hopefully all wards do their job, like they should.

Red got disassembled and Ava put in the sealed room for my Portal to be thrown in, right when the first Attack is thrown. I will not let them take anything more.

Preheating the metal I just thought about implementing acid sprayer into the second wall, but that is now too late, I will remember building more destructive traps in the future.

Checking the dart towers I start to notice the first movements at the outside. They seem to be here and start building camp. I have not much time to prepare more. Heating the tunnel to cook them should be a fine addition to my traps later on.

When they are inside it will be first negotiation, then eradication, even if I feel more like the later right now. Capturing them and taking them over would be preferable, but death is fine too.

I will kill them all and make them regret going against me. I will take every Root, every Human, every being to become mine and...

…

Stop! What is my mind slipping into? Although I am angry, it should not be that angry. Something in me stirs to take this World for myself, but that is not my goal.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

The Void again… It took my Name and now corrodes my sanity. As I already said, I do not like things being taken from me. So I take what is trying to take from me.

Something in me clicked. I do not know what it was, but I feel more levelheaded. Hopefully it holds. It feels like I have devoured something trying to devour me. Taken over something that wanted to take my rationality. Whatever it was, it is now mine and I feel more calm.

…

While having an existential crisis, Mink came with an old wizened man on her side to the gate. A rather slick beard shows his gray hair while the wrinkles on his face his age. Rather smaller than Mink and a bit stocky it would seem he is short for a human but way too large for a Dwarf. Maybe some dwarven blood in his family?

Right now it is not the time to wonder who he is and what his lineage might be as I need to react to intruders and start the whole discussion. The first reaction was dropping the gates and pulling the Bridge up.

“This was not here last Month master. Someone is building more defenses around this place.”

Well, duh. Houses do not grow like Mushrooms, so it should have been a giveaway someone is living here. Intelligence is not a necessity to become a Magician in this World, noted.

“Whoever has taken this place, seems to protect something mysterious or valuable.”

Well, kind of true, as it is myself and think of myself ‘mysterious’ and my Portal is valuable for me. Well they deserve an answer to their non question.

“And I want it to stay protected, so please just go and leave my Domain.”

The voice coming from everywhere unsettled Mink a bit but her ‘master’ seem unperturbed. Their Guards stay in place to protect them. And block the direct line of my dart towers.

“My name is Seldar Greenspark, Magi of the Order of the Green Fire and Noble of Telk. Might I ask who am I speaking with?”

“Null.”

“...It is an honor to talk to the earlier explorer, finding this Place, but I never heard of a Magi named ‘Null’”

“I am not from your Country, and also not a registered Magi of any Order. Is there a reason for your travel from Telk to the Starfall crater?”

“So it was a crater as expected. The Meteor itself should have immense value and should be obtainable with this hole in the shield.”

No answer and rambling about the knowledge taken from my words seems to be the basic of a true Magi. I bet he rambles everything in his mind, while reading books and doing wizardly experiments.

After a few seconds I still do not get an answer, so it seems he forgot where he was.

“I ask again, why did you travel to my Domain?”

“Ah, sorry. Obviously we came to explore the crater. As there is a way inside, it should be filled with treasures to benefit the whole continent.”

Trying to say ‘we should share’ is rather laughable for a Magi of Telk, as they mostly do not share between Orders. The common pieces of Information is often spotty or riddled with errors. They do not share, they only want to become more powerful for their own good.

“Then I welcome you to trade with me in the future. Knowledge, resources and secrets of magic are all welcome to be traded for the things inside.”

“… While I have nothing with me of this kind, I would still welcome to enter with my retinue to explore and forage. It will be an honor for you and your affiliation to house a Magi of Telk and drinking some wine together. Or does your affiliation think it can hold the whole place for themselves?”

In other Words ‘be happy to accommodate me while my men plunder your house’. No I am good.

“There is not much in here and I am not someone who drinks wine.”

“Then you should have no problem of letting us see this ‘not much’ as we can tell the others about the crater and stop their own expeditions to waste their time.”

Nice try, you just want to get in.

“I do not believe anyone else knows about this place. It is too far away and just the elves in the woods visited me.”

“Elves? So there are guardians and not only Monsters, who hunt the foolish. Nice to know.”

I do not care about those elves anymore. They killed my wolves. Twice now.

So we stay silent for a while until Seldar notices nothing happening.

“Are you inviting us in or do you reject a request from a Magi of Telk?”

“We are not in Telk. Here I do not have to care about your Nobility. Here, I am the Lord and I decide not to let you in.”

“...You are right, we are not in Telk and this is not my Land. Let us see each other again in the future. Good bye.”

“Master?”

“We leave, so be silent and do what been told.”

Shockingly he left with his guards and the apprentice. Huh, maybe we do not have to fight. It would be the best outcome.