The forest of poison Nic had planted was a vast jungle now. Tall trees and oversized flowers filled the air with exotic colors, the bright, enticing pastels of poison fruit represented in every leaf and petal. Serpents and slimy insects who dwarfed the humans in size crawled through the trees, and Redjaw was king of them all. He’d coiled himself around a mountain like a sleeping god, a vast and infinite sprawl of black armor and crawling red legs ending in a pair of pincers like death itself.

Nothing in the forest could contest him, and his children filled the earth from every drop of blood he spilled in battle. The nearby towns and villages were full of houses formed from bits of centipede carapace, and their spears were made from the jaws of the smallest specimens.

The desert half of his experiment had been less successful.

The ground had cracked open entirely, the sea pouring in as a maelstrom of flickering lava formed beneath the earth. Huge clouds of steam erupted as the sea spilled down into the volcanic caldera and hardened black lava-stone was pushed upwards. Sunfire had claimed one of the broken islands that formed at the edge of the massive vortex, while the others were inhabited by prehistoric beasts and other goliaths born from Nic planting random teeth and claws into the soil.

At the center of the vortex, however, Nic caught sight of an enormous figure. He had skin like bronze and beard of flame. He stood in the center of the volcanic churn, swinging a hammer at a massive anvil of stone. Sparks flew and his whole skin was drenched in sweat.

Without thinking, Nic leaned down to try and pick up the giant smith. Without even looking away the goliath swung his blazing hammer at Nic’s fingers and Nic snatched his hand back, yelping in pain and surprise.

“Ha.” Nylea laughed, her voice like silver bells chiming in the wind. “I told you to be careful. That one’s a titan. They’ve been around from the beginning of this world, and they’re not weak, no matter how small they are.”

Nic sucked his finger and glared down at the tiny powerhouse.

“Now, it’s dawn, so let’s begin your time as master of this Node. Three days, three dawns from now. Agreed?”

Nodding, Nic held out his hand. “How do we do this?”

“Normally, you would challenge me, and if I lost or didn’t answer within a day the Node would be yours. The faster way, however-” She produced a sterling silver knife. “Is blood.”

She slid the blade down Nic’s palm then her own, and pressed them together. “Claim the node.”

“I-” He wasn’t sure what to say, but there probably weren’t specific words. Just an intent. “I claim this Node in the name of Winterhome.”

There was a buzzing sound in his ears.

You have claimed Dominus Node ae31c4

‘The Saturnalia of Worlds’

This is a Fortune Type node. Unique treasures and opportunities will occur here, gathering over time.

So long as you remain the ruler, your growth shall lift into the sky. Luck be with you.

A sensation like cold fire filled Nic’s veins as he reached out to grasp the edge of the cauldron. Electric jolts of energy prickled down his spine, collecting around the Shards set into his spine. He felt his fist curl up with a strength that wasn’t coming from his own will.

And then it released.

The power spread outwards in an invisible wave. It filled the air and cascaded out from the tree with no more force than a passing breeze.

But Nic felt everything it touched. He instantly knew the shape of the forest, of the lakes and hills. It was a rough sense but it extended in all directions.

Essence poured into him.

He snapped open his cultivation map, and was rewarded with the thrill of higher numbers.

Essence 5,394 / 5,394

+ 15.13 per Minute

(2.162 Base)

300% Local Modifier

+ 100% Node Dominance

+ Devoured an F-Class enemy (200%)

+ Consumed a G-Class treasure (100%)

+ Rested in toxic environment (100%)

At this rate, it wasn’t impossible for him to achieve secondary slots for Poison Mist and Adhesive Touch in the three days ahead. In fact he’d even have some left over. If he could somehow create a toxic environment for himself in the temple…

Nic grinned. It sounded like a goal for today’s outing.

“Enjoying yourself?” Nylea asked, smiling lightly. “It’s something of a rush. I can’t imagine the power my ancestor must have had to fully control the entire cauldron...”

Nic nodded slowly, gathering his wits and his breath. “Do I have to stay here all the time now?”

“Hmm. No, since we’re here to defend it, you could leave at once and still gain the benefits, but…” Her delicate frown was enough to immediately make Nic change course. “I was hoping you’d keep us company a bit longer.”

“I need to go out for a bit today, but- I’ll be back?”

“That would be acceptable. You know, these fruits really aren’t at their strongest eaten raw. I’ll make us tea…” She reached out and plucked the Esper fruits from the tree, alongside two of the crystalline blossoms born from the teardrop jewel. Gathering them up she departed the room.

Nic was left to examine the world a final time.

Nestled away in the tiny corner where he’d planted the bubblegum, a grove of bright pink trees had sprouted up. Reaching down Nic plucked a handful of bubblegum fruits and stowed them into his bag.

The old world was dead. But this part of it didn’t have to be.

When Nylea returned with fragrant cups of fruit-infused teas, Nic was surprised at the difference brewing the Esper fruit had made. While eating them raw gave a cold, clear-eyed burst of thought, the tea swept his worries away and left his mind soothed for a longer period of time, both gentler and more lasting. The fact that his mind could so easily be changed by magic, even for the better, worried Nic…

But his better sense assured him that it wasn’t that different than his body being enhanced. In the end, there was just more of him left.

“This is really good. I had no idea these things were meant for tea…” He admitted.

“Oh, there’s more to it than brewing them in water. I was a practicing alchemist before…” She gestured with her ruined hand. “And I still remember how to prepare ingredients.” She frowned, and then flexed her fingers back and forth.

Nic leaned in curiously.

“Do you think the curse has retreated?” She asked.

He couldn’t be sure. It didn’t look any better than yesterday- but at least it didn’t look any worse. “Yes?” He tried.

“It’s very sweet of you to say.” She sighed. “You know, you’ve probably come a long way just to deliver that tear. I’m afraid I’ll need the Dominus Node back after three days- it helps slow the curse- but perhaps there’s something else we could do for you.”

Nic liked the sound of that.

“Of course, it will require you to brutally thrash Captain Cegan’s arrogant behind.”

Nic loved the sound of that.

“Yes, yes. Talk to me when you return…” She rose, bowing. It was a strange motion with her mantis hindquarters, but Nic probably looked just as ridiculous bowing back with his axolotl body. They certainly made a strange pair.

He turned and left, waltzing out into the daylight with a yawn and a stretch. The way the guards glared didn’t bother him at all. He just waved and took a cocky stroll out to the edge.

With a last look back to flash a grin at the fuming Captain Cegan, Nic hopped from the temple’s edge.

Dropping down, he let a half-coating of adhesive cover his hands so he slid down the bark rather than stick. Gliding for what felt like miles as the world swelled beneath him, he came to the point where the spider’s nest had been and slowed his descent, sliding to a halt.

Ants watched him from the nearby branches. Every one of them had frozen when he arrived, mid-act of carrying leaves down an enormous chain of bodies to the nest.

Two more of the Myrmidons were standing guard. They had different bodies now. They were leaner and smoother with wasp-thin joints, and their heads were rounded ovals, six eyes arranged in a two-fold row. They didn’t have mouths anymore, he noted with pride.

Their dark eyes watched him. In their hands they held tridents of chitin, but they didn’t move to lift them.

“I thought I told you to clear off.” Nic said, and let Inkspur fill the sentiment up with threats and curses. The little wyvern delighted in doing so.

“We cannot…” The Myrmidons hissed. “A worse beast than you inhabits our nest. It has driven us from our home and burrowed into the great tree. A parasite and a threat. We must gather our strength and destroy it.”

Nic sighed. That…

Sounded like something that would trouble the spiders, even if he slaughtered these ants without mercy and gave them their nest back.

“Fiiiine.” He said reluctantly. “I’ll drive off this beast, and show you who’s worse. In exchange I want you to leave the spider’s nest alone and guard them from danger. Otherwise- when I come back I won’t spare a damn one of you.”

The myrmidons silent faces turned towards each other. “We agree.” They said in unison.

---

Climbing around the great tree was far more onerous than simply climbing up. The fastest way was to leap from branch to branch, but after a few close calls Nic came to realize it wasn’t worth the risk of falling; the branches were just far enough apart that each jump was a true risk of death.

Instead, he sidled along the bark, clinging to it with sticky hands and scuttling sideways. It took nearly an hour to round the enormous trunk and reach the former city of the ants-

It was beautiful.

The giant leaves of the tree had been cut from their branches and stitched into conical passages, leading to huge cathedral-like domes of green. The entire city-structure was built in domes with tunnels extending out like spikes. The wind made a constant drumbeat sound as it hit the edges of the thin leaves, making them shiver, whipping sound from the hollow passageways below.

Nic approached carefully. There was something sour in the air.

A shadow moved within the leaf-castle. Something slid through the tunnels.

Nic took a cautious approach, climbing high into the reaches of the leaf-castle and slowly descending one of the tunnels down, ready to scramble up at any moment. As he did something rumbled past, flitting beneath the exit of the vertical tunnel with a rolling force that made the walls shake.

Slipping the rest of the way down, Nic landed behind the beast and blanched in horror.

It was a writhing knot of giant worms. They were grey-purple and coated in slime, and their blunt, squiggling heads were joined together at the base to form a dripping horror. It pulsated like a giant heart, ripples running from the base through the soft heads in a constant, squirming flow of motion. The air stunk with the smell of mucus.

Vermean Hydra. F-Class (Peak) // Demi-Sentient. The least class of hydra born from decades of interbreeding with lowly wyrms beneath the earth, the Vermean species is blessed with all of the voracious hunger and regeneration of the hydra, but all the aggression and bile of the wyrm. The result is a mostly mindless and terrifyingly unkillable beast.

Nic shivered, his hand on his axe.

The beast began to roll backwards. It tumbled towards him, picking up speed as it rolled forward.

Nic didn’t hesitate. He began to run, and behind him, the boulder of living flesh and stupid hunger gave furious chase.