Of course, getting work done required work that needed to be done. Kairen’s enthusiasm petered out a few minutes after his eager declaration once he realized that his ability to be productive was still limited to simply waiting for new upgrades to become available. His declaration had still shifted his thinking away from his more depressing thoughts, so it wasn’t completely useless, and Kairen forcibly kept himself from picking at those abandoned thoughts once he realized it.

His primary method for keeping himself distracted was cataloguing the animals present in his oasis. Simply watching them was entertaining but not very engaging. His task was made far more difficult by the sheer number of animals that came and went. Some had taken up residence, but most simply took advantage of the ever-changing topology to drink their fill of water while a source was nearby before time and distance altered definitions of close and far once more.

Even with the death of several camels due to the water elementals the rest had decided to stubbornly stick around. Perhaps they had some awareness of the anti-monster barrier he had created. Perhaps they simply didn’t care about the loss of part of their herd. Perhaps they were simply ornery bastards who were too stubborn to move on anyone else’s behalf. Kairen was personally betting on the third option, but he was still glad the camels hadn’t left. He would have felt guilty if he had driven them off by accident, the deaths in some small manner his fault. Their constant presence and the area they slept, ate, and drank from was the stable constant that the rest of the Oasis revolved around. Antelope came and went, far too skittish to stay any longer than was needed to take a dink, unnerved by the hungry graze of the foxes and jackals that prowled everywhere the camels weren’t. A few times the predators had tried to make their way over to the carcasses the elementals had left behind, only to be rebuffed by the still living animals. Not out of any concern for the dead, but just because they didn’t want the meat-eating animals near them. Instead, it was the smaller animals that took advantage of the abundance of flesh. Rats, shrews, birds and small reptiles came and went as they took their share. More than a few were crushed as the camels moved around, but that didn’t seem to stop the others for long, instead it simply added more meat in a small enough portion to be dragged away to safety.

Kairen paid particular attention to that activity, out of both curiosity and a strange thought. It was fascinating to watch the negotiations that occurred between the different animals as they staked their claims and then backed it up with threat displays, bluffs, and actual violence. Kairen did note that while there were several rats present none of them made their way to or from the location where his body was buried. It seemed like his first ground bound guest was more than happy with the meat he already had available and had no intention of risking his life in search of more.

With most of the carnivorous species distracted by the dead camels or busy eyeing the antelopes, the smaller herbivores had a rare opportunity. The oasis had sprouted a fair spread of grass when it had formed along with a few larger plants and rats, mice, rabbits, and small birds flitted around as they scavenged for seeds and other food. A couple were pounced on by the foxes, but it seemed to be more attacks of opportunity than dedicated hunting. Then again, without having to spend large amounts of time tracking sparse prey down Kairen wasn’t too surprised that the foxes could simply let most of the prey in front of them go about their business. They were still getting as much food as they usually would and by not chasing after every prey animal in sight, they ensured that their next meal would be waiting nearby for whenever they wanted it. It didn’t matter much to Kairen, and he simply made a note of it before moving on to catalogue the next population

The next two days passed by at a steady pace, as Kairen patiently waited for enough resources to purchase his next upgrade. That was a small lie. Once Kairen figured out roughly when he could get the upgrade, he found it difficult to focus on anything else. Instead of waiting for the screen to appear on its own at dawn, Kairen went to sleep early the night before and woke up while the stars were still out.

“Appear.” He called out and eagerly watched it pop into existence in front of him. All three options were fully solid, confirming what the bars underneath told him. He could purchase the second level of any of his abilities. As for which of the three options to get first, his choice was pretty obvious. Water was the main reason people would want to come here, so he should provide as much as he was capable of.

It took a second for Kairen’s finger to cross the distance and touch the screen to confirm his decision. It took all of thirty seconds for the water to begin to ripple as the Oasis prepared to change once more. It took one final second for him to realize the downside of his choice. The first purchase of the spring had had a visible effect on the area around it as it terraformed empty sand to fertile dirt and a rocky foundation capable of containing the water. At the time, the area had been devoid of any life with the sole exception being the poor rat that had probably done any panicking in its burrow as the sandy walls around it turned to dirt. Since then, the water and grass of the Oasis had attracted all sorts of animals to drink and rest nearby. Kairen winced as the second wave of changes took place. In an instant the area around the pool dropped by a foot as the ground was compressed downwards, widening the depression that the spring rested in. In the next moment, a wave of water surged outwards filling the newly expanded pool to the brim.

While a good number of animals had left to go back to their dens or nests for the night, many more were either nocturnal or had settled down on the comfortable grass next to the oasis. All of those creatures were scared witless as the ground underneath them suddenly gave way before a wave of water sent them tumbling. The situation was comical in the case of the larger animals, but Kairen knew that the sudden submersion probably would end up killing several of the smaller beasts. The camels running around in confusion had already trampled over some other creatures in the dark and Kairen could see others flailing wildly as they tried to figure out how to swim, already off balance after being suddenly woken up and thrown around.

Instead of laughing at the humor present, Kairen just watched and promised to remember that his actions and choices would ripple out and affect the world around him. The damage had been relatively minor, this time, but Kairen could imagine what would have happened if a city had been built up around him and he shuddered. The upgrades he couldn’t decipher also became more ominous. He still didn’t think any of the abilities would be harmful to the Oasis itself, but the sudden changes they brought could definitely do damage to anyone nearby when the changes occurred.

Time kept moving while Kairen thought and soon the newly expanded oasis was empty. All the animals had either fled or had drowned, the bodies left behind in the water vanishing like any other debris that had fallen in. The quiet wouldn’t last; already some animals were cautiously testing the new edges of the grassy area. Their fear of a repeat occurrence just narrowly overcame their desire for water, but time and need would dull the memory of this accident and eventually things would return to normal.

In the meantime, Kairen made his way over to the expanded spring and jumped in. Without any creatures present to watch he had to do something to while away the hours, and the sensation of swimming was both novel and pleasant. His existence as a ghost might cut him off from much of the daily interaction he was used to, but that just meant he had to cling on to the benefits as much as possible. Even though the spring was relatively shallow, while Kairen was focused on swimming it was impossible for his arms or legs to clip against the bottom of the pool. It was a small benefit, but one he was grateful for as he freely swum back and forth.

The sun slowly rose over an empty Oasis as a boy no one could see splashed away, leaving not even a ripple in his wake.