CHAPTER 73: OUTLIER’S INFILTRATION

Three Months Later.

Clayton crouched on the edge of Verdis Hold, a Rootbound Clan settlement 200 kilometers west of the Forgotten Atlanta Expanse, his Shedskin armor, fungal chitin plates, thorned vines, and adaptive camouflage morphed into a tattered scavenger’s cloak, masking his Verdant Lord aura.

A dagger lay hidden under rags, a new Initiate Ember Artifact that he gained from hunting Behemorphs, his Heartseed Core pulsing with 2,147 Genesis Embers, Aspect Strain low.

His Architect rank Aspect, divine-like, with a 6,000 Embers cap, thrummed through Shedskin’s enhancements- 80% physical resistance, 70% mind/soul resistance, stealth affinity honed to near-invisibility.

His Aphid Network had swelled, encompassing 50 minions now, including 6 Luminous Seed Behemorphs (Spore Plague Lord, Spore Husk, Ashbloom Stalker, Spore Crown, and two new Thornweave Sentinels).

He also had 44 Initiate Ember Behemorphs in his army now (10 Thorn Strays, 8 Sporelings, 12 Thorn Hounds, 8 Howl Shriekers, 5 Ash Sprites, 1 Spore Drifter).

They all lurked in the Expanse, cloaked by Veil of Verdant Shroud.

His Rootsite, 100 kilometers east, was a fortress. The thorned turrets had tripled, venom-sap pits deepened, Core Maw chambers reinforced, Territorial Sentience spanning 200 kilometers.

Three months had reshaped the Expanse.

The Plague Sovereign’s fall sparked a new trend in the Forgotten Atlanta Expanse, the advent of Verdant Warden abominations.0

It didn’t stop at the Plague Sovereign. Four more Verdant Warden Behemorphs emerged in this time: a Spore Monarch (60 meters, spore storms), a Thorn Behemoth (55 meters, spiked carapace), a Mycotic Harbinger (50 meters, psychic spores), and a Bloom Tyrant (58 meters, carnivorous flora).

All of them came with their profane powers to the Expanse.

Clayton couldn’t kill them.

Killing the Plague Sovereign was a result of circumstance. As he was, he still had no business fighting a Verdant Warden Behemorph. It was suicide.

That was just 1 of a thousand different ways of dying in the Apocalypse.

And though he couldn’t kill them, their Reality-Warp powers being too vast and bordering on the impossible, his street smarts and Shedskin’s stealth enabled him to survive, dodging spore clouds and tendrils, while hunting lesser Behemorphs to amass Genesis Embers.

His hunting ground stretched beyond Atlanta, 300 kilometers from the ruined tram hubs to fungal forests, his army enabling risks, Symbiotic Command binding new minions, Core Maw devouring Genesis Embers.

The Earthcore Nexus’s hunger pulsed, a cosmic dirge for Earth’s fall.

Since that dreadful battle at Ironhold-3 three months ago, Clayton lay low, slowly growing stronger with his Architect rank aspect, building in the dark.

He could fell himself growing stronger as his Genesis Embers increased.

After it crossed the thousand mark, he experienced a qualitative increase in power. Not enough to make him on par with a Luminous Seed Awakened, but enough to dominate any other Initiate Ember Awakened, including the Apostates.

He experienced another qualitative power growth at the 2,000 Ember mark. If he was to guess, somehow, the Genesis corruption gave Apostates a 2,000 Ember mark. That could explain why they were so powerful.

Apart from growing stronger and growing his army, he set a mission for himself: learn Earth’s fate post-Genesis Protocols.

He already learned a lot since arriving at the Forgotten Atlanta Expanse from Echoterra. He’d learned of the Earthcore Nexus, the 3 main factions, the fact that it was 300 years ago already since he entered the Genesis Protocols, but he still didn’t learn everything that he wanted to know yet.

But in these 3 months, he learned.

When Clayton just became a man, having grown up as an outskirts kid, the world was dying, ravaged by wars, but there were still 7 continents then.

One of Clayton’s question was, do we still have 7 continents now?

He found his answer.

Yes, there were still 7 continents in the world. The Genesis Protocols did not magically cut off some continents from Earth like he feared, but everything changed from before Echoterra.

Earth Post-Echoterra was an Apocalypze-ravaged world.

Antarctica was now a Behemorph hive, overrun by Verdant Warden titans, and from reports even more harrowing Behemorph horrors ruled there.

The continent in simple terms these days was flora and ice warped into fungal wastelands infested by an endless sea of Behemorphs.

Only three continents held humanity’s remnants; Europe, America, and Africa, scattered in fortified enclaves, battling Behemorphs and factions.

The Ironblood Remnants, led by Vrenna, Draven, Rhea, and Sylas, had fled to Ironhold-4, their zeal broken, licking wounds.

Echoes of Ruin, as Kaelith Veyne, tightened her grip on her Rootbound Grove, 250 kilometers east, unsure of Clayton’s survival.

Yes, she was unsure.

After the encounter 3 months ago, she secretly went on an expedition deep into the Forgotten Atlanta Expanse again.

And yet, she never found signs of the Verdant Lord anymore.

It was as if he just upped and disappeared.

Maybe he was dead after all.

With his stealth, Clayton was able to fool her and every other person who was interested in knowing his fate, which was the only reason why he was able to stay in the dark and silently grow stronger.

Verdis Hold, a distant Rootbound settlement, was his target. A working town, pacifist but potent, it’s Awakened guarding a thriving Grove.

He already slipped into Verdis Hold countless times, and was where he updated most of his knowledge about the world.

And now, again, he slipped into Verdis Hold, Shedskin mimicking a wanderer’s aura, Architect Aspect suppressing his unusual Embers.

Also, he learned of Verdant Lords. They were special Awakened whose Aspects or due to fortuitous encounters managed to claim territories, making them stronger than usual Awakened.

Clayton was one of them. And they usually had a peculiar aura.

With Shedskin, Clayton also managed to hide his Verdant Lord aura.

The town sprawled, 5 square kilometers, vine-woven huts glowing with Mycoglyphs, sentient roots irrigating fungal crops.

Luminous Seed Awakened patrolled the town, their Artifacts humming.

Townsfolk traded Embers and Artifacts for sap-wine and mundane pleasures, their pacifism evident in open gates, and very few offensive Aspects.

Clayton lingered in the market, ears sharp, catching whispers: he heard chatter of Europe’s Ironclad Bastions, one of the recently dominant factions in Europe. He also heard of Africa’s Ashen Covenants, and America’s fractured enclaves.

Humanity clung to 10% of Earth, Behemorphs ruling the rest, Earthcore Nexus awakening new titans.

A Vineheart Sentinel, Elera, approached, her Thornweave Aegis Aspect probing. "Wanderer, your Embers feel... heavy," she said, eyes narrowed, root-staff glowing with curiosity.

"Just a scavenger," Clayton lied, Shedskin cloaking his Verdant Lord signature, humor dark. "Seen worse than your vines out there".

Elara frowned but let him pass, her Mycoglyph pendant pulsing.

Clayton moved deeper, noting Verdis Hold’s defenses: 20 Luminous Seed Awakened guarded the town, including 5 Verdant Warden elders, Groveheart Bastion shielding the Grove.

He overheard tales; Antarctica’s Spore Sovereigns, Europe’s Null Forges, Africa’s Ember Witches, all mapping Earth’s ruins.

His Hive-Sight pinged his Aphid Network, 100 kilometers east, hunting Initiate Ember Behemorphs, Genesis Embers ticking up.

As dusk fell, Mycoglyphs flared, Earthcore Nexus trembling.

Clayton’s Heartseed Core sparked, system chimming suddenly.

DING!

He blinked, surprised by the notification.

It was a new Codex entry, the first in what felt like forever. Its data was fragmented, promising secrets of the Expanse.

~----~

[System Notification: Codex Entry Unlocked...]

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