Symbiotic: Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Mind awhirl with this new information. That the battles she had fought thus far were only to qualify for the actual contest still to come. She stood and headed back into the main hallway, the statues of Haven Valley’s guardians watched silently as Tas shimmered into view beside her.

“Viscount Bloom,” Tas said, her voice carrying a note of ceremony, “allow me to show you what is now yours.”

Sara followed as Tas led her deeper into the mansion. The Residence stretched into two grand wings, each corridor branching into rooms that spoke of wealth and power.

They passed bedrooms with tall windows and carved furniture, each chamber prepared for guests or retainers. A library sprawled across one wing, shelves already lined with tomes, histories, crafting manuals, and System bound texts glowing faintly with protective wards. Sara’s fingers itched to explore them all. But a word from Tas curbed her enthusiasm. “Your Library of Knowledge. In typical System fashion, it holds every documented details about the Contest Lands and the challenges ahead. But,” Tas said as Sara’s eyes lit up with interest. “Only the information you have unlocked is available to view. All else remains bound within untouchable, unharmable, tomes until the information becomes available.”

Further along, she found crafting stations: alchemy benches, smithing forges, and enchanting tables, each humming faintly with energy. The tools were pristine, waiting for her hand or the hands of her chosen crafters authorized entry into her Residence.

Tas gestured toward a wide chamber where the air thrummed with power. Sara stepped inside and gasped. A training hall stretched before her, lined with combat statues of every size and shape, wielding a dizzying display of various weaponry. “These statues are programmable. You may set their power levels to train against foes of varying strength, and can even choose from among a series of preprogrammed skills and abilities to allow them. Additional power sets can be purchased to add to them. They will never tire, and they will always repair themselves.”

Sara’s grin widened. “A perfect way to let off some steam!”

Finally, Tas guided her down a stairwell into the depths of the Residence. The air grew cooler, heavier, until they entered a chamber that pulsed with authority. The war room.

At its center stood a vast table, its surface alive with shifting light. A detailed map of Haven Valley glowed across it, showing defenses, troop locations, (currently just a handful at the gate and the Academy), and the ability to highlight incursions or dangers. Currently, none were marked, the valley secure.

Sara leaned closer, eyes narrowing. Beyond the valley, the map blurred, hazy outlines representing the area her single Watchtower could see. Tas explained: “The clarity of the surrounding map depends on your Watchtowers. With only one, the surrounding area is indistinct. More Watchtowers on all sides of the valley will be vital for defense.”

Sara nodded immediately, already planning. “Then we’ll build them. Knowledge is Po…. Well, everyone knows that one.”

Among the blurred terrain, one highlighted zone stood out. The Lifewheat Fields, glowing faintly. Tas inclined her head. “This represents your Trade Alliance with Baron The Glorious Lion Who Roars at the Sun. The System acknowledges it as part of your sphere of influence.”

Sara’s gaze drifted farther outward. Half a dozen named dots pulsed faintly on the map. “Viscount Bloom,” Tas continued in her explanations, “these are the nearest System Controlled Cities. They are not held by Challengers, but by NCP Royals appointed by the System. Each serves as a hub of trade, training, and order. They are, for the most part, neutral, but not without their risks. Their presence reminds all rulers that the System itself is a player in this contest.”

Highspire - Cliffside fortress city; safe, heavily patrolled. Known for stonework, masonry, and siege equipment.

Risk: Low: heavily patrolled, but outsiders are watched closely.

Travel: 2 days by road, longer through mountain passes. Travel Risk: Low to Moderate

Greenglade - Forest city; moderate risk from beasts. Source of rare herbs, alchemical reagents, and woodcraft.

Risk: Low: heavily patrolled, but outsiders are watched closely.

Travel: 2 days by road, longer through mountain passes. Travel Risk: Low to Moderate

Ironmarch - Militarized plains city; strict laws, high risk. Supplies weapons, armor, and mercenary contracts.

Risk: High: strict laws, outsiders treated with suspicion.

Travel: 4 days across plains. Travel Risk: Moderate to High

Silkport - Coastal trade hub; low risk, but thieves common. Offers textiles, spices, exotic goods, and trade networks.

Risk: Low: commerce thrives, but thieves are common.

Travel: 5 days by caravan, faster if river routes are secured. Travel Risk: Moderate to High

Sunvault - Desert crystal city; moderate risk from harsh terrain. Provides crystals, rare minerals, and magical artifacts.

Risk: Moderate: harsh environment, but city itself is orderly.

Travel: 6 days across desert routes. Travel Risk: High

Stormwatch - Storm battered coastal fortress; high risk, strict martial law. Specializes in naval supplies, weather wards, and storm forged steel.

Risk: High: dangerous seas, strict martial law. Piracy.

Travel: 7 days by land, perilous by sea. Travel Risk: High to Severe

Tas’s glow dimmed slightly as she finished. “Each city offers resources Haven Valley may one day need for defense, expansion, craft and trade, even population growth. But travel carries risk, and alliances must be chosen carefully. For not all risk of travel comes from travel alone.”

“And”, Tas concluded waving a hand as the map widened until everything that Sara had been studying was just a tiny dot on a massive blurred map of an entire continent, and then widened again to show that Continent only one of a dozen or more on the globe, “This is the board this current game is to be played. The Contested Lands.”

Sara stared at the glowing dots, her mind racing. She exhaled slowly, determination settling in her chest. “The Valley truly is only the beginning, isn’t it Tas.”

Tas inclined her head. “Indeed, Viscount. The path of expansion is not only within your valley, but outward toward these hubs of power. And into, or through, the Challenger Territories along the way.”

<>

Sara’s mind buzzed with Tas’s explanation of the Contested Lands. The sheer scale of the struggle, from Tutorials to planets. She needed to clear her head, to feel her own strength. So she made her way to the training hall, its vast chamber lined with self repairing combat statues.

She began with a low power statue, a stone warrior that moved stiffly, its strikes predictable. Within moments she realized it was no challenge at all. Her Commander enhanced stats made her faster, stronger, sharper than the statue could hope to match. She sighed, then twisted the power dial up on the control pedestal.

“Let’s see what you’ve really got.”

The statue surged with new energy, its movements sharper, heavier. Sara grinned, Sporesight glowing faintly in her vision. Readying Tetsubo and Shield, she restricted herself to skills only, refusing to lean on her abilities, except Sporesight, which she had sworn never to turn off if she could avoid it. Even so, she found herself only truly challenged when the statue was pushed to its highest setting, its strikes ringing against her defenses with punishing force.

The training hall hummed with energy as Sara activated a second pedestal dial. One statue wasn’t enough, and now both stone warriors surging to life, their eyes glowing with System light.

They moved immediately. No hesitation, no warm up.

The first statue lunged, its stone blade cutting a heavy arc. Sara pivoted, Sporesight flaring as she read the trajectory. She brought her Tetsubo up in a tight parry, the impact ringing through her arms even as her force tossed the statue’s strike away. Before she could counter, the second statue swept in low, hammer aimed at her knees.

Sara leapt, twisting midair. Her boot caught the hammer’s haft, redirecting it into the floor with a thunderous crack. She landed lightly, already spinning into a riposte. Her Tetsubo slammed into the first statue’s shoulder, shards of stone flying, but the wound knitted near instantly, the statue repairing itself even as it staggered back from the blow.

The second statue pressed again, hammer rising. Sara ducked, sliding across the polished floor, then snapped upward with a skill driven strike. Her Tetsubo smashed into its chest, sending the construct skidding backward.

They regrouped, moving in tandem now. One feinted high, the other swept low. Sara grinned. “Good. Make me work for it.”

The two statues advanced in perfect synchronization, one with its stone blade raised high, the other swinging its hammer in a brutal arc. Sara planted her feet, Sporesight glowing faintly in her vision, and whispered the command:

Hunker Down

She activated her defensive skill, her stance shifted instantly, knees bent, shoulders squared, Tetsubo braced across her body, shield up. The first strike came down like thunder, the blade crashing against her guard. At the same moment, the hammer slammed from the opposite side, stone grinding against her shield.

The impact was immense, but Sara did not yield. Her skill absorbed the force, her body locked in place, every muscle coiled like a spring. The statues pressed, stone grinding, sparks flying, but the skill held.

Then, with a sharp exhale, she released it.

The stored energy of the blocked strikes surged through her Tetsubo, transforming her block into a devastating strike. She twisted, swinging in a wide arc that caught both statues at once. The blow landed with explosive force, smashing into their torsos.

Cracks spiderwebbed across their stone bodies as they were tossed backwards, fragments flying before knitting back together. The statues staggered, silent but relentless, their eyes glowing brighter as they reset their stances.

Soundlessly, they raced back in from both sides, blades and hammers raised, their movements faster now, as if acknowledging her strength.

Sara grinned, breath sharp, heart pounding.

She shifted into a defensive stance, Sporesight mapping their movements in glowing threads. The high strike came first, she blocked with her Tetsubo, sparks flying. The low strike followed instantly, but she twisted, letting the hammer graze past her hip, and helping it along with a nudge from her shield. Using the momentum, she spun, Tetsubo crashing into the hammer bearer’s side.

The first statue retaliated, blade slicing down. Sara caught it on the haft of her weapon, muscles straining. She shoved upward, breaking the lock, then slammed her elbow into its face. Stone cracked, but repaired in a heartbeat.

The second statue roared silently, hammer swinging in a brutal overhead arc. Sara stepped in close, denying its leverage, and drove her Tetsubo into its knee. The joint shattered, the statue collapsing, only to rebuild itself instantly, rising again with relentless precision.

Sweat dripped down her brow. Her breath came fast. But she was smiling. “This is the best!”

The two statues attacks increased in power yet again, pressed harder, their strikes faster, heavier. Sara matched them blow for blow, her Tetsubo and shield combination ringing against stone, her footwork sharp and precise. She ducked, blocked, parried, countered, every move a test of skill.

Finally, she surged forward, Sporesight guiding her through the chaos. She feinted left, then spun right, her Tetsubo smashing into the first statue’s chest. As it staggered, she pivoted, hammering the second across the jaw. Both statues reeled, stone fragments scattering across the floor before knitting back together.

Sara lowered her weapon, chest heaving, eyes bright. “That’s more like it.”

Tas shimmered at the edge of the hall, her glow steady. “Even at their highest setting, these statues will only push you so far, Viscount. More combat uploads will be required as you grow.”

Sara nodded, wiping sweat from her brow. “Then set a System Store alert. I want every upgrade the System offers for this hall.”

The statues reset, standing silent once more. Sara laughed softly, exhilarated. She had burned through her energy, but her resolve had only grown stronger.

“Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship”, she cackled as she patted a statue on the back.

<>

Sara wiped her face and headed to the showers. The “shower” was little more than a guided waterfall, channeled through the ceiling to cascade into the floor drain. The water was startlingly cold, but bracing, washing away the sweat and leaving her refreshed.

Clean and invigorated, Sara wandered into the library wing. The shelves stretched high, filled with hundreds of tomes bound in leather and crystal. She reached for one, but her hand slid right through it. Tas’s voice echoed softly: “Only the knowledge you have unlocked may be accessed. The rest will remain sealed until earned.”

Sara frowned, then tried another shelf. Again, her fingers passed through the spines. But here and there, a book solidified under her touch. She pulled several down, their weight real, their pages filled with glowing script.

Unlocked Tomes of Knowledge

• Foundations of Territorial Command – Basics of managing villages, mines, and defensive nodes.

• Sporesight and the Web of Perception – Advanced treatise on fungal affinity and sensory expansion.

• The Art of Crystal Harvesting – Techniques for extracting Crystals without damaging ecosystems.

• Beastfolk Traditions of Haven Valley – Cultural notes on foxfolk, badgerfolk, deerfolk, etc.

• Alchemy for Beginners: Dusts and Essences – Recipes for basic potions and reagents.

• Architectural Principles of Defensive Walls – Structural designs for fortifications and watchtowers.

• The Contested Lands: A Primer – Overview of ranks, territories, and the System’s rules of succession.

• Trade and Alliance in Early Realms – Guidelines for forming sustainable trade pacts, like the Lifewheat Fields alliance.

• Combat Drills for Commanders – Skill based training regimens to sharpen troops combat basic skillsets.

• Mineral Resonance and Volcanic Geology – Notes on dormant volcanoes and their impact on crystal yields.

Sara skimmed through the glowing pages, each tome a reminder of how far she had come, and how much more knowledge lay locked away, waiting for her to earn it. She closed one book and looked around the vast library, determination burning in her chest. But, as frustrating as the view of all that locked away knowledge was, Sara had one driving thought. The tomes she’d unlocked didn’t really offer HER much. But what about others that she brought to her Library to study. Could she not jumpstart the knowledge of people she trusted and needed to have access to this information?

“So much to learn. And I’ve only just begun.”

Tas’s glow brightened faintly, as she nodded in agreement.

<>

Mind awash with possibilities opening up around her, Sara heads to where Tas directs is her bedroom. And, Gods Above, what a bedroom.

Sara pushed open the carved double doors and froze.

The chamber beyond was vast, easily larger than the entire apartment she had once called home. Sunlight streamed through tall arched windows, spilling across polished floors and walls draped in silken banners. The air smelled faintly of lavender and cedar, a subtle fragrance woven into the stone itself.

At the center of the room stood the bed.

It was no ordinary bed, but a gigantic canopy bed, its frame carved from dark wood and crowned with flowing curtains of deep green and silver. The mattress was wide enough to fit four people comfortably, layered with quilts and heaped with pillows of every size. Soft cushions, embroidered bolsters, and feather stuffed luxuries stacked high like a mountain of comfort.

Sara stepped closer, her boots sinking into the thick rug that spread beneath the bed. She reached out, fingers brushing one of the pillows, marveling at its softness. The canopy swayed faintly in the draft, the curtains shimmering like leaves in the wind.

A grin spreading across her face.

The sheer extravagance of it struck her. This was not a room meant for a simple rest. It was a statement of power, of luxury, of belonging. The Viscount’s Residence had given her a chamber fit for royalty, and it was hers. Hers alone.

She laughed softly, half in disbelief, half in delight, sent her armor into her Pocket Storage, and, leaping high, flopped onto the bed. The pillows swallowed her, the canopy curtains drifting above like a dream.

The Valley was hers. The Residence was hers. And this bed, this impossibly vast, pillow covered sanctuary, was hers.

All Hers!

<>

Before letting herself sleep, Sara remembered something she has wanted to test since slipping on her Viscount’s Signet. She’s been so busy learning everything about her residence, ok, and really enjoying a good ‘smash em up’ sparring session, that she hadn’t yet gotten around to testing her theory.

The Viscount’s Signet gleamed faintly on Sara’s hand, its dense goldlike metal pulsing in rhythm with her heartbeat.

“Create Basic Object,” she whispered.

Energy gathered, spores swirling in her vision. A shaft of fungal growth coalesced, hardened into shape, and in moments a Fungal Spear rested in her grip. Its stats shimmered before her eyes:

[Fungal Spear +1 Force +2 Speed]

Sara turned the weapon over, testing its balance. It was simple, but alive, threads of her network woven through its core. Yet her attention wasn’t on the spear itself, it was on the faint hum of energy flowing through her body.

The Ambient Energy Alignment effect of her Signet was unmistakable. The Signet linked her directly to Haven Valley’s ambient energy, feeding her with a steady pulse. She could feel it accelerating her natural restoration, Body, Mind, and Soul all recovering faster, a constant 25% bonus to regeneration.

But she was seeking a different confirmation.

Closing her eyes, she reached inward, toward the vast web of microbes that formed her hidden strength. Normally, restoring them required finding, killing, and absorbing a foe. But now, she had a hope that would change. And, with that look inward to her network, she had her verification she sought. The ambient energy wasn’t just healing her body. It was feeding her network.

Microbes surged back into place, threads knitting together, spores glowing faintly in her vision. The System notification confirmed what she already felt:

[Microbe Network Restoration: +100 per hour]

Source: Ambient Energy Alignment (Viscount’s Signet)

Sara laughed softly, exhilarated. “It works. It actually works.”

She tossed the Spear into her Pocket Storage. “100 per hour. So if I make 8 or so items now, I should be back to full come morning.” She laughed happily and got to work.

[Create Basic Object x7]

And another Spear, two Bows, two Maces, & two Shields entered her Pocket Storage. It was a small start, but it was a start of what would someday outfit her Valley Defense Force.

Sara laid back in her pillow fortress of a bed and slept the best nights sleep of her life, as visions of Masterwork Fungal equipped armies marched in her head.

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