My internal interface glowed, dominated by the clock: "36 hours until the Lunar Cry." I pushed aside the intel on the Xun'dral Unit for a moment, prioritizing my own immediate readiness. I was a Caster Type Beast Phage and the linchpin of the entire operation; I had to shore up my personal defenses and resistance.
I had 5 Action Points, ready for immediate investment.
I knew I was dangerously vulnerable to debuffs and hostile psychic attacks due to my abysmal Resistance of 90. As a Caster, my best defense was a high resistance to ensure I couldn't be the target of psychic debuffs. It was imperative that I had first strike, and the chance to get my commands out first. I would put all five points into the resistance stat.
Resistance:90 5 AP 1 AP per point 95.
Total AP Used: 5/5. AP Remaining: 0.
I felt a stabilizing force settle over my body. The vulnerability remained, but it was blunted. A Resistance of 95 was still low, but it offered a much-needed buffer against low-level debuffs and gave me a slightly better chance of resisting more potent attacks like Fay's Wing Dust.
With my personal defense slightly reinforced, my focus immediately returned to the remaining tasks, storing away Element-X, and preparing my party into their new roles as a ''Blender'' for the impending Lunar Cry in 36 hours. I happen to look to my brood mother palm, as I did so a grey bar hovered over it, ''4/10.''
Sensing my thoughts Herja's digitized voice spoke, answering my question before I asked it." The grey bar represents a locked Path. Your Brood Mother Palm requires more cultivation, in order to unlock its cultivation path." Herja's digitized voice said.
I focused on the information bar floating above the thick, chitinous black scale and its embedded compound eye on the back of my hand.
Brood Mother Palm Cultivation: 4/10
"More cultivation?" Ash wondered aloud, speaking to Herja. "Four out of ten? Does that mean it wants me to add more creature types to it?"
"That is the most logical deduction, Ash," Herja confirmed. "The Brood Mother Palm is an organ derived from a creature specialized in generating and commanding diverse spawn. The number 4/10 strongly indicates you have assimilated the full genetic profiles of four unique Genome Beast types into your system. To unlock the next level of the Palm's abilities—its Cultivation Path—you must absorb the complete data, or 'essence,' of six more distinct creatures."
She elaborated on the potential: "By expanding the diversity of life you assimilate, you are building the 'genetic library' required by the Brood Mother Palm. This will likely unlock new abilities related to spawning, evolution, or control over a wider range of life forms. It is a direct measure of your growth as a Silver Blooded Phage and a Beast Master."
I realized that if I wished to unlock the full potential of the Brood Mothers palm, I would need to ensure I was facing and permanently assimilating a broad spectrum of the Gutter's terrifying inhabitants. The crisis of the Lunar Cry wasn't just a threat; it was a deadline for gathering the necessary cultivation samples.
With my personal stats attended to, I moved on to assessing my assets to build the crucial "Blender Team"—a squad designed for high, rapid, focused damage.
I needed three key roles. A speedster who could give the party a jump with a well-placed turn meter control technique, a debuffer who could target defense, and a nuker which I already had in Marla.
I decided to begin with scouting Mothman, who was still clad in the unit.
"Herja, scan Mothman. Extract combat function parameters, specifically buff and debuff efficacy."
Herja's voice cut through the air. "Scanning... Confirmed. The Xun'dral Unit grants its user a symbiotic ability: ''Tarnishing Aura.'' It is an active skill with a low Orgone cost that hits all targets in the immediate area for a 15% defense down debuff." Fifteen percent was better then nothing, "okay, I'll work with it."
Herja paused, the digital air around her crackling as the next skill's stats appeared in bold, glowing text. The new data was a significant upgrade to their strategic capability.
"Ash, The Xun'dral Unit grants its user access to the Heavenly Wheel Shift skill!" Herja's voice was sharp with the implications of the power boost.
She read off the specifications, the text flashing in luminous green across my mental interface, "Heavenly Wheel Shift grants the party an immediate Turn Meter Boost of +25% and applies a Speed buff of +10% for one full turn. Grants extra turn. 3-turn cooldown."
The implications were astounding. This wasn't a self-buff, but a full-party utility skill. Mothman could boost my whole party and cut the enemy party's defense with his Tarnishing Aura, and then Marla could immediately deliver the nuke ''Serpent Flash'' with a boosted turn meter and a speed increase. Furthermore, the "Grants extra turn" effect meant Mothman could execute this entire sequence—boost, then debuff—all in rapid succession, bypassing the enemy's action window entirely.
My ''Blender'' team Strategy was cemented, and fully realized, creating a devastating chain of actions that could wipe out opponents before they even got a turn.
Suddenly Herjas voice entered my thoughts, "Ash, there's also something more I would like to show you," Herja's voice suddenly shifted, losing its disembodied, internal echo and taking on a compelling, tangible quality.
Before I could reply, a wave of digital sensation washed over me. The cold, mechanical reality of the Forge dissolved, replaced by a blast of vibrant, organized light. I gasped, opening my eyes I found myself standing on a crystalline, glowing plain. It was a vibrant, geometric landscape that I had only dreamed about.
I looked down at myself, amazement overriding my commander's composure. I was whole again, male, but I was also different. My skin was covered in striated tiger stripes. A long, whip-like tail extended behind me. Most strikingly, were the two straight silver horns that grew from atop my head, perfectly aligned above each eye, giving him the silhouette of a warrior icon. I was fully rendered, radiating a vibrant, intense blue light that pulsed with my consciousness—a warrior avatar of pure data.
Standing before me was Herja. She was the same ethereal, swirling form of light I knew, but now fully realized as a digital human avatar, radiating an electric, stunning hot pink.
"Where is this!" I exclaimed, taking in the endless, luminous architecture and the profound sense of ''self'' that I felt in this place. Herja smiled, a gesture that caused the hot pink grid lines of her world to ripple.
"It's great to finally meet you one on one, Ash. Welcome to my 'little world.' "