Chapter 102: A Verdant City

A Verdant City... what did it look like? Clayton always had this thought at the back of his mind once he learned of the existence of Verdant Cities. And finally, he could satisfy his curiosity. ... New Phoenix, Verdant City. New Phoenix loomed in the distance, like a grotesque combination of the past, the present, and the future all entangled in a single city. Skyscrapers towered into the sky, fused with gnarled trees, their bark pulsing with Embers, roads writhing like veins under the Nexus’s pulse. Now closer to the Verdant City, Clayton’s Territorial Sentience pinged Ashen Covenants’ Ember Witches, their matriarchal rituals even more vivid. Like Clayton hoped for and didn’t dare dream of, the Verdant City, New Phoenix was a thriving ecosystem of humans. Not just Awakened. From the little that Clayton could see, the humans living here already adapted so much to the concept of the Genesis Protocols and what it brought; Aspects, and Aspect abilities that they integrated it into daily life. From the little things like making coffee to public transportation, to even the defense of the city whose main component was a gigantic 50-meter tall wall, all of it had Awakened imprint written all over it. Awakened with Aspects related to the Earth joined part of road construction crews, some mending damages to roads while others were busy mapping out new roads, tunnels under the city, underground structures, and even railways. Clayton also saw Awakened with Aspects that enabled them to fly. They were few but they existed. They flew around the city at intervals, doing one thing or the other. "Those guys are couriers". Kaelin pointed at when one of them flew past, wearing a green uniform with the emblem of a racing horse. "They deliver Relics and other things to rich customers and rich Awakened". "Wow!" Clayton was amazed. "This city, it’s ruled by a Verdant Lord too, right?" He asked. Torren nodded. Clayton could tell because he could feel it too. He masked his Verdant Lord aura with Shedskin again, but the other guy didn’t feel the need to do the same. He could feel a dormant presence in the city, subtle but unimaginably powerful. It almost felt like a monster in deep slumber, waiting to be awakened. The most fascinating thing about this Verdant City though was the citizens. It was a thriving ecosystem of humans, not just Awakened. Mundane citizens filled the streets, living life normally like it was 3 centuries ago. Clayton was amazed. ’This... this...’ It almost felt natural, if he wasn’t just perceptive enough to notice the subtle tension in their eyes and the alertness in their movements. He could tell that they were ready to move to seek safety at a moment’s notice in the case of a Behemorph breaking through the walls into the city. ’It’s not perfect,’ he thought. ’But it’s a thriving human ecosystem’. Clayton found himself smiling at some point. If he was not in a rush, he would have appreciated the Verdant City some more. But unfortunately, he didn’t have the luxury to do that. The team approached a trader’s outpost, guarded by Initiate Ember sentries. The trader, a wiry Luminous Seed Awakened named Valthor, demanded 1,000 Genesis shards and a Luminous Seed Artifact for a military truck; armored, Mycoglyph-powered, capable of 720 kilometers a day. "What?!" Of course, Kaelin exploded immediately at the blatant attempt at extortion. Torren stopped him though. Taking one look at Clayton, he looked back at the wiry trader. "3,000 Genesis shards and 1 Initiate Ember Artifact". The trader scoffed. "Do you take me for a fool?" He looked at them, sending a point across that he knew they were an adventurer team that could brave the wild. And as such, he knew they could afford the price that he offered. Torren remained calm. "3,000 Genesis shards and 2 Initiate Ember Artifacts". The trader shook his head. Clayton was about to intervene, but Torren stopped him. He sighed, looking at the trader. "How about this? Let’s have a combat trial. If we lose, we accept your initial offer. But if we win, you sell for us at 3,000 Genesis shards and 2 Initiate Ember Artifacts". All the while, Clayton stayed silent, quietly flabbergasted. 3,000 Genesis Shards was a lot. To get such, it would require killing about 2,000 Initiate Ember Behemorphs or Awakened or 500 Luminous Seed Behemorphs. Besides, Clayton had 0 Genesis Shards on him. Unlike the others who already saturated their Genesis Cores, due to his Architect Aspect, Clayton required 6 times more Genesis Embers than the regular Awakened to saturate his Heartseed Core. This was why he doesn’t get Genesis shards from killing Behemorphs or Awakened. The trader looked at him, a shrewd smile finding its way to his face. "A combat trial? Well, that’s ok with me". He sneered. "Fight my champion, if you have the fire". Veyra stepped forward immediately. "I’ll do it". She stared Valthor in the eye. "Can I propose another facet to this contest?" "Why? Of course". Valthor smiled. She raised her bow. "My boy is a rare Luminous Seed Awakened. It has a passive effect and 2 active enchantments. One of them includes the ability to generate arrows on its own, so its wielder needs not worry about arrows". "I’m placing my bow on the line". The team protested the decision immediately, but she held firm. Valthor stared at her with a teasing but slightly wary smile now. "In return, what do you want?" "We get the car for free". "Ridiculous!" One of Valthor’s workers yelled, but the trader stopped him with a slight gleam in his eye. "You have balls. I must give you that". He said, smiling still. "Give me your bow, let me appraise it myself". Veyra handed it over. The trader appraised it, showing another facet of his talent then he smiled. "Deal". "Find me Oso". He gestured at his subordinates. A few minutes later, his champion stepped out. Oso was a giant of a man, standing at more than 2 meters tall, a Luminous Seed brute with a powerful Aspect that wielded a Pyrehammer. Torren frowned slightly on seeing him. "Are you sure you want to do this?" He asked in a soft tone. Instead of answering, Veyra climbed the arena. Both Awakened warriors entered the arena for duels like this, and the contest started. As soon as Oso moved, he showcased his aggressive and explosive power, swinging his Pyrehammer with devastating force. But Veyra was fast. She danced around him, effortlessly finding pockets of space in the arena to wriggle out of trouble at a worrying consistency. And then, she counterattacked... WHOOSH! Her arrows danced, piercing joints, but the Brute’s hammer grazed her arm, drawing blood. It was just a graze, but Veyra felt like her arm broke. Oso’s power was devastating. But gritting her teeth, she blindly fired in the general direction of her opponent’s eye as she already guessed his next action after getting her arm. From what she already observed about his personality, he would push his advantage after slightly staggering her by grazing her arm. Like expected, Oso did just that. What this Awakened warrior didn’t expect was an arrow to come flying at his eye the moment that he thought he finally got his opponent. But even as a brute with devastating power, he had quick reflexes. He dodged, but distracted, Veyra’s final shot pierced Oso’s core, causing him to roar madly in pain even as his eyes turned blood-red. "I win..." Veyra was about to say when Oso moved with explosive speed, pouring the rest of his Genesis Embers in one explosive movement. BAM! His massive arms closed around her neck, tightening. Veyra choked! But Oso’s core was damaged. "STOP!" The trader, Valthor called before the fight could escalate more, leading to more injuries to both combatants. His face fell slightly as he said, "it’s a draw". Clayton, heart palpitating wildly, finally rushed into the stage, pushed Oso aside and attended to Veyra whose neck was now red from the pressure of her opponent’s tight grasp. Torren faced Valthor. "And?" Valthor grimaced. "I’ll give you the car, but I’ll take 1,000 Genesis shards, and her bow". "But we didn’t..." "It’s a draw," he said, voice sharp. "We never agreed for a draw". "It’s either you take my offer or go somewhere else in search of a car". Veyra stood up, and held Torren’s arm. "Accept. Time is not on our side". Torren frowned. In the end, he agreed. A few minutes later... The truck roared to life, Mycoglyphs glowing. Clayton gripped the wheel, the team piling in; Veyra with a scavenged dagger, her sacrifice raw. Torren clasped Clayton’s shoulder, silently reassuring him. Veyra, resolute, said. "You trusted us, Clayton. We’ll save your Rootsite". Clayton gritted his teeth. "I’ll pay you back for your bow. I promise". Veyra just smiled. Clayton frowned. He hated how he was feeling at this moment, especially when he looked at her. It was a strange feeling. He was not used to it. Whatever it was, he was not sure if he wanted the feeling to stay. The truck sped west, 720 kilometers a day toward the Forgotten Atlanta Expanse, Rootsite’s fate uncertain, Korrath’s purge relentless. The Nexus pulsed, a harbinger of war.