Everyone stood in silent awe at the foot of the Spirit Tree, a colossal 50-foot-tall behemoth of twisting bark and glowing emerald leaves. The towering structure exuded a serene power, almost divine in its presence. Above them, five translucent spirits moved with grace among the branches, drifting like silk caught in the wind. Their forms shimmered faintly, as if made of moonlight and mist.
The spirits danced, leapt, and twirled from limb to limb, their faces expressionless, their gaze distant, like they existed on a different plane. Despite their radiant beauty and eerie grace, none of them seemed to notice the individuals standing below.
It had been several minutes since the tree’s creation, yet after the fifth spirit emerged, the air grew still. No new ones followed.
’System, can I fuse those spirits with people?’ Kaelor asked, his eyes tracking the ghostly figures.
[Yes. But only with females.]
His gaze flicked instinctively toward Vi but stopped himself. She had already chosen to stay and aid him in building his future. The system had even rewarded him with a generous 1,000 fusion points for gaining her allegiance.
Still, the system had labeled her Vi the Lost, unlike Vulcanus, whom it had titled Great. The title gnawed at him, though he couldn’t place why.
Now, standing beneath a mythical tree born of fusion, Kaelor’s mind spun with possibilities. He had 2,500 fusion points at his disposal, 2,480, to be exact. He couldn’t help but wonder: What would happen if one of those guardian spirits fused with a person? What kind of power would be born?
Before he could dwell further, Hound stepped forward, his expression alert. He leaned in and lowered his voice slightly.
"I know where we can find livestock, My Lord."
Kaelor’s eyes widened. "What? Where?"
Hound extended a clawed finger, pointing toward the distant edge of the basin. The others turned to follow his gesture, and there, emerging from the tall grass, was a single lamb.
Small, wooly, and clearly disoriented, the lamb wandered alone in the sunlight.
Kaelor’s lips curled into a slow smile.
If there was a lamb, there had to be a herd. And if there was a flock... there was hope.
"This little one must have wandered off," Kaelor murmured. "That means the others are nearby."
For a brief moment, the heavy weight of wolves, warfare, and the looming threats of the Devil Wilderness seemed to lift off his shoulders. They now had a Spirit Tree, guardian spirits, a defensible basin, and now, perhaps, livestock. Hope had returned in the form of a wandering lamb.
All they had to do... was take the next step.
"That’s west, My Lord," Jon muttered, squinting into the distance. "Same direction as the Ivory Hills."
Kaelor’s eyes narrowed. ’Blood Moon Bats...’ That ominous name thought sent a ripple of unease through him. The bats, creatures of darkness and nightmare.
But did they emerge during the day? He wasn’t sure. Still, livestock was crucial. Taming them would change everything for his people, milk, meat, wool, hide. It was worth the risk.
Determined, Kaelor set off after the lamb. It bleated and darted away the moment it spotted them, hooves pounding the grass. But before it could vanish into the distance, Vi raised her palm. With a soft glow, the lamb floated into the air, kicking gently against invisible restraints.
Kaelor caught it midair and gave her a nod of thanks.
They moved quickly, crossing through the lush green hills that rolled across the western end of the basin. As they reached a gentle ridge and descended into a sloping grassland, Kaelor released the lamb. It dropped to the earth and wasted no time, it bolted like its life depended on it, weaving through grass and leaping over stones. To the lamb, it was a foolish mistake its captors would regret forever.
But Kaelor kept moving, eyes tracking its path. Then, he froze.
"My God..." he muttered, rooted in place.
White dots dotted the hills like stars spilled across a green canvas. One hill. Two. Then three. All the way up the ridges, hundreds of them.
A massive herd of wild bighorn sheep grazed peacefully, unaware of the eyes now watching them. Their wool shimmered in the sunlight, thick and pristine. Powerful curved horns adorned the rams, but even the ewes bore dangerous, albeit smaller, spiraled horns.
When the lamb reached the herd, a large ewe, likely its mother, stepped forward, nuzzling it protectively.
She turned and glared sharply in Kaelor’s direction, nostrils flaring. Kaelor and the others dropped low into the grass.
’I didn’t expect this... not this many...’ His heart thudded against his ribs.
This was more than fortune, it was overwhelming abundance. Enough livestock to feed, clothe, and grow an entire town into a city. But it was also a problem.
’How in the world are we going to catch these?’ he thought grimly. These weren’t docile animals, they were mountain-bred, wilderness-forged creatures with nature’s weapons carved into their skulls.
Kaelor looked around at his companions.
"I can see why the wolves left this place," Vi said softly, her gaze fixed on the hills teeming with bighorn sheep. The wind carried the scent of wild grass and wool, but beneath it, there was something else, a quiet warning in the earth itself. A place claimed, not conquered.
Kaelor narrowed his eyes. "What do we do now? Could we lure a few into a trap... and repeat the process slowly?"
Vi shook her head. "We’d get caught. Spook one, and the entire flock will run. Over a thousand of them. That’s not a herd, that’s a tide."
Hound’s voice was low and grim. "We’ll be trampled before we even draw weapons. Even I wouldn’t dare charge into that... not with strength alone." His eyes remained fixed on the distant hills, calculating, cautious. "If they stampede, we die.."
Kaelor frowned deeper. He glanced at the lamb they had chased, so small, so harmless. But scale changed everything. A single lamb could become a blessing. A thousand uncontrolled sheep? A curse in disguise.
He clenched his fist.