Chapter 77: Treacherous journey [1]
Clayton trudged through the ash-choked fringes of the Forgotten Atlanta Expanse, his Shedskin cloaked as a scavenger’s rags, masking his Verdant Lord aura.
His Regalia of the Verdant Warden, in bow form, hung slung across his back, ready to conjure bone or root arrows with his Heartseed Core’s renewable Embers.
The Thornshade Dagger, venom-coated and stealth-enhancing, rested sheathed at his hip, its Artifact hum subtle.
His Architect Aspect thrummed, leashed to lend with Torren’s adventurer team. Their communication pagers, Mycoglyph-etched, pulsed faintly, linking their Aspects, enabling them to stay in constant communication.
Clayton’s Aphid Network, over 50 minions strong, lurked far behind, cloaked by Verdant Shroud, while his rootsite stood fortified, a distant anchor.
For the first time, his humanoid body was going on an expedition far from his Rootsite and his Verdant Lord body.
In all honesty, it was a thrilling experience.
The journey, stretching 2,890 kilometers to Arizona’s volcanic wastes, and then to the Scorchpath Outskirts loomed ahead, a 60-day gauntlet.
Torren’s calculations, factoring ash-storms, Behemorphs, and rogue domains set a grueling pace.
The Earthcore Nexus pulsed, its hunger a low drone, twisting the Expanse’s ruins into fungal quagmires and ash-veiled chasms. The team moved single file, spore filter masks on, Verdant Relics glowing faintly under dawn’s gray haze.
Hours into the first day, the path dipped into a shattered tram hub, its steel warped by sentient vines, Mycoglyphs flickering erratically.