The air inside smelled of old popcorn oil. It was pitch black, the power having been drained by my Grounding Vines outside.
"Expand."
A circle of Verdant Jade Loam, ten feet in diameter, spread out from my boots. I stepped forward, and the circle moved with me, a portable island of power sliding over the dirty carpet.
I was a shark in a bowl, carrying my ocean with me. As long as I stood on the soil, I was unbeatable. If I stepped off? I was just a guy with a complex.
"Goros," I whispered. "Scan."
I planted a seed in the center of my mobile circle and the Toothache Plant sprouted instantly, its single yellow eye swiveling around the dark room.
"Must I do everything?" Goros’s voice echoed in my head. "Very well. Let us see what the rodents are up to."
"Energy signatures detected," Goros reported. "Multiple weak sources clustered in the left wing. Likely part of the force you stopped earlier. However... there is one significant source in the right wing. Rear screening room."
I looked at the two hallways branching off from the lobby.
The enemy was baiting me left. They assumed I was a hero coming to ‘beat the bad guys’ and ‘save the hostages’.
"They think I’m Batman," I muttered, shaking my head.
I wasn't here to save the day. I was here to retrieve a general who had gotten too big for his boots.
I turned right.
I glided down the hallway, my soil circle against the floor.
I reached the first screening room door and it was closed.
I placed my hand on the wall next to the door.
"Voltaic Vine."
The plant surged from my soil circle, snaking through the drywall, hunting for the copper wiring of the building. It found the conduit leading to the projection booth.
"Power," I commanded.
Inside the theater, the dormant projector came to life and the speakers popped. The sounds of an 80s action movie—explosions, gunfire, witty one-liners—blasted into the silence.
I heard two screams of surprise from inside.
I kicked the door open.
Two mercenaries popped up from behind the seats, blinded by the sudden flicker of the screen.
"Spear."
Two stalks of bamboo shot from my soil circle, hovering at my shoulder for a microsecond before launching.
The spears pierced their hands, pinning them to the upholstery. They howled, dropping their weapons.
I turned and kept walking.
"Next," I said.
I reached the second door. Same play.
I surged power into the projector but this time a Detective Noir film started playing—rain, jazz, a monologue about a dame.
Four men jumped up and four bamboo spears put them down.
"A bit derivative," Goros critiqued. "But effective."
I reached the end of the hall. The final screening room. The one with the big energy signature.
I stopped.
I didn't need to power this one. Light was already spilling from under the door. I could even hear the air conditioning.
A classic Western movie was playing. I could hear the distinct sound of a harmonica.
"Curious," Goros said. "This room is fully powered. Yet you drained the main grid outside. How?"
"Let's find out," I said.
I pushed the doors open.
The theater was cold. The AC was blasting. On the screen, two cowboys were staring each other down at high noon.
I looked up at the projection booth and two silhouettes were visible in the window.
I willed my soil circle to expand, creating a ramp of earth over the stairs and I floated up toward the booth. The door to the booth opened.
Two glowing geometric spheres, about the size of softballs, flew out.
"Defense," I thought.
The Heavenly Bamboo around me wove together instantly, forming a cage.
The spheres hit the bamboo and detonated. Concussive force. The bamboo creaked and splintered, but held.
"Sky Piercer," I ordered.
The exterior of my bamboo cage bristled. Tips of hardened wood shot out like a shotgun blast, filling the room with shrapnel.
I couldn't see the result through my cage.
"Goros. Eyes."
I teleported a Goros clone outside the cage and the visual feed popped up.
The room was a mess of shattered wood and drywall. Standing in the back of the booth was a man. He was holding up a hand, and in front of him, a complex geometric pattern of light—a hexagon made of triangles—was blocking my Sky Piercer rounds effortlessly.
Behind him, tied to a chair with glowing bands of energy, was Bells. He was unconscious, his head lolling to the side.
"Frank," I whispered.
I recognized him from the tournament. The Array Master. He had been a favorite until Siegfried kicked him through a wall.
"Hold fire!" Frank yelled. "Let's not be hasty!"
"Give me one reason not to turn this booth into a pin cushion," I said from inside my box.
"Because if you do," Frank said, tapping the glowing cuffs on Bells’ wrists, "your boy here turns into a vegetable. And not the kind you grow."
I paused. "Explain."
"It's a Qi Link," Frank said, leaning against the doorframe. "Standard capture protocol. I linked my life force to his. If I die, the array collapses inward and snaps his neck. If he dies... well, I probably just get a headache, but you get the point."
"Hostage tactics," I said.
"Insurance," Frank corrected. "Look, man. I'm not here to die for a cause."
"Then why are you here?"
"Rent," Frank said, sighing. "After I lost to Siegfried in the tournament, my reputation tanked. No one in Detroit would hire me. I lost my apartment. I was deported to the Wilds where the rent is free and then these guys hired me to set up a perimeter."
He pointed around the room.
"I'm powering the AC with my own Qi," he complained. "Do you know how draining that is? I just wanted to watch a movie in comfort."
"He is pragmatic," Goros chimed in, sounding impressed. "Unlike your windbag general who walked right into a trap, this human understands leverage. Hire him."
For once, I agreed with the plant.
I dissolved the bamboo cage and stepped out, brushing sawdust from my suit.
"I have a better deal," I said.
Frank raised an eyebrow, keeping his shield up. "Yeah?"
"You work for me," I said. "General of the Third Division. One million Stones a year."
Frank’s eyes went wide.
"One million?" he asked. "And super food?"
"The best super food in the apocalypse," I promised.
Frank grinned and snapped his fingers.
The glowing cuffs on Bells vanished and the Qi link dissolved.
"You got a deal, man," Frank said and walked over and shook my hand.
I teleported.
I appeared back at the parking lot camp.
Sal was sitting by a fire barrel, roasting a marshmallow. He jumped when I popped into existence.
"Did you get him?" Sal asked.
"I got him," I said. "And a new General."
Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.
Ten minutes later, Frank and a very sullen looking Bells walked out of the theater. Thirty five mercenaries followed him, looking confused but happy to be getting a bigger salary.
"Listen up," I told the group. "We aren't done. The Black Hand and Cloud factions are still out there."
I pointed west.
"Grand Rapids is the target. That’s Cloud territory. We move at dawn."
I walked into my bamboo shed exhausted.
"Sleep," I commanded myself.
[Cultivation Advancement: Sprout (Stage 3)]
[Qi Capacity Increased: 2,000]
[Soil Upgrade: Verdant Jade Loam (Grade 3)]
[Heavenly Moss Output: 192.8 Qi/Hour]
I sat up. 2,000 Qi.
I finally had enough reserves to justify the mass upgrade I had been putting off.
"Upgrade All," I commanded.
[Cost: 1,500 Qi]
I flinched. That was three-quarters of my tank. But I needed my plants to be at their peak for the expansion.
[Upgrade Complete.]
[Heavenly Tomato (Grade 3): Cures all non-magical diseases and purifies moderate poisons. Permanently boosts Constitution by 100%. Increases natural healing rate by 10%.]
[Heavenly Cucumber (Grade 3): Quenches thirst for 1 week. Restores moderate Qi.]
[Heavenly Potato (Grade 3): Sates hunger for 1 week. Increases density of muscle fiber.]
[Heavenly Tuber (Grade 3): Yield increased by 200%.]
[Verdant Jade Loam Bamboo Sword (Grade 3)]
[Verdant Jade Loam Bamboo Armor (Grade 3)]
I scrolled through the rest. The Bamboo, the Moss, the Vines... most of them just had their Qi activation cost lowered or their durability increased slightly.
"Underwhelming," I muttered.
I spent 1,500 Qi to make potatoes that last longer? Sure, curing mild disease was nice, but in a world of witches and dragons, I needed firepower, not medicine.
"Wasteful," I sighed. "I should have saved it for something else."
I walked out of the shed.
The camp was awake. Bells and Frank were standing near the fire, arguing and Division 2 had finally returned.
"It was a cheap trick!" Bells was shouting, waving a spoon. "You trapped me! In a straight fight, I would have dusted you!"
"A win is a win," Frank said, eating a bowl of oatmeal. "You walked into my house and tripped the alarm. Not my fault you have zero situational awareness."
"I'll show you awareness!" Bells flared his aura.
"Enough!" I barked.
I walked over. "Bells, stand down. You got caught. Own it. Learn from it."
I turned to Frank. "And you. Good work. But you work for me now. No more infighting."
"There was no fight from my side," Frank said, pointing at Bells with his spoon.
"Frank," I said. "Roger told me about the factions and said White Hill supplies them. Can you confirm?"
"Yep," Frank said. "I never got work from Black Hand or Cloud because they have exclusive contracts with White Hill mercs. They won't hire independents and White Hill keeps them on a tight leash."
"So it's confirmed," I said. "We are walking into a proxy war."
I looked at the group.
"Reorganization," I announced. "Division 1 is the Army. Bells, you're in charge. Front line combat. Division 2 is Recon. Joakim and the Diamond Boys. Division 3 is Engineering and Support. Frank, you and Sal are generals."
Sal looked up from his coffee. "General? Does that mean a raise?"
"Yes, it also means more work," I said. "Frank handles the arrays and defense and Sal, you handle the logistics and construction. Your role as 'Builder' is obsolete from here on out. You are now Combat Engineering."
"Fair enough," Sal shrugged.
"We move out in ten," I said. "Destination: Grand Rapids."
"Sir," Sal said. "Should we leave a garrison here? To protect the camp?"
"No," I said. "If someone bypasses the defenses and attacks, I can teleport instantly. We don't split our forces."
"Alright," Bells said, stretching. "Let's go. I need to punch something to get my dignity back."
"One last thing," I said.
I looked at the massive empty space in the parking lot.
I pulled out the seed for the [Eden Guardian Treant (Tank Variant)].
"Let's see what Grade 3 soil and Stage 3 cultivation does to a war machine."
I planted it.
Last time the Treant was about ten feet tall. A heavy mech.
This time, it didn't stop.
Twenty feet. Fifty feet. Eighty feet.
It stopped at one hundred feet.
It towered over the movie theater and cast a shadow that covered the entire camp.
It was a colossus.
Its legs were massive pillars of bamboo. Its body was a fortress of woven vines and armored gourds. The Sky Piercer turrets on its shoulders were the size of fighter ships.
Sal took a step back, looking terrified. "Boss... what is that?"
"Oh my," Goros whispered in my head. "Now that is proper posturing."
I looked up at the Titan I had created thinking about how the view from that cockpit would be incredible.
"Maybe the upgrade wasn't a waste after all," I smiled.
"Mount up," I ordered. "We're taking Grand Rapids."
Name: Eden
Rank (Local): Major
Rank (Global): Minor
Capital: Eden City Hall, Southfield
Demonym: Edenite
Government: Corporate Democracy
Area: 68.01 km2
Population: 82,674
GDP: 6.6 billion
GDP per Capita: 79,831
Detailed
- Government
- President - Kaz Kaaz
- CEO - Grace Beckenfein
- Chief of Staff of the Army - Bells Ruper
- General of Second Division - Joakim
- General of Third Division - Frank
- General of Third Division - Sal
- Chief of Medicine at Southfield General - Siegfried
- Governor of Adam - Mayah
- Governor of Eve - John
Territories
- Southfield: Eden’s capital. Supplies labor and workforce.
Colonies
- Adam: Supplies stones and Wilds items.
- Eve: Houses 24/7 Mart
Subsidiaries
- Crisbol
Diplomacy
- Seaside: None
- White Hill: Unlimited Heavenly Tomatoes for 6 months (2 months left)
- The Cove: Plants for potions
- Government: None
Military
- First Division (Army)
- General - Bells Ruper
- Soldiers - 0
- Second Division (Recon)
- General - Joakim
- Soldiers - 50
- Third Division (Engineering)
- General - Frank (35)
- General - Sal (15)
- Soldiers - 50
Eden Train
- Colony Route
- Adam
- Eve
- Subsidiary Route
- Crisbol
Objectives
- Race of the City States: Annex Michigan (Franchise Model)
Name: Kaz Kaaz
Age: 37
Birthday: April 30th, 1988
Path: Heavenly Gardener’s Path
Cultivation Realm: Sprout (Stage 3)
Qi Capacity: 2000 / 2000
Domain Stats:
- Soil: Verdant Jade Loam (Grade 3)
- Ambient Qi Generation: 192.8 Qi/Hour (via Heavenly Moss Verdant Jade Loam Grade 3)
Skills
- Gathering: Extract Qi/Materials from plants.
- Nurturing: Infuse Qi to accelerate growth/mutate plants.
- Swordsmanship: Proficiency with Spirit Bamboo Sword.
- Dominion: Mental control, teleportation, and acceleration of plants within the Domain.
- Alchemy: Refine plant matter into consumables/artifacts.
- Awaken Plant Spirit: Grant sentience to a plant (Cost: 25 Qi).
- Seed Identification: Analyze mundane seeds to reveal hidden magical potential.
- Root Sense: A Qi sense. The user can feel Qi, water, structures, and energy signatures through the earth. Range increases with cultivation level.
Dao
- Growth: Photosynthetic Regeneration. The user’s body heals at an accelerated rate. Severed limbs can be regrown as long as the heart remains intact.
- Expansion: Botanical Garden. The user’s Dominion is no longer tethered to physical proximity. If the user owns the soil, the user can access the Domain from anywhere.8
Active Plants (Grade 3)
- Tim (Awakened Heavenly Tomato): Sentient. Cures all non-magical diseases and purifies moderate poisons. Permanently boosts Constitution by 100% and increases natural healing rate by 10%.
- Goros (Awakened Heavenly Toothache): Sentient. Produces pollen that numbs and eye for reconnaissance.
- Heavenly Bamboo: Indestructible wall. Active Defense: Thorn Reflex.
- Heavenly Moss: Bioluminescent (Gold). Generates 192. Qi/hr.
- Heavenly Mandrake: Sentry. Psychic scream.
- Explosive Heavenly Squash: Explosive impact grenade.
- Heavenly Tuber: Increases food yields by 200%.
- Heavenly Cucumber: Quenches thirst for 1 week and restores moderate Qi.
- Heavenly Potato: Wards off hunger for a week and increases density of muscle fiber.
- Heavenly Filter: Purifies contaminated water.
- Heavenly Whispervine: Dampens sound and energetic signatures.
- Heavenly Gourd of Holding: Grows a gourd containing an extra-dimensional space.
- Razorgrass: Becomes monomolecular knives on command. Can grapple and shred.
- Sky Piercer Bamboo: Surface-to-air missile battery. Launches hardened bamboo tips at high velocity.
- Grounding Vine: Absorbs/drains electricity (anti-tech).
- Voltaic Vine (Special Grade): Generates electricity
- Bioluminescent Bulb (Special Grade): Generates light
- Glacial Gourd (Special Grade): Generates cold air
- Eden Guardian Treant (Special Grade) (Transport Variant): Organic bullet train.
- Eden Guardian Treant (Special Grade) (Tank Variant): Organic bipedal tank.
Inventory/Equipment
- Verdant Jade Loam Bamboo Sword (Grade 3)
- Verdant Jade Loam Bamboo Armor (Grade 3)
- 260,724,918 Spirit Stones