The new cycle in the Sheltered Valley commenced with the Kindred dividing their efforts to tackle the Phase Two objectives for 'Kindred Fortification'. The completion of the 'Tusker Deterrence Line' was paramount. Adrian, Marcus, Elara, and Garrick returned to the northern boundary, extending the line of Ridgeback Vines, obsidian shards, and Bitteroil Bush scent markers until it formed a comprehensive demarcation across the most likely Tusker approach paths.
Adrian took the opportunity to further his 'Progenitor Development'. He selected three more of the main fungal-stalk posts along the line and, with focused effort, imbued each with the unsettling aura his 'Sanguine Empowerment (Minor)' now allowed. The process was still mentally taxing, but he found his control and the stability of the effect improving with each application. [System Notification: Skill 'Sanguine Empowerment (Minor)' – Application: Imbue Fungal Post x3 (Prolonged Property: Moderate Unsettling Aura to Fauna). Success. Understanding of 'Sanguine Empowerment (Minor)' +15%. Efficiency slightly improved.] Marcus and Elara, maintaining a discreet watch, later reported that the Tuskers, upon encountering the completed line and the newly empowered posts, gave them an even wider berth, their agitation clear but contained, unwilling to cross the marked territory. [System Notification: Objective (Tusker Deterrence Line) – Line established and initial Tusker deterrence confirmed. Objective Complete!][Crimson Kindred - Group XP +150 (Strategic Objective Met)]
With the northern approach somewhat secured, the focus shifted heavily towards 'Permanent Shelters' and 'Defensive Enhancements'. Under Seraphina's oversight of the drafted designs for the 'Type 1 Fortified Shelter,' Silas and Garrick began the foundational work. Their chosen spot against the cliff face was cleared further. Garrick, using his 'Brute Vigor (Minor)', hauled large, dense sections of the local rock-like fungi, which Silas, with his 'Deft Hands (Minor)', began to shape and interlock to form the initial courses of a thick, sturdy wall that would integrate with the natural stone. Obsidian-tipped tools, now their standard, bit effectively into the resilient material.
[System Notification: Objective (Permanent Shelters) – Foundation and initial wall sections for 'Type 1 Fortified Shelter' initiated. Progress +25%.]
[System Notification: Objective (Defensive Enhancements) – Core settlement area perimeter being reinforced with fungal-stone wall sections. Progress +15%.]
In parallel, Seraphina addressed the objective of 'Advanced Resource Processing'. She utilized the recently built drying apparatus to prepare the collected Glowcaps and Sunless Berries for preservation, while also determining the output and best ways to keep them. She also directed Silas to craft a few basic stone pestles and mortars from suitable river rocks to process some of the tougher plant fibers they'd found, hoping to extract usable material for cordage or even a coarse textile.
[System Notification: Objective (Advanced Resource Processing) – Food preservation (drying) system operational. Basic fiber processing tools crafted. Progress +15% -> +35%]
[Crimson Kindred - Group XP +30 (Resource Management Milestone)]
Adrian, when not assisting with the heavy labor or strategic oversight, continued his private experiments. He took a piece of the dense fungal wood being used for the shelter walls. He subsequently focused on further understanding his 'Sanguine Empowerment (Minor)' skill. He wished to determine if its application could extend beyond energetic manifestations to affect the tangible characteristics of an inanimate item. Taking a common piece of fungal material, he directed his mental energies towards it, attempting to bring about a subtle, short-lived alteration in its basic structural response to pressure. The wood darkened slightly where his efforts were focused, and when he later struck it with an obsidian flake, it resisted chipping noticeably better than an untreated piece. [System Notification: Skill 'Sanguine Empowerment (Minor)' – Application Attempt: Imbue Fungal Wood (Temporary Property: Minor Hardness Increase). Success. Duration: Several hours. Cost: Moderate mental strain, minimal blood expenditure. Understanding of 'Sanguine Empowerment (Minor)' +10%. New Application Method (Material Property Alteration) explored.] This was another significant step. The ability to even temporarily enhance the properties of their building materials or tools held immense promise.
As the cycle concluded, the landscape of their small camp was visibly changing. The Tusker deterrent line stood as a silent guardian to the north. The beginnings of a solid, permanent wall snaked along one side of their settlement, and the framework of their first true shelter was rising against the cliff. Food stores were being processed with greater efficiency. The Sheltered Valley was slowly, but surely, transforming from a wild, alien landscape into the first true bastion of the Crimson Kindred. The System, it seemed, approved of their tangible efforts to claim and build.