With a wave of my hand I restored the courtyard to its previous state. Looking for a place to sit I saw the now dead mushroom's throne. Smiling I turned and sat down, it was uncomfortable to say the least. Luckily I could turn the hard granite stone into something softer in texture.
Looking across I saw Lord Armeant standing off to side his alien features were hard to make out. Anastasia crawled from where she was sitting by the Treant mushroom up to the arm rest of the throne.
"Boss, you did it!" She said jumping up and down. Bringing my hand up I nuzzled her head and looked over making, eye contact? Eh, didn't matter really but he seemed to get the message and walked over slowly.
"I believe congratulations are in order, Your Majesty" he said as bowed at the waist.
"Eh, I'm an American I don't exactly care about Honorifics all that much" I said but secretly It felt awesome to be sitting on a throne. Sure it was probably going to ware off pretty quickly but still.
"I don't know the context behind what an 'American' means but I understand your request, si—, Ah my apologies old habits live long and all that, but anything you need I'm at your service" the Treant paused himself from finishing the use of the honorific. However his question was intriguing, my class trait truly was at work.
"Hmm, well I'm going to be taking a break of sorts for the next week or so in order to train my skills and abilities before fighting the rest of the [Secret Bosses] anything you could do to help me train would be greatly appreciated" I said musing about how I could train and what. As I read through the Notifications about the skill quests.
"Yes Sir, I believe that the last stronghold of the Cave Folk which was preserved as a testament of the previous monarchs victory over them has several documents which may be useful towards your growth" Lord Armeant said.
"Alright, well if you could go fetch those documents that would be great, just beyond the tunnel there's a castle in which I will be training." I said pointing to the general direction of the cave.
"Yes Si—, I will have one of the Brownies fetch them" he said and with a crisp snap of his fingers a pudgy squat humanoid mushroom appeared. There was mental conversation between the two before the Brownie as they were called saluted and popped back into the ground.
"What are those?" I asked curiously leaning over to look at where they were. I hadn't sensed them at all.
"They are one of three main enlightened species of fungi that now fall under your command, as the current Monarch of the Fungi" he explained for a moment.
...
[Title Gained(Temporary)]
You have gained a (Temporary) title that will only exist in this floor of the tutorial.
-[Monarch of the Fungi]
Temporary Title
You have dominion over the three enlightened species of Fungi. This is a hidden title that is only available to [Fungal Royalty]. This title will disappear upon leaving this level.
Effects: +1 Allied Tutorial Faction Slot, Alliance with the [Fungal Folk]. +5 Achievement Points upon losing this title.
...
"I see you have gained the title my liege, due to your unique composition I didn't know if you would receive it or not." Lord Armeant stated.
"Alright, well I will heading off to the castle after I loot the Ophiocord's corpse." I said standing up I began to walk to crushed corpse.
"As is your right" Lord Armeant said.
Using rocks I manipulated the body around separating the non organic manner. I saw a few rings and such. Using inspect I saw most were mundane that was until I found a small iron pinky finger.
...
[Crude Spacial Ring]
Rare Rank Two Storage Item
This ring is tied to a small pocket of space allowing several objects to be stored in the item. [3/10] item stored.
...
Oh, shit very nice almost immediately I put on the ring. Like a sixth sense I could detect the three items. The two short swords and the staff that the Ophiocord used. Taking them out I inspected them.
...
[Copper Shortswords of Seething Hatred]
Rank two Uncommon slashing weapon
This item is fashioned out of copper with a roots tied around forming the hilt, handle, and cross guard. This item is a twin to another item of the same name. This item has been enchanted with a rudimentary cursed construct.
Effects: [Twin], [Curse Weaved], and [Excellent Conductor: Curses]
-[Twin]
This item deals more damage when wielded with its twin.
-[Cursed Weaved]
This item imparts small amounts of cursed energy that slowly connect until it forms a full cursed construct.
-[Excellent Conductor: Cursed Energy]
This item is better at conducting cursed energy.
...
...
[Gilded Staff of the Fungal Lich]
Rare Rank Two Quarterstaff
This item is a blend between a Quarterstaff and a Magical Staff. This item was formed by a powerful Fungal Lich who added the golden circlets of the twelve Chieftain's of the Cave Folk to the base. This item is substantially better at conducting cursed energy and Floramancy.
Effects: [Superior Material], [Golden Relays], [Lich's Boon], and [Greater Floramancy Resonance]
-[Golden Relays]
This item has gold interlaced throughout empowering all attacks that Flow through them.
-[Lich's Boon]
This item is capable of holding a Phylactery. [1/1] stored
-[Greater Floramancy Resonance]
This item greatly reduces the cost for using [Floramancy] and related skills if it flows through this staff.
...
Well, well, looky what we got here, a phylactery eh? Focusing on the staff I felt it give a resistance until I pushed it a tad bit more and it revealed a small shriveled up mushroom.
...
[Fungal Phylactery]
???? ??? ???????????
...
[Alert!]
This item can be consumed by your Glutton Boon!.
...
Well I'll be a monkey's uncle,. smiling I swallowed the small mushroom and it dispersed before it touched my tongue and the energy flowed through me.
...
[Boon Updated!]
Your Boon [Glutton: Flora] had updated after you consumed the Fungal Phylactery of an Ophiocord.
[Gluttony of the Ophiocord]
Boon Ability
Your skill [Animate Undead: Fungal] has been improved allowing you to permanently raise one undead creature. Also once a day you can dispersed yourself into a cloud of spores.
...
Pretty neat and I knew exactly what creature I would eventually bring back from the grave, once I killed it at least. Putting the items back into the ring I blasted off the the tunnel. Soon I was at the front gates of my castle where the Spiders had created an actual Portcullis using their webs and salvaged metal.
As I stood before the gates I felt a scramble from the silk puppets before the new Portcullis rose upwards. Walking through I saw the middle area now had a small Arcanid settlement. With webs acting as the roads, and building their was an open space between them and the ground.
Walking forward I saw that also the Keep now had a door. Large wooden pieces that were slapped together by silk tying it together. They to open as I neared to large buff silk puppets did the job. In the main hall was a delegation of various mushroom humanoids. There where a few similar in likeness to Lord Armeant but a little shorter and less colorful, a few brownies, and another being almost golem like as large rocks acted as a body and the mushroom as the brain and muscles.
Sighing, I stepped up to the dais before the simple throne as Anastasia climbed up to her perch web behind it. I might have cut a intimidating figure, but for me for just a moment as my face was shadowed over by the bear cloak, I remembered that technically I was still a kid. Under United States law I wouldn't be able to vote, and I don't know it felt weird I felt like some of me had matured yet some had still remained childish. Shaking my head I looked outwards at my 'people.' As one of the Brownies draped in cloth and a bright cherry smile as their face was humanlike.
"Hello, I would like to greet you, I am Lord Urisk of the Brownies, third Lord of the Fungal Folk" he spoke his voice cheery as if meeting an old friend.
"Forgive me but I am unaware of the governmental structure if you could please enlighten me" I asked as although I was going to only be here for a little bit I figured it might be useful.
"Yes Sir, each of the three enlightened species of Fungal Folk have a Lord or a ruler which an elected position typically going to the fungi with a certain trait, I am the Lord of the Brownies which I earned for being the best craftsman. Lord Armeant is the eldest Treant at 657 years old, and Lord Alvest got his for being the strongest of Lithoni he isn't here right he's back guarding the main settlement." Lord Urisk explained. It made sense kinda, each one was a respected member of their species apparently. Also Lord Armeant was 600+ years old! If he was born on earth he would be born around the middle of the 14th century!
"What are your crafting skills In?" I asked Urisk.
"Carpentry Milord" he responded seemingly enjoyed that I had asked. I had a few Ideas, now see the reason I had constructed the castle was for Wargames to prepare the best Castle Designs for when we were back on earth for protection. Having actual wooden objects would be perfect. As I was thinking one of the Lithoni raised its hand like school child pointing at him I Spoke.
"Yes, you what question do you have?" I asked.
"Yes Sir, I'm the second of the previously mentioned Lord Alvest, he asked me to go in his stead bearing a message and a question." The rock covered mushroom stated.
"You may continue" I replied.
"Well he said that after your battles with the previous monarch the rabbits have been probing our defenses, he also asks if we could consolidate our forces to this castle sir?" He asked timidly.
"How big is the total population of the Fungal Folk?" I asked turning to Lord Armeant.
"Well sir the total population is roughly five thousand sir, a thousand Treants, 2000 thousand of us Brownies, and 2000 thousand Lithoni." He responded after a moment.
"Okay well, began bringing them here as soon as homes are constructed also what you guys need to survive?" I asked as I began planning out another wall.
"Well your Majesty we primarily consume decaying organic matter plants, animals, doesn't matter as long as it was once alive."
"Alright well I have a store of plants that can be grown in mass, if we grow them and then let them decay would that work?" I asked them
"Yes Sir that should work" Lord Armeant spoke out his face smiling. Throwing the small satchel after storing the [Wanderers Companion]. He opened the bag clearly recognizing a few of them.
"Alright, well I will began to start building a secondary wall and how do your houses work?" I asked as I began to sit up from the throne.
"Well Sir we have a process to rapidly grow a certain species of mushroom that grows rapidly and has a wide open space, I can have one of my assistants go and fetch seeds." He spoke following me as I walked up a pair of stairs weaving through a few hallways until we entered a balcony that over looked the castle and it's walls.
Raising up a secondary wall this time it was much larger and had roads and plots available already. The walls I made sure where extra strong and ready, and I section off and area for agriculture with canals allowing a far off river to flow through which I had tunneled too.