The tangle of knotted cursed energy all I could tell was that it was fed by hate and anger and like the coding of a computer it slowly took shape. I slowly picked at it and it unraveled into a pile of string, slowly I tried to reform the construct.
The best way to describe it would be it was like tying your shoes with gloves on. It was hard trying to keep track of them all and make sure the knots and ties worked and held.
...
[Alert!]
The [Curse of Hatred: Self] has been rewoven into the [Curse of Hatred: Self], it has become significantly weaker.
...
Yes! I had managed to pull it off! Unfortunately I felt the curse energy unravel almost immediately and dissipate. Next, on the bracket I needed to learn how to make cursed energy myself. I figured that since cursed energy focused on emotions I tried to really pour in emotions. Everything I had experienced so far, the anger, the sadness, the excitement, and the bloodlust. Everything. My system enhanced memory flashed images and I felt. The beating of my heart as my blood rushed through my ears, and the exhaustion after a battle. The crawling desperation where it dawns on you that this battle might be your last. Then before, when me, my dad and my brothers would rib each other. The uncertainty on my brothers and my dad's survival and the listlessness that I felt if they had died.
There was a spark, a small multi colored strand that came out into existence. Reaching out for it, I felt the several different emotions tied together in a rope. Slowly peeling one off I felt it, I saw a flash of a memory, it was me fighting. Bloodlust, that was the emotion I was holding.
Slowly I tied it together slowly weaving it into shape. A small fragile curse appeared, and I felt that as soon as I pulled any power from it, the curse would fall apart.
...
[Skill Quest Alert]
You have successfully weaved your first curse; however it's shoddy quality is not enough to finish the skill quest of [Curse Weaver].
Weaved Curse:
-[Curse of Lust: Battle]
Any inflicted with this curse will feel a insignificant urge to seek out battle.
...
Reading the message, I unweaved the small fragile curse. Wrapping it around the rope of emotions again.
After achieving some success on two of the three skill quests, I left the training room. As I neared the entrance I saw furnishings, a table here a cupboard there. How did they create things so fast? They must of had a stockpile or something, right? Letting the curiosity fade I made my way to the main hall where I saw two long tables set with chairs and everything. Dam, they were really fast, the wood was carved in a way that would make it comfortable to guests without being super extravagant.
Looking at my throne I saw that there was silk cushions now in the arm rests, seat, and back. Yet they were dyed the same color as the stone and set in such away that it was hard to make out from a distance.
Entering the Council chamber, I saw their was a map laid out with marking of where each row of cannels were supposed to be laid out.
Deciding might as well, I picked up the map and stored it into the ring. Walking out of the keep doors which had proper doors now I saw now a mix of Lithoni and Silk puppets acting as Guards. As I walked to the staircase up to the inner wall, the Lithoni saluted as I passed. Nodding to them, I overlooked the space between the inner and other walls. Around the still growing fungi Houses where tents and temporary structures.
Brownie salesman hawked their wares, I wondered what they used for currency and what it was backed by.
Ignoring the intrusive thoughts I began to sync up my current position to that of the map. Running my hands along the lines of it and looking at where they would go. Essentially, the water would flow from uphill. I would make a hyper condensed rock that would maintain pressure and gravity and the pressure form the water itself in a confined space would insure that the water would flow.
Reaching my will and magic out I began creating the tunnels, without the water first. After getting the general shape correct I made sure to enforce it. Connecting the water to cannel I watched closely to make sure the water flowed in the correct manner.
Water flowed through out the outer ring. The fungi houses would grow much faster now that they had a constant source of water pumping through their roots. Outlined in the plans where also wells, though those would come later apparently.
With my job done, I began to walk back, with a mental question off to Anastasia a contingent of her puppets fell into ranks behind me. Tracing my steps back to the training room.
Opening the 'door' I let the puppets fall in around me. In their grip were basic weaponry, some scavenged and some newly crafted by the Brownies, note to self thank Lord Urisk.
Next I began focus on ground, just as before I created a calm sea. Fishes flowed, and waves lapped together. Pulling out a single copper sword I connected it to my burgeoning domain skill.
The Puppets came one at a time, as I slowly brought up the tempo. The aim of this was not to destroy the puppets but rather to slowly build up. As my blade met that of the puppets I felt the sea slowly build up the waves grew just a slight bit more powerful and larger. It was a slow methodical process, every slash had to be in rhythm. Slowly as more and more of the puppets joined the battle, the honestly the lack of danger made more of a dance, the sea waltz slightly faster to match the growing tempo.
Eventually, after a few hours of practice I had to stop. The mental strain of keeping track of twelve plus enemies and keeping the sea active had caused a throbbing headache.
Exiting the training room I navigated the halls and this time there was even more wooden furnishing, wait where did the wood come from? We are a giant cave system.
I would have to ask just to sate my curiosity. Once again I entered the main hall. This time there was plates and cups laid out neat and orderly. Entering the Council chamber I saw that Lord Armeant was there.
"Your Majesty, I have much to inform you off" he stated, pulling out a report from a drawer of sorts hidden under the lip of the table. Sitting down, I waited for him to comply the reports.
"Ah, yes right let me begin, first off the cannels are holding and watering properly, it should be another day or so before the first of the houses are grown, we have at your companion behest began to exchange her puppet soldiers and guards with Lithoni, and as you have no doubt noticed the main hall is being prepared for a feast in honor of the new faction that is blooming." He stated, and I had already seen much of the report such as the Lithoni Guards and the the feast being prepared.
"How is the Healers quarters going? The sooner they are ready and settled we can begin the war games" I asked before elaborating, I was antsy to make improvements to this keep.
"Elder Nuerm is doing splendid based off my personal examination and the reports, he is rather experienced in growing fungal houses so the healers should be ready ahead of Schedule at around midday tomorrow." He explained, and it was relief that it would be done so soon, that meant that two days from now we could start the wargames and begin to make the necessary changes to castle.
"Also, sir me and the rest of the Council have been wondering, what should the name of the keep and the settlement be sir, it is a bit awkward to just use what they are" Lord Armeant asked me.
"How about the Mycelium Keep, and we could keep it simple for the settlements, we call the area between the keep and first wall the 'Inner ring' and the area between the first wall and the second wall the 'Outer wall'" I explained, Mycelium was the name for the thin membrane that mushrooms on earth used to communicate, and the names inner and outer rings just felt simpler for everyday language.
"That could work, though when we fungi evolve into our humanoid form we either lose our myceliums or they become redundant with speech." He stated simply.
"I don't know wouldn't it be easier to convey information through chemical reactions?" I asked perplexed as language no matter how easy is boiled down to still had major problems when it comes to communicating properly.
"Ah, well it is effective in transferring information and ideas" he stated however I could feel the but coming.
"but it lacks one crucial ability, it is very difficult to lie to one another in a mycelium network, when we elevate to higher levels of thought if we all broadcasted our intrusive thoughts we would be judged for them, even if we don't act on those thoughts, no way for a productive society" he continued, and honestly it made sense if we humans broadcasted our thoughts twenty-four-seven humanity would still be in the neolithic era.
"Alright, I can see the logic in that, humanity would definitely fall if we had mycelium network, but is it going to cause problems to call it the Mycelium Keep?" I asked.
"No, no not all and honestly quite fitting a name for the main government building for a faction of mushrooms, and the spiders don't really care what somethings call or did I get the wrong impression?" He asked.
"No It fits Anastasia doesn't care about anythings name but her own" I answered.
"Moving on Your Majesty, I assume we bring up the names during the banquet?" he asked me.
"Alright, anything I could help with?" I asked him.
"No, sir let us handle it" he stated and I think I could make out a smile in his tone before he sat up.
Following him afterwards I decided to walk through the outer ring for a little bit. Walking through the inner ring walls, I entered it. The cobblestone roads had several tents selling various items. The Brownies were selling finished goods and other crafted items. The Lithoni wer selling scavenged and raw goods and items. The rare Treant were selling small arcane trinkets and bits of knowledge.
The fungal houses seemed to be in early adolescence right now dominating roughly half of each lot as they grew while their owners and future inhabitants laid decomposing vegetable matter at there feet the. The Treants seemed to be focused on growing their homes quicker each doing a dance with just slightly deviations and chants.
Standing guard by the outer wall gate was Lord Alvest. Walking up to the tall giant I jumped up to the wall where I was roughly at his eye level.
"Hello Lord Alvest" I greeted him, he seemed surprised for a moment before he returned to his position.
"Your Majesty, I'm surprised by your appearance here, how may I be of Service?" He asked me.
"I have a question, where is your house going up? I haven't seen any plans for such structure." I asked him. His rock face unmoved but I could the large tendrils of the mushroom tingle for a moment before he answered.
"I do not require a house, these rocks are my home" he replied waving at his stony structure.
"But aren't the other Lithoni growing houses?" I asked him.
"Yes, that is correct Your Majesty, however I'm unique amongst my kin, my much larger size allows me the ability to send out hosts from my body from time to time, I have an area in. My chest that houses room for them to do the various hobbies I enjoy." He explained. So he essentially made a smaller clone of himself to do things he enjoyed.
"Was the representative I saw in the council chamber one of your clones?" I asked him.
"Oh, no thats Terrance, great fellow, I'm a warrior and a figure head not a leader" he explained. Honestly made sense, I kinda got thrown into the role of a leader and didn't feel comfortable just making it someone else's problem.