Kairo,s gaze swept over the holographic map projected from his core interface. The death of his scouts still echoed in his memory, and he had no intentions of repeating that mistake. The edge of sector D7 had proven dangerous. The unknown relic is still there, drawing his attention like a magnet–but je needed to prepare.
[Objextive chain: Territory fortificstion/combact readiness/Ascension progress—48%]
"Lets not rush faye," lairo muttered.
He opened the construction menu and selected his next upgrade.
[Build option: barracks-tier 1]
[Increase unit limit/unlock efficient training pathways]
[Cost: 80 bonewood | 40 salvaged stone | 1slot]
[Time: 4.5 hours]
A pulse of his will sent the scavenger ghouls into motion. Their movements were effective, unnervingly synchronized as they erected the jagged, bunker-like barracks near the command node.
[Unit limit increased: 15—>35]
Next, he turned his attention to logistics.
Food and water. Ad a human, kairo wouldn't last long on tactical victories alone. While he could consume processed rations from loot caches, that was temporary, for long-tem survival, je needed Fertile soli.
He took a team of ghouls to scout the ruins east to his base, there, nestled collapsed archways ND shattered irrigation systems, he found it–a patch of earth rich with dark, damp soil. Moss clung to cracked pipes, and mushrooms curled along the ground.
[Zone discovered: Fertile soil–Visible for primitive farming]
Water proved trickery, he scouted deeper, eventually finding a decrepit pump station still funneling filtered spring water into a cracked cistern, barely functioning–but salvageable.
[Water source logged–filtration required]
Returning to base, kairo turned his attention to strength. He needed to level up his terratory—for that, combact was unavoidable.
Using the formation editor, he organized his scavenger ghouls into two flexible squads. Then, he swept outwards, methodically clearing minor threats from the ruins. valture-beasts with steel-like feathers, borrowing, and even a twisted deer-thing made of bone and root.
Each fight was handled effectively–traps, baiting, flank stickers. Everything in precise order.
[Combact summary: 5 victories]
[Casualties: 0]
[Loot gained: healing salves ×2 | hardened bkne daggers ×3 | fragmented armor scraps ×6]
[terrarory ascension progress:52—>68%]
His base grew steonger. The barracks were now active, his resoirce stocks stabilized, and his ghouls began showing signs of minor enhancements from the consistent hunting.
Night began to fall.
Kairo was about to call it a day and rest, when a red ping flashed on his tactical map. Something was approaching.
Through the hazy twilight mist, emerging from the blackened trails of sector D7, came a figure–a silhouette of a man, injured, broke , and burned, one gauntlet missing, and cluching a crude hammer in the functioning hand.
He was heading straight towards kairo's terrarory.
[Alert: unknown entity approaching border]
[Status: wounded | human:? | identity: unknown]
Kairo didn't give the order toxattack. He just stared, calculating.
"Survivor or bait?"
The man stumbled once, dropped to the ground....then stood up and pushed forward again, towards the jagged walls of the base.
Kairo closed the interface and stepped out to watch.
The flames of the ruined world danced behind the wounded silhouette.
And something—just out of sight–moved in the black beyond the trees and ruins.