[Legendary Fortitude Essence Core]
[Description: Beings on Planet Prime can grow outside the natural boundaries of strength. Consuming other beings essences can enhance the properties of the consumer]
'Uff! So that's how I get stronger. But is it safe to consume it? There might be side effects, and this one is legendary rank'…
Jack wanted to consume it instantly, but had to send a message to get some knowledge first. Maybe the other lords already knew about it.
[Jack: Xena. I'm sorry to impose on you like this. But can I ask you a question?]
Xena was busy in her territory.
Far away in the distance, she could faintly see a wall of mountains, but from her lords mansion, in the center of her territory, and as far as she could otherwise see with the naked eye, she was surrounded by grassy hills, clusters of forest, small ponds of water and…
Centaurs… 'Dammit! They are already amassing for another attack! My small iron vein is already halfway exhausted, and I only have 50 trash troops left.'
Xena was beginning to get anxious as she saw at least 100 centaurs amassing on nearby hills.
She had made the civilians dig around her 1km by 1km hill, and fill the ditch with pointy wooden poles as barricades. They were deadly to the centaurs if they tried to charge inside her territory.
But eventually she would need to go out and search for resources.
She had 140 civilians and 8 trash houses that could each house 10 civilians.. So she truly needed to expand.
But she had to spend every gold coin she could muster, on new troops just to keep the pesky centaurs at bay.
Her only resources was the half-empty iron vein that had spawned on her hill, and a small pond with small fish. But those fish only yield, at best, 35kg of food each day.
'My common forge is my only hope! I need to maximize the iron yield and produce all the pickaxes I possibly can. If Jack could buy all of them, I might have a chance to rid these hills of my centaur pest!!'
[Message received]
Xena was surprised to get a message from Jack, just as she had thought about him, and was more than eager to give him a reply.
[Xena: Ofcourse Jack. What do you want to know? Or do you need more pickaxes already?]
[Jack: Sorry I don't need more right now. But can you tell me anything about essence cores?]
Jack wasn't in a hurry to get any answer, he lazily watched the civilians as a pleasant scent arose from the stone pots.
[Xena: I have never seen one myself. But I have heard the gossip on the chat about them. Apparently they are extremely rare, and only dropped by wild monsters and beasts. But according to some big shots, they don't drop from regular beasts or monsters, but from the leaders of groups, or particularly 'bossy' individuals. A guy named Technicality told the chat a few days ago, that he had gained a common essence core from a pack-leader, and it increased his Spirit Power by 5 when he consumed it. I don't know if that is true or not. Besides this, I don't know much or people keep it to themselves.]
Jack had to re-read it twice as he didn't expect her to write such a long reply.
Surely she intended to be friendly with him, since she had made a full description like this.
'So I need to eat it? And she didn't talk about any side-effects either.'
'But that guys essence core was a common one. The one I have is a legendary rank. I wonder how potent it will be?'
As Jack sat and pondered, Xena suddenly messaged him again.
[You got one didn't you?]
Jack raised his lips in a wide smile. 'This girl is not stupid, I hope I can trust her in the future.'
[Thank you for your kindness in answering me. It wont be long before I send you the 1000 gold coins I promised.]
With this he exited the chat and consumed the core instantly.
Xena was surprised to have gained such a trading partner, so suddenly. He somehow possessed a gold resource spawn, and now he most certainly had acquired an essence core.
'Just how strong is he?' Xena wondered before she firmly went back to producing pickaxes.
Half an hour later.
"Lord! The food is ready!"
Jack woke up to Gyndas pretty face and kind smile.
'Did I fall asleep?' Jack pushed himself from the ground, but misjudged his strength! He flew up and awkwardly landed on his feet.
"Ueeeh! Are you okay Mylord?" Gynda hurriedly embraced Jack with her arms, she was full of concern for her lord.
But Jack didn't answer right away, his brain was processing the new smells and sounds.
He could see much clearer and much further than before. His hearing was much sharper, his sense of smell much more refined.
He could even feel the energy in the earth and the whispers of the water, much more clearly. His ability to sense the matter currently unlocked, had been sharpened, however he likewise sensed that his direct control over it, had not improved.
His sense of feeling was very potent in this moment, and he realized something very soothing, something big, something very warm and arousing was clenched to his arm.
Gyndas chest was firmly planted around his right arm as she had embraced him, and Jack was very sensitive in this moment.
"I am okay Gynda, thank you."
He hurriedly took a step out of her embrace before his sensitivity could be seen.
Gyndas face flushed red as she realized her lord had backed away and she understood she had been way too free and intimate with him.
"I.. I.. Apologise Mylord!" She bowed her flustered red head to Jack.
Jack smiled at this and knew she had not done anything wrong, she was just surprised by how he had jumped when she woke him up.
"It's alright Gynda. Prepare 10 bowels for me, I will bring them to the gold room. You make sure everyone gets a mouthful when I'm gone."
"Yes lord!" Gynda simply replied and walked away, still somewhat embarrassed.
Jack had put the 10 bowls of food in his inventory and checked his status, as he walked through the main tunnel.
[Lord: Jack]
[Fortitude: 106]
[Spirit power: 8]
[Ability]: Matter control [Mythic potential, heavily locked]: Earth control, uncommon. Water control, uncommon.
[Inventory(10 qubic meter storage] 1x treasure blueprint: Mithril forge, Epic rank. Drill-zone blueprint. Common house blueprint. Lords mansion blueprint. 1x trash spear.
[Lords common resources] Stone x0. Wood x0. Iron x0. Gold coins x0.
[Lords rare resources] Sulfur x2000. Gemstones x0. Mithril x1000. Adamantium x0.
'106 fortitude!' Jack was surprised.
'So that's why my senses suddenly flooded my mind!'
Jack stopped near a torch and looked at the main tunnel wall.
'I wonder how strong I am now? 20 times stronger than before? I'm not sure how this works'
Jack pondered, but suddenly made a crazy grin before he punched the stone wall as hard as he could.
"Arggh! Fuck me! Fuck meee!"
Jack jumped around with his punch-hand in the air, trying to cool it down.
'So I am not superman! Alright, I am just happy my hand isn't broken!'
But looking closer at the impact area on the wall, he could clearly see small cracks in the wall. Certainly he was much stronger than before.