Three Months Later.
Clayton crouched on the edge of Verdis Hold, a Rootbound Clan settlement 200 kilometers west of the Forgotten Atlanta Expanse, his Shedskin armor, fungal chitin plates, thorned vines, and adaptive camouflage morphed into a tattered scavenger's cloak, masking his Verdant Lord aura.
A dagger lay hidden under rags, a new Initiate Ember Artifact that he gained from hunting Behemorphs, his Heartseed Core pulsing with 2,147 Genesis Embers, Aspect Strain low.
His Architect rank Aspect, divine-like, with a 6,000 Embers cap, thrummed through Shedskin's enhancements- 80% physical resistance, 70% mind/soul resistance, stealth affinity honed to near-invisibility.
His Aphid Network had swelled, encompassing 50 minions now, including 6 Luminous Seed Behemorphs (Spore Plague Lord, Spore Husk, Ashbloom Stalker, Spore Crown, and two new Thornweave Sentinels).
