The Brood Mother, a monstrous hill of pulsating, Blighted flesh and chitin, finally reached the effective range of Kenji's Aetheric Geyser Trap Unit 1, the furthest northwest. It was a horrifying sight, Skitterers pouring from orifices on its body like a living tide.
"It's too big for one trap!" Martha yelled from beside Kenji, her knuckles white on her axe handle.
"Got to try something!" Kenji focused, his Aether already dangerously low from the Ground Spike.
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[SAI - System Log/Targeting & Activation]
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TARGETING SYSTEM: AGT Unit 1 (North-West)
PRIMARY TARGET: Blighted Brood Mother (High Mass, High Blight Aether Signature)
SECONDARY TARGETS (Within Effective Radius): Approx. 30+ Skitterers
ACTION: Confirm Activation? (Y/N)
INPUT RECEIVED: Y
COMMAND: Aetheric Geyser Trap Unit 1 - ACTIVATE!
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The ground shuddered, and another geyser of aetheric fury erupted, this one slightly off-center to the Brood Mother due to its immense size. It tore through a significant number of Skitterers and scorched a flank of the larger beast, which let out a deafening, earth-shaking shriek of rage and pain. But it was still moving.
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[SAI - System Log/Action Report - AGT Detonation]
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AGT UNIT 1: Detonated successfully.
POST-DETONATION ANALYSIS:
- Estimated Skitterer Casualties: 25 destroyed, 5+ heavily damaged.
- Brood Mother Damage: Moderate external burns, localized Aetheric disruption.
Structural integrity minimally affected.
- Target Area Condition: Ground highly unstable.
AETHER CONSUMED (Triggering Sequence): 2 Units.
USER AETHER STATUS: 31/100 Units.
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"It barely flinched!" Finn shouted from his tower, his voice laced with despair.
The Brood Mother, now enraged, seemed to focus its immense will. Several Skitterers, larger and more heavily armored than the others, surged forward, ignoring the defenders' projectiles, and slammed into a section of the palisade near the main gate. The Aether-reinforced wood groaned and splintered but held. Then, another wave hit the same spot. And another.
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[SAI - System Log/Palisade Integrity Monitor - CRITICAL ALERT!]
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SECTION #P-N-002 (North Gate Adj.): Under Coordinated Attack!
- Current Durability: 75% -> 50% -> 20% -> BREACHED!
- Cause: Concentrated ramming by Elite Skitterers.
- Aetheric Reinforcement: Overwhelmed.
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With a sound like cracking thunder, a ten-foot section of the palisade collapsed inwards. Skitterers poured through the breach like a black river.
"They're through!" Martha roared, "To the breach! Hold the line!" She leaped down from the walkway, charging towards the gap, her axe a silver blur.
Kenji watched in horror. His traps were spent on this side, his Aether critically low. He had to do something at the breach. He scrambled down, Lyra zipping anxiously around his head. "Stay back, Lyra! It's too dangerous!"
The scene at the breach was a nightmare. Villagers, armed with little more than farm tools and hunting weapons, clashed with the razor-clawed Skitterers. Martha was a whirlwind of destruction, but for every Blighted creature she felled, two more seemed to take its place.
Kenji knew he couldn't sustain complex scripts. He needed something simple, something impactful, even if it was costly. He focused on the ground directly in the breach.
// Script: Aetheric Earthen Barrier - v0.1 (Emergency Containment) function create_earthen_barrier(location, width, height, density) // ... (Rapid Aetheric binding of soil and rock) ... system.log("Earthen Barrier deployed at " + location) end
create_earthen_barrier(Breach_Point_NorthGate, 5m, 3m, 'high_density_rammed_earth')
He poured a significant chunk of his remaining Aether into the command.
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[SAI - System Log/Action Report]
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SCRIPT EXECUTED: 'create_earthen_barrier'
TARGET LOCATION: Breach_Point_NorthGate
AETHER CONSUMED: 15 Units.
SYSTEM WARNING:
- User Aether levels critically low (16/100).
- Risk of Aetheric Exhaustion imminent.
- Recommend immediate cessation of Aetheric activity.
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A thick, crude wall of compacted earth and rock, three meters high, shot up from the ground, temporarily sealing the breach and crushing several Skitterers caught in its formation. It was rough, unstable, but it bought them precious seconds.
Kenji swayed, his vision blurring. The Aether drain was immense. "Got... to... hold..."