The newly formed Skitterer, small and slick with ichor, twitched and spasmed as it fully emerged from the pulsating sac connected to the ancient device. Its multifaceted eyes, burning with a dull green light, fixed on Kenji and Lyra. It was an abomination, a perversion of Aether given monstrous form.
Kenji instinctively raised a hand, ready to launch an Aether Shard, but Lyra zipped in front of him. "Wait, Kenji! It's... weak. And look!"
She pointed a tiny, glowing finger at the device. As the Skitterer fully detached, the device itself seemed to dim slightly, the structured Aetheric pattern it emitted faltering for a moment.
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[SAI - System Log/Real-time Analysis Update]
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EVENT: Blighted Entity Generation (Skitterer - Larval Stage)
OBSERVATION: Ancient Aetheric Device experiences temporary energy dip and
pattern instability post-generation.
HYPOTHESIS: Device is actively consuming ambient Aether (and potentially
Heartstone leakage) to 'compile' Blighted entities.
Generation process is resource-intensive for the damaged device.
VULNERABILITY: The device itself may be susceptible during or immediately
after a generation cycle.
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"It's using energy to make them," Kenji realized, the implications hitting him hard. "The Brood Mother wasn't just drawn here; this device might be its 'hive core,' or at least a critical node. It was protecting its 'spawner'."
The larval Skitterer, though small, hissed and lunged. Lyra, with a surprising burst of speed, unleashed a sharp gust of wind that sent the creature tumbling back against the device. It splattered with a wet smack, its unformed body dissolving into corrupted Aether.
"The Heartstone," Elara's voice echoed faintly from the passage entrance. "Is it safe?"
Kenji didn't have a simple answer. "The Heartstone itself is untouched for now, Elder! But there's something else down here! An ancient machine... it's creating these things, or helping to!"
He quickly relayed his SAI's findings to Elara and Martha, his voice tight with urgency. The revelation that Havenwood was sitting on an active, albeit damaged, Blight-generating artifact sent a new wave of despair through the small group.
"All these generations..." Elara murmured, her voice filled with a dawning horror. "We believed the Heartstone kept the valley pure. But what if it was also... unknowingly... feeding this... this cancer beneath us?"
"It's possible the Heartstone's pure Aether was keeping the device dormant, or its corruption localized," Kenji theorized, his mind racing. "The Brood Mother's arrival, the sheer concentration of Blight Aether during the attack... it might have 'jump-started' the damaged machine, or overwhelmed the Heartstone's passive suppression."
Martha, ever pragmatic, cut to the chase. "Can we destroy that thing, lad?"
Kenji looked at the pulsating, alien device. It was ancient, its technology utterly foreign. A direct assault might work, but what if it triggered a catastrophic Aetheric explosion? What if destroying it released an even greater wave of Blight?
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[SAI - System Log/Threat Neutralization Options (Preliminary)]
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TARGET: Ancient Aetheric Device (Blight Infusion Node)
OPTION 1: Direct Aetheric Overload
- Method: Concentrated Aetheric attack (e.g., enhanced Aether Lance).
- Pros: Potential for complete destruction.
- Cons: High risk of uncontrolled Aetheric detonation, collateral damage
to Heartstone chamber, unknown secondary effects from device's
destruction. User Aether levels insufficient for sustained assault.
- Success Probability: Unknown (High Variance).
OPTION 2: Targeted Disruption of Corruption Protocol
- Method: Analyze structured Aether pattern, devise and inject a
counter-script or 'shutdown command' into the device.
- Pros: Potentially safer, less risk of catastrophic explosion. Could
neutralize Blight generation without destroying the device itself
(allowing for further study?).
- Cons: Extremely complex. Requires deep understanding of the device's
'operating system' and Aetheric language. No guarantee of success.
May require specific Aetheric frequencies or 'keys'.
- Success Probability: Very Low (without further data).
OPTION 3: Containment and Suppression (Reinforce Heartstone Wards)
- Method: Utilize knowledge of Heartstone and local Aether to strengthen
existing wards or create new ones to isolate the device.
- Pros: Buys time. Lower immediate risk.
- Cons: Temporary solution. Device remains active. Blight may eventually
overwhelm enhanced wards.
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"Destroying it directly is too risky right now, especially so close to the Heartstone," Kenji said, summarizing the SAI's grim assessment. "It's like trying to delete a corrupted system file without knowing what other critical processes depend on it. Option two, trying to 'hack' it or shut it down by understanding its 'code,' is incredibly complex. I don't have enough data."
"Then what can we do?" Finn asked from the passage, his voice strained.
"Containment," Kenji decided. "If we can't destroy it or shut it down safely, we need to isolate it. Reinforce the seals on this chamber, yes, but also... maybe create an Aetheric 'firewall' around the device itself, try to starve it of the ambient Aether it's using to generate more Blighted." He looked at Elara. "Elder, the wards you spoke of... can they be actively strengthened? Or new ones created?"
Elara nodded slowly. "The Solstice Warding is a ritual of cleansing and reinforcement. It requires specific convergences of Aether and celestial alignments for maximum effect. But perhaps... with your unique understanding, Kenji-san, and the Heartstone's own power, we might be able to adapt the ritual, to focus its energy on suppressing that... thing."
It was a long shot. Adapting an ancient ritual based on the "debugging" insights of an outworlder programmer. But it was better than letting the Blight fester and grow in the heart of their sanctuary. The weight of this new knowledge was immense. The Blight wasn't just an external enemy; a part of its very source was intertwined with the foundation of Havenwood. This vulnerability changed everything.