Build Sequence Is Key

Study

'Let's see, so I won't be able to uncover or inspect these Zerg structures until I can build the corresponding unit from the orc building tree...'

This didn't leave him with much to work with. His orc building tree was stuck. The only additional structure he could build was the orc mound.

Jason walked over to it and physically entered. Past the threshold he felt a physical shock. Just now he had entered an orc building. Something that he had never been able to do after playing craft of war for years with his friends.

Granted it wasn't that big a deal and this was a different game. But it was still paradigm changing for him.

Inside the orc mound, well what he found surprised him. He was expecting some sort of primitive blacksmith. What he actually found was, was, it was not something he understood.

In the center of the mound a ring of stones was placed. Above the stones a tripod, which from the apex hanged a pot. Empty at the moment the tripod didn't tell him much. But looking at the smoothed walls he saw paintings.

They weren't cave art, no they spoke of skill and painstaking effort. But it was true that only the suggestions of animals and humans were depicted. Color was there, but earth tones predominated.

No particular clue really did anything to help. The fetishes, dangling on strings were mostly rocks, sticks, nets, and animal parts. Bones made up a good portion of the display.

And then it struck him. This was a sauna! No, not a sauna exactly. Maybe more like a smoke tent. Or both, he couldn't be sure. But what was plain from the pictures was that the spirits of the ancestors were worshipped here.

Yes, Jason accessed the system menu and reminded himself that this building was used to upgrade the weapons and armor of the orcs.

So wait, if I am following the logic here then... The ways the orcs increased the power of their gear was through ancestor worship? Wait were they I'm using their weapons with spirits? Or spirit energy?

'Wow, that is right!'

The more Jason thought about it then more he was blown away by the implications here.

'No, way.'

Taking another look at the system menu he saw that in this game there were additional options beyond just upgrading weapons or armor.

Interested, Jason opened up more. And before him options appeared for assigning peons to become an orc elders. His first reaction was to immediately assign a couple peons. But then his gaming instincts warned him not to over commit and loose the initiative.

'Take a deep breath duface, your not playing a mission right now. This is your time to relax and learn more.'

Okay, he assigned four peons to specialize in becoming orc mound elders.

He then selected the appropriate options to train more peons in the great hall. He didn't know where all these orcs were coming from yet. But he was grateful that he could train them!

Four peons came into the orc mound and opening a chest that hadn't been there before took out some clothes that seemed to be the atire for orc mound elders.

Each peon selected different clothes. It ended up that there were three female and one male. Strange, he hadn't seen any specific selection for gender. Maybe it was random.

One of the females approached him.

"Hi, do you wish to call the spirits?"

The question floored Jason, him call spirits?

"Uhm, sure?"

She nodded and the male left soon returning with wood for the fire. There didn't seem to be any set ritual or method for the preparation. The orca didn't seem like people who would stand on too much routine. That said, however, once a few herbs and oils started to give off smoke from the pot above the fire the head elder began to chant a story.

The other elders sat stood around the fire and began gesturing like a dance, but they didn't move their feet. Then all of a sudden they were moving their feet. Jason who hadn't been mimicking their hand movements all of a sudden found it necessary to mimic their dance steps. In order to keep up with them he had to do it.

Where he had been paying attention to the story, suddenly it was all Jason could do to just keep his feet moving well enough to stay in formation. They didn't mind that he looked like a toddler bumbling around. Evidently the exact steps weren't a big deal. They all stepped in unison because it saved energy to do it in the most fluid way.

And in the smoke that they stirred with their movements suddenly their were wails and moans. As if spirits were reaching out to dance with them, too. Trying to dance at least and then something happened and the spirits were dancing with them. It seemed like they were no longer in the mound, but our on a great prairie. And hundreds of spirits were dancing with them.

When it stopped it came as a shock. Heart beating and brain aflame with the essence of the spirits he didn't want to stop.

However, the dance had stopped. And the elder was handing to him a fetish. It had a little feather on it, as well as some twigs and a skull. Taking it the elder gestured for him to put it over his head.

She could have used words, but hand signs were all she would use. So he put the string over his head. He swore he saw a flash of green light as he did so and then it was done.

When he tried to speak his words came out hoarse and harsh, "Thank you, ..."

And then he choked up and had to lean over in a coughing fit. She smacked him on the back and one of the other elders brought him a glass of water. Again from the mysterious crates that had shown up against the wall.

Once they had all drunk Jason tried it again.

"Thank, you ..."

This time the elder interrupted him.

"The spirits did this, do not thank us. Instead join us, come smoke with us again, sometime."

As she spoke a system message was issued.

[Become an Orc spirit initiate? Y/N]

For a moment Jason hesitated. Was this really something he should do? With the agriculture and pedagogy required for his other abilities he was already going to be swamped.

But he acknowledged and accepted anyway. He could already tell, this was going to be extremely valuable. Probably more valuable than his those other abilities.

[You have become a spirit initiate.]

[The ability Spirit guide has been bestowed.

Check your new ability to learn more.]

"Come back to call the spirits with us again."

The elder intoned and then the four of them went about their business. Three left the building while the forth tidied up.

Summarily dismissed Jason exited the orc mound.

Now he was interested. If there were more abilities available for each building he needed to check out that Zerg evolution chamber.