by Ivan Kal
According to Clara, the goblins wouldn’t move until the king united all the tribes, and once he did it would be slow start. Usually there were raiding parties which were followed by the horde—but that horde would be nearly unstoppable by the people living here unless they had the help of more ascended. Morgan was hoping that they would have enough by then. He had seen how powerful he and the others had gotten, and he knew that if they could get even stronger, it would be incredibly helpful.
So they spent the next two weeks training the militia and the rest of the staff enough that they could ascend. Then, when they were ready, they gave them each an ascension crystal—they had more than enough low-level ones from the battle at Terbon.
“You know,” Morgan said to Vall, as the people, the ten militia, the smith, cooks, and maids prepared to swallow the crystals. “We should stop calling them the militia about now. I think that they should be a part of a new organization serving under us.” The people that had volunteered hadn’t done so in order to go out and hunt monsters or to climb the Tower, but because doing so would help them protect their town. And for now they didn’t need to be like Morgan and his group.
“I know. I was about to suggest the same,” Vall said.
“Any ideas?” Morgan asked.
“I was thinking on forming a group similar to the guard of Terbon, only one that will serve the Guild. They could go out and patrol the area, making sure that there are no monsters in our domain.”
“I like the idea, and I was thinking along the same lines. So how are we going to call this new group?”
“How about Sky Guard?” Vall asked.
“Huh, sure. I mean, you’ll be in charge of them, so you might as well name them.”
“What?” Vall asked.
“What?” Morgan repeated.
“You want me to lead them?”
“Sure, for now. We’ll probably be going on dungeon dives and later on expeditions away from the Guild Hold, so you will need to groom a second in command who will do most of the day-to-day stuff. We will also need to create other groups for different kinds of ascended—for those who would be specializing in gathering resources, those doing dungeon dives, for the support staff, and so forth.”
“I…I think that I like that idea,” Vall said.
“Knew you would,” Morgan said. He noticed that the people were about to take the crystals and he watched in fascination. They plopped them in their mouths and swallowed. For a moment nothing happened, and then their bodies exploded, turning to dust, similar to what happened when monsters die.
The fuck! Morgan was stunned as he now saw glowing shapes in the places where the people used to be.
“Are those their fucking souls?” Morgan screeched scared shit-less.
Vall didn’t respond as the people pulsed for a moment, and then their bodies reformed. They collapsed on the ground. Morgan watched, utterly entranced. Did that happen to me, too?
Morgan turned to look at Vall, who had a similar look on his face.
“I never saw it before,” Vall said. “Both Ves and I used the crystal at the same time.”
“That looks like it sucked balls,” Morgan said.
“It did,” Vall said. “It hurt like nothing I have ever felt before.”
Morgan shook his head, for the first time thankful that whatever Oxy had done with him hadn’t been that…intense.
“Right then, I leave you to settle them. Team meeting at dinner!” Morgan said as he walked away.
Vall spent the next two days taking the new Sky Guard and the smith out into the wild for some exp farming. They were hunting wolves, mostly, in order to get the new ascended to level up a bit. In three days they had managed to get up to level 3, which Morgan thought was enough that they had some abilities and could at least defend themselves. Anera and Herda were Hunters like Morgan had been, and the others were Knights. They equipped them with the gear that they had looted from the goblins, which wasn’t all that good, but the smith was already working on better gear. The first thing that Artos, the smith, had done was increase his smithing skill, which made the man happy beyond words. The man spent all his points on smithing, and with him now being ascended, he improved far faster. The man had also reported that he had started getting experience from finished works; not nearly as much as a monster kill gave, but enough that he could steadily gain exp.
Morgan made his way to the forge, and found Artos pounding away at a piece of metal.
“Hey there, Artos, you got a minute?” Morgan asked.
“Ah, Guild Master, I always have time for you,” the short and burly man said.
Morgan stepped into the forge area as the man put the metal bar back on the coals.
“How are you liking the forge?” Morgan asked as he looked around.
“Oh, it’s a beauty—I have never imagined working in anything like this! And being ascended, I can work so much faster and so much better. I don’t know why I didn’t try to ascend before!”
Morgan smiled at the smith. The reason that the man hadn’t ascended was because without Morgan and his friends to teach him and help him along, he would’ve needed to fight monsters. But he didn’t tell him that. “Good,” he said instead.
“What can I do for you, Guild Master?”
“Well, I know that you have been advancing your smithing skill. I just wanted to ask: What rank are you?”
“Ah, well, I started the skill at level three after my ascension, and I have been doing nothing but smithing every chance I get. Coupled with the points from my leveling, I have gotten it up to level eight.”
Morgan whistled, impressed. “Then perhaps you might be able to help me with something.” Morgan pulled out a bag from his BoH and put it on a table in the corner. Artos walked over as Morgan pulled out the contents.
It was now Artos’s turn to whistle. “Is that…?”
“Manticore horns.” Morgan nodded. “I was hoping that you could use them to make something for me.”
Artos looked attentively at Morgan and he explained what he wanted. Artos nodded in thought once Morgan finished.
“Hm…” Artos said. “I think that… Yes, I can do it.”
“How long will it take?”
“A day, maybe?”
“So little?” Morgan asked, surprised.
Artos grinned. “Ever since I became ascended, I just work faster, and I am stronger. Everything is better!”
Morgan nodded in understanding. He had a suspicion that one of the side effects of ascension was much better and faster developing muscle memory. If you knew something in your head, your body could just do it perfectly.
“Good, then. Come find me once you are done.”
Two days later, Morgan walked in their storeroom and found Ves there. She was in charge of their money, resources, and loot.
“Hey there,” Morgan said as he entered.
Ves turned around and smiled once she saw him. She saw him carrying something behind his back and quirked an eyebrow at him.
“What is that?” Ves asked.
Morgan pulled it out and showed it to her. “A gift.”
Her mouth opened wordlessly as she looked at the shield in his hands. It was steel with leather padding on the inside and an image of manticore on the front, with the real horns sticking out of its head. It had taken Morgan a while to figure out how to create a better enchantment, but he had managed it.
“Morgan, this is…” she whispered as she took it in her hands.
“It’s yours,” Morgan said. “I’ve enchanted it some—it has a ward which, once triggered, will siphon power from anything directly in front of the shield. That ward is placed on the steel itself. And I’ve also enchanted the horns: one is a battery—uh, that is a container which can store energy. The other will vibrate the shield slightly when it detects life in front of it. I had to make it directional, as otherwise it would be triggering constantly when we are in a group, but you can shut it off.”
It turned out that ma
nticore horns soaked in magic easily. Devising new wards and enchantments is what had taken most of his time.
Vestella looked from the shield to him and then put it to the side and reached for Morgan, kissing him deeply. After a few minutes they separated breathlessly.
She looked him in the eyes. “I want us to make our mate bond official.”
“Uh…” Morgan was caught unprepared. But still, he had grown to care deeply for Vestella, and there was only one answer that he could give. “Let’s do it.”
When he said that, he hadn’t thought that she would want to do it immediately—but that’s what happened. In the end, it looked very similar to a marriage ceremony back on Earth. They gathered everyone from the Hold and they stood across from each other, stating their desire to be mates for life, amri. It was a short and sweet ceremony.
And later that night, with Vestella sleeping next to him, Morgan knew that he had never been happier in his entire life.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Another three days later, workers arrived from Terbon and set up a camp in the base of Reach. Once settled, they immediately started cutting down trees into logs. A few others Morgan sent to a site about an hour away to start a quarry—Artos had already made enough tools for those that didn’t have them. He also sent Odren and two of the Sky Guard with them, in case they needed protection.
At the meeting that night during dinner in the Great Hall, as had become custom, Morgan and his group sat with Titus, Odren and Clara. Everyone who was at the Guild Hold was eating in the Great Hall at the same time. They had just pulled one table up near the hearthstone for the use of the leaders. The three newcomers weren’t Guild Leaders, but they were certainly something like officers.
“Tomorrow, I want us some of us to go to Mountain’s Heart,” Morgan said.
“Who did you have in mind?” Vall asked.
“The original group and Clara,” Morgan said, looking at the orc woman, who looked surprised that he had singled her out.
“Our group has a good composition, but I think that we will need a healer if we want to be a good dungeon-diving team,” Morgan said.
“But,” Clara began, “what about the goblin threat?”
“You said that we have time,” Morgan pointed out. “And there isn’t much that we can do about it now. We are building up resources and training ascended, and Mayor Fennes is reaching out to other settlements near here to ask them about joining us. We need to get stronger, and the first thing on our agenda is to get you to level 10 so that you can upgrade to your Aegis class. Besides, only five people can be in a dungeon group at a time.” More people could enter the dungeon, but only those five in the group that killed the monsters would get the experience.
He noticed that Titus and Odren looked a bit disappointed, so he turned to face them. “Don’t worry, you will get your turn as well. But that dungeon is dangerous, so I want us to get you through it one by one. While we are gone, I want Odren to make sure that the workers keep getting us materials, and Titus will be in charge of the Sky Guard. Make sure to patrol the area and keep the monsters away from the workers. That said, we will be taking one wagon with us.”
Titus perked up a bit at being given some responsibility.
“I think that is a good idea,” Lucius said.
Vall and Ves just nodded, and so it was agreed.
It took them a two and half days to get to the dungeon with the pace of the oxen who pulled their wagon. Morgan planned on bringing back as much of the loot as was possible—ore from the kobold mines, especially.
As they reached the doors to the dungeon, Morgan was reminded of the last time he had been here, and couldn’t help but feel a flash of anger. I’ll get you one day. There is nowhere on this world where you can hide from me! Morgan thought angrily in his mind. Ves put a hand on his shoulder and he reached up and squeezed it for a moment. He really did not like being tricked.
“All right,” Morgan said, and turned to look at Clara. “Ready?”
She nodded firmly, her hands tightening on her staff, and they walked in. They moved through the entrance hallway, with Ves up front and Vall just a step behind her, Lucius in the middle, and the back brought up by Morgan and Clara. The orc woman didn’t have many offensive abilities—she was nature alignment, just like Morgan, but had focused more on training her life aspect.
They crossed the entrance and entered the first chamber. The familiar kobolds met them, and Ves jumped forward before they could react. She stomped in front of two kobolds, and Morgan saw them ripple as if all the liquid in their body just shook. They dropped down to the ground, and as Ves stepped over them, Vall came from behind and stabbed down, killing them. Morgan shot one in the eye with an arrow and Lucius jumped over the remainder of the kobolds, cutting off their escape route.
Clara watched attentively and raised and pointed her staff at the kobolds. Morgan felt a wave of energy leave and attach itself to the kobolds, and then he felt her start to pull their life force right from their bodies. It wasn’t really powerful, but it weakened them, and allowed Clara to practice.
They cleared out the rest of them quickly enough. Morgan glanced at the bodies, which were starting to disappear, and noticed that these kobolds had metal collars around their necks. Strange, Morgan thought. He picked one up and turned it over in his hands. Not seeing anything interesting, he dropped it back to the ground; they would have the time to look through the loot afterward. He scanned the room. Huh, there are a few more of them than last time, Morgan noticed. It didn’t really matter in the end, but from what he had been told the dungeon should respawn with the same amount of monsters as before—although his friends had admitted that their knowledge was limited.
They continued forward. They didn’t know how much experience they would get for themselves, but from their talks earlier Morgan knew that Clara would get a full share of exp like they had the first time, which was the point of this run. They continued deeper and cleared the first floor almost in half the time it had taken them the first time. Clara was using her Drain ability to weaken the kobolds and then the rest of them would cut them down.
They were leaving all the loot behind again, but hopefully this time it wouldn’t get stolen. There wasn’t a lot of great stuff there, but the kobolds’ weapons were at least of better quality than those of the goblins, and there were a lot of medium-quality crystals, at least for their level. Thinking about loot, and theft, he was again reminded of his enemy. Emily! He waved a hand in the air menacingly, eliciting a few glances from the others, but nothing like he had been getting in the beginning. They’d grown used to his quirks.
Then they entered the second floor. As they had agreed beforehand, Lucius darted forward to deal with the kobolds on the balcony. The rest of them followed closely behind, and so they saw Lucius hesitate for a moment as he came face to face with not kobolds, but rather human-sized monsters. The two monsters had similar builds to kobolds, only they were bigger, and looked something more like lizard-men. Morgan didn’t know who was surprised more, Lucius or the monsters, but the Roman recovered first. He swiped his sword in their direction, sending a blade of air and taking the head off the first one. The second one ducked and started yelling in a language that Morgan didn’t understand. Morgan pulled his arrow string back and released the arrow, which took the lizard-man in the throat, ending its call.
It didn’t matter; more voices sounded in the distance of the level.
Ves and Vall ran up to the edge of the balcony just as Morgan noticed the doors slam closed behind them.
“Fuck!” Morgan said as he joined the others on the balcony. “Fuck,” he said again as he saw what was waiting for them below. There were at least two dozen well-equipped lizard-men all now running toward them.
“Ves, Vall! Protect the stairs now!” Morgan ordered as he looked over assessing the situation.
Ves summoned her spirit bear, and ran over to the stairs with her brother. Morgan used his Inspect skill and saw that th
e lizard-men were all between levels 8 and 10, and there were magic users among them—four of them to be exact. While the other warrior lizard-men were running at them, some already climbing up the stairs, the magic users were on the other side of the room standing in a circle and chanting. Morgan fired an arrow in their direction, but it just bounced off an invisible shield surrounding them. He cursed, but he didn’t have the time to waste on them, not when the other lizard-men were a more immediate threat. Still, Morgan could already tell that he wouldn’t like whatever it was that they were trying to do.
As the first of the lizard-men climbed up the stairs, Vall gave out a bellow that stunned the aggressors, and Ves’s bear swiped its massive paws at them, ripping one lizard-man’s entire face off. Vall was swinging his unstoppable great sword around, cleaving them in half, but there were more coming. Morgan fired an arrow with a ward on it at those below them and it exploded, weakening the lizard-men in the distance. It did not seem like it had done as much to them as it had to the goblins. Clara wasn’t using her weakening ability; instead, Morgan saw small tendrils of green energy reach out from her to the rest of their group, and a moment later he could feel himself being just a bit faster. She was buffing them somehow, and Morgan used it to his advantage, firing arrows quickly at the lizard-men running below them. But they were smarter than kobolds, and after the first few got hit with his arrows, the ones with shields raised them and protected themselves and those close to them.
Morgan grimaced and turned to his friends. Vall and Ves were holding the top of the stairs for now, but the bodies were piling up, and it was difficult to maneuver. The lizard-men would soon spill over onto the balcony and surround them. Lucius was sending blades of air at those below, as well toward the stairs when he saw a chance to do so. Clara was keeping up her buffing magic, but he could see beads of sweat on her face as she struggled to hold it at distance.