Psychic Aegis formed around me just before they unleashed another volley of attacks. Each one might as well have tried to break the barrier by looking at it. I gave them a few seconds to exhaust themselves before I made my move. I pushed spiritual energy into the soles of my feet and stepped in between the two remaining cultivators. My fist slammed into the woman's stomach and then a kick sent the other man to his knees. The woman let out a wheeze of pain and clutched her stomach in a desperate attempt to get air. I grabbed her by her throat and launched her out of the room and down the stairs. Next, I grabbed the man by his ankle and dragged him behind me. I wasn't sure what levels they were but I was pretty sure their bodies could handle this level of punishment for a little longer. It felt like my anger would turn into an uncontrollable storm of violence if I didn't vent it.

Another group of guards stepped up to stop me but I barely gave them my attention as Psionic Rain ended their lives. My dantian slowly filled with each kill but it wasn't enough. It wasn't anywhere near enough to pay for the loss of energy. I considered triggering my domain spell but that might hurt any nearby captives. There was also something visceral about beating them with my fists. We reached the bottom of the stairs only to find the woman hiding behind a group of ten guards. Each one with long rifles and body armor.

"Halt, In the name of the Commonwealth." The lead figure shouted as if he genuinely believed I would stop.

"I am only here for these people. Either move or I will kill you too. If the Commonwealth or any other group is okay with what's happened here then I will kill you all." My voice came out so cold and cruel that even I could barely understand it. When the group didn't move I unleashed my aura. I kept it contained to this room the best I could but it was like trying to coral a vicious hound. One that only wanted to rip and tear at the enemy in front of me. Five of the guards lowered their weapons but the leader didn't hesitate.

I unleashed Psychic Blast aimed at the leader. A barrier of flame sprung up to block it but it was useless. The fire was physical while my attack wasn't. He dropped to the ground. I looked at each of the others giving them one last chance to give up. When they pulled out buttons that sparked with electricity I rolled my eyes. The small part of me that was impressed by their fearlessness was drowned by anger. Psionic Rain fell and nine bodies joined my ledger. I stepped past them and slammed my fist into the woman. "Don't tell me this is all you have." I tossed the man out the window and into the main street. I smiled wickedly and Spartan kicked her outside.

Both of them had long given up on fighting and their anger. Their pathetic whimpers filled the culdesac. I was just about to continue when a boy sprinted across the yard. The boy passed through my killing intent without slowing a step. He threw himself on top of the woman and slammed a blade into her stomach. By the time my brain kicked into gear the woman's screams had died. I stepped forward and lifted the boy into the air. He fought me like a beast.

"She killed her! Let me go. Let me go!" He turned the knife around and tried to stab through the aegis only for the knife to snap. The pain in his voice cowed my fury.

"I am sorry." The words felt so small so insignificant but what else could I do? What else could I say? The child's snarls of anger turned into tears and sobs. I placed him on the ground and expanded Psychic Aegis to protect him. I looked at the last of the trio but my desire for blood had been met. Unfortunately for him the former captives still had plenty. They stood at the edge of my aura like a pack of hyenas. Only a few of them seemed aware in the eyes. The majority looked like they had gone mad. I shook my head and knelt next to him. "I am sure that whatever they do to you will be much worse than I would have." I activated Apportation and stepped through the portal with the boy. The portal hadn't even fully closed when they rushed him.

The portal opened up on a rooftop at the end of my maximum range. The man's screams went on for almost an hour but no one attempted to stop the captives. I wasn't sure what I should do next though. My original plan was to try and find people to follow me, but I failed. I managed to kill more people and if the Commonwealth wasn't my enemy before they are now. The only way I could think to salvage the situation would be by recruiting the captives but that would just be another group that needed my protection. The idea had benefits to it on a more long-term basis after all who would be more loyal to me than the people whose lives I just saved?

"So kid what's your name?" I turned to the boy who had stopped crying and was looking at the street below us.

"Trey. I um thanks for what you did." He was about to wipe his face with his disgusting clothes. I swatted his arm and removed a fresh set. The basketball shorts and T-shirt weren't going to protect him from anything but it would be better than the stuff he had.

"Here put these on. I assume that you aren't a cultivator?" I turned and gave him a small bit of privacy so he could get dressed.

"No, the tutorial workers said I wasn't old enough to cultivate. My mother and Sister were though. Thank you for the clothes."

I nodded. "I take it that your family died here?"

"No, my Sister survived the tutorial but was attacked here because she didn't like what they were doing. My mom died on one of the quests."

I let out a sigh and gave the kid a once-over. His hair was a tangled mess, he was covered in dirt and he looked almost dead in the eyes. "Do you have any other family? Family that you know is still alive I mean." He shook his head. "Alright well I am willing to take you with me—"

"Can you make me as strong as you?" Trey got a brief glimmer in his eye. One of pain and hope interlocked. I was about to say no when I thought about it. There was probably no way he could get the first of titles but he could get a few of the basic ones with my help. Of course, he would need to wait till he was older but it should be possible.

"Don't know but you shouldn't aim to be as strong as me. There are probably people who are stronger than me in the multiverse. I am still in the first realm and I have no idea how many realms exist. If you want to become stronger you should aim to be better than me. It won't be easy. I had the benefit of the tutorial. It will probably hurt a lot and you may die. I could let you in Amara with me and the rest of my people. It would be safer than traveling with me."

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

"I don't care. I want to be better like you, like my sister and my mom. I want to be able to stop people from doing the shit that they" He gestured toward the culdesac. "Were doing."

I chuckled to myself and nodded. "Did the tutorial workers say that if you were or weren't a cultivator?"

"The one that spoke to us said we wouldn't know until our sixteenth birthdays." Trey got to his feet.

I nodded. "How old are you now?"

"15. My birthday is in six months."

I rubbed my chin and mentally mapped out a path forward. The academy could probably help him out and if I could find him a few natural treasures... I flashed him a smile that dimmed as I looked down at the city. "Alright, I have to check on the other captives but after that, we are going to get out of here. I have an academy that can teach you the basics. You will have to put the effort in." I activated Apportation. Once the portal opened I offered Trey a hand and we stepped inside. The mental refresh had a visible effect on him. It was almost like he had a whole night's sleep in an instant. In the next moment, the portal closed and reopened in the middle of the culdesac. My arrival caused people to scatter in every direction.

A dark-skinned woman with thick curls and dark brown eyes stared defiantly at me. I raised an eyebrow at her. The dark ring around her neck caused a fresh wave of anger to rise in me but I beat it down. There was no one else for me to kill and even if there were how would that help? "What's your name?"

"Aaliyah. I would ask what yours is but from what I hear you were pretty open with it. Mr. 'Strongest man in the world'"

I chuckled and ruefully shook my head. "I believe I said I was the strongest person on the planet. Strongest man would imply that there was a woman stronger than me."

That made her laugh a sound that felt so foreign in this environment. Her smile faded when she saw Trey behind me. It was slight but her muscles tensed as if she was debating whether or not she would be able to attack me. Part of me wanted to see if she would try it but if I was going to succeed at recruiting anyone besides the child that couldn't cultivate I couldn't do it through force. They saw my strength now I needed to be a leader. "I am looking to recruit for my faction. A city? I am not sure at what point it would be considered a kingdom but—"

"Not interested. If you wouldn't mind handing the boy over we will be on our way." Aaliyah said while gripping a metal rod.

"I am going to go with Amari. He said he has an academy that can help me get stronger. You should come to." When I looked at him he smiled. "She was kind of like a big sister to most of us. She got caught after trying to break a few of us out and didn't run away."

I nodded. "The offers open to you." I turned to the rest of the onlookers. "The offer's open to everyone. Amara is recruiting capable cultivators and mortals. I am not offering anything for free but I have an academy that can provide several benefits. I don't know how you all got here but this is a chance to grow. A chance to stop being a victim of circumstance. I can't promise that I will be there to protect you the next time you encounter a dangerous enemy. Nor can I promise that you will survive in this new world. I can promise that with me you will have a chance."

I let my eyes pass over every person. It was so silent you could have heard a pen drop but nothing happened. I looked over at Aaliyah who at least seemed amused. I was about to say something else when something dawned on me. I pulled out my map and infused it with a bit of energy. According to it, this city had a hub but I didn't get ownership when I killed everyone. Nor did a quest start so that someone else could get it. I looked around at the hovels and quickly decided against it. I didn't want this place. It was covered in shit and who knew what else. "I am leaving in thirty minutes. If there is anything you want to take with you gather it by then. Anyone not standing here will be left behind."

That declaration got everyone moving. Some people sprinted for the various stores while others headed for the houses behind me. I decided to leave them to it and turned my attention to Aaliyah. "What level are you?"

She got that far-away look in her eyes for a moment. "11, I assume you don't have any free spells or skills available?"

I shook my head. "Not on me. I might be able to spot you some credits but I have to warn you the things available for sale in the hub aren't very good. Some of the auxiliary skills could be useful though."

"And what about this academy?"

"Good question I haven't looked at them yet but I am told there are some that are decent. Care to give me that metal pipe? I have better weapons. If you head inside you could get your hands on one of the shock batons. Assuming someone hasn't taken them all already."

"I prefer daggers. Do you have any of those?" She said with a slight grin.

"Nope, we might be able to find some if we go searching for an appropriate store. Did the tutorial not give you one?"

"It was broken when I tried to separate Abigail's head from her shoulders. That's the woman that well you know."

"I see, Well for now you are going to have to make do with this." I tossed her a simple shortsword. "I want you all to get some levels when we move out. Ideally, you all will get at least one level before we get back."

She looked like she wanted to protest but quickly thought better of it. "Alright, that makes sense. Do you have any of those stones?"

I shook my head. "I might be able to get some when we get there but for now I can't. If you can cultivate I would suggest doing so unless you have something else you want to do." I waited for Aaliyah to take a seat before I turned my attention to Trey. "Now for you. Have you considered what you want to do?"

He shook his head. "I don't know what you mean."

"How do you want to fight? You could be more melee in which case I could get you one of these swords. If your goal is to be a mage type that will be harder. I also don't have any mentalist abilities to share so that could also be a bit harder."

"Mage. I want to be a mage. Me and my friends used to play Tabletop games and I would get stuck being a tank so I don't want to do that."

I nodded. "In that case, you will probably want to focus on Intelligence when the time comes. I will speak with Desbera about getting you situated along with Aaliyah. For now though just sit and meditate. I am not sure if you can touch on the tao right now but it wouldn't hurt. It will also help clear your mind."

He stared at me with irritation and suspicion before taking a seat in front of Aaliyah. "This better not be an excuse to waste my time."

I chuckled and left him to it. With the two of them dealt with for the time being I took a seat and focused on the tao. I could feel the tao of lucidity was making some progress. I didn't think it was time for my comprehension to increase but every little bit counted. It only took me a few moments to fully relax. Just as I felt like I made some significant progress I felt people approach. I looked up and found a group of people reentering the Culdesac.

The number of people who arrived was a bit surprising though not overly so. The majority of the town had decided to travel with me. From the looks of it, they ran through the town and collected everything that could be considered armor or decent clothes and threw them on. It made them look like a random assortment of larpers instead of actual fighters but that wasn't too bad. After all, they weren't warriors either. "Alright, we are going to be moving through the city so everyone is to stick together. Keep an eye out for one another I don't want anyone getting left behind. We will be fighting while we move so if you have a weapon partner with someone who doesn't. The goal is to get everyone to level up at least once."

They looked all looked at me and I could see the apprehension in their faces. These people likely stayed in this place because they wanted to be protected from the monsters and now they were going out and facing them. Still, none of them tried to leave. I arranged everyone into rows so they could keep an eye on each other while hopefully reducing the chance that they were ambushed or dragged away. Once everyone was ready to go I gave them a final nod and we set off.