A week had almost flown by. Jazmel had returned after four days in the Braddon hills, but now he was back. Back home in his outpost and it was buzzing with life.
It had been decided that Gelth, Patton and Gilmore would stay behind with a contingent of the faction and support Lysander and his people as they recovered and rebuilt. With the permanent gate, Jazmel could go to the Braddon hills whenever he wanted, so he wasn’t too worried about them three.
Sadé and Corin left a day earlier, having to return to the Teneriel forest. He was saddened by her leaving, but he would see her again. He planned to go to the coronation with his friends and a contingent of the black wing faction.
Leno and Serafina had stayed with a small amount of seekers, when Jazmel, Mary, Elai, Wendy Bannerman, and Katie returned. They were so relieved, but Jazmel could understand. They would have had to protect the outpost on their own, it was a lot to bear on their shoulders, but they done it well.
As soon as they had returned, Mary had pushed those had returned with her.
“Those who need to go over their stats, hurry up and share out your stats. Remember to balance your stats, unbalanced is imbalance and it will cost you! Once you have completed your stats and upgrades report to your usual daily tasks. We will wrap up earlier so you can all rest, but your day to day is still part of your training.” She called out, group leaders that were just under the captains, were already gathering their groups and going on patrols or going hunting.
“Those of you who need to go and undergo a tier tribulation, go and do it now! Then do your stats, no wastrels will exist under my command. Get stronger and get to your duties!” she yelled, but they were already breaking away to run off and tier up in the comfort of their rooms or barracks.
“Claw with me! We are going hunting!” Bannerman roared, his troop of just twenty seekers, all hurried to follow him out of the gate. Back into the wilds of the outpost, Katie headed off to her rooms, she wanted to sort out her stats and skills, then she would go to the forge. Jazmel was thinking the same thing. but it could wait.
Elai and Wendy left to head off to the healing quarters but before she could leave him, Jazmel gave her the heavenly lotus flower, explaining to Elai what it did. They split off from their team and went to plant it in the garden before going about their duties.
Soon it was just Jazmel, Mary and Baek.
“Come, let’s go and see the forge, I want to see what they can do for me.” Jazmel said and Mary and Baek followed him, as he entered the outpost tower and descended to the forge. the temperature rose with every step and Jazmel could hear the pang of hammer against anvil, and he wondered what Gorin, and the black smiths were working on.
The forge was a work of art, probably the biggest part of the outpost and well worked. Gorin who was the forge master, rarely left the forge, he seemed to always be working on something and Jazmel knew from the interface that Gorin. Had tasks and quests set by the system for himself, to help him improve his skills and upgrade his tiers.
When Jazmel opened the double doors, he realised that they had been upgraded, wards had been inscribed into them. to keep the heat trapped inside, dwarves didn’t seem to suffer from extreme temperatures. He remembered from his time in Orevalor, and it seemed heat was nothing to them also.
“Faction leader.” Gorin said, stopping his workings and greeting Jazmel and his friends.
“Gorin how is the forge? do you need anything?” Jazmel asked, offering his hand and Gorin pulled off a thick glove to shake hands, his hand was rough and calloused. Warm from the hammering.
“We have everything we need; you keep the stores filled with all your hunting and we create the tools for the hunt.” Gorin said and Jazmel nodded, they had formed a good symbiosis.
“What can I do for you?” Gorin asked, and Jazmel pulled his rewards from his ring.
“I was wondering if you could make me some armour, a set of armour for me.” Jazmel pulled off his breastplate and handed it over to Gorin.
DING!
JAZMEL FACTION LEADER OF THE BLACK WING FACTION
HAS REQUESTED AN ITEM OF THE FORGE MASTER!
AN ARMOUR SET WORTHY OF A FACTION LEADER!
QUEST!
REWARDS!
* FOR JAZMEL A TIER III ARMOUR SET
* FOR GORIN A TIER TRIBULATION!
Jazmel just gawked at the system and Gorin just grinned at it.
“The system seems to be trying to motivate me, but I already planned on doing my best.” Gorin offered and Jazmel smiled at him kindly.
“What are your requirements?” Gorin asked and when he noticed Jazmel looking confused he continued.
“I know you fight with a katana, so I know you will need mobility and agility. Your dexterity is already quite high, but you are a ranker tier. You will be fighting tier III monsters now, and they can pack a punch.” Gorin said.
“I thought a tier IV just now.” Jazmel countered and Gorin looked at him and then nodded.
“I will see what I can do, I will check the store, but if you want me to use this breastplate I can create a schematic from it.” he said and Jazmel agreed and then pulled out other items.
TIER IV DRAKE HEART SCALE
TIER III STARFIRE ORE
RANKER TIER DRAKE SCALE ARMOUR SET
He handed them all over to Gorin and he simply whistled with wonder.
“You got some good things here; they will make my job easier. Let’s see what we can do.” Leave it with me and I will send word when I have created something.
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Jazmel nodded and stepped back to leave but Mary stepped forward.
“I think I need to speak to Gorin about some armour too, a war commander should wear armour right?” she explained and Jazmel nodded in agreement.
He left her to it, her and Gorin already discussing her needs.
Jazmel made his way upstairs, back to the chamber room where his seat of appointment and power was. When he got there, AI appeared, twirling in the air. She smiled at him, and he greeted her. He sat in his chair and opened the system, Baek stood off to the side and waited for him.
The system screen popped up and his faction interface expanded before him, and he looked over it all.
DING!
YOUR FACTION INTERFACE SCREEN
OUTPOST – BLACK WING FACTION
TIER I OUTPOST
* 87% OUTPOST STRENGTH
* 74% REGION MAP
FACTION LEADER SCREEN INTERFACE
FACTION LEADER – JAZMEL
WAR COMMANDER – MARY
FORGE MASTER – GORIN
SCHOLAR – BAEK
FACTION CAPTAINS
* BANNERMAN
* KATIE
* PATTON
* GILMORE
* GELTH
* ELAI
* WENDY
* LYSANDER
FACTION RETAINERS (WELL KNOWN)
* TANGO
* LENO
* SERAFINA
OUTPOST POPULATION
* 1 MASTER TIER
* 11 RANKER TIER
* 213 SEEKER TIER
GROUPS
* CLAW
* MOUNTAIN BREAKERS
* BRADDON HILL DEFENDERS
ALLIES
* KINGDOM OF OREVALOR
* BRADDON HILL
“Whoa.” He said to himself more than anyone else.
Then he remembered his heart stone and pulling it out he placed it on the central node.
DING!
TIER IV WYRM HEART STONE HAS BEEN PLACED ON CENTRAL NODE!
WILL YOU MERGE THE TWO?
Y/N?
He accepted, curious and apprehensive about what he might see happen.
The system hummed with system energy, he watched as the system incorporated the heart stone and used it to buff and amplify the seat and then also energise.
DING!
DING!
DING!
HEART STONE HAS BEEN INCORPORATED AND UPGRADES HAVE BEEN FORCED TO CATCH UP!
…
OUTPOST IS TIER I WILL YOU UPGRADE TO TIER II?
Y/N?
Finally he breathed to himself, he accepted mentally.
OUTPOST UPGRADING TO TIER II!
The system shook, he felt his connection to it almost unravel and then it formed even stronger. In a split second, what had felt like a thin line of string. It had now become a terse piece of rope.
DING!
CONGRATULATIONS YOUR OUTPOST HAS UPGRADED TO TIER II!
YOUR OUTPOST HAS EXPANDED AND NEW PARTS HAVE BEEN ADDED!
ADDITIONS!
* GARDEN HAS BEEN UPGRADED TO TIER II
* WALLS HAVE BEEN UPGRADED TO TIER III
* CENTRAL NODE HAS BEEN UPGRADED TO TIER II
* A FLOOR HAS BEEN ADDED TO THE TOWER!
He focused on that, pulling at that with his mind and his connection to the interface.
WHERE WOULD YOU LIKE TO PLACE THE FLOOR?
Can you show me a depiction of the outpost floors? He asked the system and within seconds a new notification popped up.
OUTPOST FLOORS;
* GROUND FLOOR; FORGE
* FIRST FLOOR; SEAT/CENTRAL NODE
* SECOND FLOOR; LIBRARY
* THIRD FLOOR; REGIONAL MAP ROOMS
* FOURTH FLOOR; CANTEEN
* FIFTH FLOOR; LEADER QUARTERS
* SIXTH FLOOR; ?
He nodded, that sounded about right. Now to figure out what to add to this floor.
What are my options? he asked, and the system leapt at the chance, eager to respond to him.
FLOOR OPTIONS
* ASTRAL DOMAIN
* TIER AFFINITY CHAMBER
* SPIRITUAL DEPOSITORY
They all looked like good additions; he was worried about what to pick. He flicked the screen to Baek, and he looked over it and nodded.
“I will not tell you what to pick, they all have their benefits in truth.” Baek said and simply inclined his head to what Jazmel would have to decide on his own.
He chose, he hoped he wouldn’t have to regret his decision.
ASTRAL DOMAIN CHOSEN FOR THE SIXTH FLOOR!
ASTRAL DOMAIN! A domain core coalesced into a gate, when entered it will lead to an ever replenish domain, train, tier up and tier tribulations can be earned within its domain boundaries.
That notification made him feel a little better, using the interface he placed it underground, below the forge.
OUTPOST FLOORS;
* UNDERGROUND; ASTRAL DOMAIN
* GROUND FLOOR; FORGE
* FIRST FLOOR; SEAT/CENTRAL NODE
* SECOND FLOOR; LIBRARY
* THIRD FLOOR; REGIONAL MAP ROOMS
* FOURTH FLOOR; CANTEEN
* FIFTH FLOOR; LEADER QUARTERS
He settled into his chair, his seat of power. He looked at the changes he had made and with a grin, he sent out a task. It popped up on his own screen, but it wasn’t for him.
DING!
FACTION QUEST!
UNDERGROUND A DOMAIN HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED!
TRY AND CONQUER THE DOMAIN!!
REWARDS TO BE EARNED WITHIN!!!
He smiled and felt his senses picking up the rushing seekers, retainers of his faction. Hurrying below ground and down the staircase to the new floor. They would try to pick it clean, but it was strong. The system had shown him that.
He pulled up his faction screen again, trying to glean any changes.
YOUR FACTION INTERFACE SCREEN
OUTPOST – BLACK WING FACTION
TIER II OUTPOST
* 23% OUTPOST STRENGTH
* 74% REGION MAP
FACTION LEADER SCREEN INTERFACE
FACTION LEADER – JAZMEL
WAR COMMANDER – MARY
FORGE MASTER – GORIN
SCHOLAR – BAEK
FACTION CAPTAINS
* BANNERMAN
* KATIE
* PATTON
* GILMORE
* GELTH
* ELAI
* WENDY
* LYSANDER
FACTION RETAINERS (WELL KNOWN)
* TANGO
* LENO
* SERAFINA
OUTPOST POPULATION
* 1 MASTER TIER
* 11 RANKER TIER
* 213 SEEKER TIER
GROUPS
* CLAW
* MOUNTAIN BREAKERS
* BRADDON HILL DEFENDERS
ALLIES
* KINGDOM OF OREVALOR
* BRADDON HILL
He was just about done when just in front of him, a swan appeared. He caught it and watched as the missive appeared.
I am coming to you for a visit. We can trade for things. Frae sent him and he smiled at the words.
“The dwarves are coming.” Jazmel said and Baek inclined his head but remained silent.
“Let’s go and meet them then.” Jazmel said standing from his seat and heading towards the door and out into the courtyard. He sent an origami swan to Mary, Bannerman, and Katie. But then he walked through the gate and into the courtyard, awaiting his friend. the king of Orevalor.