Phila, the 9th, 10,391

Six approached his village from the opposite side of the lake and looked out across at the life and industry of the place. He couldn’t see much beyond the miniscule impressions of movement about the tiny buildings, the opposite shore was pretty far away.

He took a moment to relax amongst nature and decompress from that last debacle, finding a comfortable tree to recline on as he checked his prompts.

Skill increase:

Stealth - Initiate - 12

Diametric - Initiate - 4

Chainsaw - Initiate - 4

Elemental - Initiate - 9

Cycle - Initiate - 5

Heavy Armor - Apprentice - 23

Taming - Initiate - 12

Athletics - Initiate - 9

He had healed completely during his retreat and his armor was damaged but was already repairing itself.

There was no death notification for the troll who did receive an Ember Spark. Six grimaced, he had ripped that thing apart and still, it did not die. Still the skill level gain despite the loss was a welcome consolation.

He made his way to where the lake drained out into the river mouth and charged his slypheon greaves with some mundane mana stones, the stones being slowly consumed by the magical items.

With fully recharged greaves, doffed armor, and a little practice chaining the air jumps together Six once again made his way across the river again. He donned his armor and made his way back into town. He murmured to himself, “we need to get some boats made.” There must be fish in that lake, fish in the complex’s lake too.

He considered the best tools for this new troll problem.

As devastating as it was, the chainsaw might not be the best tool for the job, no. The Bloodsteel Greatsword with its fire rune array, might be more effective if combined with an expert strike at a vital point. He would make himself a glaive with a similar enchantment.

He could also try acid, but he lacked the knowledge for that.

Dismemberment and cremation by pyre would work.

He hesitated. Should he really be going aggro? Shouldn’t he scale his people up before going after evolved creatures like the giant troll?

He steeled his heart and shrugged, trading damage was inevitable, losses would be a direct result of that. Death would happen, had already happened.

The faster they rose, the sooner he could establish peace and prosperity.

He decided then, he would make more weapons of fire, then they would destroy those trolls.

For the next few days Six put aside his construction duties and solely focused on enchanting and physical training.

He worked with Charles to fashion the squads into something that could operate against the power and stature of the trolls.

There were more bandit levies than guards, and that worried Six but at the same time the average level of each bandit was around 4. Most of them had improved greatly under the new patrol structure and so Six counted on a healthy mix of appreciation and fear of him and the looming Poh Doh countering the newfound confidence of a few level ups.

When these large scale practice maneuvers were over Six escorted the mob back to the prison and it went back to the trickle patrols.

Six focused on creating as many fire based weapons as he could. Working with his various runes and fire mana to create a panoply of weapons that he could outfit his squads with.

He was running out of weapons to enchant. Ravna had completed another glaive head for him but she and Gatbark both reported the little smithing materials they brought were running out. He would soon have to begin deconstructing enchantments for their simple materials. He needed to source some ingots from Olisrosa but establishing a mine would be a better solution.

They were on track to initiate the troll operation in a few days that was until Six was broken out of his enchantment work by a vrill messenger boy.

They nearly screamed their words into his workshop. “My lord! Miss Leoka sent me with a message! There is an army marching this way! Straight along the river! Almost a hundred!”

Six stood up from his work, enchantment failed. “Tell her to gather the hunters and guard. Tell her I will be there shortly.

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Six jogged from his workshop and threw the door to the residential wing open, bellowing his command. “Come get your combat gear! Shits about to go down so hustle the fuck up.”

The non combat and unpledged prisoners looked on in wonder but the ones who agreed to fight jumped to action. Some grabbed armor but most just lined up at the door and received their weapon as Six distributed the nearby cache that served to supply these soldiers in just this circumstance. Six was impressed with Charles' ability to apply the knowledge he possessed in a professional way.

Altogether Six probably had about thirty bandits behind him, no, most had proved reliable and none had betrayed him yet, still, times of upheaval were the perfect moments for betrayal and Six was extra aware of the potential for treachery.

They marched down the mountain and into the village through the west gate. Six directed the reinforcements over to Charles and went to find Leoka at the eastern palisade. Staring off into the forest, near the river mouth.

“Leoka," he greeted her.

She regarded him. “Six, one of our patrols identified an incoming threat. A small column of imperial soldiers are making their way here. About eighty of them.”

Eighty soldiers was a big number. The casualties would be immense on both sides and his people were outnumbered and relatively unarmored. He wouldn’t go back now though, alot of these people fled the empire and were now under his wing.

Six and Leoka waited while Charles finished organizing the squads before joining them. Then the three of them watched as the soldier trudged out of the forest, making their way through the glade and straight towards the village.

Six sighed. He was tired, and for the first time in a while, he thought of taking a nice relaxing toke, just a small puff. He felt irritation at himself, at his weak mind, now of all times?

Skill increase: Mindfulness - Initiate - 9

As the soldier approached, Six relaxed just a bit because at the fore of the column he saw some familiar figures.

Keegan marched at the head, with Aclo and Bark walking behind him, Bark clearly plucking something on his lute.

Behind them were Kali Kik, Indigo, Narhurin, and Irduth.

Then there was a large train of marching soldiers behind them.

They came straight up the palisade and Keegan, Aclo and Irduth made the final thirty meters to the western gate.

Keegan called up, his voice even and powerful. “Hello, we seek entrance to this village.”

There was a moment as Six prepared to engage in this new arena of diplomacy, he called down from the upper platform of the palisade. “As visitors or as soldiers of the empire? I expected you guys returning, but not with a small army. What is your purpose here?”

Keegan made to speak but Irduth cut him off, stepping forward. “You need not question us or our intentions. As soldiers of the empire, you cannot deny us.”

Six breathed slowly, rhythmically and kept his calm. “Irduth, please know that we do not recognize the dead empire you pledged allegiance to.” He spoke loudly, “This is Mountain’s End. Not the Zleenish Empire. I will not willingly allow a foreign force to occupy our home. That would be… foolish.”

“We are not foreigners, you are!” Irduth yelled up.

“I am the lord of this village,” Six replied firmly.

Aclo drew his blades but Keegan held up a staying hand. The muscular man spoke, “We seek residency and if that is impossible, then we wish to collect our companions and go. We do not have to stay if you do not wish it.”

Companions? Oh yeah, Jebbedo, Tavi, Gatbark, and Celine all came with the soldiers.

“I honestly wouldn’t mind you guys but you have too many new warriors, that represents a real danger.”

Keegan nodded. “We’d thought this might be the case.”

Aclo pointed up with a dagger. “Now send our people out, or else.”

“I will inform them of your arrival and if they choose to see you they will be allowed to leave.”

Aclo narrowed his eyes and Irduth let out a harumph of irritation.

The four companions were told and all four chose to at least see their companions, leaving through the far west gate and making their way to the resting soldiers. Six could see them reconnect, hugs and smiles, laughter. A brief huddled conversation and Celine and Gatbark came back, followed by Jebbedo. Tavi stayed behind continuing to talk and gesticulate to the soldiers.

Six raised a questioning eyebrow at the ones returning and all of them said some variation on the same thing. “This is my home now.” They also pushed Six to allow the soldiers to stay.

“Those are the soldiers from our old garrison,” Jebbedo said. “Not the best soldiers but all good people for the most part.”

“Can never be too safe, always good to have more hands around,” grumbled Gatbark.

Celine made pointed questions. “Didn’t you just say that we needed more warriors? Well?”

But Six worried about the state of power in the town. It was hard to trust a group of warriors in a lawless land. Six wasn’t sure if they could win either as he was sure that Keegan’s squad all held classes.

Rather than leaving, Keegan approached the gate again. “Would you take us as citizens of Mountain’s End?”

That was suspicious. “Why would you want such a thing? Are you not soldiers of the empire?”

“There is a calm here, a peace. Many things have happened outside this forest and every day food becomes more scarce. The imperial legions underwent a schism… a sunderering. Many of us no longer call ourselves soldiers.”

“A schism?”

“We will give you a report, if you allow us to stay.”

“Fair. Could you forswear the empire?”

“Personally? No, not entirely. I’ll still call the city of Vlehull my home and I am of the empire, or what it was, but I and all of us are willing to live as a citizen of Mountain’s End and bind ourselves to that for a period of years. Perhaps I’ll return home at the end, perhaps not.”

Six considered for a long moment. “I must confer with my people.” He took a huddle with Charles and Leoka. “What do you think? They wish to join us, I think the danger of betrayal is too great. Thoughts?”

Leoka looked uncomfortable at the accusation but Charles nodded in understanding.

Leoka spoke first. “We should let them stay. They’re imperial soldiers, if they were here when Amog attacked Alison would still be alive. They follow our lord Kynairos and worked to protect the people before the sundering, my people would feel safer with their presence. Is there any reason to not trust them? The classed ones could easily find an easier life in the cities, yet they want to be here.”

Six grunted, then gestured for Charles' input.

The kid pensively gathered his thoughts and then stated his mind. “It is dangerous but incorporating lost soldiers into our ranks could give us the jumpstart on protocol and manpower. Yes, everything could be lost, but I think conflict is actually very unlikely. Of the main officers, the only ones I didn’t trust were Gatbark and Irduth and well… Gatbark is already setting down roots and contributing.”

Six nodded while scratching his chin.

They didn't seem hostile but they didn't know of his bloodcasting and he knew he would continue to grasp at power regardless of these soldiers perceived legality of that power. This could eventually bring them to blows. He didn’t entirely trust them to just leave in that case.

Maybe he should just cede control to Keegan, it might be the best thing for the town and then Six could get back to smoking weed and taking naps. But, a deep part of himself knew that life of simple hedonism held no meaning, no struggle, no highs nor lows, It was nice and comfortable. The burden he now carried was a weight that stimulated growth within him. Now that he had this responsibility, he did not wish to relinquish it. He could not stop growing.

His natural paranoia and wariness made the threat the soldiers represented so clear and simple.

Yet his gut was telling him to accept their offer.

This was a necessary risk that he would have to endure many times over, if his vision was to rise from the depths of his visualizations.

He sighed and carefully poked his head above the palisade seeing Keegan, Aclo and Irduth staring up expectantly. He would kill them all if they betrayed him, pyrrhic victory or no.

He smiled and beckoned towards them. “Aight, come on in.”