“So, that’s the plan,” I finished, finally coming up for air. I had just spent the better part of two hours going over the upcoming logistics and operations I saw taking place. The map I had made was as complete as I could make it, which is to say, very. It was quite nice to use my new System-given abilities for something other than dealing with the changes of the new world.
In a way, this was still that, but mapmaking was a task humans had undertaken since the dawn of our race. Their race, I reminded myself, my meeting with the nomad weighing heavy on my mind. The whole night I had been working, my eyes kept wandering back to the spot where we had met the strange and powerful being.
“Well, the situation in Newtown is strange, people are definitely interested in leaving.” Tom was my man on the ground and he had handled things well enough as far as I could tell. Given he had no remit or tasks to perform beyond general mingling with the local players, anything was better than nothing. “I have an actual quest to help catch the murderer now, so I’m definitely focused on that, but with these plans I think moving people here should start to become simple either way.”
Until I had taken care of the four claimant monsters, I was unable to use the System to build anything on my land. That didn’t mean nothing could be constructed, only that it would need to be built with old fashioned elbow grease. Apparently there were people completely focused on a trade or profession, finding their levels increasing when carrying out their previously less-fulfilling jobs. There was quite a productivity boom going on, which I wanted to be a part of.
Wholesale construction of what I was aspirationally thinking of as the most powerful city on Earth would surely be an easy sell.
“By the way, Grant, could I talk to you about something?” We were having a meeting of The Ascent but almost everything had just been myself and Tom talking back and forth. Harry and Ellie had been whispering occasionally and Aaron was actually asleep, I was pretty sure. His head had been in his hands for fifteen minutes. Before I got angry, I had to leave.
“Actually Tom, if I’m ever going to be able to leave this place for an extended period and find my family, then I can’t stop. Same for you, all, right?” I was already standing before I asked my question. There was a lot on my shoulders, but if I had known the future right then, I would have listened to Tom. If I was an actual leader, I might have noticed the disgruntled looks of the others before I left the room or heard the mutinous words said once I was gone.
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“And there he goes again, our fearless leader.”
“For someone who slept for half the meeting, you’ve got a lot to say.” Tom didn’t like the way the others talked about Grant behind his back. In the past, he found it easier to ignore the comments said around me, but Tom didn’t want to be that person anymore. He especially wasn’t going to let Aaron talk shit.
“I mean…” Tom cringed as Harry spoke up, knowing it would be harder to ignore his words, “Az isn’t completely wrong, though. We’re all meant to stay here and set up his city?” He gestured to the way-too-detailed map on the table and scoffed. “Do any of you know the first thing about getting something like this done? Els? Do you know how to make a water wheel?” She shook her head.
Feeling ganged up on, Tom held up his hands in defeat. Somehow he had ended up a middleman for two different groups. His old friends or Grant and Naea. “I’ll try and speak to him again. Obviously, there’s a lot going on for everyone, but we would all be dead without Grant. If not dead, then nowhere near as strong as we are now.” Tom truly believed that. The world was dangerous even outside that crazy dungeon.
“How much did he really do?” Aaron asked the question under his breath, quiet enough it could be ignored, if one wanted. The sting of an almost closed wound showed on all five of our faces. Tom saw an echo of loss ripple across Harry, Luke and Ellie, knowing it was reflected on his own face. Jason. In many ways, Grant was similar to their lost friend and those similarities made the differences chafe harder.
Tom eventually managed to pin down a few tasks for the others but they were less than enthusiastic about fulfilling them. Did they not realise that they would need to settle down and actually live in this new world at some point? Without a lost person to search for, it was up to each of them to find a way forward on paths no one else had walked yet. It was daunting, sure, but Tom was hopeful he could rise to the challenge, as Grant had.
The helpful mage already had the information of dozens of men and women that were looking to move away from Newtown. While many were looking to claim whatever normalcy remained in this world, not everyone felt the same. The prospect of joining a System-sanctioned guild, and whatever might come later, was enough for some. The chance to start something completely fresh was a powerful selling point. Given they needed everything? Anyone who wanted to work was valuable.
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The hardest part was going to be making sure everyone felt compensated, though for now, the System smoothed that out. People weren’t worried about a few coins when they were levelling up and getting stronger than they thought possible. Plus, they had almost nothing to spend it on yet. A completely new economy was forming overnight and it was either pure chaos or absolute goldmine, depending on how you looked at it. If one got lucky and ended up with a profession of extreme value in the new world, or just made a good deal now that paid off later, the gains could get crazy.
Aaron decided he was going to be in charge of home construction, which was an unexpectedly great fit. He had done some contracting work over a few summers and at least knew what it should look like. Ellie and Harry said they would focus on the marketplace plans Grant had laid out, which Tom agreed was a large task but would help them where he could. Everything was going to become more structured once more experience was gained and more hands were available. Luke, who seemed even more bored than the others, asked to go scouting.
“Of… course you can?” Tom answered, falling onto the backfoot in the conversation. “I’m not the boss. Even Grant isn’t the boss. We should all just do what we feel like we can do, not force something that isn’t there.” Luke had a grateful expression before it shifted to almost apologetic before leaving. Once he did, Tom turned to the others. “You’re all good with what you’re doing?” He asked, worried. The others waved him away with a chorus of yeses but his confidence wasn’t high.
He knew there was nothing to do but trust his guildmates and do whatever else he could do. “I’ll go back over to Newtown and start moving some people along, then.” Tom was intimidated by the task ahead but unwilling to let someone else do it. Why not me? He thought, And why wouldn’t I do it well? Trying to brute force some confidence, Tom left and started towards Newtown.
This was going to be easy, he was sure.
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“Brewers, traders, farmers and anyone with some engineering knowledge is ideal and will receive a stipend for moving, along with a property that they can pay off simply by living and working in the new city.” Tom finished with a smile. Julianna and Stephanie were listening patiently along with the two other controlling members of Newtown. They were more of a council than a guild, and he hadn’t had much dealing with the men in the room.
“Oh, fair enough,” the larger of the two men said with a tone that suggested it very much was not fair enough, “we’ll just pass over all of the most useful people to another, nearby city and say ‘see ya later’, shall we? Is this kid taking the piss?”
“Chill out, Gaz,” the shorter man said. He wasn’t short, just that Gaz wouldn’t have looked out of place on a world cup rugby pitch. “My name’s Fred, by the way. Tom, right?” He stood, placing a hand on the more heated man’s shoulder and calming him down. Tom nodded and the man smiled, bright white and perfect teeth beaming out. “It’s really cool to meet you man, Julz has told me a lot. I have to say, it’s special.”
Tom didn’t follow. “Wh- what’s special?” Stephanie giggled at the question and Tom had to hold back a blush. She was pretty in a disarming fashion that he wasn’t used to, and nice to him in an ever more unfamiliar way. He focused on not blushing, concentrating on Fred.
“You! You’re special, big man. Lemme guess, you were always a bit of a wallflower growing up? At least until the System came along, for sure.” Tom nodded again, wondering where he was going with this. Fred’s face became serious. “You do realise, Gaz'' he said, his voice now grave, “that Tom here could tear through all four of us without blinking, yeah?”
Gaz stiffened, as though fighting the nod that he was forced to give. “I am aware,” the huge man said through gritted teeth. Julianna looked uncomfortable but stayed quiet. A sigh befitting his size was released and Gaz seemed to sag. “You’re right,” Gaz agreed again, “and that’s why what I think doesn’t really matter.”
“Don’t be a baby, Gaz,” Julianna chided, “the things that used to matter don’t anymore, and everyone needs more room than we thought they did.” Apparently the boom in professional work, which didn’t necessitate going into danger, was being stifled by the very thing we could promise. Space to work and eventual System assistance to do so. Experience wasn’t only found in defeating monsters, but pretty much every task in this new world gave a trickle, at least.
Over the next few hours the five of them hashed out a general plan for Newtown and how it could exist in and amongst The Ascent. The general idea was for Newtown to exist as a sort of suburb and artisan area while whatever became of The Ascent was more industrial. “We’re going to keep running into this problem,” Fred said after a while of talking in circles.
“Yep,” Stephanie sighed, leaning her head on my shoulder. “Can’t really make an decisions without Grant.” She playfully copied Tom’s voice but even he was getting tired of hearing his excuses at this point. It was hard to ignore the frustration but what else was there to do?
“Look, we’ll get people moving either way because it’s the best thing for them. Offering someone hard labour isn’t exactly full of appeal for most so anyone who wants to go should be given our blessing more than anything.” Fred smiled warmly, and there was a clear desire to wrap up the meeting. There wasn’t anything more to do. It was a hard day's work, but Tom had kind of loved it.
“I’ll walk you some of the way?” Stephanie asked with hope in her voice. Tom happily agreed and they started making our way out of Newtown. The pair talked about little more than the weather and other meaningless things but it was nice. Just as they were about to leave the bounds of Newtown, and the walls which defended it, a siren started blaring loudly.
“What’s going on?!” Tom had to shout to be heard, and people all over were running around like headless chickens. His mind immediately went to the murders which had occurred, thinking this was a warning for one of them. Except, that didn’t make sense? Stephanie looked shaken, and Tom thought he saw a look of disgust on her face as she slashed away a System prompt only she could see.
“It’s a goddamn trial wave,” she snarled. Tom didn’t know what was happening but he unleashed his Dao all the same. Actual sparkles filled the air around him, but his senses extended far. All over Newtown, small bubbles of energy could be felt being gathered. They tickled his magical sense and it took a moment to realise what they were. People wielding their Aspects, he realised. “The monsters are coming.”