Standing in the centre of the forest’s arena, I watched as dozens upon dozens of monsters shuffled peacefully into the stands. One of the first beings to arrive was a fox I had seen previously. Arguably it could have been a different animal, but the way it stared me down and seemed to laugh at me felt familiar. We studied each other while other animals filed in, joined by less easily described forms. The beasts and humanoids which appeared after the fox were more fearsome and less recognisable.
Was this actually quite a dangerous idea?
I wondered suspicious thoughts to myself as the creatures continued to pile into the arena. I shouldn’t be surprised that Naea could spread words like wildfire, but I was still impressed by the amount. When I first saw the arena, I hadn’t been able to picture it full. There had been a few creatures around during the battle with Merownis, most had scattered away when I arrived. More had run when the Scorpion Prince ruined the fun.
Now the forest zone had truly begun to gather all its glory.
The “glory” in this case was a chaotic mess of disjointed creatures that had no business living on top of each other. Either more creature types were appearing day by day or I had been woefully mistaken on the diversity around when I first moved through the area. Taking the time to look and let my analysis activate, I learned the names of the new so-called monsters brought here by the System to kill me.
Ents, animals, even a few Sundercats caught my eye due to recognition but there were a lot of new shapes and sights in the crowd too. A particularly large ent was struggling to decide if was going to enter the stands or wait at the back, and I focused on it for a moment.
Coppice Maker Ent - Level 21
That was an impressive level for something which could hardly move faster than a slow human pre-System. From a quick sense, it was one of the stronger beings here. I imagined how it might defend itself and hunt as it settled into one of the sides next to an entrance. The nearby Attack Animal nodded to it before returning its gaze to me. The large turtle-frog-man crossed its arms, looking for all the world a bouncer at the strangest sporting event of all time. Its brethren were at each of the cardinal directions from which the stairs descended to the arena. Were they… bigger?
Amphibious Attack Animal - Level 22
Ah, they had grown out of their adolescence. That explained the additional bulk. In contrast, there were some child-like looking creatures streaming in together which were the picture of immaturity. Small grey and green skinned humanoids which screamed “goblin” were starting to take over a whole section of the stands. They were literally screaming the word “goblin” over and over, in some form of dominance battle with another crowd of miniature things which looked more like hyena people. Those were barking back and gnashing the word “gnoll” over and over.
Forest Goblin - Level 5
Forest Gnoll - Level 4
Neither group had a member over four feet. I didn’t see any over level five, either. Honestly, if they stayed at such a manageable level, they might be quite cute. Time would tell what happened here. I knew with skills even low levels could be a problem in a swarm, and depending on whether I succeeded at keeping peace here, I might have to fight my way out. They wouldn’t look so cute if they got in my way then, I thought with a grimace.
Turning away from my growing anxiety, I inspected one of the few soothing sights around. The “repairs” to the arena turned out to be a large pile of rocks shoved into the tunnel. It wouldn’t actually serve to fix anything defensively or structurally, but the fact it had been done at all gave me hope. The forest wanted something from me. Did that have to be brutality? I didn’t think so. If nothing else, the mound made for a nice stage to stand on and give my speech.
It’ll be easy, I told myself, most of them are already naked so that part’s already done. It’s not even a speech, really, it’s an offer. Just imagine them as people and not monsters and…
I smiled. Well, problem solved.
It really was that simple. Though there were some frightening faces, I could feel from the Spirit in the air that there was no true aggression aimed towards me. Hesitance, fear and hope, though the mixture was confusing and disorientating to shift through. All I could do was absorb their worries and dispel them.
“Hello,” I started. My voice was projected by a general expenditure of mana to increase the power and the combined attributes I had gathered. Strength didn’t affect just my arms and legs, but even less physical things like volume. It was a shame, I reflected, that there was no charisma attribute. With my mana flowing, I could pretend that Command did the job and that I wasn’t shaking. Why was fighting them all more appealing than talking?
“Hello,” I repeated, the crowd’s noises quietening quickly, “Thank you all for coming. I’m sure you’re confused but we’ll go fast and as long as no one attacks me, I promise I won’t move from this spot for thirty minutes starting from now.” I made sure to look at Naea as I spoke, something she said would be important.
As Spirit gathered around me like a constrictor snake, I would be inclined to agree that it was important. I didn’t feel threatened, but I did feel it impossible to take a step off the mound. The fairy nodded, and from the murmuring of the crowd they did understand the implication. In fact, the fastest to react was the fox.
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To the shouts of those nearest it, the fox shot down from the stands almost as soon as I was finished talking. Some nearby goblins howled in despair and clawed at their faces, expecting retribution as the fox bounded forward. It stopped just outside the mound of packed rocks before turning around and looking out into the arena. I couldn’t help smiling, confused but enjoying the moment. Whatever else was happening, I could always enjoy a fox being cute and inquisitive.
“So, as you can see, you’re safe to come closer. In fact, I hope some of you do.” Merownis stepped forward now, looking perturbed to be sharing the dubious spotlight with the fox which had jumped the gun a little. He brandished Severance, and held it out to me hilt first after crossing the arena. “Merownis is the first ally I have freed from the System’s control. I’m hoping he’s not the last.”
These words too, I aimed at Naea. Merownis might be the first party member, but Naea was my saviour. Without her, none of my survival would have been possible. I wasn’t sure how it would work, but I would do anything to make sure I repaid her for that debt. She looked confused and uncomfortable, so I knew my job was done and I continued.
“This sword is called Severance. It can cut contract bonds, according to its description.” It seemed I didn’t have to explain the importance of such an item as the crowd erupted into noise once more and a few brave individuals almost fell onto the arena floor. Other than the fox who didn’t turn back around, none had come as close. However, there were a few standouts who approached with, if not confidence, then without stumbling.
I took special note of these individuals, smiling at the impossible coincidence of them all being from separate races. Most interesting was that these beings were all lower level than the compatriots of theirs I saw in the stands. Bravery wasn’t an attribute you could gain from higher levels, after all. So you’re the trailblazers, huh?
Willow Ent - Level 11
Forest Goblin - Level 2
Forest Gnoll - Level 2
Cheetah Sundercat - Level 10
Forest Orc - Level 7
“I can remove the bindings of the System from you,” I told the crowd, but mostly these five. Doing any more than five at one would be a push on my mana reserves anyway, and I could slowly work through the rest. These ambassadors could keep the rest of the forest in line with me. “Who wants to be first?”
The orc and Sundercat moved at the same time before stopping and looking at each other sharply. The Sundercat turned to me, bowed their head and stepped back. While it might have been strange, I felt like it might look like favouritism if I had chosen the Sundercat outright, so I was privately glad.
The orc looked like they wanted to tear the cheetah woman apart for breathing the same air, let alone for giving them the first chance. There was value in that attitude. If kept aimed in the right direction, the Aspect within whispered, aggression was just another form of defence. Standing at an easy eight foot, the orc was not quite what I had pictured in my mind.
Broad shouldered, with grey skin and a bald head, the general silhouette was about right. The part I hadn’t expected was the tusks and snout of a pig. “Do you have a name?” I asked simply. Unsurprisingly, the orc grunted before shaking its head. Interesting. Merownis came with a name, but maybe that wasn’t true for all creatures. “Would you like one?”
Although it looked embarrassed afterwards, the orc squealed slightly and nodded quickly. I smiled. “Okay. Forgive me if I don’t match the name to an existing culture, but for me…” I trailed off slightly while sending mana into Severance. “You look like a Krueger.”
Keeping the fight from my face, I gathered the strength of my Spirit Well to protect myself from the System’s assault. Knowing that the System would throw a tantrum made it relatively simple to throw up a barrier and cause its attention to slide away. My issues in the past were mostly due to a lack of knowledge, not necessarily the strength of the System’s attention. I was small potatoes, just a punk in a dungeon. Before I had the Spirit Well skill, my consciousness was no more firm than a candle flame. Now it could weather the slight breeze.
Plus, as I wasn’t adding these guys to my party proper, Severance didn’t drain my mana until I was a walking husk, which was a bonus. The process continued quickly afterwards, with the sundercat going next. The goblin scrambled after that, having knocked the gnoll to the ground with a well placed punch to the snout. Though it didn’t interrupt, the gnoll did attack the goblin once their ceremonies were complete. The ent waited patiently, but in short order all were freed from any bindings of the System and given names.
Previously with Merownis I had been working blind, and used my own mana and uncontrolled Spirit to fill in the gaps. That process connected him to me and created the Party Leader skill. Thanks to my inexperience, there was a need to have a contract with Merownis at the time. That contract was now our bond, which had evolved along with Merownis’ race. It wasn’t something I would change, but it also wasn’t something I wanted to force again.
So, before too long, I had five changed creatures standing before me. Joining Krueger were Ayseral the cheetah sundercat, Jovie the female goblin, Speedo the gnoll, and Naru the willow ent. With a small use of Spirit, expelled like a breath, I was able to tell they were different. The caterwauling from the stands had risen to a fever pitch without my noticing, and I was incredibly grateful when the newly anointed envoys turned and corralled their respective peoples.
My head was spinning, and I stumbled as the restrictions on me slipped away. A large hand found me, and Merownis chuckled. “Claiming a zone, creating a faction. You really are special, Grant. What’s your next trick going to be, I wonder?”
Looking at the excited group before me, only now conceptualising it as mine, I honestly baulked somewhat. My face must have looked especially stricken as the chuckle on my friend’s lips turned into a hearty laugh. Naea, who had been moved nearby at some point, joined in. “Don’t worry and don’t overthink,” she said kindly. “You’ll find that these things take on a life of their own quickly.”