Next up on his impromptu tour were the barracks, where the guards of the city dwelled. He hopped down from the wall, landing on the street with a muffled thump, and then was off, racing towards the nearest barracks. Over the last month or so, the city had grown sufficiently that there were enough guards to fill multiple barracks with, rather than just one.

The nearest one was located next to the wall, and Jonathan could hear the noises of people practicing within. It was emptier than it would have been usually, given that some of the guards were out leveling in the wasteland, but there were still at least forty city guards inside of the building. For some reason, most of them used spears, with hardly any other weaponry, or even magical abilities. Perhaps this was because of the weapon’s value in troop formations, as opposed to the fighting style of an elite like Jonathan.

As he entered, he leaned against the lintel, watching as the guards fought one another. They were certainly skilled, that was for sure, but their strength and speed were lacking. None of them would last a second against a Tier 2. The soldiers fought on another without the use of any abilities, simply relying on their martial skill. A lot of the moves that they used seemed to be things that had been drilled into them over time, as Jonathan saw a lot of repeated attacks going on across the room.

A lot of those aforementioned attacks seemed to be more geared towards supporting another fighter than anything else. From an over the shoulder thrust that looked to be aimed at poking through a hole in a defensive line, to a series of sharp, probing jabs that would be more effective on a bustling battlefield than in a training room. A higher level guard kept watch over the garrison, one of the guards that Jonathan had granted access to the Mana Magnet array. Upon seeing Jonathan, the man saluted, and the mock battle came to a halt.

“Welcome, faction leader!” The man barked out, with the other soldiers joining in.

Jonathan nodded in response, and studied the room. The floor was covered in a rough woven mat, one that would not provide much in the way of comfort if somebody fell, or more likely, was pushed into the ground. The walls were bare save for a few weapon racks, and other than that, it was basically a shell of a building. A hallway led out into a sleeping area in the back of the building, but that was separate from the rest of the place. There were only a few beds in there, as most people that were at the guards’ level only had to sleep every few weeks or so.

The guards quickly got back to sparring a moment later, paying Jonathan no heed. He scanned the room a moment later, finding that most of them were between level 50 and 60. The leader was level 81, which was very impressive, given how little time he had been out here. However, a steady diet of powerful monsters would do that to a man.

Jonathan saw that there was nothing more he could do here, and left, heading out into the street. They were lower level than he would have liked, but there were other ways of evening the odds. The inklings of a plan, one involving the Uthraki, was coming into his mind. It would be difficult to pull off, given the limitations of the token, but it could possibly work.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

Jonathan knew more about the lore of Tartarus now, and he knew that Granath had greatly wronged the inhabitants of that realm by leaving. Perhaps he could use that to his advantage.

He wanted to confer with Edgar about his idea first. As he walked, the plan started to crystallize in his mind, the benefit of having high Intelligence. Although he was not actually smarter than before, at least in terms of knowledge, he was able to use his intelligence to a far greater extent than before. His mind was unfogged by confusion, and he could concentrate on things that would have caused the old Jonathan to throw up his hands in dismay. He was a different man now, in many ways.

Jonathan headed on a roundabout path through the city, going towards the central barracks, where Edgar was sure to be. He had taken to training with his girlfriend in the martial disciplines, after she had told him of their use. Mainly it was because he was quite infatuated with her, which anyone could see, but he pretended that it was because of its usefulness to his survivability.

By the time Jonathan had reached the center of the city, where the barracks were, he had formed a plan in his mind. However, he still needed Edgar’s help in refining it. Walking in the door, he spotted Edgar sparring with Eva, the woman seeming to hold back as she fought. Edgar was not very good at using a spear, and it was showing, but he valiantly fought on, fumbling through the blocks and parries. Jonathan did not laugh however, as he was no better at using the unfamiliar weapon. Although his Dexterity would allow him to muddle through a fight, if it was removed, he would probably be worse than Edgar was. Using his fists just seemed more natural to him, because he had greater control over them than any weapon. Jonathan cleared his throat as he entered, and Edgar looked up.

“Edgar! I have something that I want to run by you,” Jonathan called out.

“What is it?”

“Come with me.”

Edgar sighed and extricated himself from his battle, heading away from Eva. The woman flashed Jonathan a glare, and he instinctively cringed. The woman glared at him for a few seconds, and then went back to training.

Gulping, Jonathan led Edgar out of the room. He had always wondered why in stories powerful fighters would find themselves quailing before the wrath of women. He had assumed that it was just a plot device, added for the purpose of levity, but it was all too real. Some habits just died hard.

As the two friends left the barracks, Jonathan began to explain his plan. He had led Edgar away from the barracks in case there were any spies. There were bound to be some in this city.

“I surveyed the city earlier, and I have to say, I am not very optimistic about our chances. However, I had an idea. It might be foolish in the extreme, but I can’t think of anything else.”

“What is it?” Edgar asked, seeming a little annoyed at having been separated from Eva.

“So, you remember that watchtower in Tartarus? There was that letter that spoke about how Granath had abandoned the Uthraki, leaving them to ruin. I was thinking that-”

“That we could pit them against each other? That’s a brilliant idea! How do you plan to do it though?”

“That’s what I was stuck on.”