Mike stirred up quite the commotion when he got back to the village. As usual, he leapt over the wall. This terrified quite a few people, who saw nothing but a ten foot tall stag flying over their only protections. He had needed to defend the corpse when countless guards, fighters and crafters started trying to kill the already dead deer. That whole mishap had earned him quite the earful from Hobbes, who explained that next time he was carrying the corpse of a monster that could qualify as a night raid boss, he should take the front entrance.
Mike dragged his feet a bit on the way back to his home, lamenting a bit about the unfairness of it all. He knew that he was in the wrong, but he’d be damned before he admitted it. He entered his home, looking at the materials of the stag that had been delivered during his conversation with Hobbes. Otto had taken the deer apart, tearing himself away from the kitchen to do so.
The only reasons he did so was because he wanted the rare ranked meat that would come off of the beast when he did so, and because he wanted a nice boost to his level for processing the body of a beast that had 10 levels on him. The fact that it had been delivered before he got back was truly a testament to the undressing Hobbes had given him.
Mike picked up one of the antlers that had come from the stag, noting that he had 10 in total. Two were large and quite long, with the rest being shorter in size. Otto had taken the liberty of making them easier to work into multiple items instead of wasting material by knocking chunks off to get them to be straighter. Mike grabbed a chisel from his tool kit and began shaping one of the two longest pieces into a sword. He doubted he would ever pick a sword over his hammer, but making more items to sell would earn him a fair bit of coin.
He used the mana edge property of Cleave to make the chisel bite deeper every time he tapped the back of it with his common soul hammer. Over time, the sword slowly took shape, and he began sharpening it with a whetstone that he had been provided. It had been made by one of the materials experts in the village, and was especially made to sharpen blades. If it wasn't, the antlers would be scraping the stone away faster than the stone sharpened the material. More and more often he was running into the issue that the materials he was working with were stronger, more durable, or just too tough for the tools in his workshop to do much.
He was going to need to find a solution eventually, so he decided to get to work on it when he was finished with the sword. After the weapon was completed, he began infusing it with mana, trying to copy the pattern of mana he had felt coming off of the stag when it manipulated the trees around it. Thanks to raising his wisdom stat, he had a really good memory now, though it still wasn't perfect.
He managed to make a crude, far less effective replica of the pattern after several attempts. His new upgrade to his mana manipulation helped immensely as his mana did almost exactly as he commanded, with him needing to make minor adjustments less often than he needed to in the past. The pattern became self-sustaining, and he could feel the same sense of nature coming from it as he had from the stag.
*Profession level up! Prodigious Artisan of the Arcane (level 34)*
Stag’s Bane (Epic)
This blade has been made from the antler of a nature blessed stag. It has been further enchanted to mimic the powers of its deceased owner, calling nature to its aid with each swing. Gives its wielder a minor ability to manipulate nearby plant life, with the effect getting stronger if the wielder has a strong nature affinity.
Stag’s bane seemed like a bit of a dramatic name, and not very fitting considering it came from a stag. The mention of nature affinity tugged on Mike’s mind, and he thought about what it could mean.
“Does it have something to do with it being considered ‘nature blessed’? Does whoever wield it need to be blessed to also have the affinity?” Mike did not know, but he really wanted to. If he could add an effect like this to his own weapons, and align it with whatever affinity he had, if he even had one, he could get a lot more dangerous in a fight. His hammer was nice, simple, and effective, but he couldn't deny that the idea of slinging a fireball every time he swung his hammer appealed to him. As a test, he gave the sword a few test swings, feeling a negligible amount of mana travel from his hand, to the sword, and off the edge with every movement.
His extreme sensitivity to mana picked up on the subtle differences between the mana when it left him and when it left the blade. It felt different to his senses. Weirdly enough, the sense that he felt could capture it most was taste, despite the fact that it was nowhere near his mouth. It just had a different flavor to it, like how leaves tasted. Mike had been a dumb child once, and like all dumb children had at one point shoved a leaf in his mouth.
“So this must be the nature affinity.” He muttered. His mana manipulation skill was truly far more useful than he could imagine, as without it he doubted he would be able to feel the difference. He made a note to keep an eye out for anyone who may also share this affinity. Perhaps he could sell it to the druid that led Isaiah’s and Lila’s settlement. It felt like it was close to being a higher rarity than epic, but like it would still need more than a small push to reach that threshold. He hung the sword on a nearby weapon rack before walking outside and being greeted by Hobbes. The man seemed to always somehow know when Mike was leaving his house, and it was starting to get a little creepy.
“Sir, we are on the verge of acquiring a vassal settlement, but the settlement leadership has requested that they meet you in person before they fall under our command.” Hobbes said, so nonchalantly that Mike thought he had misheard him.
“I’m sorry, we are what? When the hell did this happen, and why did nobody tell me?” Mike asked. He was not happy to be left out of the loop like this, and he made it very clear to his assistant.
“You handed off these responsibilities to Devin, and he simply offered to protect the settlement in exchange for them becoming a vassal. I can assure you this is a good thing.”
“That doesn’t explain why nobody told me until my presence was made necessary.” This made Hobbes hesitate a bit, before explaining.
“You see, much of the council was worried that the process would be slowed quite a bit if you had met the leaders earlier. I don't know if you have realized the position that your power puts you in yet. If the leaders had seen you approach them, asking to make them a vassal settlement, then they would likely be scared off and see it as you intimidating them into submission. Since we waited until they asked to see you, it now looks more like we are showing that we have the strength to ensure their safety.”
“Then why couldn't you just tell me not to go meet them?”
“Because I didn't think you would listen.” Hobbes said.
Mike’s face was getting a bit red from the anger he felt. He was the leader of the village for Christ's sake, why wouldn't they just trust him a bit. Then he remembered the fact that while they had seen enough to have trust in his strength, he really had not done a lot to show he had good judgment. The massive statue of him running from a spider that sat atop the wall likely didn't help with that either. He let out a long breath, calming his nerves.
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“Ok, fine. I understand why you did it, even if I don't agree with it. But just to be clear, I will be informed of any big changes or events such as this in the future.” He said, not leaving any room for disagreement.
“Of course sir. Now if you follow me, we have a small caravan that is preparing to depart for the settlement soon.” Hobbes responded, not seeming to take Mike’s words as seriously as he would have liked.
“A caravan, are we not just running?”
“Now that people are leveling and gaining stats, everyone runs at such different speeds that it just makes more sense to travel as a group atop a monster.”
Mike didn't even know how to respond to that. What kind of monster could hold a small caravan worth of people? His question was answered as they made it to the meeting point, with Mike stopping in his tracks.
“No.” He said, a deadly seriousness in his voice.
“It is faster than the slowest of our people can run, it's just more convenient this way.” Hobbes said, a grin forming at seeing Mike so squeamish.
“I don't care if it makes things easier, I can just run alongside, or better yet run ahead where I don't need to see them.” At the meeting spot were 5 massive spiders, each ten feet tall with platforms made of thin wood strapped upon their backs. “Where did these things even come from?”
“Martin sent over some of his higher leveled spiders to assist with the journey. Another beast master will be accompanying us to ensure they don't veer off the path.”
“So they literally are incapable of hurting me, since they come from my own dungeon. Good to hear. Still not riding them.”
“It’s a two day run, even if you are on the back of one of them. You are nearly guaranteed to get lost if you just try and run in the same direction for so long. I don't imagine you would want to run alongside them for that long anyways would you?”
Mike grumbled a bit, before turning and walking away. “I will be right back.” He returned a few minutes later, carrying a very large and very heavy crate over his head. “I will go if you let me use this as a seat. That way I am still at least five feet from those things at all times.”
“Deal.” Hobbes said. “What is in the box? If you don't mind me asking.”
“Just a couple of things to barter or give as gifts to the settlement, they don't have a currency yet, since they aren't a village, but I’d wager they have at least some goods worth trading.”
“Perfect, we can give them a few gifts if they need a little extra persuasion.”
“You mean bribing them?” Mike asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Call it what you will.” Devin said from atop one of the spiders. “I know quite a few of them would be foaming at the mouth to have a weapon made by the highest level crafter around.”
They loaded up the rest of the caravan, with Devin, Mike, and several others joining. Lucas also joined in, which Mike did not understand at all.
“What are you doing here?” He asked.
“Thought I could do a bit of exploring outside of our own village. I haven't even seen another settlement in person other than ours yet.” Lucas replied, sitting right on the joint of one of the spider's legs. “Besides, getting to ride atop these cuties for a couple days is quite a big plus too.”
“You are fucked in the head.”
“Don't let the spiders hear you say that, they are pretty emotional.”
The caravan headed out soon after, and Mike was surprised at the speed the spider’s were reaching. Their legs pounded across the forest floor, almost reaching the pace he could run at if he wasn't using any skills. He identified one of them, wanting to see which variant he was riding atop.
*Tarantula Scout (level 30)*
They appeared to be entirely focused on speed over power, as Mike noticed they were slowed a bit every time one of their legs hit a tree. They still smashed through the wood, but not as easily as most level 30’s would. Mike was slowly getting more comfortable with riding atop the arachnids, but he was still wary of them. A few people chuckled at his expense, but he was sure that if they had spent two weeks being constantly bombarded by the damn things in the pitch black caves that made up their nest, they would have a slight fear of spiders as well.
By the first night, the spiders had crossed quite a bit of land, and the forest gave way to a much more bleak looking landscape. The vegetation slowly got thinner and thinner as they traveled, eventually disappearing all together. Over the span of about a hundred miles, the lush forest became a desert.
The air chilled to below freezing temperatures, though it didn't affect anyone in the caravan much. Cacti dotted the landscape, and Mike expected to see a tumbleweed roll across the ground at any second. The sun rose, and Mike could feel the sun beating down on them, and the heat that would put any desert before the system to shame. In the direct sunlight, Mike estimated the temperature to be around 150 degrees Fahrenheit, and that was in the morning.
When the sun reached its apex, the sweat coming off of several people began to turn into steam. Mike, once more, was entirely unaffected by the heat. His 1188 points in constitution weren’t just there for show after all. He couldn't even guess at the temperature now, as he really didn't have anything to use as a reference point. The heat would kill a normal human, but the system enhanced humans traveling the desert were just fine.
He couldn't imagine how people saw these conditions and decided that it was a good place to bunker down and make a settlement. Perhaps they had gotten used to it over time, or developed heat resistance. Either way, Mike couldn't imagine needing to use mana to insulate his water every time he wanted to take a sip without it boiling off in his cup.
They arrived at their destination in the middle of the night, and were greeted by a group of men and women who all wore clothes made of cloth. Mike didn't see a single person wearing armor among the group. The settlement had no wall, and no visible defenses from what he could see. Frankly Mike wasn't sure how they were fending off the raids that came their way every ten days. Mike reasoned that they must have some damn powerful people here if they weren’t worried about monsters. The buildings he saw were all made of sandstone, and brick roads had been paved all around.
They too were made of sandstone. Upon further inspection, everything seemed to be made of the material. Guess they don't have access to much else, he thought. The group that had greeted them helped them to unload the cargo from the backs of the spiders, looking not at all fazed at the ten foot tall monsters. An important looking man approached them, spreading his arms open in greeting.
“Welcome to Dune. We have accommodations ready for each of you.” He said, while gesturing for them to follow. All ten members of the caravan walked through the city, following the man. They walked through the city, and stopped by a building that was situated next to a large oasis. Cacti, short trees, and small amounts of grass grew around the edge of the water. “This is where you will be sleeping during your visit. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.”
“May I ask your name?” Devin asked.
“I do not have a name, as I have yet to be given one.” The man responded.
“Yet to be given one?” Lucas chimed in, earning a glare from Devin, who clearly wanted him to shut up. The unnamed man took it in stride.
“All will be explained soon enough. Once the sun rises, our grand chiefs will speak with you.” Without another word, he left. In his wake stood many confused people, and one very bored rogue.