Sabrina walked toward her Manor House, and with every step, the mask she wore when around Jeremiah faded away. She clenched her fists and felt her muscles tighten. By the time she reached the front door of her two-story Manor House, she was shaking with rage.
The door was nearly flung from its hinges as she forcefully pushed it open then slammed it behind her. Her teeth clenched, and she growled, grabbing the empty vase that sat on the table next to the door, doing its best to mind its own business.
Sabrina hurled the vase across the room, where it shattered into a thousand pieces as it smashed into the living room wall. Shards rained down, adding to the pile of broken porcelain on the floor.
A small amount of tension ebbed out of her taut muscles, and she exhaled, feeling at least a little better.
Sabrina didn’t know exactly where Philanthar was getting the vases, but there was always one waiting for her to smash when she returned to the Manor House. She wasn’t sure if it was the healthiest way to deal with anger, but there were definitely worse ways.
And to be clear, she was full of rage. Both she and Jeremiah were still in the anger stage of grief. They had never really experienced denial as everything that had happened was pretty much undeniable. The depression had only lasted one night, and they had both woken the day after the betrayal full of anger.
They were both still a long way from acceptance, and it was unlikely there would be any bargaining. The people that had perpetrated the betrayal would be dealt with, and no amount of bargaining on their part was going to save their lives.
It was an admittedly skewed version of the typical grief cycle, but Sabrina felt like it was the best they could do.
What she didn’t know was where her brother fit into this. He had been a part of the betrayal, but if he had been an unwilling—or duped—participant, maybe he could be saved.
Maybe she was doing a little bit of bargaining, after all.
If Malcolm had been actively involved, though, there was nothing she could do to protect him from Jeremiah’s wrath, and she was okay with that. Murderers and betrayers didn’t deserve mercy, even if they were family.
Sabrina’s energy seemed to suddenly evaporate, and she stumbled into the living room and collapsed onto the couch.
Killing monsters kept her mind off everything that had happened and allowed her to escape her responsibilities for a little while . . . but not forever. Her brother had handled so many of the daily responsibilities of running a small empire that now included six settlements. Now those tasks fell on her.
She pulled up her Civic Menu to see if any items needed to be addressed.
> Civic Menu
>
>
>
> 1. Outpost Number 2, Town, Population: 1,096
> 2. Silver Creek, Village, Population: 304
> 3. Diamond Lake, Village, Population: 242
> 4. Rugged Slopes, Village, Population: 314
> 5. Restless Bluffs, Village, Population: 242
> 6. Snowy Peaks, Village, Population: 101
>
>
>
> Snowy Peaks has recently upgraded to Village status. One wall upgrade and one building upgrade are available.
>
>
I really need to turn this over to the individual settlements, she thought. What’s the purpose of having Mayors if they can’t be trusted to take care of city management?
Malcolm had kept control of most civilization-building decisions, and she wondered if that had been to help him keep stuff hidden from everyone else. Regardless, it wasn’t something she cared to do. She needed to visit each settlement and officially turn that responsibility over to the individual Mayors before she could completely ignore it though.
Sabrina pulled up the menu for Snowy Peaks.
>
>
> Settlement defenses have been upgraded from Category E to Category D, which includes the addition of Gate Towers.
>
>
>
> Choose wall type:
>
> * Wood
> * Stone
> * Brick
> * Steel
>
>
In what amounted to one of the easiest decisions Sabrina would ever have to make, she chose wood as the material for the settlement wall upgrade. Virtually every building was made of wood, and there was an abundant supply in the surrounding mountains for maintenance, repairs, and future upgrades.
She didn’t need to see the upgrade to know that the walls in Snowy Peaks had just grown taller and wider.
With that done, she moved on to the building upgrade.
> One building upgrade available.
>
>
>
> Existing Buildings:
>
> * Alchemy Lab
> * Armory
> * Bakery
> * Community Hall
> * Houses (36)
> * Lodge Hall
> * Manor House
> * Portal Room
> * Training Yard
> * Water Tower
> * Water Well
>
>
>
> Buildings Eligible for upgrade:
>
> * Manor House – eligible to upgrade to Palace.
> * Community Hall – eligible to upgrade to City Hall.
>
>
>
> New Buildings Available:
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> * Archery Range
> * Crafter’s Hall
> * Hospital
> * House
> * Inn
> * Lumber Yard
> * Magic Shop
> * Market
> * Mill
> * Monument
> * Shrine
> * Smith
> * Stables
> * Storehouse
> * Tavern
> * Workshop
>
>
>
> Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.
Most buildings could be built by someone with the appropriate profession, so she ignored the buildings that could be created any time. Sabrina considered one unique building that had requirements that weren’t easily met and one that she felt was a long-overdue necessity.
> Archery Range
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>
>
> Learn and refine ranged attacks. Practice at the Archery Range can increase ranged attack skills and give you the advantage you need to not only survive, but thrive, on the battlefield.
>
> Level 1: Learn any Basic ranged attack skill or advance any known skill to Novice Level by practicing with the relevant weapon for one hour. Advance any known ranged attack skill to Advanced Level by practicing with the relevant weapon for one hundred hours. Automatically upgrades to Level 2 when a professed Archer or Ranger is assigned to the Archery Range.
>
>
>
>
>
> Magic Shop
>
>
>
> Magic is all around us, waiting to be used. It can smite your enemy or heal your friends. Magical items allow you to harness these powers without using precious Mana.
>
> Level 1: Allows for the sale and purchase of magic-based items. Allows magicians with the appropriate skills to create, modify, and combine magical items. The magic shop will generate a small number of magical items for sale each day ranging from F to D Grade. Automatically upgrades to Level 2 when a professional Magician of sufficient skill is assigned to the Magic Shop.
>
>
The Magic Shop was the type of building with advanced requirements that was perfect to use a free building upgrade on. Unfortunately, the same requirements that made it difficult to create otherwise also reduced the effectiveness without assigning a sufficiently skilled Magician to it to increase it to Level 2. Besides that, the Archery Range was long overdue. Sabrina couldn’t believe that Snowy Peaks had gone this long without the critical building and chose to use the building upgrade to correct that deficiency.
With her civic duties handled for the moment, Sabrina turned her attention to her personal advancement.
> Congratulations! You have advanced from Level 50 to Level 51.
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>
>
> You have been awarded 5 free stat points. You must allocate points within 24 hours, or they will be randomly assigned for you.
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>
>
> You have been awarded 1 skill point. You must use the skill point within 24 hours, or it will be randomly assigned for you.
Sabrina had intentionally not paid attention to the leaderboard, but she knew that she was one of only a few people on the planet that had reached, and now surpassed, Level 50.
>
>
> Name: Sabrina Thompson
>
> Level: 51
>
> Profession: Elite (Alchemist)
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> Health: 2360 (max)
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> Mana: 2592 (max)
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> Stamina: 1860 (max)
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> Agility: 65
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> Charisma: 45
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> Durability: 57
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> Intelligence: 60
>
> Strength: 47
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> Vitality: 46
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> Wisdom: 40
>
>
>
> Titles Earned:
>
> * Founding Elite. The title of Elite signifies a person is not only unique in their ability to fight monsters but also able to lead the way for others. To acknowledge their rapid advancement, the first ten people to achieve this status earn the title Founding Elite.
> * Monster Tamer. Everyone fights monsters. Not everyone wins. And even fewer defeat monsters more powerful than themselves. A Monster Tamer has battled and defeated a monster at least ten levels above their own level.
> * Land Baron. A growing civilization needs Cities. Lots and lots of Cities. Those that strive to advance civilization by establishing at least five settlements earn the title of Land Baron.
>
>
>
> Pillars of Power:
>
> * Magic
> * Finesse
> * Marksmanship (secondary pillar)
> * Intellect
She was kind of surprised that the system still had her focus listed as Alchemy. It had been a long time since she had created potions. Her entire focus had been killing monsters lately, and she half expected her Personal Enhancement System to recognize that and reclassify her as an Archer or something. Not that any of that mattered. As an Elite, she had access to all skills, regardless of what profession they normally fell under.
Her Intelligence had gotten a ten-point boost when she chose the Intellect Pillar of Power at Level 50, so there was no need to put more points there. Agility was the most important stat for her ranged combat, so there would definitely be a couple of points going there. She also needed to make sure she could handle high-level monsters in close quarters, and her Strength had fallen behind a little bit. Ultimately, she added points to both.
> Agility: 67
>
> Charisma: 45
>
> Durability: 57
>
> Intelligence: 60
>
> Strength: 50
>
> Vitality: 46
>
> Wisdom: 40
With her attributes adjusted, Sabrina pulled up her skills for review.
>
>
> Skills:
>
> * Air Magic: Advanced
> * Alchemy: Master
> * Archery: Master
> * Bladed Weapons: Master
> * Basic Magic: Advanced
> * Burning Ember: Expert
> * Camouflage: Advanced
> * Create Skill Elixir: Advanced
> * Degenerative Potions: Expert
> * Enhancement Potions: Expert
> * Healing Potions: Master
> * Longbow: Master
> * Marksman: Master
> * Poisons: Master
> * Potion Creation: Master
> * Shortsword: Expert
>
>
There were two skills that Sabrina wanted to get to Master Level but had been neglecting in favor of more immediate needs.
>
>
> Enhancement Potions:
>
> From the beginning of time, people have searched for magical elixirs that can enhance all aspects of life. This includes everything from a temporary power boost to an eternal fountain of youth. The Enhancement Potions skill allows you to create these magical elixirs that can enhance virtually every aspect of life.
>
>
>
> Requirement: Master Level Alchemy and Potions skills
>
>
>
> * Basic Level – Create potions that temporarily increase one attribute by a small amount. Effectiveness varies based on type of potion, personal attributes, and other relevant skill levels.
> * Novice Level – Create potions that temporarily increase multiple attributes by a small amount or one attribute by a moderate amount. Effectiveness varies based on type of potion, personal attributes, and other relevant skill levels.
> * Advanced Level – Create potions that temporarily increase multiple attributes by a moderate amount or one attribute by a large amount; create potions that permanently increase one attribute by a small amount. Effectiveness varies based on type of potion, personal attributes, and other relevant skill levels.
> * Expert Level – Create potions that temporarily increase multiple attributes by a large amount or one attribute by a very large amount; create potions that permanently increase one attribute by a moderate amount. Effectiveness varies based on type of potion, personal attributes, and other relevant skill levels.
>
>
>
>
>
> Burning Ember:
>
> In ancient times, fire and brimstone rained down on Earth to punish the wicked. Now, you can deliver the same fiery death to your enemies by imbuing your ranged attacks with the power of volcanic rain!
>
>
>
> Requirement: Any Advanced Level ranged weapons skill
>
>
>
> * Basic Level – Deliver fire damage equal to 25% of base damage of any ranged attack.
> * Novice Level – Deliver fire damage equal to 50% of base damage of any ranged attack.
> * Advanced Level – Deliver fire damage equal to 75% of base damage of any ranged attack.
> * Expert Level – Deliver fire damage equal to 100% of base damage of any ranged attack.
>
>
As much as she missed working in the Alchemy Lab, she knew her focus needed to be on combat for a little longer still. She needed to stay with Jeremiah until he was in a better place and they had both put some more time between themselves and the betrayal. Once that happened, she would rededicate herself to alchemical creations.
So, she used her skill point to bring Burning Ember up to Master Level, promising herself she would upgrade the Enhancement Potions skill to Master Level as soon as she had a chance to start working in the Alchemy Lab again.
>
>
> Master Level Burning Ember skill – Deliver fire damage equal to 200% of base damage of any ranged attack.
>
>
With all of her personal and civic duties completed, Sabrina decided to retire for the evening instead of waiting for Jeremiah to finish his brooding.