I steeled myself as the last spell completed, and silently cast. Unite Will, Experience Extension, and Leadership.

Unite Will: A spell that allows for the minds of man to be linked together in order to form a massive communicatation network. Experience Extension: A spell that allows for a designated individual to share their abilities and knowledge with others facilitating growth and enabling inexperienced masses to work at a higher production capacity. Leadership: A spell that empowers an individual to overcome their inhibitions and take the fore as the leader of a group. Can come with a mark to further designate the person to those chosen to follow.

There wasn't really anything flashy about the new magic, since it was all mental, and it took a few spells to get everyone in the city covered and everyone I’d chosen for a leadership position properly empowered, but once that was all ready I telepathically spoke to the city’s residents through our now united wills. ~People of Kalsynthholme, I trust you all can hear me?~

I felt countless shocked responses flood the shared mental network as the startled residents raced outside to try and find the source of the voice in their heads, but as the effective admin of this thought based chat, I muted everyone else and used illuminate to shine like I did the night I fought Gretkarn.

Now that I’ve gotten everyone’s attention, I hope the light will help establish my identity and make them more amenable to listen.

Hundreds of hands pointed up at me on the top of the castle’s spire, and even more heads turned to look, while Silvia covered her big round eyes as I guess being so close was too bright for her.

~I know it’s been a while and that you all have been through a lot over the last few days, but I didn’t heal you and fight on your behalf just so that you could turn on each other at the first sign of trouble.~

I’m pretty sure I heard Iskel shriek something about repentance and begging God to forgive them, and I almost extended my senses to check on him, but thought better of it since I’d address his concerns.

~I’m disappointed that almost all of you abandoned civility so quickly, but not all of you did and I’m grateful for that–especially to those who still tried to improve things on their own. Plus, it’s not as if the city can’t be salvaged. And you’re going to salvage it. With your own hands this time. Or you will face punishment.~ I made bolts of lightning arc across the sky with Spark shower and strike the courtyards of a few particularly greedy nobles.

Screams filled the air across the city, so I silenced them with a pulse of my intimidation ability–which Uriel conveniently just told me could reach through the telepathic bonds. ~To that end, I have united all of your minds to accelerate communication and efficiency, marked those I’ve chosen to lead with a temporary sigil on the back of their hand, and empowered those leaders to share their skills and experience with anyone nearby–whom I expect to cooperate. Using these gifts, you are to repair the damage you’ve done to this city before young Calden wakes up.~ I paused, took in their concerned, relieved, excited, ambitious, and sometimes even sly or cruel expressions as they processed their changing situation, then continued. ~Know that I will be watching, and I will not tolerate even the slightest bit of greed, pride, or envy. Set aside any wrath you feel from days past, discard your desires, and ensure everyone around you has enough to eat before you so much as take a bite. You are to set yourselves aside and work. Work for the betterment of your community, your neighbors, and then yourselves. This is your task. Get it done.~

And hey, if you remember this experience and grow as people and a community too then that’d just be grand.

I released the light and the mute on the telepathic network, then sectioned off everyone into localized groups so as not to overwhelm their brains. I had Uriel convert the mental conversations into text in my little display windows for ease of access while also having it set to search for any problematic talk–as I scanned the surroundings for bad behavior.

Obviously, nothing really happened right away. Their first task was to identify who their local leaders were, and I sped that along with mental nudges, and occasionally little guided lights to lead the more dense individuals along. There were, of course, plenty of people just trying to understand what was happening, and even more who were doubtful of my observation and continued presence since my light was gone, but I cleared that up by planting a few more bolts at the feet of the more uncivil and aggressive citizens–which spurred along everyone as a side effect.

I diligently continued to watch, and Silvia moved behind me and plopped her head onto one of my shoulders, as she’d grown restless at the sight of my deepening frown. Yeah. I don’t really like doing this. But the other options were either massive breaches of privacy, or a full on barbaric display of dominance. I sighed. There really isn’t an easy way to address the darker side of people–since kindness is all too easy for so many to take advantage of. Oop! Not gonna happen buster!

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I noticed an unassuming group attempt to slip out of the city along with the groups designated to gather lumber, and used my new spell to teleport them back to where they’d started–and dropped another bolt to communicate my displeasure and keep them in line.

I also noticed that the enthusiasm varied wildly from group to group. The one’s I’d threatened were frantic, those nearby were decently nervous, but most of them were far enough away to feel safe and were thus… lackluster? Complacent? Reluctant?

They weren’t really trying their hardest, and at that pace there’s no way they’d finish before Calden wakes up, but since they were actively participating I didn’t really feel that punishment was appropriate.

I… I really feel like a tyrant, right now. And if not a tyrant, a massive manipulator, and all around jerk! So let’s give a different type of motivation!

I searched for a group that was doing well without needing to be forced, and let’s be honest, I already knew where to find them.

Iskel and his congregation were in charge of going around and returning the stolen materials to the depots Calden created so that once the layer of new debris is clear reconstruction can begin where he left off. However, they were having difficulties hauling everything back since some of the timbers were pretty long, and the stones were obviously heavy.

And this is where I step in! Strength release.

My spell had an instantaneous effect. As even the most aged and frail of his group were able to heft the materials up without even the slightest struggle.

When he saw this, Iskel fell to his knees and proclaimed. “Glory! Glory! Glory! Glory to God, to our creator! Glory to the one who empowers us!”

Sheesh, he’s a fanatical as ever…

But thanks to him making such a big display of it, anyone from a nearby group who witnessed the supernatural strength granted to Iskel’s followers reported back to their own teams, and before long much of the city was seeking my support.

Though I really didn’t think this through… A lot of them are just praying, but at least it’s not to me!

I made a mental note to do better next time, and went ahead and powered up the rest once they were suitably eager to get things done.

By now, noon had come and gone, but things were looking suitably better. I had to return several more attempted escapees, and incapacitate a couple group members who were determined to get in the way or stir up trouble, but once news spread that I wasn’t going to punish the many for the actions of a few, the few decided it was better to settle down and save their surly skins from my steadily growing ire.

The only other major problem was all the material that was put toward some other purpose during the last two days. Groups like Iskel’s could collect the stuff that had been hoarded easily enough, but there was no way they could track down all the bits that were now part of the buildings they passed.

But Uriel and I can! And it only took me and my handy dandy ability a few seconds to do so too. Which means I can just… Return! Repair!

My new spell tore, or rather teleported, the ramshackle reinforcements away from where they were to where they were supposed to be, and then one of the many mundane spell’s I’d learned from Rochelle put the cut, broken, or otherwise used materials back into a more workable form.

A huge cheer erupted from the groups that had witnessed that display, however the mental chat was stormed with unspoken gripes from the people who watched their handiwork get taken apart–largely due to the fact that much of it was taken from their homes.

Well, that’s just how things go I guess. I’m never gonna be able to make everyone happy in situations like this, and in the end this needs to be done at some point, so I’ll take a little solace in the fact that they’ll get better repairs soon enough and that everyone will be helped in due time.

I maintained my watch, reward, and warning system as needed until the sun set, then had the groups change course so everyone got fed properly. The nobles, who I had toiling alongside the common folk, were far from pleased to have to open their recently restocked larders, but I wasn’t about to let them keep stolen food and zapped more than a few especially obstinate ones into unconsciousness.

This is hardly the time to be making a fuss over material wealth anyway. Everyone’s lost something, some have lost everything, and I’m sure you’ll recover all the faster once the city is back to normal. So with that said, what am I going to do with you?

I narrowed my eyes at one of the assassins who’d snuck back into the city. It was the one good at making disguises, and he seemed to be moving very cautiously toward the castle.

The change in atmosphere within the city has clearly put him on edge, and if I intercept him now it’ll be a good opportunity to get some intel on what they’re up to and where they’re located, but it could also be a trap. So what do I do? Rush in and take him unawares? Monitor him and figure things out that way? Or should I contact the Count and orchestrate an encounter between them? I’m not done resetting the city’s progress, but that should finish by noon tomorrow, and it’s not like I can’t act while my diligent workers are asleep. Oh! I could sick Silvia on him too!

#

Witness sat on a table top held in the unblinking gaze of a man it utterly detested, while waiting for any opportunity to move. It wasn’t alone, it had two of its kin stored within it, the master didn’t even notice the change as they had been asleep at the time, but the three branches were stronger together, and together they had a chance to escape or fight back.

The only problem was that the chance wasn’t coming. Witness resented its own powerlessness after the battle with the terrestrial deity of the lake, the powerlessness that allowed it to be taken by those killers and then delivered here, but it knew the master would find it eventually, so even if this detestable man never lets it act, it wasn’t concerned.

Not that Witness could know the dangers that the man posed to it. Or how soon he would act.