13.

Santi’s fingers brushed over the warm metal, heat emanating off the surface. A burst of pain and knowledge shot through his mind. A connectedness as his mind expanded, surpassing its limit as knowledge flowed through him like a rushing river.

Pillar Connected

Santiago Silva Air Mage lvl. 44

Confirm Claim?

With a single thought Santi confirmed his desire to claim the pillar. More power surged through him, an electricity that had his hair rising on his head and arms, taking his breath from him as he struggled to contain it all. He could now appreciate the strain people had talked about when claiming the pillars.

24 Hour Challenge Period Started

Survive against all Challengers

“What?” Santi whispered as he stared at the newest block of floating text. He couldn’t remember this in the last timeline. How could he have not known of this, or was it something new?

“What’s the matter?” Chloe asked.

“There’s a wait period where people can challenge me.”

“Figures. Nothing is easy.” Chloe simply shrugged.

“This is an impediment to our plans. I won’t be able to move this until it’s claimed. I need to stay here and hold this until it’s ours.”

“You can’t forfeit it and get another one later?” Hana asked.

“I mean, I could. But, in the meantime others have this. People who may not be friends. We can’t give up any advantage we can claim.”

“So, what? We just wait here?”

“Me and Chloe wait here. You’re going to run back to Homebase and gather up everyone and send them here,” Santi told Hana.

“And what about Mercy? We’re just going to let her keep running wild?” Chloe cut in.

“No. I have a feeling she’s going to be coming down to us.”

“Why’s that?”

In response to Chloe’s questions a massive ding took everyone’s attention. The system alert echoed out and every person stopped what they were doing to look at the words.

Local Challenger to Pillar of Civilization

Santiago Silva

24 Hour Window to Contest the Claim is Now Open

“Oh, shit. You think everyone in the state just saw that?”

“No. It said local. Probably just a couple hundred miles. Mercy saw it for sure.”

A beam of golden light shot free of the pillar, bright even in the sunlight, obvious from miles away no doubt. Every eye turned to look at it.

“Hana. I’m going to need you to book it. Get there as soon as possible. How fast can you do it?”

“I don’t know. Never really gone all out for a long distance. I’m going to have to cloak myself, there’s things out there strong enough that I can’t fight them. That’ll slow me down. Maybe like an hour and a half, maybe two?”

“Alright get moving, don’t get caught. Bring everyone here, the sooner the better. I have no doubt we’ll be getting some feelers here shortly.”

“You and Chloe can hold the house down here?”

“Don’t worry about me and Chloe. We can last long enough for you to get back.”

“What about us?” Maya cut in suddenly, the three friends turning to look at her. She had been standing quietly and observing them.

“What do you mean? I made a deal with y’all, nothing has changed.”

“They can have whatever deal they want. I want past the cap, I’ll stay here and help you out.”

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“Deal,” Santi stuck his hand out, shaking hers as she accepted extra responsibility.

“Hana, make sure that Yessenia is coming with you. Carry her if need be. Tell her to bring six standard sets of evolution guides. I’m going to see if anyone else will stay here for the possibility of an evolution.”

“Done. I’m good to go?”

“Yeah, bounce. Maya, this place is going to be a battlefield quite soon. We need to get your non-combatants out of here.” Maya nodded in acceptance and quickly jogged back to her people.

Hana turned and disappeared in a single step, rapidly leaving his sphere without looking back or showing a hint of her form. Santi took one last longing look at the pillar and had to sigh. He had really wanted to access the pillar and its functions. Having to survive twenty-four hours before accessing it was frustrating to say the least.

“Chloe, we need to establish contact with the kids and finish off those weirdo death cultists. I don’t wanna get backstabbed by them at the last minute when we’re facing bigger problems.”

“Need me to clear out the cultists?”

“If you would be so inclined,” Santi offered her a wan smile. He was asking her to go and kill a bunch of people. He wasn’t going to order it so easily.

“Yeah. Yeah, I’ll take Maya with me. Maybe Frank, really see what they’re made of. You get to be the diplomat, I guess.”

“I don’t ask this lightly. I want you to know that.”

“I know.”

“Thank you.” Chloe smiled sadly and two of them started off towards where Frank and the others were. The walk was short and the gathering crowd of people watched him with wary eyes. Maya and Frank had their heads close together, whispering to each other.

Frank looked up as they approached. His frown was fierce and the furrow between his eyes deep. Santi could read the questions on his face like it was a book. He had deeper concerns than Maya had, his concern for his people rand deep and wide.

“Maya updated me about what’s going on. I don’t like the idea of splitting up, especially if I leave the stronger fighters here to help you. There is no way the others can make it all the way to your place.”

“Agreed. When my people get here, I’ll peel a squad of people off as a protection detail. It’ll take a few hours for them to arrive, in the meantime I need to know where the kids are located. The fight just ended and they’re hurting right now. If there’s a time to bring them back into the fold, it’s going to be now.”

“I know where they’re staying at. It’s not too far from here. I can take you there.”

“No need for that. I want you to take Maya and go with Chloe. Clear out the death worshippers.”

“Dillan can take you then. They’re not far from here. Dillan! Take Santiago to where Zeke has everyone set up, will ya?”

The big man gave a quick nod and started moving, not giving Santi time to issue last minute instructions. Following Dillan he worked through the town. Most of it was in poor shape, destroyed and decaying with signs of battle everywhere.

“How long have you been fighting these guys?” Santi asked. The big man was fairly quiet, his voice a whisper as he spoke.

“Took about a week for the first group to lose their shit. Everyone’s going to die, might as well be by our hand. Fucking idiots. It was originally just our two groups, but the younger folk didn’t like how Frank was doing stuff. Too slow, too cautious. They split off and a couple weeks ago one of them mouthed off to Maya. That was that.”

“Who’s Zeke?”

“Unofficial boss. He’s who everyone looks too. He’s not as strong as Maya or Frank, but he’s curious. Looks for answers everywhere. Doesn’t mind getting his hands dirty either, but they don’t have a heavy like us. It’s why we’re still alive probably.”

“They outnumber you?”

“Close, but they’re certainly more aggressive. Start fights pretty much everytime we meet up with them.”

“That’s a joy.” Santi wondered how old they were. Frank had called them kids, and Santi had automatically slotted them into that bracket.

“Not far from here, just have to turn the corner. I don’t think they’ll be pleased to see me.”

“Don’t worry about it. You’re with me, you’re safe.” Santi clapped the big man’s shoulder, startling him into walking around the corner and into the line of sight.

[Air Shield] stopped some form of magical attack, dissipating it in its chaotic environs with ease. Dillan had only begun to start grasping he was under attack as the energy was dispersed. Not a fighter then, despite his size and levels.

“Fuck, Dillan! You scared the shit out of me, man. I didn’t mean for that,” a younger looking boy said. He couldn’t have been older than fifteen, pimples still angry on his face. His blonde hair was slicked back and his face pale as he looked up to the huge man. Santi didn’t think he had even been noticed behind Dillan’s bulk.

“Where’s Zeke?” Dillan didn’t mention the fact his face had almost been melted off, just moving straight to business. That Santi could admire. Even if the goliath’s reflexes were the same sharpness as a rock’s.

“Inside. He’s fucking pissed, dude. I wouldn’t go and talk to him right now if I was you.”

“Not me wanting to talk to him. This is Santiago. He’s the one who took over. He wants to talk to Zeke.”

“Oh, fuck. Uhmmm. Yeah.” Santi met the kids eyes and saw the mix of fear, anxiety and uncertainty.

“Just stay here you two,” Santi breezed past them, eyes on the building that they kids were holed up in. It had been some type of store before, old brick work was still there, but the everpresent cars had been used to form thick barriers around it, leaving little to the eye. They had no other guard than the stammering teenager and Santi felt his disappointment grow.

He barged through the door and not a single spell or skill tried to kill him. The arguing voices were louder in here, people fighting for what to do. Nearly thirty teens clustered around a small room, all of them shouting and screaming at each other.

Santi looked back at the door and wished he had given Chloe this job while he exterminated the skull guys. There was no whisper of the bloodlust in that thought, just an abject hatred of dealing with this age bracket.

[Air Manipulation] helped him as he shouted, a wordless roar that deafened the room, amplified and spread by the wind he summoned and controlled. Everyone stopped fighting and everyone turned to look at him.

“Which one of you is Zeke?”