Chapter Sixty

Soon after the discussion with Thom about the crystals, Avalon became a very busy place. Darren created a ladder to the mine caverns below, allowing people to descend safely. Mining tools were already present there, and once again, Darren made a large rectangle box for crystals to be deposited into once mined.

Ambrose stood with Troy and Andrea. The slave merchant’s eyes had a faraway look; his face was slack, and his eyes held no light within them.

“What kind of defenses does the System store offer?” Ambrose said to him.

He jerked as if startled awake, his gaze flicked to him, looked away, and then back again before lowering.

“Depends on how much you have to spend. You can get a shield array that would stop a nuke, but that would cost a staggering amount. You probably want an array that will cover most of the island, and that’s more reasonable.”

Ambrose stroked his beard,

“Could the orcs break through?”

The merchant nodded, eyes still downcast. He shifted from foot to foot,

“Sure. They could even counter it with an array of their own if they have it.”

Ambrose growled,

“What’s the point, then?”

Troy licked his lips, his throat constricted as he swallowed,

“Well, uh, they would need a higher-grade counter array than your shield. They may not have that, but, um, even if they didn’t, they could do enough damage to break it.”

He glowered at the merchant, jaw working.

“I’m starting to wonder how useful you are.”

Troy wrung his hands, saying nothing. Andrea spoke up,

“It is helpful. Even if they break the shield, anything they must go through gives us time.”

Ambrose grunted.

“What else is there?”

“You can buy all kinds of stuff, constructs, mounted canons, defense towers, but all are pretty low-grade.”

Ambrose crossed his arms, his armored foot tapped on the cavern floor,

“Why?”

Troy made an audible gulping sound, and his voice grew an octave higher,

“Because I’m only a level fifty merchant, I’m limited to D-Grade.”

Ambrose blew out a breath through his nose, turning to Andrea.

“Keep it up down here. Make a list of what Troy has access to that may help the town. I’m going above to address the other people.”

Andrea nodded, and Ambrose teleported.

______________

“I need everyone’s attention, please.”

The crowd, fifteen adults and some children, all turned to him. They had been doing various tasks, some trekking back and forth from the mines below.

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“Please, gather around.”

They shot looks at one another and gathered in closer to him.

Ambrose cleared his throat, clasping his hands behind him, then deciding better and simply letting them hang by his sides.

“I’m just going to get right to the point. We are going to be attacked.”

Faces grew troubled, and some people pulled kids closer to them. Murmurs broke out, Ambrose held up a finger, and they quieted down.

“We are building defenses to defend us now. Steps are being taken, and plans are being drawn.”

A man cut in,

“I thought you said this place was safe!”

Ambrose nodded at him,

“I did. But no place is truly safe when an enemy decides to attack it.”

“Why? What did we do?” A woman called.

Ambrose took a deep breath, rubbing the side of his face. He could lie to them, but not only did they deserve the truth, but he had been relatively straightforward from the beginning. He had no reason to feel bad.

“It’s nothing you did. The enemy attacking us is after me. He wants to destroy what I have built.”

There was an outcry at that.

“Why did you tell us sooner!”

“So we suffer because of you? How is that fair!”

“I want to leave!”

Ambrose focused his mind, seizing his spirit while tapping his core; he fueled [Infernal Aegis] and blanketed the area with it. Every person there was brought to their knees as infernal fires raged around Ambrose Severen, and doubt became a physical weight that pressed them down.

“Quiet,” he said to them, his voice calm. He let go of his spirit, allowing the skill to fade. The weight of doubt vanished from the area.

“I told you I had goals. I said to you that living here meant aligning with that goal. Did you think that goal didn’t involve enemies? Now, listen to me. If any of you wish to leave, I will facilitate that. You can leave the island, return to the wide world, and make your way,” he snorted.

“I give you a week before some monster out there eats you, or worse. Or, you can stay here, where a battle plan is in place, and you have people working to protect you. If you stay, however, I am asking those of you willing and capable volunteer to help. That means you will fight in the battle to come. You won’t be without tools because I plan on training you.”

Ambrose pointed toward the ocean behind him, to the mainland.

“There are monsters out there, and defeating them is the pathway to power. That pressure you felt earlier? That fire you saw writhing around me a moment ago? It’s a skill. Skills, attributes, levels, and grades are powerful in this new world. I will help you grow and become a warrior.”

Ambrose paused,

“I will turn you into Swords of Avalon and woe to the enemies that cross you.”

Ambrose thought that little bit of melodrama would garner a reaction. He was met with silent stares. Finally, one of the men from before spoke up,

“We can get classes? Use magic like you?”

Ambrose nodded and lifted a hand, waggling it.

“Maybe not exactly like mine, and I won’t like to you. It will have some measure of danger to it. I will do my best to keep you safe and give you the best chance to succeed, but you could die. The System demands risk and a trial. But if you succeed? Then, yes, you will become powerful. Or at least you will become able to defend yourselves without dying instantly.”

There were mutters amongst the groups, searching glances, and several nods amongst the men. The one who had spoken before stepped up. He was a dark-haired man with light hazel eyes, wearing a simple Aerosmith shirt, blue jeans, and boots.

“We’ll do it. We’ll go with you to level.”

“Good. I have a couple of other matters to check off. We leave in one hour, and those of you coming will be ready. Those of you who wish to leave, be ready. Those of you staying? Get back to work.”

Ambrose teleported back to Andrea, who jumped, whole body shaking. She cursed at him, morphing her face into a scowl.

“I hate it when you and that woman do that. Ever heard of a warning or something?”

Ambrose ignored that.

“It should have occurred to me before to ask, but are we doing anything about the food situation? You need less and less as you go up grades, but that’s not the case for most of you, and the pantry is running low.”

Andrea flicked her fingers,

“Professions can allow you to level grades, you know. But, yes, I already thought of that. We have a few farms being constructed, traps and hunters out searching for wildlife, and volunteer fishermen. Plus, once we sell off some of these crystals, we can buy things we need. I have it in hand, big guy. Go fight a monster, or whatever it is you do.”

Ambrose glowered at her, but she just smiled.

“When I get back, we will have to discuss our plan of action.”

She shrugged and returned to supervising the mining, talking with Thom, and directing as needed.

Ambrose sighed.

There was a battle ahead. It loomed like a dark cloud that couldn’t be avoided.

Yet Ambrose couldn’t suppress the slight thrill that ran through him.