I will not give up.

I will succeed.

Nature mana is mine to call upon.

Deep breath in, and for the thousandth time in the last couple of days I try to call on nature mana. I even thought about using an entirely new rune instead of relying on water and earth to try this, but it didn’t seem right. The goal getting closer in this way, but it was still a little ways away.

That doesn’t detract from my focus. Nor diminishes from the other ways in which I was developing. I was more deeply connected with Pando now than ever before. I still missed the main grove, and there was a lot I could gain from it. But having this small seed growing in my body while constantly keeping an Aether connection to it sometimes was eye-opening. Especially when doing other activities at the same time.

What a week ago was only a sapling starting to grow, now covered most of my inner world. Only a few long rootlets, but knowing Pando, that would change in no time. As he started to grow it was like magic that knowledge began appearing in him, almost like genetic knowledge. To a point that always happened with Pando’s saplings. When I planted a few trees a little farther way before they connected to the main grove and were absorbed in the main collective, in small ways I could see Pando reflected in them, but even the few that grew for several years were still primitive.

Now, this was like a true baby seedling of Pando coming to life, and it brought me joy. Not only from the tangible benefits. My Aether control was growing to very high levels and I could instinctively feel this was because of this seed. But also for having a piece of my true home right beside me.

After resting a few moments and centering myself, I attempt again. Water and Earth mana head to my inner world as I try and fuse both runes and affect in any way the roots from Pando’s seedling. Then attempt on the couple of herb shrubs planted inside, then the grass outside. After a few moments and certain this approach was a dead end, I stop.

As the mana dissipates, I let go of my Aether cycling reabsorbing all of it. The strand going around and through me, is now even thinner than before and by a lot. It was probably not as effective as my first few attempts. But if I kept using so much Aether I would run out far too quickly. And I had a feeling that rushing this particular skill acquisition would be counterproductive.

I was not sure why, but I didn’t ignore the feeling and used only the barest strand, which grew smaller and thinner as the days passed.

Another few hours go by, and a slightly strange phenomenon overtakes me. I start to feel myself getting closer. Nothing else enters my mind as I fully immerse myself in the task. The Aether around me, as if sensing my excitement starts to move in more unpredictable ways, but I don’t let this or anything else happening around take even one iota of my concentration.

I try and try again, knowing that with each failure, success was only getting closer. A few attempts get me close, and there is something there, but I don’t stop to look too closely. It just means I’m close, not that they are the way.

I don’t even stop to breathe until finally, success. In an instant, a connection very similar to my Aether connection comes to life, but through an entirely different sense. It relies solely on mana.

In an instant, it’s gone. But with my control and focus, it will be no problem bringing it back. I breathe a couple of times trying to calm. Being too excited was not gonna be very helpful.

I draw before myself the two runes in the way I settled upon. I send mana through, in the specific configuration rate and ratios as before, and keep the exact same mental image as I try touching the same blade of grass.

This second attempt as closely as possible recreates all the conditions of the first one as I try again. Now as I touch the blade of grass, one mana point goes into it and spreads around a few centimeters. In my mind everything around it becomes visible. A minute passes before I cut the connection.

With the biggest grin in a while, I connect to the little seed growing in my eye and just keep the connection for a few minutes. After getting used to the different if similar flows of information I stop glowing in my success and start on the next step. Let’s see if we can’t make you grow a little faster.

----------------------------------

“Damn… that is a problem. Go on Richard.” I hear Charlie cursing as I tell what our scouts discovered. It was my job as the commander to be aware of all this, and take precautions. After a moment, I continue:

“It is more and more clear the there is a small group of scouts making their way every couple of days near the village.”

“And you don’t suppose that from where they are coming and going they could be just scouting it out.”

“Doesn’t make sense, from what I have seen the most likely probability is that they are in contact with someone from our village.”

“I was really hoping that would not be the case. Well, at least I think we are prepared.”

“From our scouting and intelligence efforts, it seems there are 5 villages under Lord Max’s banister. Not all are firmly under his control, but he could probably attack us with a force of about 2000 soldiers without straining himself. And unlike the monster attacks, they won’t just charge in like brutes.”

“I get all that, and I’m not saying it won’t hurt, but we have advantages they won’t be able to bring to the table. Like the mana batteries, gauntlets, and the walls. I also have a diplomatic card under the table. If we manage to station just 500 soldiers from our closest trading partners here, with our home field advantage they would hard-pressed in any attack against us.”

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

“What concerns me the most was their retreat just after we defeated the last attack. That indicates an enemy far more cunning and calculating than his reputation. He had over 1000 people and didn’t hesitate on pulling back as soon as he heard of how the attack went. If my assumptions are correct he expected to deal with the gauntlets, maybe even had countermeasures, but the battery threw him for a loop.”

“Likely. It is a good thing we barely showed the real capabilities off the battery. They puled what? 13 thousand mana?”

“A little under that. With industry ramping up the capacity is going through the roof. We are probably approaching the level we could think of implementing another of Merlin’s ideas. We have enough capacity that all of our dedicated mages would burn out before the battery emptied. Too bad Nash isn’t around he could pull about 4 times the mana than any other magic-user.”

“I’m in close contact with him, he is probably gonna show up on the next attack or at the minimum, right after it, which will help us deal with the larger threat.”

“So, you told him.”

“Yeah, and I even told him about the attack they didn’t launch He is not living in the village, but he is well aware of what is happening. I talked with Alex. It seems a day or two after leaving, he basically went out of commission for a week before leaving his ‘meditation’ session or whatever. Apparently, the gains from it were well worth it. He cares for the village, but living here gets in the way of his process, as some would put it.”

“Well, I can respect that. If he genuinely will help out the village, I got no problem with keeping the intel flowing.”

“Good, we are on the same page,” Charlie says to finish this particular subject. “Now onto other business…”

-----------------------------------------------

I stand ready to give Lord Max’s the report on the throne room. In the month since I was here last he has decorated it further, and what before was more like a tribal chief with only a few belongings now presented much more grandeur. His throne is a rich and polished wood with curved lines pleasing to the eyes. Pillows, artwork, and trophies sit all over the room in a show of wealth and power none could match.

I’m not sure why I was included in the roster. It’s not like he trusts me, but be that as it may I wait patiently. As he finishes his dealings with the previous group, probably people handling our trade. It was not our focus, but after the closest villages were clued in on our conquests a few readily tried to become closer fearing they would be next.

In another minute he dismisses them and calls my name.

“Albert, our little rogue. Tell me, do we have a time for the next monster attack on Charlie’s village?”

I approach taking the letter with all the supplementary information and possibly stuff they didn’t want me finding out and lay at a small knee height desk. After a moment and a deep bow, I speak.

“Not yet my lord, but from the indications, it shouldn’t take more than a week. We don’t have many messenger pigeons, but they have two with them. When they discover the attack is within a day or two they will be sending the message.”

“I know that boy,” he says in a slightly admonishing tone, but he is in another world thinking on the implications of what I told him. I leave him to it and after about two minutes, the doubts and questions all leave his face. He has reached a decision.

“Ok, tell the head guard for him to prepare the men for a long march. They leave for the village closest to Charlie’s in 3 days and wait there for the time to attack.”

“Certainly my Lord. Anything else?”

“No, this is just a heads up, I will be talking with him in person later.”

His head turns and in indication, I’m dismissed, so I leave as silently my stats and class allow me. So we are going through with it. I’m not sure why, but I had a bad feeling about this attack. If we succeded, that would be the last meaningful resistance for at least 400 miles, unless at least a dozen villages banded together in a true alliance.

We had five villages nominally under our control. That meant 3000 combat troops. Every single one of them with +2 weapons to be deployed at any time. That was not counting the 3 villages who joined us before we even send a single soldier their way. That would be a big stone in the foot of anyone forming an alliance close by.

At the thought that he may want me to participate in the attack, a shiver runs through my back. I leveled like crazy, enough I reached Lv. 49. I was probably the highest leveled person around, but knowing a little about the capabilities of this village was frightening. The one chance we had to come out unscathed, was something big changing. If a couple of people reaching lv. 50 in the next week, I had a feeling it would be a big power boost. Let’s just hope no one else over at Charlie’s village manages to do the same.

I don’t exactly want to be helping Lord Max, but it was better to just go with the flow.

--------------------------------------------------------

I watch the little Rogue leaving my throne room in thought. He may be trouble, but there was also value in keeping him around. So long as I don’t push him too much, he won’t be a problem. The problem is that he doesn’t think much of me.

I’m not ignorant of his leveling speed. He was faster than anyone else, and looking at the boost the level 50 gave yesterday if I wanted to eliminate him, now would be the time.

One breath, two breaths… no, I will let him be. He may not even upgrade the rarity of his class. An uncommon rogue rarity was not that much of a trouble for someone like me. And if he doesn’t unlock a subclass that would be even better.

Berzerker Lord – Rare Lv. 50 All values increased by 1.2x +20% to Strength +1 to Strength / Lv. +1.5% to All Stats +0.05 to All Stats / Lv.

Now, this was my pride and joy. After a few moments, I close the system window and dismiss my harem. There was leveling to be done, so I head out in search of monsters. It would be an hour before the sun went down, but I was going outside the zone of wolves, those were monsters worthy of my broadsword.

I would need to be very careful when attacking Charlie’s village. On the very first day, it was within my expectation that we would eventually find a village like that. Strong and not too far away, but they surprised me. All of their accomplishments and technology would however not stand against overwhelming might. I now have access to the same map as them, and after conquering the first village, I also unlocked access to the town hall. That gave a few advantages they were not counting on.

After steamrolling rolling over them, my army would concentrate on expanding to the North and East and come up with an excuse for not heading south, so I don’t reveal my hidden assets there. The three villages that voluntarily gave up without a fight were a godsend. Given the power the system gave me over their finances and so much more in the town hall, they would not be able to take it back.

Thoughts of conquest and domination leave me, as I fall into the simple but consuming rhythm of hunting prey and fighting.

A scream tores through me, as I let the barest hint of the rage inside me out. Just enough to gain a small and short burst of strength ending the life of this beast in a single cleave.

That’s the stuff.