I absolutely will not. Did you see the notification? More experience! Tresk said.

Theo noticed the look in the eyes of the other adventurers. They were itching to get out into the swamp to mop up the rest of the monsters, but Aarok held out his hand, shaking his head.

“We don’t want to be out there without fire,” Aarok said. “Better to let them smash against the walls.”

“Agreed,” Luras said. “Unless you have a lot of mobility powers, you’ll just get pinned down.”

The thought of miniature Trolls was comical, but still dangerous enough to make Theo concerned. His eyes rolled over the mounds of burning monsters and he smiled. This assault went far better than the last one. They were prepared, poised to lash out the moment the monsters approached the town. It was nothing like last time, and he was grateful.

“Very efficient work, Aarok,” Theo said, nodding.

“Hey, I helped too,” Luras said, grinning.

“Yes, you did,” Theo said.

Theo watched as Tresk’s health plunged, the way it always did. He stood there, tapping his foot and waiting for her to report in.

Woah, these Trollings are jerks, Tresk said. They’re not as slow as the big ones.

“Trollings are fast,” Theo said, distilling Tresk’s frantic words into something usable.

“I’ll pass the word along,” Aarok said. “Why don’t you check on the town?”

“Good idea,” Theo said, dismounting the battlements without another word.

Townsfolk had a mixture of fear and relief on their faces. Some might have been hiding their trepidation about the assault, while others were simply oblivious to the danger. Theo thought about how that was an unfair assessment. They had faith in him and the adventurers to defend the town. The alchemist made his way back to the guild hall, noting several dead Goblins scattered nearby. The adventurers defending the door smiled and waved as he passed.

“Goblin Rush?” Azrug said the moment Theo was through the door.

“I’m not sure,” Theo said with a shrug. “Seems like there’s a bunch of little, fast Trolls outside the gates now.”

Azrug rubbed his hands together, grinning. “If it means more loot, I’m into it.”

“Well, it’s over in an hour anyway,” Theo said. “Shouldn’t be bad. As long as we maintain the walls.”

Theo crossed the room, the shopkeeper close behind, and took a seat in a chair. He let out a sigh, that single breath washing away his concerns for the siege. They had every advantage, but he was still worried. Those concerns left him as he thought about the last monster wave. The system gave him 12 gold for the last defense. Aarok was still counting the coin from the loot, which would generate even more money. Broken Tusk would have no shortage of gear or coin for quite some time.

The alchemist let out a laugh. “I’m going to spend the money the moment it's in my hand.”

“The way you always do,” Azrug said, producing a cup of tea for Theo to drink.

Apparently, the young shopkeeper had become partial to his [Moss Nettle] tea. The copper pot, still brewing near the edge of the room, must have been full of the stuff. Theo took a tentative sip, letting that slight burst of energy flood through his body. It reinvigorated his mind, bolstering him against his flagging stamina bar.

“Assuming the [Goblin Rush] goes well, this was a good wave,” Theo said.

“No kidding,” Azrug said. “Well, at least the guild hall wasn’t destroyed.”

Theo nodded, casting his eyes over the citizens assembled there. He spotted Sledge chatting happily with Miana. The Marshling’s demeanor had changed entirely since he first met her a few days ago. She found her place in Broken Tusk, although the alchemist had only seen her work once. Looking around the guild hall, he realized how useful someone like her could be. It was easy to extrapolate her powers based on what she did for his lab. She could manipulate the core building itself, changing its format.

Where something like Luras’ leatherworking was nice to have, the [Fabricator] was essential. Theo withdrew the Half-Ogre’s old core from his inventory and looked at it, smiling. It was a tactical decision on his part to push the man away from the trade. He lost an artisan, but gained an excellent adventurer. The way he sat atop the wall, firing an endless stream of arrows, was proof enough that it was the right decision. The smile on his face only sealed the deal.

“The last thing we need to do is rest on those facts,” Theo said. “The only reason we took on this wave so easily was our preparation.”

“Agreed,” Miana said, approaching without Theo’s notice. She took a seat near the alchemist and leaned in. “Did you ever get a read on Uharis?”

Theo thought for a moment before speaking. “He falls somewhere in the middle. He wants something from me, but I can’t figure it out.”

“Kinda funny the wave started when he arrived,” Miana said, reclining and grinning.

“Well, that’s ignorant,” Azrug said, laughing. She shot him a glare. “We already understand that the monster waves were generated by excess magic. Likely from Theo’s transmigration. Maybe he kicked them off intentionally, but then why help at all?”

“Good point. If the intention was destruction, why bother? He could have just nuked us from orbit,” Theo laughed.

“Nuke?” Miana asked.

“Blew us up,” Theo said. “No, he wasn’t overtly malicious. He could have caused the monster wave. Maybe he sped it up, but he gave me something that detects how close the wave is.”

“Bah. I don’t trust him,” Miana said. “I don’t trust spell-slingers.”

Theo understood why she didn’t trust magic. Lacking her cores for so long must have been a painful thing, but she had recovered.

“Bad news. We have a resident wizard coming this evening,” Theo said, delighting in the surprised expression on her face. “Comes recommended from Fenian.”

Miana’s face softened. “I like that guy.”

“Me too,” Azrug said, handing Theo a bowl of hot soup.

“Am I being taken care of like an elderly man?” Theo asked, laughing. Still, he ate the soup.

Miana leaned in again, smiling. “You did a good thing for Sledge. I haven’t seen her this happy in a long time.”

“Well, we had to trick her,” Theo said. “To take the core. I knew she wouldn’t take it for free—but it was a selfish act. We’re going to need lumber. Lots of it.”

“Can’t have your producers all bummed out,” Azrug said.

“You’re shrewd, Theo,” Miana said. “I can see why… Ah, nevermind. Don’t you have a town to defend?”

“Me? No,” Theo said, waving her words away as though they were a puff of smoke. “I have people to do that for me.”

Azrug laughed.

Theo spotted Gridgen Dev, the man he assigned to find the ore in the southern hills, from across the room. He was there with his family, chatting with other townsfolk, with a smile on his face. The alchemist didn’t want to inject business into this serious situation, but he hadn’t seen the man in a while. He strode across the room, waving sheepishly and smiling.

“Mister Mayor,” Gridgen said.

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

“Please, call me Theo.”

“Theo, then,” Gridgen said, beaming. “You know, I’m very impressed with the defense you managed. How many monsters are out there?”

“A lot,” Theo said.

“I heard the weapon artifices going off,” Gridgen said, gazing up at the tall window in the hall. “You must have quite the budget for defense. I mean—for a small town like this, that’s pretty impressive. Right, Sarna?”

Gridgen was rambling. Maybe he was more nervous than he let on, or maybe he was just excited about Broken Tusk’s impressive defenses. It was hard to tell.

“Very much so,” Sarna said, flashing a bright smile. “Rivers hasn’t invested nearly as much into their defense.”

Theo thought about that for a moment before responding, looking out the window. That seemed like a foolish thing to do. They didn’t have as many dungeons to worry about, but certainly they wouldn’t have taken the bad upgrades offered by the town’s seed core. The alchemist had been gearing his town for defense from the start, the only exception being the roads. Even those had defensive properties, allowing his adventurers to move through the city quicker than on mud roads.

There was also the expense to consider. Theo selflessly threw his own money at the town, and many citizens followed suit. The lightning turrets were a product of their collective buying power, allowing them to purchase one for each gate. Those very weapons needed motes for fuel, something they had in abundance down in the swamplands. He couldn’t decide if it was dumb luck, fate, or his superior intuition that led him to this point, and he didn’t care. People were safe.

“We take the safety of our citizens seriously,” Theo said. “There’s simply too many dungeons to do otherwise.”

“Yeah. Imagine a rotating monster wave cycle from each cardinal direction,” Gridgen said, receiving a swift slap on the arm from his wife.

“Don’t curse us like that. I like it here,” Sarna said.

“Sorry.”

Theo smiled. “That would only help us. As long as we can repel the attacks, it will only make us more wealthy.”

“Oh, speaking of,” Gridgen said. “I’m not so good at prospecting, but I can poke rocks with a stick.”

He produced a small, greenish nugget and presented it for Theo to inspect.

[Copper Nugget]

[Metal Ore]

Quality: Perfect

A raw nugget of copper. Needs refining.

“There’s a cave in the hills. A yawning maw filled with this green stuff,” Gridgen said. “I only found a few of these loose ones near the entrance, everything else is embedded in the stone.”

“Perfect,” Theo said, rolling the ore over in his hand. He wasn’t sure if this is how ore appeared in nature, but so many things in this world followed different logic.

“Well, not sure what plans you have for a bunch of unprocessed metal. Even if you want to export it,” Gridgen said. “Not that I’m trying to tell you how to do your… Uh… I also haven’t been paid for finding the ore.”

Theo raised an eyebrow. “In the future, come to my lab for payment, until I can set something up. But, you’re right. I need someone to do the… Melting? What is it called?”

“Smelting,” Azrug said.

“Smelting,” Theo said, producing a silver coin from his inventory. He handed it over to Gridgen, who looked at him in disbelief. “A bonus for finding the mine.”

“I told you this place would be worth it,” Sarna said, snatching the coin from her husband’s hands.

“I wonder how expensive a smelterizer is going to be,” Theo said, tapping his finger into his chin.

“Smelter,” Azrug corrected. “Standard production seed core price—should be around 5 gold wholesale, depending. 10 to 20 gold in the capital, 5 gold from Fenian.”

“Sometimes I forget you have the cores to figure that stuff out.”

“Well, gossip from traders helps, too,” Azrug said, suddenly looking a bit sheepish. “And the fact that I bother Fenian daily.”

“He likes us,” Theo said, thinking for a moment. “Although, I’m not sure why. I think he’s taken a loss on us, so far.”

“Nope,” Azrug said. “Even with all his free stuff, he makes out like a bandit.”

Theo hummed in response. The sounds of battle outside had subsided, but were picking up again. The trollings were likely hitting the walls at this point.

“I should attend to the defense, as you say,” Theo said, chuckling.

“Thought you had people for that,” Azrug said.

“Yeah,” Theo said, standing up and departing without another word.

“Nice working with you, mister mayor! Let me know when you have the mine core thing!” Gridgen shouted.

“Stop acting so needy!” Sarna shouted back.

Theo left, refusing to get involved with their issues. Gridgen seemed like a meek man, while his wife was the opposite. Gods willing, she’d be working the mine or the smelter when the time came. The alchemist understood nothing about the process, but the investment was minimal. 10 gold to get the operation running, and his town would have an endless supply of metal to repair itself. He didn’t know if the metal was required for the town’s current level, but if it was an option on the screen, he’d need it eventually.

Returning to the field of battle seemed like a strange thing. The gates were intact, lending the interior of Broken Tusk an eerie quality. With empty streets, he felt cloistered behind those walls. A sense of comfort washed over him, even as lightning ripped through the sky. Ascending the battlements, Theo found a welcome sight. His friends looked relatively fresh, despite the pitched battle. Tresk’s health sat near full, but the Trollings spread in disparate waves below.

The creatures looked as expected. Miniature versions of the larger Trolls, scampering around to avoid the fires. They had slimy skin, oozing with some vile liquid, but still caught fire easily enough.

“They’re a lot less threatening than expected,” Aarok said, noticing Theo’s confused look.

“Bonus wave,” Theo muttered, watching a Trolling catch fire, run around, then collapse to the ground. “I guess it’s not meant to be hard.”

“Great experience, though,” Tresk said from somewhere in the shadows.

The sudden sound of his Tara’hek startled him. The alchemist jumped, scurried back, then narrowed his eyes at her. “Wish I could see you when you did that.”

Tresk giggled.

“Well, we’re in clean-up mode,” Aarok said, leaning against the stone wall.

“Any damage?” Theo asked.

“Minor damage,” Aarok said, gesturing north. “Nothing close to a breach this time.”

Luras turned from the edge of the wall, smiling. “With motes nearby, the weapons have been firing constantly. Theo, we need to work on the killing field.”

Theo cast his eyes over that killing field, a term he didn’t want to consider. He was reminded of his previous life, but this was far different than that. The targets he worked on weren’t armies, but individuals. The training he had received didn’t work in this situation, everything except simple concepts. Lines of fire and backstops were his primary concern back then, along with the idea of collateral damage. Using bombs for his work was the easiest, even if it caused the most casualties. These thoughts fell away in an instant. The monsters weren’t people.

“Trenches, perhaps?” Theo asked.

“In a swamp?” Luras asked, grimacing.

Theo waved the comment away. “This is why I leave the defense to you.”

“Perhaps another wall,” Aarok said.

“It doesn’t matter what it is, as long as we’re ahead of the game,” Theo said. “I was talking to our new citizens and they seem to think we have it under control.”

“Because we do,” Aarok said. “Especially compared to Rivers and Daub. Well, our land is mostly flat, which is an enormous advantage. We’re picking defensive upgrades, and we have a standing army.”

“The adventurers aren’t an army,” Theo said.

“They kinda are,” Tresk said, shrugging. “They all answer the call to arms. They’re an army.”

Theo frowned, but she was right.

The group discussed defensive options in-between the roaring blast from the lightning gun. It was odd watching them casually discuss things while monsters surged against the walls. They settled on nothing during the hours of the bonus wave. Tresk had to leave the safety of the walls to hunt down the last Trollings, hiding somewhere in the marsh. The dust settled for a while before the system determined the siege completed. A victory screen popped into Theo’s vision.

[Monster Wave] complete!

612 Monsters Destroyed!

12 gold bonus (paid to the Mayor of Broken Tusk).

Bonus for defeat wave boss:

Obtained: [Gloves of the Herbalist].

Obtained: 3 gold, 10 silver, 1 copper.

Bonus for defeating the bonus wave:

Obtained [Clothier’s Seed Core]

Obtained 5 gold, 0 silver, 0 copper.

[Broken Tusk] gained new effect: [Troll Slaying 2].

Theo inspected the gloves, disregarding the seed core. It didn’t seem very useful to him at the moment.

[Gloves of the Herbalist]

[Leather Gloves]

Uncommon

Scaling

Gloves granted to the alchemist with the determination to defend his home.

Effect:

Stamina depletion reduced for each wild herb nearby.

That was a brilliant piece of gear. It was scaling, and reduced the amount of stamina he lost while harvesting herbs. His old leather gloves were worn, verging on tattered. From what the Alchemist understood about magical items, it wouldn’t degrade. No matter how much he tried, they’d remain in good condition. That might not expand to people who went out adventuring, but he only intended to use them to harvest herbs.

“20 gold,” Theo said, laughing. “Some gloves and a seed core.”

“I got a new bow,” Luras said, his eyes going wide.

The Half-Ogre withdrew a bow from his dimensional storage, holding it out for everyone to see. It seemed like a normal wooden bow, but seams of green energy ran with the grain.

“I got crap,” Tresk said, frowning.

A thunderous sound came from the east, cutting their conversation short. Theo barely turned to look, expecting this turn of events.

“What was that?” Aarok asked. “Another attack?”

“Nope,” Theo said, looking at Tresk and smiling.

“Fenian,” Tresk said, finishing the Alchemist’s thought. “That man is punctual.”