~~~Lee~~~

For the first time, Mana Blast didn't hurt.

There was a flash of light and a momentary glimpse of blue sky at the far end of a dark, buzzing tunnel.

Then the swarming flies filled the gap.

Lee pulled a rune from the buried armor... and unleashed another blast with the trickle of mana it returned to him.

He repeated the tactic with all the buried runes, then his battery. The mana burn debuff never appeared, but he had to switch hands when the tingling numbness in his arm started shifting into real pain.

The highest amount of mana he put into the blasts was always below ten percent, by his estimation. Lee was beyond pleased with the results, even though it quickly became clear that even those weaker shots would still burn him if he kept it up.

Nevertheless, the swarm thinned under his assault, until it was finally safe to drop the shield. Lee somehow convinced Alejandro to stay back—probably since the man could barely stand on his half melted feet—while he stood in the gap and chopped down the flies that still flew in, thankfully in much lower numbers.

Lee used the fights to pull in as much of the ambient mana that the dead flies left in the air as he could, increasing his regeneration. He summoned metal plates beneath his feet to give his arms a rest from channeling, and discovered he could even place the runes from his soul storage with his feet as well.

Then he chucked them like frisbees into the muddy field. That usually drew most of the attention from him, and Lee would stuff some more food into his mouth while he had the chance.

There were a myriad of small pains, from sprinkles of drool digging holes in his flesh, to the puddles he could not avoid stepping in. None of it was enough to stop him, given what he fought for, and Lee didn't know how long that process repeated before a notification popped up.

You have Broken the Swarm: [Devouring Rain]

For your contributions, you have earned the Title: [Swarm Chaser]

The flies already inside the cave still attacked him, but no more followed once Lee cut them down. He only waited a heartbeat to be sure it was over, then stuffed the last of the food into his mouth and rushed to the others. He scooped Penelope into a princess-carry. "I can run her all the way. Lucas, carry Alejandro... but let's make sure it's clear."

It was clear. Completely clear, and Lee had no trouble orienting himself toward the fort. Three was still a shining beacon of his soul that was impossible to miss. It also told him that the fort was closer than Bradley. Otherwise, he might have considered going that way first.

Saira was the best option to save Penelope, but Lee didn't know if she was even alive. That left Maria as the next best choice for a healer. Lee hated to run away like this, especially when Saira and the others might be in desperate need... but he had to make the call.

They would come back for her and the others. Soon. Though it felt like Bradley's rune might already be moving... If Saira lived, then Bradley and Mar would be fine. If not... well, Penelope still had a chance with Maria.

Lee figured it was extremely unlikely that any monsters still existed in the area. Not after that disaster. He still ran with Lucas across the barren and pock-marked dirt until he was sure, then sprinted ahead with the dying girl in his arms.

He didn't know if she was truly dying or not, but she looked damn close. So he ran and shortly after started cursing his frail and feeble debuffs when his hunger climbed rapidly.

Lee tried to distract himself by checking his new title.

[Swarm Chaser]

+100% All Base Attributes when surrounded by ten plus attackers

It was nice, if a bit of a niche, and not nearly enough of a distraction. The run turned into a race against his hunger. One that shifted into a nightmare when the walls were in sight but before he reached them.

Debuff Upgraded: [Ravenous]

"Help!" Lee screamed, somehow tearing his eyes away from the raw, succulent, juicy, oh so delicious meat in his arms. "Healer! Help! Help!"

He staggered to a stop, still screaming, and tried to let go of his meal... he couldn't... do it! He was so hungry... Lee collapsed to his knees, his eyes descending... and ripped one hand away from her even as his fingers tried to claw and grasp at the flesh... then he shoved his own hand into his mouth.

Teeth ground through his flesh. The taste of hot blood bursting over his tongue was the sweetest thing he'd ever tasted, even as indestructible teeth ground against unyielding bones. It was... everything he wanted... but not right... not what he needed... not enough!

A figure appeared in front of him, their hands reaching out... stealing his prize! Lee tried to bite them, but his mouth was full. He tried to stop them, but they snatched away his meal before he could... He climbed to his feet... staggered after them... he needed it!

More food ran toward him, and Lee turned to chase... they grabbed him... restrained him... NO! Let me eat! Then they tore away the only thing he had to chew on... and shoved something else into his mouth... MEAT!

Lee struggled and bit at the food holding him down, but they kept sticking pieces into his mouth, until...

Debuff Downgraded: [Starving]

He was lying on his back, someone beneath him with their hands clamped around his forehead and legs wrapped over his stomach. More hands restrained his arms and legs. While the last person stood over him and was currently stuffing another piece of meat into his mouth.

"...ait," Lee tried to say, then had to chew and swallow the bite.

That was when Bradley came flying in and landed beside him with an earth-shaking impact. He had a small tree in his hand, and green light blossomed around and into Lee.

Debuff Removed: [Minor Bleeding]

Debuff Downgraded: [Hungry]

Lee finally realized who was currently wrapped around him. How did they get here so fast? Another thought quickly followed that. They're alive!

"Bradley, you are a total fucking badass!" Lee shouted as almost all of his lingering worries drained away. Except. "Alejandro! He's coming behind..."

"Maria already went to get him," Bradley said, smiling. "I think you all can let him go now."

Everyone let go, and Bradley pulled him to his feet. Lee held tightly to the other man's hand even after he was standing. "Thank you, Bradley. You really do rock."

Bradley blushed and then frowned. "Is that a..."

Lee turned, grinning. "Saira, thank..." He froze. She was completely naked. "...you..." Lee forced his eyes to lock onto her face. "Ahem... thank you."

He was extremely grateful, not only that she was alive, but that she had helped him again. He also really didn't want to talk about what had just happened. It was embarrassing... and that moment when he'd wanted to eat Penelope would probably give him nightmares...

Saira smiled, but the expression looked strained as her eyes roved over the crowd. Then she quickly turned away with a wave. "Come, I will assist with Alejandro, and we must speak of something." She glanced to the side and said to someone else. "Do not harm them! Wait for our return."

Lee followed her gaze to what Mana Mind had already shown him. Monsters. Or aliens? He wasn't sure what the right word was here... but the important part was that they were not trying to kill anyone. They were also adorable. Tiny dogs wearing clothes, and sitting in a small group. All of them staring intently at him...

At the reminder, Lee went to pull off his own shirt for Saira... but it was in tatters, and filthy... his pants weren't much better.

Mar came sprinting in before he could ask someone else to donate to the lost clothes fund, and she tossed an invisible cloth over her mother. "Get dressed already!"

"Thank you, Mar." Saira wrapped what looked like a colorful sheet around herself in a complicated and obviously practiced motion while they walked further away. The flickering cloth did strange things when Mar helped… at times invisible, then visible, then making parts of Saira invisible… Very weird. Also, something to think about later.

Bradley dumped mana into the ground beneath their feet, and a slab of earth solidified. Lee understood how they'd caught up so fast when the slab started sliding rapidly forward with them atop it.

"Lee," Saira said as they picked up speed. "Those are the Anubi. They invaded... trapped us in a dungeon... and then surrendered."

That was... good? He remembered Wilson's story about surrendering invaders, but hadn't expected that they could stay behind afterward. As for the name... the Egyptian god of... the underworld? Lee wasn't sure, but they sure looked like the statues and depictions of Anubis. Which was a strange coincidence...

"They claim to be refugees. At least the one who can speak does."

Refugees... Did that mean humans could go to other worlds using keys and then stay if they wanted? How many alien peoples would come to earth in the future... how many were already here? Lee felt a strange... reluctance to the idea. He didn't mind ignoring the Mexico border; they were all humans.

This was… something else.

"They also claim to make potions, including a healing potion that worked as advertised."

"Potions? Like actual magical healing potions?"

"Indeed. I did not witness it myself, but Mar used it to heal me."

"It works," Mar said.

Lee suddenly realized that maybe aliens on Earth were totally fine. In fact, it sounded like a fantastic idea!

"There is more," Saira said. "They asked about a runic class and begged to meet with whoever it was. I agreed, but we have not told them who it is."

Lee remembered those stares. "They might already know..."

Alejandro was limping slightly but on his feet when they found him. Saira healed both him and Lucas, then brought everyone up to speed while they rode the earth sled back to the fort.

As a precaution, Lee split off ahead with Alejandro and Maria, leaving Bradley to shepherd the anubi into the fort. He wanted to meet them in his stronghold, just in case. It was suspicious that they knew his class. At least Lee thought so. The class description made it sound like he'd gained some lost class that no one even knew existed... of course, that could all just be flavor text...

Maria shared what happened on her end while they went inside, including how the building had endured the swarm. They had seen it coming well in advance, and Lee didn't need to see the dead flies piled around Three to know that they'd indeed come here. The complete lack of vegetation was enough to confirm that, and Lee mourned the loss of his potatoes briefly before heading inside. Hi, Three! I'm back, and you did great!

The building felt different from what he remembered. Diminished. Not as bright as it was before... There were also numerous spots where rebar protruded from the walls... Are you okay, Three?

Lee could also see channels in the floors where the building had reshaped itself to dump the acid outside. Otherwise, it looked fine. Just not as bright... and Lee thought that made sense. It had killed thousands of the flies. All that energy had to come from somewhere... right?

His only real worry was that the building might need more Source to recharge. That was not something he could provide... but he had a feeling that it wouldn't be necessary. He'd made this place to protect everyone and done so while he was smarter than he'd ever been before. It would have been stupid to limit his defenses in that way...

Lee knew when the anubi entered the fort behind him. It was the same nagging feeling he'd had when he was in charge and the fort was full of non-residents. Which meant Wilson knew they entered the fort... and had brought a small army to stop them by the time Lee got back outside.

The anubi were all crouched in the dirt just outside the garage with their... puppies? huddled in the middle of the group. Humans surrounded them. Armed and hostile humans.

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Bradley stood with Saira between man and anubi, while Mar flickered in and out of sight on the other side. "They are harmless!"

"You can't just bring random monsters into our homes!" Wilson said, hiding behind his bodyguards...

"They are not monsters!" Bradley shouted. "No more than any of us!" Which was a fair point. Humans were technically monsters... Of course, more than a few people objected to having it pointed out. It impressed Lee a lot to see both of the usually timid people standing up against the mob and he couldn't help the smile on his face as he hurried over.

"Stand down!" Alejandro shouted while pushing past Lee. Only a few people moved back at his words. Then he abruptly stood beside Bradley.

"Bradley, take them inside," Lee said, and strolled to Wilson. It galled him slightly to say it, but Lee thought it might help with the obvious tension. "Fort Commander, these monsters saved the life of our best healer. The least we can do is hear them out."

It might have been a slight exaggeration given what Mar claimed, but everyone who fought the monsters knew Saira on sight. She was literally the lifeblood of this fort, and her presence beside the anubi had likely been the only thing keeping the mob from doing anything. Yet.

Wilson frowned, but he definitely noticed the looks running through the gathered fighters when they heard about Saira. "Very well, Vice Commander. Let's hear them out."

"Inside," Lee said, pointing with a thumb over his shoulder. "It'll be safer for all of us."

The crowd opened a path, and Lee went ahead with a thought directed at Three, telling the building not to attack his guests. So long as they didn't attack him first... Lee was well aware of the two armored men that were shadowing his every step, but he ignored them. Probably Alejandro being over protective again. It wasn't a bad thing, per se, but it made him look like a weakling... like Wilson.

Voices in the crowd still spoke up in favor of killing them immediately, but Lee ignored them and watched the monsters as they walked inside. All of whom were staring directly back at him.

Three didn't react to their entrance, and Lee saw no sign that they'd even noticed what they just walked into... yet they all watched him... staring.

Wilson took the lead before Lee could decide what to say. "I heard one of you can speak our language?"

"Yes, great one!" A single one of them stepped forward and bowed from the waist while barking, "I am Trak."

It was wearing a magic amulet, the only directly magical thing any of them were carrying. As he'd suspected, it was the translator. Lee could see the mana weaves running from the amulet around its neck and encircling its head. It pulsed almost non-stop, either when a human spoke or when the anubi did.

"Why are you here?" Wilson said, slowly and too loud.

"We surrendered as a sign of good faith... and because a meeting was promised with the leader of your people."

"Well, here I am. What is the meeting about?"

Trak looked surprised. "Forgiveness, great one. It is... that one we sought." It looked past Wilson and stared directly at Lee. Again.

Lee wanted to ask about that necklace, and potions, and why they were so desperate to meet him, but he had another question first. "Why have you all been staring at me?"

"Great one, it is beyond rare to see... let alone speak with... a..." It looked around. Nervously, Lee guessed. It was hard to say since they really looked like dogs... its ears had even tucked down like a scared dog. Was it racist to think of them as dogs? The anubi never finished what it had been going to say, instead it bowed again and barked, "I dare not say it aloud, great one!"

Lee sighed at the honorific, but didn't protest. It was probably just some kind of cultural thing. "I heard you were looking for..."

Then it was his turn to hesitate. Did he still need to hide his class? Or was that just Jake's paranoia? Or Stanley's. He was surrounded by people whom he'd saved or who'd saved him. They all knew about the mana well... or at least the mana. But Lee hadn't forgotten how the monsters always seemed to want his blood over other people's. Even the elf had been obsessed... This was the first obsession that didn't seem to involve killing him.

Lee summoned a plate beneath his foot—his arms were still a little tingly—and he could have sworn they all twitched when he started. Were they sensitive to mana? Then Lee picked it up and stuck a strengthening rune on it. "Is this what you're looking for?" he asked, while not explicitly divulging his class. Jake was clearly a bad influence.

Then he braced for whatever they might have planned.

Trak stared intently at the entire process, almost quivering, then he turned to another of his pack. A shorter, grayer version of himself that sat huddled beside the pups. It was barely bigger than them and Lee had assumed it was a pup itself. Now, though, he saw it for what it truly was. An elderly anubi, withered and shrunken with age.

They didn't speak, that Lee could hear, only shared a look until the senior nodded. Then Trak spun back to Lee and bowed to the floor. "Great one! Please take us into your service!"

All the anubi looked surprised, but they followed Trak's lead and bowed.

Lee stared. That... was not at all what he'd been expecting. "What? Why would... Why?"

The anubi traded glances and the first one spoke again. Or barked. "We have heard stories of the... of those with your class. Legends... of them." It winced slightly, or Lee thought it had. Did that mean they knew his class was legendary?

"All the stories mention the power of their fortresses." It stared at him for a moment before adding, "We would be prepared to swear fealty to you, Great One, if you would grant us protection and a place in your kingdom."

Lee gaped while mutters went through the gathered crowd. Was he missing something here? Other than that obvious mention of 'fortresses' that seemed ripped straight from his class description... were the runes really that well known? "Why did you come here? Did you know I was here?" he finally asked.

"No, my lord! We fled here seeking safety and a place to raise our offspring, same as any sapient," it barked. "Finding you here was a great fortune beyond expectation!"

"What does fealty mean and what can you do to help here?" Lee wanted more details before agreeing to anything.

"We are three of us Expert ranked Alchemists and the other three are ancillary classes to ours. Swearing fealty would bind us to not betray or work against you and would punish us severely for even the attempt at betrayal."

"We can't trust this... oath!" Wilson protested loudly. "An oath that they won't betray us? They aren't even human and they want us to take their word?" Far too many people muttered what sounded like agreements... Didn't they hear about the potions? Healing potions!

The anubi seemed to pick up on the hostility, and Trak spoke quickly. "You do not know yet, but you will understand. Alas, we do not have a prepared oath, but we will word it thusly!" it said rapidly, with a glance at the hostile humans all around them.

Trak dropped to all fours, nose to the ground, and the rest of them followed its lead.

"We, the Druller Pack, swear fealty to the... being before us." He looked up then, meeting Lee's gaze. "We swear to serve and defend him to our last breath, and to be defended by him in turn. We swear to never betray this oath lest our words strike us dead!" All of them repeated it as he went. Presumably... since it just sounded like a lot of howling.

What followed confirmed it.

You have gained an Oath of Fealty from the entire Druller Pack of Anubi. If accepted, this oath binds the Druller Pack into your service until such time as you release them.

Betrayal of the oath by the Druller Pack will have variable penalties dependent on the level of the betrayal, up to and including death.

As the sworn Lord, betrayal on your part will incur no penalties but will remove all Oath Restrictions from the Pack.

Accept? Y/N

"That's slavery!" Lee blurted. Sure, it looked great for him. He couldn't see a single downside on his end of the deal. It looked like he could kick them to the curb whenever he wanted and they were stuck with him forever if he didn't let them leave...

"My lord, it is not... it would bind you to protect us as well."

"Yea, but wouldn't I have to do that, anyway? It literally says you can't quit without my permission! That is slavery!"

"But... we have sworn fealty... that is how it works. Will you not accept us? I..." Trak glanced at the elder anubi again, and his posture slumped. "We can remove that limitation if you wish... so it will not bind you to..."

"No! I'll accept it as is! Jesus christ, why would you even suggest that?"

For obtaining and accepting an Oath of Fealty, you have been awarded the Title: [Minor Lord]

+0.1% Effective All Base Attributes per sworn subject.

Increase the number of your subjects to increase your title rank and the effects.

The Anubi Druller Pack has joined Greenfield Fort as subjects of Vice Commander Lee Cascade.

So, not only did he have some alchemists to make potions, but he also got a buff from each of them. Sweet! When Lee refocused on the anubi, they were all staring at him with hopeful and tentatively happy expressions. How do I know that? He didn't see any tails wagging, and they had dog faces…

"Lord Cascade." They all bowed again.

They must have gotten a notification with my name?

"Are you sure this is wise?" Wilson stepped up to Lee with a frown. "Can we trust them?"

"I got a notification that they can die if they betray me," Lee said, staring thoughtfully. "Plus, if they can make healing potions, that could be huge! We already don't have enough healers."

Wilson didn't look convinced, but he nodded reluctantly. "Where will they stay?"

"Here!" a voice shouted and Lee looked over to see Nathan 'the chemist' gleefully looking at the anubi. Of course, he would be happy. The guy had yet to actually make anything...

"What do you think of living down here?" Lee asked. "We would, of course, put up walls and whatever else we can reasonably provide." They might need plumbing... or would they just...

Some of the anubi looked dubious at the idea, an emotion Lee once again didn't know how he knew... Not that he blamed them. It was a garage... so he added something else to sweeten the pot. "You would probably only work down here. I'm sure we could fit you into an apartment upstairs. Plus, this building is named Three. It is always watching and will protect you the same as it does everyone else in here."

Then he invited them as residents and gave them mana access. Which it turned out he could do without knowing their names...

Full Mana Access and Resident Status Granted(Anubi Druller Pack)

It was a threat and a reassurance. Not that Lee thought they could do anything to hurt him now... he could... feel them. A presence, or a feeling... it was very faint, but likely what was helping him read their expressions? One of whom was currently experiencing a rapid shift towards ecstatic...

"You have already created your fortress!" Trak barked. "We are not worthy, and would be beyond honored to work, let alone reside within even the lowliest of hovels within such a place..." Trak trailed off and then threw itself to the floor. "Forgive me, my Lord! No part of your creation could ever be considered a hovel!"

"Jeez, relax. It's totally a dump down here. But we can figure something out. Bradley, can you..." Lee stared at the shirtless man and his stone skirt. As well as the potion bandoliers he was carrying... "When you're up to it, Bradley, could you help put in some walls? I'll make the lights... and whatever else we can think of."

Bradley flinched, and Lee saw his eyes dart around as so many gazes landed on him. "I... I can do that right now! Or... maybe... get some... clothes... first."

"You earned whatever you want after today, Bradley. You're a damn hero." Lee felt a little awkward saying it, and Bradley flushed bright red, but it had to be said. Everyone should know that Bradley kicked ass today, and he should damn well be proud of himself.

Bradley made some noises, and Lee was pretty sure he heard Mar snickering. Then the man fled upstairs with some incomprehensible mumbles. He left behind the bandoliers, and Nathan snatched them up greedily.

Lee introduced Trak to Nathan, who then practically dragged them to his claimed workshop space in the garage while begging them to teach him everything they knew right now! Trak pre-empted Lee's attempts to mediate the demands. "We would be happy to share our knowledge! Yes, yes, come! Show us what you know and we will begin."

Trak didn't leave with him just yet. Instead, he turned to Lee and bowed. "By your leave, my lord. We will begin work immediately! I apologize, but we must first grow our ingredients or find suitable replacements on your world before we can produce any potions..."

"First off, enough bowing and calling me lord. Second, while I look forward to seeing what you can make... maybe take some time to settle in? You just came to a whole new world... I can't imagine..."

"Yes, my lord!" Trak bowed. Again.

Saira was already moving closer when he finished, and Lee let her take over the discussion of growing things. He instead went to Wilson and Alejandro, who were discussing something in hushed tones. "You guys can relax. They're probably in more danger from us..."

They were. He could order them killed and all they could do was fight for their lives after the fact. Anyone here could attack them aside from Lee... which might still break his oath, as he would have failed to protect them... except just thinking about it told Lee that it didn't work that way. His side of the oath only protected them from him... and his orders. In all other matters, they could defend themselves, and were expected to do so.

Lee could still try to help with that. Three, they are with us now. Protect them if you can. He assumed resident status already covered that, but it didn't hurt to be thorough.

Out loud, he said, "We should keep some guards on them, at least while people get used to the new faces."

"Yes, my lord," Alejandro said with a grin.

Lee scowled at him.

"We should be wary," Wilson said, nodding. "There is no telling what strange morals these... beings possess."

"I meant guards to keep anyone from trying to attack them," Lee clarified. "They are under my protection now, and Three might kill anyone that attacks them. So..."

Wilson actually looked slightly alarmed at that, but Alejandro chuckled. "I know, I know. I'll find some people that don't mind the aliens and make sure they're protected."

"Thanks… I need a shower." Lee was almost back to the stairwell when he heard something and stopped in place.

"...haven't heard of or seen any undead. Why…"

Lee turned back, adrenaline helping to wake up his mind. "What did you say about the undead?" He asked Trak, butting into the conversation.

"I… my lord! I was just asking if they were nearby or not… it is always a worry when going to a new dungeon world."

"Why…" Lee swallowed on a suddenly dry throat. "Why is it always a worry?"

"Um… because they always take a large portion of each new world?" It whined nervously behind the English words. "Are they nearby? My lord?"

"What do you mean by they always take?"

"They… they just do? They always send an assault and claim a large Raid Dungeon for themselves. They usually spread greatly from the initial victory as well… that is why I worried about being nearby."

"Don't they lose sometimes?" Lee demanded. Pleaded.

"I've never heard of it… but it's possible, I guess?"

Stanley… Lee swayed on his feet. Stanley can beat them! He killed some of them already! But he was still far away… and had come no closer since Lee saw him killing the undead things.

"What ails you, my Lord? I may have a potion…"

"Don't call me lord… I'm Lee." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Stanley is getting stronger every day… and Caffeine is with him. Worst case… we use the Source again.

Lee knew that last option would probably mean their death. But he also knew that neither of them could live if the other died. If it comes to that… We'll make sure the Undead lose this time!

Lee opened his eyes and looked at the anubi. "I'm fine."

"Of course, my… Liege."

He ignored that one. "We can talk later. If you need anything, ask Alejandro here." Lee tilted his head towards the man. "He is my brother."

"It is an honor to meet you!" Trak bowed to Alejandro, and Lee escaped.