Is this growth? Or am I sliding deeper into a spiral of violence? Are my actions, a measure of confidence, or an acceptance of my inner beast?

I hadn't been able to wrap my mind around why people force conflicts, even when they held all the cards. It just seemed like bad business.

There is always something to fight over. So why create pretenses to struggle about? Just come out and say, I want your stuff, I hate your face, or whatever.

Why had society built all the unnecessary layers of complication? The false justice of the people in power rings hollow to the victims more often than not.

Is it just another form of control? Do I want to wield power like that?

Through miles of bureaucracy. Bloodless, lifeless, exercises of Authority.

I like a good battle, I had to admit that to myself. I had plenty of rage to work through, issues galore. I found it hard to trust folks without a backup plan or two.

Why couldn't I just extend trust? Bring down wrath when it was betrayed. Reward Loyalty and Comradery as was deserved. Fight for what I wanted and believed in. Simple as that.

Or is this just laziness speaking. I know the game with its byzantine rules. I had the brains to scheme and connive like the best of the Corps. They just had ages of experience and tons more resources.

Well, I doubted I'd finalize any plans right now. Too many concerns and complications.

I suppose I was asking myself all of this, because with the advent of the Elves, I had to means to gather trustworthy support. I needn't deal with every little detail myself.

So if I let myself build these forces, how did I want to lead?

The conundrum bares far more scrutiny than I had time or desire to give it, right now.

When we were well away from the Pleasure House I stopped. I momentarily pondered the lack of intervention by the Club's staff. I chalked it down to, nobody liked the Corps.

I sighed.

"Look this would have gone much better if yall had just left me alone when I said no." I shook my head annoyed by the foolishness, "Why can people never just accept the simple truth?"

"Our Bosses are not use to hearing, no." The Woman said in an almost human display of contemplation.

The Man looked at her as if she had stabbed his child. "Do not engage in conversation about them." He turned back to me, "We knew you had the skills to do the job. You refused and things had to be done in another way. That cost resources. Thus, you cost the Company resources. You must pay. Even Street Scum like you can understand that."

Rathiel didn't like that and his blade dug deeper. Blood flowed crimson and stained his suit. A good metaphor.

Like most Corp Goons they had pain editors and blood loss was of minimal concern to a Fulm. Why were they cooperating?

Ah, probably waiting for backup.

Meowser reported that their communications were jammed. So, a check in setup. Hell, that's basic shit. I'd gotten too caught up in my own bullshit to see the obvious.

I shook my head.

"They have friends coming. We are leaving." I didn't want to let these two go, but it would be less trouble if I did.

Now they had a connection...no. They had already known about my connection with Yumi and Trish. They were waiting for me to make contact.

They hadn't bothered them. The Ladies must have backing. Trish probably came from the top crust. Seemed plausible, and would be one less worry.

We backed away while keeping an eye out.

We got to the Bronto with no trouble, but it wasn't exactly a subtle vehicle.

The Rathiel's emotions felt settled. He'd been born into his life. He knew his duty. Bizarrely that helped.

I drove about in what I hoped were confusing patterns.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

My thoughts all jumbled up. Maybe that mattered.

Rathiel gave voice to it, "Milord, from what you told me before. You are processing tremendous change. Vast Conflicts are now worries that must plague your mind. You haven't had the time, nor the space to really grasp the full extent of your situation. "

I nodded. That was a good summary. I was just retreading old ground, because I hadn't processed the changes in my life. Maybe everything I had thrown myself into was the attempt to ignore or deny the real problems.

"I can tell you like to understand your position. Your place in the World. Duty has meaning to you. Your words carry weight. Yet you do not know yet your own mind on what your future should be."

Yeah. He was spitting sense. I guess sometimes it is easier to see things from the outside.

"I think you are forgetting a critical point. You don't need to have all the answers at once. Provided you survive the inevitable conflicts, you have plenty of time. We are gifted long life, and we can afford patience. I do not think that it has cemented in your heart how much time you have. Many Lords and Ladies of our people deal with problems by simply outliving them."

True. That really hadn't sunk in. I had been too busy. Many things could wait for another day.

I was starting to get that Rathiel got more through the blood bond than I did. His insights were too spot on. I was going to have to fix that. Not that I was worried about him, I just wanted more access to information.

"I was Human, and I was 50. Before all this. I wasn't expecting to live that long. Much less any longer. Death always seemed so close. However, if offered the choice, I wouldn't have accepted the longer lifespan." My voice rumbled. Sure I had semi retired into consulting, but it just hadn't settled into my subconscious. Deep down, I had still expected Death to claim me at any moment.

"While it is no longer as common, I have known those that had gone through the Change. It is similar, and that alone is a world altering event. You now must shoulder more. I know it may not seem like a comfort to say, you have time. That isn't all you have anymore. We are still coming to understand each other, but I am on your side." He paused thinking over his next words. "It also seems to me you derive great joy from nature. Something sorely lacking in this benighted World. Perhaps, let that be your goal."

Well damn. I laughed.

"Well said, Sir Rathiel." For some reason, the Draggle Stone theme song ran across my mind.

It wasn't therapy, but it was a start.

When we got back Meowser told me I should check the Food production lines.

Holy shit.

Everything, I had already planted was ready to harvest. Yeah, even the Meat Vats.

What the Hell? That's some badass magic right there. Food wouldn't be a problem.

I spun up the Base Core and laid down more growing rooms.

I had Meowser order some Kitchen Bots, and Housekeeping Bots. 4 of each.

Then I checked the Troop options. Not only could I summon some Gloomrunner Elves, a new building was available.

The Leader's Hall. This building recruited more advanced troops to, of course, act as leaders. It currently had four options. Summon Elven Knight, Summon Elven Mage, Summon Elven Mage-Knight, and Summon New Random Type.

Oh ho! The ability to get new Classes. Would they be Elven as well, or was it totally random. I grinned. Time to test.

I queued up two sets of 10 Elven Scouts. Then I Summoned Two Random Leaders.

I could feel the portals open by my gate. Lair sense, maybe. Heh.

I marched out to the wall to meet the new troops. Get a look at them before anything else.

The Scouts were of similar composition, mostly armed with a long gun, a sidearm, and a melee options. Their clothing was mostly in greens and grays to help blend in to their native forests. It would stand out here.

The Leaders were very different.

The First Leader wore dark purple robes, cinched in strategic locations to emphasize her figure. Her hood was raised, and a flash of red eyes was all I could make out.

[ Dökkálfar Enchantress

Tier II

Physical: 13, Mental: 30, Social: 48

Abilities: Enchant Object 9, Enchant Being 4, Crafting 10

Traits: Elven Born: 4, Truthsayer 5, Stealth 6

Threat Level: Moderate ]

Hmm. Okay, I knew it was ages of Dragons and Doritos talking but I felt a bit worried. I remembered in the old tales that the Alfar split into several different groups. The Dökkálfar went underground. Different Legends said it was out of spite, others that it was merely convenience. So while they might be the basis for the Drow and other forms of Dark Elves in modern storytelling, they were probably not alike. Those red eyes though.

The Other Leader was all Metaled up. He had several visible ports and jacks on the sides of his head. His skin had rarely seen the touch of the sun. and his hair was sacrificed to the use of the tech. His replaced eyes were a shifting kaleidoscope of shapes and colors. He had various gadgets. Huh, I didn't recognize his setting. something like a Gloomrunner Elf who ran the Data Layer, but not quite. No Layer Deck for one thing, or at least nothing I understood as such.

[ High Elf Techdancer

Tier II

Physical: 14, Mental: 45, Social: 28

Abilities: Manipulate Technology 7, Dance the Unseen 4, Steal Data 9

Traits: Elven Born 3, Born to Tech 4, Ignore The World 2

Threat Level: Moderate ]

A High Elf. Strange. Tech and High Elves....no not ringing a bell.

The good news is that they came bonded. Though it bares the thoughts of coercion. i didn't feel I had the luxury of worrying too deeply right now.

"I am Victor Simmons. I hope my summons didn't not inconvenience you." I had Meowser get the Bots to open the gate.

"Not at all, milord." Her voice was light and airy. I would say contrived, but I really couldn't tell. "I am Melisathie of the Hall of Granite. I will serve." She curtsied. Alright.

"I will find the secrets of information everywhere. I am Halvithor House of Spark." His voice was artificial. I wondered what of him wasn't. "Point me at what you want to know. I will find it for you milord." He bowed.

Instead of leading the Scouts, I knew these two were more for helping to advance the Base and gear.

For now, I led them all into the base. I gave them the same tour and explanation of the World.

Melisathie asked if her quarters could be moved down below ground. Yeah, okay. I set that up. She seemed uncomfortable above ground.

Halvithor wanted a server and ISLC Implant as soon as possible. His Tech wasn't compatible with Metal, yet. He was fascinated by Meowser and all the Bots. Okay, he would adapt well here.

This was a good sign.

The Base would grow and our reach would expand. Soon enough I'd be the one knocking on the Corps doors.