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AFTER A SHORT TIME watching the living city grow to life and realizing that my presence was no longer required, I went back down into the portal room, which was now right beneath the main sequoia.
As I stepped through the portal into Foreston, I smiled to my waiting friends.
“Done,” I said wearily and, nodding to Murk, added: “You can move out.”
“Got it,” the albino nodded back and growled loudly: “Troop commanders! Let’s get started!”
And right then, the first hundred soldiers started diving into the portal with decisive looks on their faces.
“What about us?” Onyx tugged at my sleeve.
I turned around. All three of my familiars were looking at me expectantly.
“You too,” I approved and stepped into the portal. I just barely heard Onyx shriek out in joy. What a tomboy.
“This place changed completely while we were gone,” Mee said softly, looking around in astonishment.
We just so happened to be standing beneath the sequoia, which was growing slowly but surely. My familiars turned their heads right and left looking aghast as if afraid to miss the best part.
“What was it like here before?” Onyx asked, spellbound as she watched the flexible whitish roots running toward the living stockade wall.
“Over here,” I nodded at the home tree. “There used to be a small tower. There and there were the walls. Honestly though, it was all in ruins when I got back here.”
“It can’t have been Sarkhaat,” Mee came straight away. He crouched and ran his hand gingerly over a young shoot stubbornly breaking through the soil. After Mee touched it, the shoot started going even faster ― the inborn gremlin spell in action.
“I thought so, too,” I agreed with my brother, watching what he was doing out of the corner of my eye. “Most likely, some pals of the Steel King’s paid this place a visit. I’d bet my right arm that they were the ones who destroyed Fort Stout’s supply. They even carried off the golem, the bastards...”
“Must have been the necromancers,” the gremlin nodded. “The orcs were in too great a rush to settle scores with us. What do you think, is Sarkhaat still alive?”
I shrugged my shoulders.
“If he didn’t get into a confrontation with the necromancers, maybe. At the very least, it’s still too early to write him off.”
“He’s a dangerous creep,” Mee muttered. “Sarkhaat is the most powerful shaman on the steppe. I remember even orcs used his name to spook children when they were behaving badly. And be careful... That time when you walloped his band with an ice storm, it didn’t take him long to think.”
“Did he run?” Onyx asked right away.
Mee nodded.
“He activated a portal and abandoned all his warriors.”
“Coward,” Onyx spat out scornfully.
“What makes you jump to that conclusion?” Amber objected, finally speaking up. “It’s just that he knew Rick’s spell would kill him. So, he decided to retreat. Why die?”
“What about his warriors?” Onyx asked, her arms crossed on her chest and her right leg planted out in front challengingly.
“You think they wanted their shaman to die heroically with them?” Amber answered with a question of her own.
“He abandoned them!” Onyx scowled. She always did that when her sister came in with a weighty argument.
Amber snorted.
“That shaman acted rationally. After all, if I’m understanding correctly, there was no way he could have escaped that ice storm alive. And that means sacrificing the minor troops was the right move.”
Onyx wanted to reply, but she was interrupted by a troop commander walking up. It was Gus, who was in charge of the trap masters.
I remembered this foxman well. He helped us fight off the kobolds and restore the castle’s magic trap network. Back then, I remember him being one of Brown’s deputies. Now he was in command of fifty troops.
“All the traps are drained to zero,” Gus began his report. “More than half of them are destroyed. We’ll need lots of mana and materials to rebuild. Where should we start?”
“I already considered that, troop commander. Start with the first row of traps. Do you have enough materials?”
“More than,” the troop commander replied shortly.
And no wonder. Madi had sent whole caravans of useful resources to the castle. It was an expensive indulgence, but it was worth it. Now our trap masters had everything they needed.
“Repair them without mana for now?” Gus asked.
“For now,” I confirmed. “You’ll see. The city has a ways to grow yet. The growth bar has just passed the fifty percent mark. Despite all the fusions, the supply can hardly cope. So, any attacks right now we’d have to fend off without magic.”
The troop commander nodded and went off to carry out the order.
“And that’s after we all put all our mana into the supply?!” Onyx asked in surprise.
“Yes,” I nodded. “It burned through that mana a long time ago.”
“Woah!” she exclaimed.
“What did you think?” Amber smirked. “This isn’t the Foreston supply.”
“And can this supply become like the one in Foreston?” Onyx asked, ignoring her sister’s derision.
“Foreston is at level five in development right now,” I started to explain. “But this city is just trying to get up to level one. I’m sure by two it’ll be easier. Because every level the supply transforms, too.”
As we spoke, I took my eye off Mee. When I realized he was not near us, I started to look around.
“Don’t worry,” Amber said when she noticed my concern. “He’s inside the home tree.”
“He must have sensed that the sequoia needed help,” Onyx smiled. “He has a lot of work right now.”
I sighed with relief.
“That’s good. Don’t let him out of your sight. It’s quiet now. But it’s just the brief calm before the long storm. Don’t be a hero. Be prepared to run away to the portal at any moment.”
As I spoke, I was looking Amber in the eyes. She was the only one in the trio who would not take long to choose between a hero’s death and a timely retreat. But to stop Onyx from blurting something out, I had to put on a bit of pressure with my Will.
It’s plain to see ― I got through to both of them. By the way, these games with Will where the Great System didn’t make a peep had me somewhat on edge. It was like it was ignoring the effect and I didn’t totally understand why.
Honestly, the system didn’t react to dark spirits either. Or rather, it did have a reaction, but nothing more. A brief mention of the attempted mind control and that was it... After all, I still don’t know how much damage Bad Seed and Lazybones did to the entity. Dark spirits must just be too foreign to our world. I had seen something similar in Mink’s world...
My former bodyguards headed out in search of their charge. I meanwhile was left alone. But not for long.
A step away from me there stopped a stocky orange foxman, who asked with an anxious voice:
“Have your beasties come back yet?”
I shook my head.
“No, Wheeze. They’re all still outside the walls.”
After the outing to the dungeons, Wheeze, who had proven himself a great manager and commander, was appointed to head the loot brigade. Thanks to his sharp eye and prudence, we were able to fill the Foreston treasury to the brim.
After that expedition, Wheeze appreciated my pets’ assistance more than anyone else. Honestly though, the miserly foxman thought in somewhat different categories. For example, at one point he asked me to have Coal burn less of our enemies. In his words, it left nothing behind but ash. Basically, Wheeze was most interested in loot. The hunt was secondary.
“Aren’t you afraid to just let them roam like that?” The red fox looked warily out into the black trees. “They could get hurt.”
I chuckled.
“If those three came across somebody in the woods, I’d be more afraid for the other guy.”
By the way, Wheeze is one of the few Foreston natives not to fear being around my pets. As a matter of fact, the sly fellow had developed quite the rapport with them. He always had a treat for the trio in his pocket. The snakes and harn responded in kind. As soon as they saw his stocky figure on the horizon, they forgot everything and ran over to him for a treat. Well, that was if I let them. And I did let them... Why not? It’s good for the kiddos and it makes Wheeze happy.
At times like that, the foxman swelled with importance, looking down on his fellow countrymen. And of course! The most dangerous creatures of our world treat him like house pets. One look from them could turn the blood to ice in anyone’s veins, but they made Wheeze’s heart melt. Need it be said that his authority in foxfolk society had taken off precipitously?
Heh... And to think, the kobold mother had advised me to kill Wheeze and the other loot gatherers to keep their mouths shut. I wonder what Wheeze would say about that. It occurs to me that the clever fox may have guessed something was up. I remember the looks he kept shooting me down in those dungeons. He probably knew how it all might end... In any case, when I mentioned the secrecy oath, Wheeze breathed a sigh of relief.
“Anything is possible,” the foxman said vaguely. “Maybe they get distracted. Try finding them then.”
I shook my head.
“Don’t worry. They were given clear instructions. Gorgie is guarding the road...”
“Yeah, he’s an old hand at that,” Wheeze cut me off with a hand wave. “But the snakes are still just children. They might get carried away with a chase...”
“They won’t,” I said confidently. “Plus, it’s all clear around here.”
“You can say that again,” Wheeze sighed and, rubbing his chest, added: “This is a deadly place.”
I chuckled.
“Change your mind about settling down here so soon?”
I had heard rumors that there were many in Foreston who wanted to move to the new town. And Wheeze was among them.
“You’ve heard the rumors?” he chuckled.
“It’s what I do,” I shrugged. “Know everything about everyone.”
“That’s for sure,” Wheeze nodded. “Being Grand Magister is no walk in the park. It’s stature.”
“How about you not jump off topic,” I smiled.
Wheeze grumbled something under his nose and responded:
“No, I haven’t changed my mind.”
“And what makes you wanna move here?”
“Well, why not?” the fox answered with a question of his own. “Whether here or in Foreston I’m a newcomer, an outsider. The only difference is that in Newtown there’s more room to grow.”
Hm... I’ve never heard that name before. But you know what, not bad. Newtown...
“Well, it’s not like Foreston is small,” I chuckled. “Soon enough, after the war, we’ll bring up its level. The city will grow even bigger.”
Wheeze glanced at me sidelong and responded:
“Everything in Foreston is already claimed. The old clans cling tightly to what is theirs. But here, I could start from the beginning.”
“Found your own clan, for instance...” I said, tilting my head to the side.
“Sure, why not?” Wheeze asked with challenge in his voice. “What makes us any worse than the others?”
I just shrugged my shoulders.
“Time will sort out the better from the worse.”
“That’s for sure,” Wheeze rubbed his neck and added: “As long as we don’t die...”
“By the way, about that,” I remembered. “What did you think up for that?”
The clever fox lit up straight away.
“Here’s the thing. Remember how I suggested feeding the supply with the body parts of subterranean monsters?”
“Yes,” I nodded. “I just haven’t gotten around to it yet.”
“Don’t you worry about that,” Wheeze waved. “Murk and I have already run a test.”
Seeing my look, the fox shuddered and spat out like a machine-gun:
“Don’t think... We didn’t throw anything into the supply without you.”
“Then what do you mean you ran a test?” I asked coldly.
To be frank, I was not a big fan of this self-starting. I was overall not opposed to initiative. But only within rational bounds. You see, administering the living city was something like wading through a swamp. One step to the right or left and you might find yourself head-deep in muck. Everything needs to be done with care. And most importantly ― before anyone did anything, I had to be aware. I think I was madder at the fact that Murk didn’t tell me about the experiments. Although, when I consider it, the albino was acting in good faith. He must have thought Wheeze would tell me soon.
“Don’t worry,” Wheeze threw his arms up. I could see in his eyes that I had spooked him. “We just brought down some loot, one piece of each type and Murk offered them to the supply the same way you did. One hand on the stone, the other on the item.”
I nodded in silence as if to say, “go on.”
“So then,” Wheeze said, noticeably emboldened. “At first nothing happened. The supply stayed quiet as a church mouse. By then, we had already tried more than half of the loot. But then the Great System piped up.”
“What was it?” I asked.
“The poisonous mandibles of some creature,” Wheeze replied and added: “An epic.”
“Anything other than that work?”
“Scales and a shell. Also epics.”
“Did you try any legendaries?” I asked quickly.
“We tried everything,” Wheeze answered. “And nothing.”
“So just three things,” I said, stroking my chin in thought. “Do you have them with you?”
Wheeze melted into a smile.
“How could I not?!”
“Then, after me,” I commanded, and we headed to the supply.
At the pedestal with the big, huge crystal, the orange fox opened his traveling bag and started taking out loot.
“Let’s see...” I said, picking up a black scale the size of a chicken egg and activating Reveal Essence.
Obsidian Stonehide Scale
— Type: Universal ingredient.
— Rarity: Epic.
— Requirements:
— Butchery – 70.
— Additional information:
— As a creature that uses otherworldly magic, the stonehide is highly sought-after by rare-ingredient hunters. Considered especially valuable are its scales, and in particular those made of Morion (legendary), Obsidian (epic) and Onyx (rare).
— Recommendations:
— If you had the good fortune to find a Stonehide, the first place you should take it is a knowledgeable weapon maker – they’re sure to give you a good price for the ingredient.
― Using this ingredient, a master weapon maker can improve the defense and resilience of his wares (weapons, armor).
― Rarity: Legendary, Epic, Rare.
― Important!
― Ancient master alchemists used stonehide scales to create special potions that hardened the skin of living creatures.
― Rarity: Legendary, Epic.
When I was done reading, I quickly asked Wheeze, who was shifting from foot to foot:
“Have you read the description?”
“Yes,” he nodded. “It says there that this scale is best sold to a weapon maker.”
“Anything else?”
“That’s all I saw,” Wheeze said in surprise. “Is there anything else?”
Ignoring his question, I asked again:
“Do you have a lot of these scales?”
“Just five.”
“Got a legendary?”
“Nope,” Wheeze shook his head. “Like I said...”
“Sorry, slipped my mind. What do you have there?”
“Mandibles and armor,” Wheeze answered quickly and couldn’t resist a question: “What did you see there?”
I quickly looked over the rest of the ingredients and answered:
“So, here’s the thing. To sum it up, the scales and shells increase resilience and defense both for armor and the skin of living creatures.”
The fox started shaking slightly in overexcitement.
“What about the mandibles?”
“That’s all much more complicated...” I snorted. “They can be used to brew a powerful poison or give a living creature the ability to poison.”
“What do you mean?” the foxman asked in surprise. “If I suddenly feel like being able to poison somebody, then...”
“You would grow mandibles instead of fangs,” I chuckled.
At first, Wheeze froze, digesting the information. Then he frowned.
“No,” he shook his head. “I can’t do that. My wife would kick me out of the house...”
I chuckled:
“I don’t think it’s all so simple... First of all, we’d also need to find a master alchemist who knows the recipe. And second, even if we find one, there’s no guarantee you’ll be able to drink the brew. Ever heard of anatomical incompatibility?”
“Yes,” the fox nodded. “Then what about the supply?”
I shrugged again.
“We don’t have enough to go on. But I know one thing. If the supply is ready to accept tribute, we don’t have to go looking for craftsmen. Just like the shards, it can process materials on its own.”
The fox frowned.
“Curious... Our city is also a living creature... And does that mean...?”
“Precisely,” I said. “It would be logical to assume the scales and shell would increase the defense and durability of some part of the bark.”
“And what about the poison?”
“The vines,” I waved a hand toward the wall. “They’ll become poisonous.”
Wheeze’s eyes lit up. A smile blossomed on his face.
“When can we get started?” he asked, rubbing his hands together.