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Chapter 182 - Twin Cities
🕑 Added 2024-11-19 21:52:07 +0000 UTCMarcus
Relief flooded his system as the gates closed behind him and yet another Water Run was completed without a single death. That accomplishment marked an entire month of no one dying.
Even as excited as he was about everyone making it back, Marcus couldn't help but feel this week's run was different. An inkling of a feeling was telling him that it was easier compared to the last.
His mana was less than half full and his Law still had some juice left in it which marked the best condition he had ever returned in. Clarissa was flat out of both mana and mental energy but that was to be expected.
She used all she had during her attacks to kill as many as possible so using her as a baseline measurement wasn't possible.
"Gregory!" Marcus called out for his second.
"Yes, sir!" Gregory shouted while running up to him.
"If you had to estimate, how much longer could you fight on?" Marcus asked.
Confusion flashed but the man answered all the same, "15 minutes at least. 30 if I was conservative."
Marcus nodded and sent the man on his way. His own estimates were close to that of his second so it wasn't only him. A few more people said the same and things started to solidify in his mind.
Things were easier this time, he just couldn't figure out why.
They had done the same Water Run nearly 70 times by now and it was always the same. Even as they gained levels from the fighting, the bugs would always be strong enough to match them.
They were growing at similar paces and the difficulty always remained the same. Except for now.
Instead of feeling hope, Marcus was worried. The pattern they had gotten used to had changed and he didn't know why.
He thought about it constantly even while going about his usual tasks. The Builders Guild needed more materials and he had to approve a trip to go forage them. The Farmers were having trouble breaking up the rocky soil and he had to shift some higher leveled people to go help.
Managerial tasks that filled his daily schedule were completed while his mind kept gnawing on something else.
The biggest project he had going on was finally seeing some progress but even that couldn't take his mind away from thinking about the bugs. They were his never-ending problem and they popped up everywhere.
Knock, Knock, Knock.
Swift and heavy knocking broke his train of thought.
"Come in," Marcus announced. The knocking pattern was familiar and he knew who it was.
The door creaked open and Gregory stepped through before shutting it behind him with a thud. Marcus looked up at him curiously.
"Sir, we have a visitor," Gregory stated.
"Is it the Reservation again?" Marcus asked exasperated.
The Reservation had sent them a representative a few weeks ago to discuss trade but they weren't able to come to an agreement. They saw the predicament Marcus was in and tried to exploit him because of it.
They jacked up the price of food and materials just because they knew it was difficult for his city to acquire such things which left a sour taste in his mouth. Saying as much in a... not so polite manner caused negotiations to fall through.
It wasn't a surprise they were back but Marcus hadn't thought they would be quite as rushed. They must be just as desperate as he was. He wasn't able to get any information on how their settlement was faring without sending someone out which he couldn't afford to do.
From the one he met, they didn't seem to be the welcoming type.
"No, sir, he's not from the Reservation," Gregory said. "He says he comes from the North, up in Canada."
The North?
That was new. They hadn't heard from anyone north of the border since the Change.
"Did he say why he's here?" Marcus asked.
"He did not. He only asked for a place to stay for a while, even offered to pay upfront if that was a problem." Gregory stated.
This is odd. Visitors had arrived before but never from so far away and not in a long while. As the months stretched on from the Change, new arrivals tapered off as people stopped moving around.
He doubted many were still wandering looking for a place to stay. Which made this new arrival curious.
He had other things to take care of though, and even if the visitor piqued his interest, he couldn't drop everything to go take a look. He dismissed Gregory with a wave and turned back at the reports in front of him.
They would need-
Cough
Looking up, Gregory was still standing in front of the door even after Marcus thought the conversation was over.
"Yes?" He asked, noting that there must be something more.
"Bernard was unable to get a level from the man but he claims it is high. Higher than Clarissa." Gregory said.
Oh, that changes things.
Clarissa was one of the highest leveled people in their camp and one of the strongest. She gained a lot of essence every week from barbequing the bugs which made her one of the fastest growers in the city.
Why would someone from so far away and of such level be here?
"Were they able to uncover if he has a faction affiliation?" Marcus inquired.
If he could somehow sway the man into staying here they could have another powerhouse to help in their assault. Even if the weekly Water Runs were ending without any deaths, they needed to assault the swarm eventually.
They couldn't keep living in fear of the bugs and they needed to begin growing. To build something prosperous they needed to be free to venture out and gather resources, not hide behind the walls forever.
They needed to claim the dungeons around the area.
The three dungeons around the city were a sore spot for Marcus. The mana density rose in the vicinity of the dungeon which caused the bugs to gather in the area, forcing them to fight through if they wanted to enter them.
He knew from his tutorial the kind of resources that dungeons could provide and it rankled Marcus to not have them under control. At every turn, the insects were there to thwart his plans.
"Yes, they were. It's one we haven't seen before called Frostheim." His aid informed him.
First it's Des Moines then the Reservation, now Frostheim. He couldn't catch a break. Maybe I can spin this into something useful. Canada is far enough away they could be allies instead of enemies.
"Inform him that I would like to meet with him but don't be too forceful. Let it remain a request for now." He said with this being the actual end of the conversation.
His chair creaked as he leaned back in it to ponder what the man could want. I'll find out if he accepts.
~~
Austin
"He wants to meet with me? Why?" So far, Austin's attempts not draw attention did the exact opposite.
It wasn't difficult to follow the group back to their walled city and scope the place out. There wasn't much to see and it didn't take long to get the full picture of what he was looking at.
The city was in rough shape but it was better than the ones they came across in the caravan. Buildings weren't in tatters here but there was visible damage to them from what he assumed was the insects.
From the state of things, it was clear fighting happened regularly and consistently. Even with noticeable damage, the wall stood strong and looked to do its job well.
It wasn't to the same standard as what they started building back home, but neither was it poor quality. Rushed, maybe, but not bad.
His scouting found only two entry points into the city and both were gated and guarded which didn't surprise him. Giving himself a once over to try and not stand out, he approached the gate away from the bugs slowly.
He planned to appear like a traveler and request a place to stay for a few days and explore what he could. Exploring didn't always mean the wilds and new places were just as exciting as great sights.
He trusted his profession to block his level from being seen and he pulled as much of his presence in as he could. Gabriel and Chris like to call it aura but Austin thought presence sounded cooler.
Austin was much better at hiding his presence than Chris as it was impossible to scout without doing so. If he galivanted off without stifling his presence every beast within a few hundred feet would know he was there.
The gate guard didn't give him much trouble and it raised his hopes of his plan working. There wasn't even a fee to enter!
All of that came crashing down when a man appeared informing him that the man in charge wished to see him.
So much for not drawing attention.
He had no reason to refuse and he soon found himself in an office not unlike his cousin's. The interior was obviously repurposed from a previous building but it was hard to tell what it used to be.
The decomposition and age of the building mixed with newer construction overtop the old made it impossible. It was cozier than Chris's office, though, as at least this one was decorated.
A burly man sat behind the only desk in the room and it was clear this was the man in charge. He had an air that commanded respect and gave off natural leadership vibes.
Seeing the big man behind the desk with stacks of paperwork reminded him of Chris slightly. If he ignored the black hair and clean-shaven face and squinted, there was a resemblance.
He even had the broody stare of his cousin as well!
"Pleasure to make your acquaintance, my name is Austin Zalenski." He said sticking out his hand. His last name wasn't actually Zalenski but going by it made things easier in the tutorial and he just stuck with it.
People got confused when he was a part of the Zalenski family faction without having the Zalenski family name.
His hoity-toity introduction didn't illicit a reaction, sadly. "Marcus Shieldwell"
Patience was never Austin's strong suit and he was burning up to know what the man wanted. "I'm curious why you've asked to meet me. I doubt you meet with every person that comes through the gates."
"Not everyone who comes through the gates does so alone and has the level you do." The man said succinctly.
Fuck, he's fishing. There was no way they knew his level as he had a skill specifically to block that. And it wasn't the shitty Common one Chris had. His profession was all about Exploring and one aspect of that was remaining hidden.
No one in Frostheim could pierce through it and he doubted anyone here could. How did they find out then?
"The reason I've asked to meet is simple. I'm told you come from a faction up North, is that correct?" Marcus asked while he steepled his fingers together.
"I am," Austin nodded in response. He had said as much to the gate guard to get let in. It didn't seem necessary but saying nothing seemed suspicious and it wasn't like the knowledge was that specific.
A single direction wouldn't give them any clues to where he was from as there were probably multiple pylons in the direction he indicated.
"As you are still affiliated with this faction, I assume you didn't leave on bad terms?" The man questioned.
Oh, this is getting good. What does he want exactly?
"I did not," Austin answered.
"And if I wanted to work out an agreement of some sort, would you be able to facilitate that?" The man across from him asked with poorly concealed hope.
Did he assume just because my level is high I have an in with the leadership of my faction? Well, he isn't wrong but that's a far leap to make.
Maybe being discovered like this was a good thing. He was here to figure out what his profession wanted in the river and this city seemed to have an ongoing war with the bugs.
What if I get the city to help me discover what the bugs are defending?
Comments
Luciaron
When they try to investigate him and get back question marks for level, that’s as revealing as just having a high level. These towns aren’t big enough to just have randoms walking about
Demonlord
Thanks for the nice chapter 😊
James Faulkner
Tftc!
Alexander C Hyde
"He wants to meet with me? Why?" So far, Austin's attempts (to) not draw attention did the exact opposite.
