The Empires Rise

After considering my options, I decided to expand the scope of what I could enchant.

Before making my selection, I check on my enchanting level.

-Profession: Enchanter

Profession Level: 6

Experience 35/150-

The amount of experience is progressing at a slower rate. Thinking about this, I make my decision. Going for more will help me quickly and stabilize my foundations for enchanting. Bulling ahead at this point could cause more harm than good.

With my mindset, I select 'Yes' to receive more basic sigils.

- Congratulations, you have received the basic sigil for:

Offensive Buildings

Support Buildings

Bags

Tools -

Looking at the new options, I became excited.

Finally, I might be able to make more spatial bags!

With that choice dealt with, I step outside and find it is night, "Wow, time does fly when you are focused."

"It sure does," spooked by the sudden voice beside me, I turn my head to find Eleanor beside me.

"What are you doing here so late?" I ask.

Her red eyes give me a flat look, "Drake, did you forget what kind of being I am?"

Slumping forward, I sigh, "I guess it's a force of habit from my world. I am not used to seeing people out and about once it gets darker. At least in areas without streetlights."

She looks around, "That would be a useful solution to the darkness that befalls us every night. It would help me and my own to get our work done."

"Speaking of your kind, why can you be in the sunlight?"

Another flat look, "What do you mean?"

"Well, in my world, we have stories of vampires. They are so allergic to the sun that they burst into flames. They can't be targetted with holy water, or again, they burst into flames."

"Let me guess, we also can't be around religious symbols, or we'll burst into flames," she says dryly.

"Yeah," I respond; noticing her look, I stop.

"Don't you think that is a bit...redundant? All the flames and such?"

"I mean, yeah, but with all the stories and finding out about bloodlines, I figured maybe there was some truth to them?" I lamely try to defend myself.

"Drake, Drake, Drake. The only things we have to watch out for are our hearts being pierced or decapitation. My kind sees better in the dark, so it is our best time. Our dietary habits are more raw, but other than a couple of small things, we aren't that much different from humans."

"Don't you also have a longer life span?"

"I mean, yes, but what's a couple of thousand years as an initial life span compared to the tens of thousand you get by having a high mana cultivation?" she responds with a shrug.

"So, no flames?" I ask tentatively.

"No flames unless they are a fire specialist."

"Cool. Soooooooo. What's up?" I ask, trying to change the topic.

"I'm just checking on our glorious leader, making sure he knows he has missed dinner and also reminding him that Laxreal is waiting."

"Wait, why are you acting like a messenger? Can't someone else do the job?"

"Others had the job, but I intercepted them and told them to continue with their own lives. I don't mind waiting for you to leave your focused state."

"Oh...So, why are you acting like a messenger?" I ask again, feeling she is trying to skirt the topic.

"No, the real reason. I'm just checking to make sure you are who you say you are," she sluffs in an attempt to pry before asking me a question. "What are your plans for tomorrow? There are people we lost, and I have heard there is an invitation to an auction. Also, we must level up professions; what are your plans for getting people to rally and work for you?"

I think for a minute, "Can we walk and talk for a second? I feel the need to move and talk."

She gave a welcoming gesture, and we started to walk towards the walls.

"So, to answer your first question, I am going to inform everyone that if they perish in defense of the settlement, their loved ones, whether here now or summoned in the future, will have a place here, and I will do my best to make sure they are compensated." I figured starting with this question might be the easiest, but I realized how much I care about this topic as I began to. "I want people to come here and know they are safer than if they wander alone. I want this to be a haven for them, a home."

"How are you going to make sure it is safe?" She asks, "We just lost a dozen people in the event, all newcomers."

"That is a hard question to answer. I know I can't protect this place alone, let alone as it expands." We approached the walls and started to climb to the top. "I will need people I can rely on, those who will help me when I cannot. As much as I don't like that the mantle of a noble has been given to me, I will do my best to work with everyone to make this a world we can thrive in."

"That is very 'Noble' of you," she says, smirking at me. "What are your plans, then?"

"I plan on getting stronger, strong enough to protect those who trust me."

"How?"

"Honestly, I plan to explore by myself-"

"No, absolutely not," She stops me before I finish my statement.

"Why, I have enough mana. My health is probably one of the highest in the entire settlement. And I haven't gotten to explore alone since arriving here. I need this. I must know I can care for myself without relying on someone." I state with conviction.

Sighing, she continues, "You shouldn't go out alone because we don't know what will happen if we don't have you around. We don't know what will happen if you were to die."

"These fears have their place, but I must have my own goals. And I can't get stronger by staying in the settlement."

"Why not? Monsters come to you. You can pick those off and level slowly but safely."

"That isn't acceptable for me. I failed a portion of one of my quests, and I won't say it is anyone's fault, but it was because I was held in reserve in case someone got hurt. I want to lead by example, showing that going out alone doesn't have to be impossible, but for people to know that once they get some strength, they, too, can explore without being held back."

She smiles at me, "Good. This is what I wanted to hear from you."

Stopping, I turn to her, puzzled, "What do you mean?"

"Laxreal didn't ask me to give you a simple reminder. He asked me to see where your resolve is. He is concerned about you. We have lost people, and you need to be able to bear that pressure from everyone, knowing that any call you make could harm those around you. An example is during this last wave, if you weren't struggling with your mana internally due to your mistake, we might not have lost as many people from attacks."

When she talked about what happened during the final wave, my perspective shifted dramatically. "And I could have been there to help my father more..."

"You understand your mistake. Granted, it didn't turn out as bad as it could have, but you still need to be aware of your choices. The consequences of your mistakes are more far-reaching than you think sometimes," she pats my shoulder comfortingly. "I don't fully understand your thought process, but I can grasp why it could have happened. There is no mana in your world; you aren't used to different concentrations of mana, and with the higher concentrations, pulling in ambient mana can become dangerous. No one told you, to put it simply."

"Yeah," the melancholy is evident in my mind.

"Now you know what to be careful of when pulling in ambient mana."

"One question about this before returning to your initial questions," I say.

"And that is?"

"Why does absorbing ambient mana from the environment typically cause issues?"

"That is simple: There isn't enough of one type of mana in the area in a high enough concentration. Also, as you circulate your mana, it slowly purifies the mana types that aren't your own."

"OK, that makes more sense why it is so slow to regenerate mana." Having figured out something to be mindful of, I reflect on her questions. How can I get people to rally and work for me?

Taking a couple of minutes, we continue to walk as I think: "I don't know how to get people to rally around me. I haven't done anything 'leadership-ie' other than being the first one here and holding the nobility class. Other than housing, which we are sorely lacking, and food, we don't have any way to replenish other than small things. There aren't many things I can do to make people want to work."

"Drake, don't think too hard. Not all solutions have to be hard."

Wracking my brain to think of something, I give up. "I can't think of anything for now. Maybe I will think of something in the morning, but now, I am tired. As much as I want to continue this conversation, this should probably be the end." Giving her a large smile. "Thank you. I know I haven't answered all your questions, but I hope we can have more talks like this. Having a third party other than my family and those who came initially helps me put things into perspective."

"Don't look for me every time. There are many people here; maybe one of them can be as helpful as I am." She nods and heads out alone, leaving me alone on the wall overlooking the battleground. Blood is still soaking into the ground and staining the walls.