Chapter 214 - Baroness

Nick

The smell of ozone, burnt hair, and sizzling flesh assaulted his nose but he didn't shy away from it like he had in the past. When he first got his powers the smell had been overwhelming and completely debilitating, causing him to empty his stomach plenty of times.

Now, it was a mile annoyance.

If someone had told the past him that he would get used to the smell of smoldering remains, he would have thought them mad, yet they would've been right.

Taking the City had been costly.

He had spent the better part of two years building up his army. Only allowing certain people into the Dungeon. Outfitting them in gear made by his own Crafters.

All of it was done with the assurance that they would fight for him when asked. The contract they signed made sure of that.

More than half of the people he had allowed the privilege lay dead in the dirt. Those that survived were stronger for it but that didn't make up for the lost resources and time. Let alone the Dungeon Runs and essence they had wasted now that they could no longer fight for him.

Still, even with all of that, he couldn't keep the grin off his face.

They had marched to battle and won. The Pylon Owner of what used to be Chicago lay dead by his own hand. Similar to him, he was a Lightning Mage of considerable strength, but Storms would always be stronger than Lightning alone.

The man wasn't blessed enough to have the superior affinity.

Nick looked up to take in what was now his. The City itself was mostly in ruins still but that didn't matter much. His own home had been the same way. It had taken the better part of a year to get Indianapolis back in working order.

Chicago would be the same. Or should he say his new Capital, Storm City.

Lightning flashed overhead and the deep rumble that came after eased his wounds. Just thinking about it made the fatigue fall away.

Everyone had thought he'd done it for greed. That he marched for conquest because of his ego.

He scoffed. As if he was that petty.

No, he did it for a much more primal reason. One that he would fight for again and again.

Every fiber of his being called out to the City like it was hungering. His Mana flowed easier, his body felt lighter, and his Spirit eased, and that was only what he felt on the outskirts.

What would he discover when he moved into the heart of the City and took over?

He could already tell that a legendary prize awaited him and he could barely hold himself back from finding the natural treasure that called to him. The threat of ambush was his only deterrent.

And the fact he still had an image to keep up. Better for him to let people think him stupid and that the battle was for greed than the real reason. If people knew how much he prized what was in the city, it could be used against him.

His eyes picked over what was left of the battlements and fortifications. His Workers would have their jobs cut out for them when they arrived. Nearly everything was thoroughly destroyed.

It would probably be easier to demolish everything and start from scratch.

The wall that now lay in pieces was hard enough to knock down and he was lucky it wasn't enchanted. They had only just begun enchanting their Walls back at his old Capital and it seemed he got here just in time before they could do the same.

The hours ticked by while he played his part without looking too eager to rush into the city but it was finally time.

The pylon was easy enough to find and easier still to claim ownership. Now that the old owner was dead, it was as simple as touching it and claiming it.

The wave spawned like normal but what remained of his forces were enough to take care of the rabble. The pylon had reverted back to Outpost anyway, the fight wouldn't even be that hard.

Nick, on the other hand, went in search of what called out to him.

It was simple enough to follow where the feeling was coming from and his journey took him deeper into the old city. The pylon was placed on the outskirts and the construction around it had cut it off from the rest of the rubble, but what he sought was near the center of the ruins.

He didn't know if the pylon being placed so far away was a diversion or an effort to conceal what he felt, but it was hard to imagine anyone with the Lightning or Storm affinity not feeling it. The Charge in the air was near palpable.

Deeper and deeper he went. The perpetual storm overhead grew more intense the farther he walked and it wasn't until he reached the center of the storm that he found it.

Obvious in hindsight. At the center of where the storm was anchored was destruction on a scale he hadn't seen before.

Everything was ground into fine, black sand. The numerous lighting bolts that blasted the earth made sure of that. The wide ring of black sand surrounded a small pond of water.

A depression in the ground that caught and funneled the rain.

The water buzzed with electricity as lightning continued to rain down on it. The metal spike protruding out of its center made sure nearly every bolt was caught and sent through it and into the ground.

The power the water contained was enough to make him wary, yet also salivate. Let alone the danger that bloomed when he thought of jumping into it.

The scenery and ambiance weren't even the best part, though.

It was the mana. The mana in the air sang to him. Every breath invigorated him and washed away any tiredness he may have felt.

This was the place. This was what he was looking for when he felt something call out to him. His mind instantly went to the technique book he kept hidden away and he couldn't help but laugh manically.

This was the perfect spot. The Storm mana was pure and abundant. If he couldn't form his core here, there was nowhere else he could do it.

And after forming his core and stepping into the First Circle, he would be ready to evolve.

Not even the nuisance in the South would be able to face him then.

~~

Austin

His leg tapped constantly as his nerves got the best of him. His Mother had arrived less than a few hours ago and it was already setting him on edge.

The barrage of questions hadn't helped.

"Are they taking care of you?"

"Are they feeding you enough?"

On and on she went. Everything and anything was brought up no matter how large or small. It was nice to see his mother again but he hated being babied and that was something universal to all mothers.

It was like they couldn't help it.

Still, with the new arrivals, their battle plans were set. Marcus had already remade most to account for the new arrivals and they were all made aware of the changes.

Honestly, although having his Mom here annoyed him slightly, he was glad she had come. She was one of the fighters best suited for a mass assault like they were planning.

Other than Chris, and maybe Rachel, his mother was the next best against countless weaker enemies. Now that she had a Law and a Body of Wood, most of the insects would be below her in power.

Her level being in the 80s also helped.

It was a surprise to Austin that he wasn't that far ahead anymore. He was pushing into the last few levels of his Rank yet his family wasn't that far behind. He imagined Chris was somewhere in the 80s as well.

He still had a lot he needed to do before reaching D-rank, not least of which was finally upgrading his other Law. He had improved his Light Law with all of the fighting and he wanted to push his Fire Law to match before reaching D-rank.

He was also close to his Anchor. He could literally taste how close he was and it had been a never-ending source of frustration, but something was holding him back. He had an idea of what that was, but he wasn't sure if he was right.

If he was, then it was only a matter of time.

If he wasn't, then it would take a little longer.

Time wasn't that much of an issue to him anymore. He had shot through the ranks as fast as he had previously because he had to. Back then, it was evolve or die and he didn't fancy dying.

Now, he could take as long as he wanted. Sure, he didn't want to fall too far behind the power curve of the Planet but he was already ahead as he was, he could take a little time off from pushing to square up on things he had skipped.

Plus, finding parts to use for evolving was going to be a bitch.

He'd seen a Light affinity falcon during his travels but none of the Eagle variety. He was sure he could find them with a little effort but that would have to wait until he reached his prize here.

He could envision the levels he would gain in his Profession once they reached the treasure he had felt. The discovery alone would push him to level cap.

So much to do and it all started with ending the infernal bugs.

Once he was done here, he would be free once again and that excited him like no tomorrow.

It had already been way longer than he planned. When he left Frostheim, he was set to explore the new world yet he got stuck in this never-ending battle.

They were winning, but it was a slow victory.

Depriving the insects from the mana around the Dungeons had killed their ability to grow and reproduce as much as they had. Their attacks now were a fraction of what they had been.

The only reason they hadn't pushed sooner and waited for his family to arrive was because they couldn't.

The previous two times they had conquered a Dungeon, the bugs had retaliated swiftly to reclaim the high mana area. The first had been fine, the second was rough, but the third nearly killed him.

Their forces thinned with every Dungeon as they had to leave people behind to hold them. Multiple times the insects had assaulted what they had already conquered making them leave behind valuable fighters.

Add in the fact that the insects fought tooth and nail, or mandible and chitin, to keep ahold of their last Dungeon, and the battle was rough.

Marcus and he had been healing for over a month. From the time he sent the letter back to Frostheim, to when his family arrived, he had daily healing sessions to fix him up.

Marcus hadn't been much better.

Hopefully, they would be finished within the week. He would level cap his Profession from the find, gain some more levels for his Class, and then be free to work on what he needed to.

He could see it already.

~~

Jayla

She had done it. It took an excruciating amount of time and effort, even more from all her subordinates, but she had done it. She wasn't sure if she was the first, or if anyone else had accomplished what she had, but that didn't even register to her.

All that mattered was the new addition on her status sheet.

~~

Name: Jayla Somerfield

Race: (E) Human*

Class: (E) Bulwark of Stone(Epic) – Level 71

Profession: (E) Journeyman Mason(Rare) – Level 95

Affinity: Bedrock

Faction: Mountainside (Leader)

Title: Baroness

Strength - 984

Agility - 474

Perception - 401

Fortitude - 1124

Endurance - 721

Vitality - 512

Intelligence - 123

Wisdom - 298

Acumen - 202

Free Points: 0

Laws: Lesser Law of Stone

Body: Body of Stone(Chiseled Stone Body)

Spirit Stage: None

Coins: 0

~~

She was a Baroness.

The fight had been monumental, even with her insane durability she nearly died. Her hardened body the only reason she still stood.

As with every challenge since the Change, Stone stood forever. Her Affinity upgrading to Bedrock only made that all the more true.

"Ma'am, we still don't see Vancouver but we have more pylons on the map," Walter informed.

With every pylon upgrade, they searched for more survivors. There was a Small Town near Yellowstone and another small pylon somewhere in North Dakota, but that all paled compared to Vancouver.

That city used to house nearly a million people. She even had extended family there, but no matter what they did, it remained out of reach.

The Rockies split the country in two and they were uncrossable through any means. Even their pylons couldn't reach the other side.

"What others have we hit?" She asked.

"The one we sent the letter to North of Winnipeg, another in the Middle of Minnesota, one in South Dakota, and a few others that don't have much of anything." He riddled off.

"Anything good for sale?"

"Equipment mostly, some materials and the like but we have most of those already. One pylon had loads of Stone for sale but we hardly need any at this point."

Jayla snorted, they needed more stone like they needed an extra hole in the head. They were having trouble getting rid of the stuff they already had. Carving out the Mountain to form her City left her with more than she knew what to do with.

"Is anybody buying it?" If there was a buyer for the stuff, she could offload some for coin in return.

"It's too early to tell. We have people watching but we won't know more until a transaction takes place."

"What about the gear? Is it any good?" She asked.

At that, Walter hesitated which made her raise an eyebrow. The city being built into the side of a mountain gave them ample access to more metal than their Smiths could handle.

They were constantly beating away at one project or another. While the city prized itself on their Masons, her included, their Smiths were nothing to laugh at either.

"It's better than ours. Both in forging ability and enchanting."

That made her stop. Huh.

Maybe they would get something worthwhile out of this partnership. She hadn't known much about the city when they sent the letter but they didn't know that. That was the standing order for every pylon they found traces of.

The main thing humanity needed to do right now was reconnect. If they remained divided, they would all fall. The stone in her told her that much.

Any lone mountain would get whittled down by the wind over time.

Only when Mountain Ranges came together could they last the test of time.