Ogre Tyrant: Chapter 48 - A new world - Part One

 

Now that Lash had someone she could train with, we took turns looking after the kids with Toofy. It wasn’t that we didn’t trust her, so much as Toofy had proven to be a soft touch and caved to the twins every whim.

 

With Nadine otherwise occupied supervising her students, and Fesk accompanying her as a bodyguard, it left a painfully small list of people Lash and I could trust around our kids. Clarice was fine with ‘helping’ but she had made it painfully clear that she didn’t want to be the one in charge.

 

Nila had returned with Cooper and settled him down near Ushu. Both she and her team took on the more mundane duties of his care while Nila herself also provided me with updates on Gregory and the Regent’s progress.

 

Unsurprisingly, Gregory and the Regent had hit their respective targets hard. I had received confirmations through Settlement Alerts when they each seized the existing Guild Footholds after approximately twenty-five hours since their departure. However, on the second day, they each seized a second Guild Foothold.

 

Relaying their reasoning through Nila, I was able to see the method to the madness. Footholds and any previously Conquered territory required ‘keys’ to challenge, but unclaimed territory only required an Underlord or greater Title. So, they each divided their forces in two. One to secure the Foothold, while another rushed to the portal granting access to the next floor. After seizing the Foothold, the force with the key would leave and reenter their respective Labyrinth at the next Foothold and begin the Conquest anew.

 

With the first floors of their respective Labyrinths already taken, the evacuation effort was already underway. What they were both doing now, was attempting to seize as much additional land as possible to add to the Lesser Dimensional Plane.

 

It wasn’t a bad plan at all considering they were effectively surrendering the overwhelming majority of their kingdom to their hostile neighbours. People would need land to settle when the cities became overcrowded. The Labyrinths provided an abundance of resources, so there was little fear of scarcity contributing to civil unrest. Overpopulation and crowding in urban centres were another issue entirely.

 

With the existing economy set to enter a relative state of freefall, there was almost guaranteed to be at least a little grumbling about the abrupt change in circumstances. Uprooting people from their homes could be somewhat justified by necessity, but I doubted everyone was nearly so thankful as those being relocated from the slums.

 

The Daemon-built buildings were painfully simple but were also robust and clean. Each home was equivalent to a small fortress. After rumours had begun to spread of Mournbrent, even those of the middle-class seemed incredibly grateful for the additional protection. Or so Nila and Clarice had told me.

 

Four days had passed since the beginning of the evacuation of Laine and the civilian traffic had winnowed down to wagons and carts carrying non-essential supplies and more personal belongings. Shop owners had been granted permission to retrieve the remaining contents of their businesses, under the agreement that they accept a military escort and would abandon those goods in the event of an emergency.

 

The tools essential to each person's trade had been allowed during the initial evacuation. So the goods in question were mostly creature comforts and luxury items. All the same, it was reportedly having a beneficial effect on morale, so I saw no reason to intervene while the two other cities continued their primary evacuation efforts.

 

The more entrepreneurial civilians had already begun paying for Pact Binders and Summoners to have additional floors built for their homes and businesses. I didn’t mind this either, since it made the city seem less painfully symmetrical and more lived in.

 

The city itself had been provided as a temporary housing solution, but I seriously doubted many people would choose to leave. With the future being uncertain enough as it was, relocating again so soon after abandoning their homes would be unlikely.

 

I was interrupted from my musings by Nila’s abrupt arrival in my temporary home.

 

“Majesty, I have just been informed that the Empire’s army is in full retreat. They have completely abandoned their siege of the city,” Nila looked decidedly ill at ease despite what was objectively good news.

 

“Isn’t that a good thing?” I asked warily while burping Pete on my knee.

 

Nila shook her head and winced slightly, “The Confederation army is chasing them out and is set to take their place by nightfall. The Lord Regent’s forces aren’t due to complete their Conquest for-”

 

“Another twelve and a half hours,” I interjected, fully capable of reviewing the elapsed time of Conquests in progress.

 

Nila nodded, “Senior officers are already organising soldiers to defend the innermost walls to buy time if necessary, but they thought it prudent to ensure you were made aware of the situation.”

 

I could see the reasoning in that. After all, there was no guarantee that creating the Lesser Dimensional Plane would be an instantaneous process. However, there was a distinct possibility it might follow the same general rules as Conquest. “You can tell them that I will wait until everyone is accounted for before attempting to create the Demi-Plane. I am not intending to leave anyone behind on purpose.”

 

“I don’t think they were insinuating you would,” Nila replied somewhat awkwardly, “I believe they were just making sure you were aware of the overall situation.”

 

I shrugged, “All the same.” I had noticed a number of strange names amidst the stream of newly recruited minions and decided to see if Nila knew anything about it. “Do you know if Gregory or the Regent have found any Variants?”

 

Nila slowly shook her head, “Not that I am aware of, but command hasn’t been telling me much beyond what I have been telling you already. I could ask?” She offered helpfully, “I sincerely doubt they would refuse your personal request.”

 

“I have been noticing some strange names,” I explained, “So if you could find out what’s going on, I would appreciate it.”

 

Nila nodded and took a seat on a crate in the corner while engaging in the lengthy back and forth communication process with her communication device. “OH!” Nila exclaimed abruptly without taking her eyes off the device, “The engineers have put together a prototype of the traffic lighting you suggested. Head Engineer Davos would like you to inspect it when you have the opportunity.”

 

“That was fast,” I muttered curiously. I had sketched a few basic pictures to help explain the concept, so it would be interesting to see what the engineers actually came up with. I was already rather surprised that everyone had accepted the principle of organised traffic so readily. But I supposed that had more to do with it being demonstrably more effective from the onset.

 

Nila was silent for the better part of an hour before getting up off of her seat, “No new Variant communities have been reported in either Labyrinth. However, the Midnight Caravan’s operatives have delivered a few hundred liberated Slaves to Port Gidian over the past week.”

 

“That’s probably it then. Thanks, Nila.” I chose one of the names at random and took a look at their Status. Although I wasn’t quite sure what I had expected, I was still surprised when I didn’t recognise the Species. “Nila, what’s a Dwergi?” I asked curiously, before realising that an abstract description was unlikely to satiate my curiosity.

 

Nila scrunched up her face for a moment and seemed to be deep in thought. “I don’t think I have ever seen one before, but I think I overheard some of the engineers joking about how all the best tools were originally stolen from the Dwergi,” She shrugged apologetically, “I might be misremembering though.”

 

I decided it might be best to kill two birds with one stone and ask the engineers myself. “Nila, would you be able to help Toofy keep an eye on Pete and Suzy?”

 

“Uh, me? Majesty? I uh, of course! But, uh, you are sure?” Nila couldn’t seem to make up her mind whether it was a promotion of confidence or a major lapse in my own judgement. However, given that the twins were, more or less, able to take care of their own immediate needs, Nila’s babysitting would apply more to Toofy and reining in her more eccentric impulses. Toofy would never Hurt Suzy or Pete on purpose, but there had been a couple of near misses involving choking hazards.

 

Making sure to give Pet and Suzy each a kiss goodbye before I left the house, I began making my way out of the inner wall and towards the closest watchtower.

 

To my surprise, the soldiers and city guardsmen had already taken upon themselves the role of traffic officers. Standing atop a large crate in the middle of the road between the opposing gates of two districts, a guardsman was directing traffic to allow each lane their chance to continue towards their intended destination. This was definitely for the best since the engineers hadn’t provided anything like footpaths to allow for foot traffic.

 

I supposed that would be another thing I could talk to them about. The roads were plenty wide enough to allow for it, and people on foot already gravitated to the side to avoid carts or wagons that might be coming up behind them.

 

Approaching the watchtower, I was glad I had guessed correctly and didn’t have to send a soldier to hunt down an engineer for directions.

 

It was difficult not to laugh at the simplified design of the traffic lights, especially when they objectively made sense in the context of available materials. Instead of a singular box with all three lights hanging from a pole for each lane of traffic, the engineers had hung three sets of coloured glass lanterns on each side of the tower.

 

Standing beneath the tower, I watched as the lanterns I was facing slowly cycled from green to yellow to red. Yellow seemed to last twice as long as either of the other two colours and after watching the soldiers directing traffic, I began to understand why. Instead of serving as a warning that the light was soon to turn red, it was instead indicating that the pedestrians and drivers were to proceed with caution.

 

Very few of the civilians seemed to understand the meaning of the lights, but the soldiers directing the traffic seemed quite pleased to have an empirical reference point to work off of. I supposed that was more of a soldier thing than anything else.

 

The large doors to the watchtower were locked, and possibly barred on the inside, but after I knocked on the door, a panel on the door opened to reveal a very surprised-looking soldier. The doors were opened very shortly afterwards.

 

Entering the watchtower and leaving behind the noise of the streets outside, I found myself looking down at a very nervous-looking soldier.

 

“What, erm, uh. How can we assist you, your majesty?” The soldier asked nervously.

 

I took a moment to look around, but found no one else on the ground floor, “I wanted to speak with one of the senior engineers and take a look at the traffic control device.”

 

“A-A s-senior engineer?” The soldier stammered nervously, “Ah, right! I’ll be right back Majesty!” He bolted towards the stairs, stopped short, turned around, bowed low, and then continued up the stairs. “Dougan! Dougan! His Majesty is downstairs! He wants to talk to you!”

 

There was a muffled response I couldn’t quite make out.

 

“I’m serious! You're going to get me in trouble!” The soldier complained in a panic, “Just go down there and see for yourself!”

 

A few moments passed and then a middle-aged man wearing a toolbelt and apron began descending the stairs before stopping abruptly as he noticed my presence, “Oh...” He half turned back to the upper floor before nervously turning back towards the ground floor, “Greetings, your Majesty,” he made an attempt at a bow, but abruptly aborted the action when a half dozen tools threatened to escape his belt and apron.

 

“You are a military engineer?” I guessed, already quite certain since the apron and belt were basically inseparable elements of their uniform.

 

“Ah, yes, Majesty. Lieutenant Dougan, senior engineer, if it pleases you, Majesty,” Dougan almost bowed again but thought better of it at the last moment, “Is there a way I can be of assistance?

 

“A couple of things,” I agreed lightheartedly, “If possible, I wanted to see a copy of the device that controls the traffic lights. But I was told you might be able to provide me with a description of the Dwergi?”

 

The engineer looked surprised, “The Dwergi? I mean, I must apologise, Majesty. I have only heard the rumours, idle camp gossip and the like.”

 

“Even so,” I insisted, “What are they like?”

 

The engineer was thoughtful for a few moments, “Much shorter than a man, but quick on their feet and with their hands. If you will excuse the joke, Majesty. It is said that leaving a Dwergi alone in a workshop overnight would see your work done by morning,” he blushed and bowed his head, “It’s just soldiers' gossip, Majesty, I do not know if it has even a grain of truth to it.”

 

“And the traffic control device?” I asked, shifting the subject to my other area of interest.

 

“Ah, it is just upstairs, Majesty. We keep it on the second floor to afford a view of the traffic for testing purposes,” Dougan replied excitedly, pointing back up the stairs and waving for me to follow him.

 

Unfortunately, the staircase was not designed to accommodate someone of my size. Remaining on the first floor, I patiently waited for the engineer to realise this oversight of his own accord.

 

Sure enough, Dougan began creeping down the stairs a few minutes later. “Apologies, Majesty, I hadn't realised the stairs would not accommodate your...erm...magnificent girth...” The engineer apologised awkwardly.

 

That was enough for me to shift my priorities and decide that I could always have another prototype brought for my private viewing at another time. Seeing myself out, I headed back home again.

 

I was tempted to choose one of the Dwergi at random and Summon a projection just to sate my curiosity, but I decided that could wait as well.

 

I elected instead to go to bed far earlier than usual in anticipation of the long night ahead.

 

When I woke up, Lash had settled onto the bed beside me with Pete and Suzy cradled in her arms. I considered waking her, but thought better of it. Passing the Orcs standing guard outside, I found a small detachment of soldiers who were each staring intently at their communication devices. Nila was amongst them and was the first to notice my arrival.

 

“Majesty, the Confederates have taken up the siege in the Empire’s place, just as we anticipated,” Nila explained hastily, “They have not made any attempts at establishing negotiations, but it is expected that they will make an attempt sometime after daybreak.”

 

I nodded in acknowledgement and glanced at the counter for the Regent’s Conquest, “There is still an hour and forty minutes to go until the Regent’s Conquest is completed.”

 

Nila pressed her lips together and nodded tersely, “There...There is other news,” she seemed uncertain of herself and motioned back towards my house, “I was instructed to pass along news of the Mournbrent front.”

 

I stepped aside and waved Nila forwards, following closely behind as the Orcs parted to allow her entry.

 

“The enemy lines have collapsed,” Nila whispered, her expression of excitement at odds with her tone of deep concern, “Four hours ago, the enemy fortress emptied onto the field and pushed hard to take control over the portal. The high command had myself and a few others on standby to wake you if it was deemed necessary,” Nila explained in a rush, “But your Overseer, Wisp, stalled their offensive long enough for our forces to rally...The reports made comparisons to rats fleeing a burning building...And there is more...” Nila looked like she really didn’t want to be the one to pass along what came next, her eyes glancing longingly towards the door as she licked her dry lips, “The spy has reported that the Liche and her Vampyr commander are gone...”

 

I stared blankly at Nila for a full minute as I tried to process the magnitude of what she was saying.

 

“Th-They have been m-missing for a few d-days,” Nila stammered nervously, sweating hard beneath her armour. She took several deep calming breaths before pressing on, “High Command is pulling out our forces from Mournbrent and...and they want to know what you want done with the spy...”

 

“Where has the Liche gone?” I grunted quietly, doing my best to suppress my steadily building rage.

 

“We...The High Command is unsure...B-But they b-believe it is likely th-they are taking sh-shelter with their allies!” Nila glanced worriedly towards the bed and clamped a gauntletted palm over her mouth after realising she had been raising her voice.

 

“The Settlement will be abandoned?” I stated, more a given than a question of intent.

 

Nila nodded.

 

“I want to see the spy,” I growled, “Now.” I waved Nila out the door and took several minutes to get myself under control.

 

In hindsight, I should have realised that the Liche would prove more difficult to hunt down. Anyone with the ability to Teleport at will would be like a leaf in the wind. There would be only so many places the Liche would be able to hide without exposing itself, but I realised that I needed to become powerful enough and gather the means to initiate ambushes of my own. Only then would the Liche be dealt with for good.

 

If the Lesser Dimensional Plane could be my family’s shield, then I would forge myself and others into the weapons that would destroy the Liche.

 

Sacrifices would need to be made...

 

The Vampyr Marco was still technically my Slave, and unlike everyone else, I had no intentions of changing that fact. His dependence on blood to provide sustenance was a liability. Oaths could be taken to kill him if he attacked the innocent, but his role as a spy had required looser restrictions. If Marco was to continue being of use, as limited as it may be, then he would need to continue under that same flexibility.

 

After a few minutes, a dark cloaked figure arrived through the Gateway. Recognising Marco on sight due to my position as Tyrant, I pointed towards Ushu’s resting area and then began making my own way over.

 

“I am placing you under Wisp’s immediate control,” I growled quietly, doing my best to try not to blame Marco for an eventuality I should have accounted for, “Your combined duties will be to focus on locating the Liche and her Vampyr Commander. To that end, Wisp is allowed and encouraged to put you through the training he deems necessary for this task. Understand?”

 

“I understand,” Marco replied quietly, his shoulders and cloak's cowl shaking with barely suppressed rage.

 

“Then go,” I commanded, dismissing him with a wave of my hand.

 

“I obey,” Marco replied, bowing his head and retreating back through the gateway.

 

I spent the next few minutes issuing a quest to both Wisp and Marco to the same effect. Intended more as a means of passing along my command without expending mana, the quest itself likely wouldn’t provide much assistance beyond that role.

 

Determined not to disturb Lash or our children, I remained with Ushu, Cooper and Dhizi, methodically brushing down their scales and rubbing in an oil Clarice had brought with her from Sanctuary.

 

“The Conquest is complete!” I stated loudly for the benefit of Nila and the other soldiers assigned with relaying messages, earning an irritated huff from Ushu who was only halfway through having his scales oiled, “If the High Command is still intending to withdraw from the city, now is the time!”

 

Three of the messengers went running for their mounts while those who remained began furiously, manipulating their communication devices.

 

Twenty floors of the Labyrinths were now under my uncontested control, and yet I still didn’t know if I would be able to keep them all. Ten had been the minimum, but there had been no mention of a maximum. I could only hope that I would be in control over which floors would be abandoned if it became necessary.

 

“Complete evacuation estimated at thirty-seven minutes!” Nila called back after a few minutes, “No signs of movement from the Confederates!”

 

I continued oiling Ushu’s scales to try and keep myself calm and was soon joined by Clarice, Nadine and Fesk. Both of the former had wanted to ‘witness’ whatever was supposed to transpire, and Fesk had followed out of duty.

 

Soldiers streamed through the portal on foot and continued through the gate and into the wider city to make room for those that would follow.

 

As Nila’s deadline approached, wagons and carts carrying soldiers became more frequent, presumably because there were no further soldiers to collect further afield.

 

All the while a large cadre of officers and quartermasters were taking the names of every soldier who passed through the portal on their way to the gate, cross-referencing against prepared lists in order to ensure no one was left behind.

 

A runner was sent to Nila, who hurriedly made her own way to me in turn. The wagons and carts were all gone now and no soldiers had passed through the portal on foot for at least five minutes.

 

“A team of Rangers is staying behind,” Nila explained quickly while pointing back to the portal, “Preparations have been made to collapse the former Guildhall on the other side if necessary, and they will escape using the secret tunnel.”

 

I nodded to show I understood, “Everyone is ready then?” I asked, now worried that the Lesser Dimensional Plane’s Convergence might behave similarly to a Conquest and agitate monsters for miles around each Settlement.

 

Nila nodded determinedly, “All forces are standing by and militia have been given warnings to stay on high alert. We...We are ready.”

 

“Proceed with Lesser Dimensional Plane Convergence,” I commanded, doing my best to sound confident and self-assured.

 

Within moments, a fresh stream of text appeared in the centre of my vision.

 

[ Tallying viable {Dimensional Assets and Territories}..... ]

[ Viable {Dimensional Assets and Territories}: 20 ]

[ Calculating {Lesser Dimensional Convergence} variables..... ]

[ {Lesser Dimensional Convergence} requirements have been met. ]

[ {Lesser Dimensional Convergence} estimated duration: 2d ; 12h ; 0m ]

 

[ Designate desired relationship of {Dimensional Assets and Territories} ]

 

Outlined images took the place of the text, depicting different ways in which the individual floors could be connected to one another. It surprised me, although I am not sure exactly why, that the floors could be linked exactly as they had been in the Labyrinths they came from. Stacking one atop another and separated by a field that rendered each invisible to one another.

 

Similarly, they could also occupy the same horizontal plane while remaining invisible to those surrounding them.

 

As I had previously theorised, it was also possible to create a globe, and every step in between, or just to meld all the floors together into a large disc.

 

With gravity and solar radiation seemingly replicated through some unknowable force, just about any design seemed conceptually viable. Existing Settlements were highlighted in each potential iteration and were proven to be as mobile as I desired them to be.

 

With what seemed to be free control over the landscape, and bearing in mind what Hana had said about the Grove, I experimented with transplanting Sanctuary in the dead centre of a large disc. Changing each floor's worth of space was as straightforward as concentrating on making it so, allowing one of the most recently acquired, and barren, floors to serve as the new home for Sanctuary. Similarly, I surrounded that floor tile with five others that were not yet inhabited to any meaningful degree, shifting the existing Settlements elsewhere. With Sanctuary comparatively isolated and guaranteed space to grow, I placed the floors with the most similar environments closest to one another while trying to distribute the most populated areas far enough apart to discourage unhealthy competition for resources.

 

Borrowing subterranean material from each floor, I created a tall mountain range around the periphery of the disc. It would serve as a visual reference for where the Lesser Dimensional Plane ended and perhaps as a reference for its expansion at a future date.

 

I encircled the floor Sanctuary used to occupy with water, effectively landlocking the two existing port Settlements and their respective farming communities. However, I also positioned the mountain range from Hurst’s first floor to provide a directional current from its creeks feeding into the forked river. I then somewhat haphazardly forked the river further to allow for potential routes for trade or travel at a later date.

 

With migration more or less available across the Lesser Dimensional Plane on foot, I figured anyone who didn’t like their new home could just move somewhere else. Barring an arctic tundra, there was a reasonable selection of environments to live in.

 

No doubt sensing my intentions, the image of my intended world was duplicated and one copy was reduced in scale before being set aside in my periphery.

 

[ Desired Threat Level {Lesser Dimensional Plane}: {High} {Moderate} {Low} {Adaptive} {Fluctuating} {Null} {Custom} ]

 

As I considered each option, I came to an intuitive understanding of what each Threat Level intended. At its most basic explanation, Low, Moderate, and High would spawn monsters based on the minimum level of monsters of any of the Converged floors. High would do the opposite, and Moderate would attempt some sort of average. None of these was particularly desirable for a myriad of different reasons.

 

Null was out of the question. Without monsters to serve as food, and without livestock to take their place, carnivorous monsters would starve. Similarly, the population at large and the evolving economy would stagnate.

 

Adaptive was interesting but also had some problems. The difficulty would base wild monster generation on the average Evolution Tier of my minions. The major problem being that the humans would drag down the average, making the monsters easier for everyone else, while still too difficult to fight on their own.

 

Fluctuating was pure chaos, and I wanted nothing to do with it.

 

Investigating Custom rather quickly proved to be more or less what I wanted. I could set the standard monster spawn tier range to zero through to two for just about everywhere outside of the Settlements, allowing for entry-level progression for those of low level or hunting for food. I could also set aside an entire floor’s worth of territory to provide stronger monsters.

 

With dedicated territory set aside at a specific range of difficulty, it would be possible to allow the greater population to go about their lives while those willing to take on the risks would reap rewards of their own. Essentially, I was reintroducing the Labyrinth, in my own Labyrinth, and the irony wasn’t lost on me.

 

To that end, I decided to keep the single-floor Labyrinth separate, isolating it ‘above’ the remaining disc of the amalgamated nineteen floors.

 

I realised that I had the option to link the separate territory with portals just like the Labyrinths had done, but there were also other options. I could make access based upon preset requirements, literally locking out those I deemed too low level. There was also the choice to make entry accessible anywhere from the Lesser Dimensional Plane at the cost of mana.

 

Combining all three, I left a single, currently uninhabited, Settlement as a receiving point on the Tyrant’s Labyrinth, deciding that applying my title would be another not-so-subtle reminder to the general populace of my authority. A single portal in the Settlement would serve as both the entry and exit point to that floor of the Labyrinth. A designated point in each Settlement would serve as a catalyst for travelling to the Labyrinth, provided they meet the level requirements and a returning point for that same individual.

 

I decided to let the Overseers and Lords handle how the Labyrinth Settlements would be run, aware that I could change things at relatively short notice if I didn’t agree with what they were doing.

 

As we had more or less feared, Ril’s Gateways inside of the Lesser Dimensional Plane would cease to function until she manually reactivated them in person. However, curiously enough, I found that I could latch onto the Gateways outside of the Lesser Dimensional Plane and direct them to anywhere inside of the Lesser Dimensional Plane that I wanted. So as best I could determine, the calibration for determining linked locations had been scrambled by the Convergence, but I could still brute force it on my end.

 

The same was true with the floors next in line from their respective Labyrinths. However, the last thing I wanted was another potential means of entry from those Labyrinths, so I elected to connect Ril’s Gateway in the Asrusian Capital to the Gateway located only a dozen feet from my temporary home in the new city of Laine.

 

With everything decided, a wave of text passed through my vision faster than I could read, reminding me of a profoundly fast computer’s operating system. When the waves of text abruptly ended, I felt a vague numbing sensation pass through my body.

 

Growing increasingly tired by the moment, I barely noticed the timer slowly beginning to countdown in my lower periphery, and the new block of text that had appeared in my uppermost periphery.

 

[ Lesser Dimensional Plane Convergence will begin in: 0d 0h 0m 10s. Any Dimensional Territory that fails to maintain control over its Settlements will be expunged from the Convergence. Have a nice day. ]

 

I had only just managed to read the last portion before collapsing to the ground, and less than two seconds before my mind began to drift. The last words were repeated over and over again as I faded into unconsciousness.

 

I woke in a daze that made it difficult to string my thoughts together. Beyond recognising that I was in a place of shelter, I was only vaguely aware of the fact that I wasn’t alone.

 

Feeling a fierce pressure on my lips, I felt a sudden jolt of adrenaline that began forcing my surroundings into greater clarity.

 

Finding myself staring into a pair of luminous amethyst eyes, I felt another rush of adrenaline.

 

The pressure against my lips ebbed for a moment and the eyes drew a short distance away. As I attempted to form the thoughts to complain, I felt a mildly burning liquid spill over my tongue and down my throat. Choking down the liquid, I felt a semblance of clarity wash over my thoughts and realised that I was suffering from extreme mana exhaustion.

 

Feeling more of the liquid passing over my tongue, I gulped it down greedily and was relieved to find my senses returning at a rapid rate.

 

Although somewhat jarring to go from a state of minimal consciousness to a near-complete awareness of my surroundings, I was profoundly relieved to find Lash straddling my waist and eagerly pouring more of what I assumed to be Evolution Elixir or mana potion down my throat.

 

After downing the entire contents of what I now learned was an entire barrel of Evolution Elixir, I felt a different sort of lightheadedness.

 

Not at all phased, Lash threw the empty barrel aside and once more fiercely and possessively pressed her lips against mine, leveraging her entire body weight to keep me pinned to the bed.

 

I woke up for the second time sometime later with Lash laying beside me on our bed with her arms wrapped possessively around my neck and shoulders.

 

Panicking for a moment, I reviewed Pete and Suzy’s Status’ before allowing myself to relax. In hindsight, I knew Lash would not have been so calm if our children were in danger, but it was still strange not to find them within arm’s reach.

 

Deciding that they must be next door with Toofy and Hrolk, I looked towards the curtain blocking the doorway and noticed that it was dark outside. Finding no timers or messages in my peripheral vision, I could only assume that the Convergence was complete and that the better part of three days or more had passed while I was unconscious.

 

Just thinking of the Demi-Plane was enough to bring a detailed rendering of the disc-shaped world into my primary field of view. Furthermore, I was able to confirm the location of Pete and Suzy with a single thought, generating pips on the map to mark their location. Another thought enlarged the map, focusing on their location and adding another pip to mark my own position in relation to theirs. As I had assumed, they were right next door.

 

Testing my new Abilities over the next few hours, I learned that I could in fact continue to make alterations to the Demi-Plane in real-time. Unfortunately, those changes cost prohibitive amounts of mana to accomplish anything of real significance. I would not be replacing any Druids or Earth Mages any time soon.

 

Before settling down to sleep, I decided to compose a quest that would explain the entry requirements for the Tyrant’s Labyrinth. However, I rather abruptly became aware of the fact that I could issue messages to anyone within the Demi-Plane, furthermore, I have the message appear when certain conditions are met rather than just issuing it the moment I was finished composing it.

 

Bearing that in mind, I spent a few minutes creating a message that would be delivered just before midday, explaining the entry requirements for the Labyrinth. Then I spent a minute or so longer adding the condition to repeat the message to anyone once they met that requirement.

 

I was about to go to sleep but decided to compose one last message. To be given to all arrivals in the Tyrant’s labyrinth, they would be informed of their ability to manipulate Exp lost for greater chances at magical equipment through Takesation. By default, everyone would be operating at one per cent, and since very few people knew of the Ability and the fact that they could control it on their end, I figured a helpful reminder wouldn’t go amiss.

 

I overslept.

 

Lash was already awake and helped me get dressed in preparation to face a large gathering of impossibly polite senior officers and the Asrusian Regent. I had snuck a peak at them while getting dressed and could see that they had the barely repressed terror of men keenly aware of the fact they were standing on a thin sheet of ice that could give way at any moment. Similarly, just by judging the look of the medals and the age of those wearing them, I could assume that at least a few members of the high Command must be amongst them.

 

Besides the Regent, I recognised Gregory skulking near the back alongside another familiar face.

 

In hindsight, I shouldn’t have found Klive’s presence all that surprising considering he was promoted to a Marshal last I knew of. Still sporting the same short back and sides haircut and his neatly trimmed moustache. Perhaps a little more salt than pepper in his hair than when I last saw him, Klive still looked to be in great shape despite being a man of fifty or sixty years old.

 

I made sure to give Klive a nod in greeting as I began making my way toward the gathering.

 

Rather than accompanying me, Lash made her way next door, not that I blamed her.

 

“Majesty!” My arrival was met with a unanimous chorus of respectful deference as the gathered officers bowed low at the waist.

 

Rather than reply, I looked to the Regent to provide an explanation for their unannounced visit.

 

“Majesty, I believe I speak for us all when I express my most profound relief to find you in good health,” the Regent declared to vigorous nods of agreement from the gathered officers. “Furthermore, It is my absolute honour to report that the evacuation was completed in its entirety,” this met with more nods and quiet affirmations of agreement. The Regent took a moment to consider what he was about to say next, “I am also profoundly grateful that you have elected to establish a connection to the outside world. We all appreciate that this is an otherwise inexcusable vulnerability, but swear we shall do our best to maintain the security of your realm.”

 

Feeling somewhat awkward as the recipient of so much diplomatic praise, I nodded vaguely in acknowledgement and waited for the true reason they were here to present themselves.

 

“My Lord Regent,” Klive called out and began none too carefully making his way through the small crowd, “I believe his Majesty would prefer to be spending this time with his family rather than us, so maybe we should cut to the chase?”

 

The Regent smiled slightly and nodded in acquiescence and took a step back, “I fear you likely have the right of it. Please, proceed.”

 

Craning his neck to do his best to look me in the eye, Klive folded both arms behind his back, “Majesty, the land inside of the Labyrinths is far more valuable than those without, and the safety of the Settlements has proven greater and more reliable in recent weeks also. To this end, we would like to know your opinion on the continued expansion of the Demi-Plane.”

 

Several of the senior officers shifted uncomfortably, but whether it was because of Klive’s bluntness or the objective greediness of the requests, was unclear.

 

I took a moment to consider things before nodding in agreement, “Adding further territory should be easier than creating the Demi-Plane in the first place. But I think we should take a moment so I can explain how things are different than you might expect them to be.” I took that as an opportunity to release the message to everyone in the Demi-plane early.

 

Everyone, including the Regent, looked profoundly surprised.

 

“A Labyrinth?!” One of the white-haired officers exclaimed.

 

“But where is it?!” Another demanded, looking around the immediate area for signs of a portal.

 

“That was one of the more simple additions,” I explained with more amusement than was honestly warranted. “However, on that subject, I intend to continue adding to the Tyrant’s Labyrinth. However, I will be compressing more tiers of monsters into each floor, making them both more dangerous but far more efficient in terms of making the best use of available real estate. Packing five tiers of monsters together would probably have been an unacceptable risk for humans before, but I think Synergies will change that rather significantly.”

 

Gregory nodded to himself and seemed to be in deep thought. Not that anyone besides me was in a position to notice.

 

“Tier zero, one and two will continue spawning in the Demi-Plane at large in the same manner as they did in the Labyrinths,” I continued, “This is to provide food, but also to make the transition into the first floor of my Labyrinth that much easier. Ensuring no one will be allowed to enter without a minimum degree of combat experience and raw stats to give them a proper fighting chance.”

 

“So, if I am understanding this all correctly,” Gregory interrupted loudly enough to quell the senior officers, “In addition to providing a safe haven, your Majesty has also given us a Labyrinth that we can exponentially improve by plundering other Labyrinths?”

 

That had not been my primary intention, but it was certainly rather close to the mark. Before I could confirm or deny the question, with the exception of Klive and the Regent, the senior officers immediately began calling out for messengers to make contact with their subordinates.

 

*****

 

The Tyrant’s Labyrinth staging area was bustling with activity. A full day had already passed since the proclamation had been delivered to every registered citizen within the Tyrant’s Demi-Plane. Even so, the number of people frequenting the Labyrinth had only increased despite the currently limited choice in staging areas.

 

Of course, Tanis knew full well that a significant factor in the Labyrinth’s popularity was due to the competitive quests being issued both daily and by the hour. The quests had conditions such as most Exp earned or most monsters of a particular species slain, and qualifying conditions varied for a wide range of different candidates to compete for similar rewards.

 

This was why, in spite of his relative inexperience, Tanis was hoping he could join a group around his own level. The lower bracket quests had more competition overall, but it wasn’t as fiercely contested as the middle and higher tier.

 

“INVITING TWO WITH MELEE SYNERGIES!” Someone called out from somewhere up ahead.

 

“ONE SPOT OPEN FOR A RANGED SPELLCASTER!” Cried another.

 

“ARROWS, JAVELINS, BOLTS AND BULLETS! ALL THE AMMUNITION YOU NEED! CHEAPEST PRICES!” Barked a merchant from behind his stall.

 

“RECRUITING SOMEONE WITH A SHIELD TO TAKE POINT! EXPERIENCE PREFERRED!” A young woman cried from atop a barrel nearby.

 

Tanis tried to make his way over to her as fast as he could manage. “Uh, excuse me?” He hurriedly unslung the shield from his back and waved it slightly to get her attention.

 

“Class?” She asked, cutting straight to the point, her amber eyes flashing in challenge from behind her helmet.

 

“Ah, Pact Binder,” Tanis replied somewhat timidly, “I can distract enemies with Summons if needed.”

 

The young woman looked behind her towards a small group a short distance away. Consisting of a Gnoll with scruffy orange fur holding a bow and two other young women each carrying javelins and shields, Tanis quickly realised he had something else to contribute.

 

“I have the bonus party member Synergy,” Tanis hastily added, “We can bring one more with us.”

 

The young woman with amber eyes glanced back at Tanis for a moment and then extended her arm, “Party Invite.”

 

Tanis tried his best to look confident as he clasped her forearm, “Accept.”

 

“Hrm, okay,” the young woman, Gina, the party leader grunted before turning back to her other companions, Groof, Violet and Vivianne, “Just see what we get?” She asked.

 

Groof, the Gnoll, shrugged his shaggy shoulders and said nothing.

 

“Maybe try for a Goblin?” One of the young women suggested, “If we keep the party together long term, a Goblin’s Synergies will really help in the higher levels.”

“OOH! Or maybe an Orc?” The other insisted excitedly, “I hear some of their Synergies can be brutal!”

 

“Um...Hello?” A timid voice spoke up from behind Tanis.

 

Turning around, Tanis was very nearly scared witless as he came face to face with eight pitiless black eyes and a pair of nervously clacking mandibles.

 

“Oh, um, do not be scared, Sand Shadow is good,” the lithe Orc female sitting atop the arachnids back insisted, earning more clacking of the arachnid’s mandibles in agreement.

 

“You are a Desert Orc?” Gina asked, “And a Beast Trainer?”

 

“Kaili is Desert Orc, yes,” the tan-skinned Orc in thick silk robes replied before hesitating slightly, “Kaili is Venomancer, Sand Shadow is companion, friend.”

 

Gina was quiet for a few moments and then shrugged, “A new Class? And it has a combat pet? Works for me,” she extended her arm towards Kaili, “Party Invite.”

 

Kaili’s expression brightened immediately, “Accept Invitation.”

 

“We were going to wait a bit before heading out,” Gina explained to the two of them, “Catch the next hourly kill quest and make a play for placing high enough for some of the rewards. Groups on the second floor have been donating magic gear like crazy, so the Tyrant has been adding it to the quest rewards.”

 

“Woah, really?!” Tanis asked excitedly.

 

Gina nodded confidently, “It’s all to do with that Takesation Ability. Apparently, it’s really easy to get low grade magic items if you max it out as a party. It hurts your Exp gain, but some of the items have been kind of crazy. My cousin was telling me earlier this morning that he saw a sword that can shoot arcs of lightning!”

 

“Do you have much experience with this?” Tanis asked, trying not to sound too judgemental.

 

Gina shrugged, “Not as much as some,” she admitted, “But I have gotten a lot of advice from my cousin, and he was a proper adventurer before the war.”

 

“Should wait outside,” the Gnoll interjected, “Choose hunting ground,” he eyed the bustling crowd warily.

 

“Groof has a point,” one of the young women agreed, “We should get away from the crowd and pick a nice launching point.”

 

“Hang on, let’s do a gear check first,” Gina insisted, “Better to grab anything you're missing now because we won't rank if we have to go back for anything later.”

 

Following the others out of the overcrowded staging area, Tanis felt a thrill of excitement as he got his first clear look at the Labyrinth.

 

Contrary to his expectations, simple roads with stone markers branched out into the wider Labyrinth providing easy travel to the apparent multitude of diverse hunting grounds.

 

“I reckon the Night Howlers will be our best bet,” Gina suggested, pointing to a stone marker with a crude etching of a wolf, “They can call in reinforcements from long distances, but so long as we keep a steady momentum and don’t let them build up in too great a numbers, we should be fine.”

 

“Sand Shadow will give webs to snare them,” Kaili offered, struggling somewhat to express her intentions.

 

“And I can Summon a Daemon if we need it,” Tanis added in agreement.

 

Groof shrugged, “Groof nose good, lead hunt.”

 

“Then let’s get going,” Gina ordered, “Make sure to keep an eye out! The road is safer, but it’s still a long way from actually being safe!”

 

Tanis nodded determinedly and moved towards the front of the group, intending to both make a good impression, but also put as much distance between himself and the giant spider...