“What did I just tell you! Don’t just swing with your arms! Use your momentum and hips to rotate!” Drake yelled dodging Atropos’s horizontal slash.

 

He quickly followed up after ducking the blow, using his legs to sweep her into jumping backward, metal wires skewering the ground where he had just been.

 

“Good Clotho, you are finding more and more openings while your sister keeps me occupied!” Drake smiled, “But don’t-”

 

Drake shot forward after landing, appearing with his fist outstretched just inches from Clotho’s face only to battle it out with a cradle of wires holding his fist back like a catcher’s mit a ball.

 

“Forget to guard,” Drake scoffed, “Good, good! You both have gotten so much better in just a few hours! I wish my own growth could be like this!” he encouraged.

 

“Lord Drake, you regard us far too highly,” Atropos said bowing her head, but her tail swayed back and forth despite her humble answer.

 

“Fights are helping,” Clotho said tersely, flicking his fingers as his wires returned to his forearms with practiced ease.

 

Drake nodded, “Yup but that’s nothing to scoff at. You both still haven’t advanced to F-Rank yet or gotten your subtrees so this is amazing in it of itself. And I think we're at a point where we can move on. We fought all the way through the night too,” he said noticing the bright beams of morning sun tapering over the top of the walls.

 

The sound of chirping, or even perhaps Quetz, began funneling in over the walls, truly signaling the start of the next day.

 

“What do you two say to checking up on everyone else and grabbing some breakfast yeah?” Drake offered.

 

“That sounds wonderful,” Atropos replied, skipping up next to him, her eyes shutting closed as she pulled the wraps over her eyes.

 

Clotho grunted going back to his silent brooding as he joined them while Drake brought down the wall that had separated the groups.

 

“W-what the hell did you do?!?” Drake exclaimed, finally seeing the otherside.

 

In front of him were the teens. Thankfully all in one piece, monsters strewn about being processed for food and the like. But that wasn’t what surprised Drake. What had caught him off guard was the state of the teens.

 

“Sarah?!”

 

The teens were all scars and bruises. Kalik Tu’ sported two black eyes and a swollen lip and his clothes were in tatters as he cut meat into sections on a nearby table. Charlotte was no better off or worse. Her hair was a bird’s nest, she had a fully swollen eye and her armor held several puncture wounds in the side as she put up hides of the cows on branches of trees.

 

Landin sat nearby from the rest, using only one arm to sort through horns and bones, his left leg braced together and wrapped, his right arm in a sling.

 

Quetz was also on the side, pulling bodies of cows from a small pile, her face just as ghostly pale as her feathers.

 

“What did she do?!” Drake gasped again.

 

“Patriarch!” Sah Ul’ beamed her face conveying she did nothing wrong whatsoever, “I have allowed them to train just as you instructed me!”

 

“They look like they're dying! And why are they so injured?! Didn’t you let them heal?” Drake said incredulously.

 

The teens finally noticed that Drake had come out from the other partition and turned to greet him.

 

Quetz began crying and bawling her eyes out as she leaped into his arms.

 

Landin only smiled despondently in his direction.

 

Charlotte scratched the back of her neck, “Haha… we did almost die. Several times. She’s more of a demon trainer than you are…”

 

Kalik Tu’ scoffed, “Weaklings…”

 

Drake gave a light frown in Sah Ul’s direction.

 

“I did as the Patriarch asked, I increased the amount of monsters they fought regularly. Making sure it was within their abilities. They are all bright and aspiring warriors!” she said, her words endearing but also eager.

 

“Why haven’t they healed?” Drake asked.

 

“Healing normally will be better for them. They will become pampered if they are given healing potions and spells regularly,” she responded matter of factly.

 

Drake opened his mouth to argue but closed it unable to refute her logic. Instead, he looked down at the sniffling Quetz clinging to him like she used to. She had new scars on her exposed skin but they had healed up leaving only faded white lines.

 

He patted her head, “You guys did good…”

 

Quetz sniffled, “S-she’ssss schow… meheannnn…!” she cooed woefully.

 

Drake couldn’t help but laugh and lightly patted her head.

 

“Okay, let’s cook some food. I think you all deserve it,” he smiled.

 

—-----------------------

 

Drake chopped meat into squares quietly as he hummed, three girls eyeing his actions with deep concentration as he did.

 

“You know, I’m not actually a good cook right?” Drake scoffed, waving their faces back.

 

“Yeah, yeah but your food is always so tasty!” Quetz said one finger to her mouth.

 

“I’m having flashbacks to Sherry right now….” Drake shivered, “That’s just because the meat is better quality, the mana from the monsters makes it tastier I’m sure.”

 

“No way!” Charlotte exclaimed, “I’ve had food from restaurants that aren’t as good as the food you cook…”

 

“I agree, your food is quite something Lord Drake,” Atropos nodded, writing something down.

 

“Just because you compliment my cooking doesn’t mean Sah Ul’ won’t ride you just as hard after we eat,” he chuckled then paused, “Wait that didn’t come out right.”

 

“Pause!” Landin shouted from his seat at the fire.

 

Drake gave him a firm side eye, but smiled, “Okay, skewers are ready. Thankfully I had some cumin and red pepper powder handy, now just a squirt of honey. Wrap in the little foil I have…and… we toss this bad boy into the fire.”

 

Sah Ul’ looked at the ball of skewers drop into the fire with a slight bead of drool coming from her mouth, “How can such food be bad and be a boy?”

 

Drake raised his head looking to the sky, “Give me strength….”

 

“Who is the Patriarch praying to? Do you also worship a god?”

 

“I don’t, no, but a lot of humans have different gods that they give prayer to yeah,” Drake explained, walking back to the table only to have his brother’s face flash across his mind.

 

Damned Atticus… Why did you have to cause so much trouble? What would Dad or even Mom say if they knew what you were doing! I’m not looking forward to that talk with Mom and there’s no way she didn’t see his crystal notification… He thought signing deeply.

 

[World Wide Announcement]

 

[Atticus Wallen has challenged for control over town: Wonderlust]

 

[Atticus Wallen has challenged for control over town: Rockbeard]

 

[Atticus Wallen has challenged for control over town: Four Leaf]

 

[Atticus Wallen has challenged for control over town: New Graymaine]

 

[Valor Alvea has challenged for control over town: Tarctic Green]

 

[Valor Alvea has challenged for control over town: Sadre]

 

Drake’s grip suddenly tightened breaking the knife in his hand instantly.

 

“What…?” he muttered.

 

Drake’s mind blocked out the questions coming from the group as he looked at the notifications on his screen, flabbergasted.

 

What is this? War? And someone else is fighting for towns right as Atticus is doing it? This can’t be a coincidence… Valor Alvea? That name isn’t familiar are they elven…? But Atticus is a xenophobe now from what the Doc told me. This is too confusing. What is going on?! Drake rambled in his head, trying to parse the information only to be hit with another notification.

 

[Personal Alert]

 

[Atticus Wallen has taken the first spot on the Nobility Ladder and has been promoted to Viscount]

 

What?!

 

Drake shuffled his windows bringing up the Nobility Ladder.

 

Nobility Board

 

#1 Atticus Wallen: 2,197 Pts. Rank Viscount - Purity

#2 Drake Wallen: 1,655 Pts. Rank Baron - ReUnite

#3 Valor Alvea: 1,153 Pts. Rank Lord - Avalon

#4 Ferdinand Smith: 1,095 Pts. Rank Lord - New Allied Colonies

#5 Brett Nieudacznik: 973 Pts. Rank Lord - Uruk

#6 Shigure Kenzo: 889 Pts. Rank Lord - Shinchoku

#7 Pablo Cortez: 276 Pts. Rank Knight - The Wandering Isle

#8 Mirthal Farsatra: 253 Pts. Rank Knight - Naerora

#9 Grokkurim Bonegrip: 105 Pts. Rank Knight - Stone Ridge

#10 Suisei Yuki: 99 Pts. Rank Knight - Yuki no Kuni

 

…

..

.

 

Drake’s brows furrowed in confusion. There had been dramatic changes to the board in the last day with several town owners increasing their points and standings by a substantial amount.

 

“This is a problem,” Drake said, “I don’t think there’s any good reason for this increase in their points. Is it like the tutorial where if you kill someone or take over a town you gain their points? Or have they just increased their town so much that the amount of quests being completed has increased? I need to talk to Natto…” he muttered.

 

“What’s the matter? What were those announcements about?” Charlotte asked.

 

“Nothing,” Drake answered, “Just a change on a board, nothing to worry about. Just focus on eating and resting. We’re going to get right back to leveling once you are all done,” he said tersely, putting away all of the meat and equipment he had used.

 

“Where are you going, Patriarch?” Sah Ul’ asked.

 

Drake made to open the wall that had partitioned them from the rest of the pasture, only answering briefly over his shoulder, “To get some monsters for the teens. We’re going to test just how far they’ve come along.”

 

The wall split and closed as he walked through before they could ask more or stop him.

 

The pasture was now lit by the morning light the snow reflecting the rays to almost a blinding degree.

 

Drake covered his eyes only for a moment before his vision adjusted showing the expansive corral that contained the bovines.

 

He inspected them, quickly finding the targets he was looking for.

 

[Iron Hide Bull Level 10]

 

[Iron Hide Bull Level 11]

 

Drake found several monsters that were above level 10, indicating they were F-Rank.

 

Surprisingly none of the cows in the area were immediately hostile. The bulls however rushed him as soon as they saw him.

 

Drake swiftly subdued the bulls with his magic, pulling out the cages he had kept from the tutorial and threw them inside, bringing a total of six bulls. Four level 10-11 and two level 16 and 17.

 

After which he pulled another cage, snapping his fingers as he conjured an Elemental.

 

“Hold this for me will you,” Drake said throwing the cage on top of the Elemental.

 

He then went and found as many cows as he could, throwing them inside the cage as would comfortably fit. Then pulling a third cage he summoned another Elemental to hold it.

 

Looking around he found the slimes boing boinging around and threw them into the third cage, wondering if they would fit inside or slip through the cracks. And to his delight, they somehow didn’t, held inside the cage.

 

“If it works don’t fix it I guess,” Drake said, trying to distract himself from the previous notifications, “One problem at a time. First comes Mom and the others, then I have a whole metric fuck-ton of problems to deal with,” he sighed.

 

Finding his family, Claire, taking care of his promise to Lamar, going to Sandal to free the rest of the slaves, the competition with the warriors of the Rahk, the undead infestation, the auction, the summit, and finally the incoming monster waves that would assault the whole world. There was simply a near-endless list of things on his plate.

 

But he would just have to take it in stride. He was only one person with limited information and could only be in so many places at once.

 

He looked back at his elementals holding the cages of monsters, “Hopefully when the kids mature and grow stronger it will give me more leeway to just do the things I want to.”

 

Drake gave a wave of his hand and his new entourage followed him back to the camp, placing the cages just outside the wall of black earth.

 

He reopened the wall dismissing his Elementals to questioning eyes that burrowed into him, ready for answers.

 

“No,” he said simply, “Eat your food.”

 

“It isn’t ready yet,” Landin said crossing his now fixed arms.

 

“We deserve to know what’s going on, don’t we?” Charlotte asked.

 

“You really don’t. Right now your focus is leveling up. Let me worry about the other stuff for now,” Drake said deadpan.

 

“You can lean on us you know,” Charlotte said earnestly.

 

“And I will,” he said taking in a breath, “But right now I need you all to focus, you are about to fight monsters you have no business fighting. And all the same rules apply, so neither Sah Ul’ or I will help you. One wrong move and you are dead. So focus up.”

 

Drake moved to the fire, sitting down and played with his inventory, going through more of the undead spatial bags, sorting through them.

 

Atropos made to say something but was stopped by Sah Ul’ with a shake of her head as she took a seat next to him wordlessly.

 

The next few minutes were quiet as they waited for the food to finish cooking, no one daring to break the tension and silence.

 

Eventually, Drake broke it himself as he moved the food from the fire, unwrapping the skewers with a burst of aroma into the air that made everyone take in a deep breath.

 

“Oh my…” Atropos beamed.

 

“Smells so tasty!” Quetz chirped.

 

Drake gave a small smirk, handing them out on plates as they devoured the food.

 

Once they were finished, Drake stood extinguishing the fire with his earth magic smothering the flames and bringing down the final partition along with the castle behind them.

 

The light cascaded in as the walls dissipated revealing the cages of monsters.

 

“Alright. Charlotte, you’re up first,” Drake said addressing the teen.

 

She stood in front of him with her spear and half-broken spear in hand, radiating a confidence she didn’t possess when she first met him. Her body riddled with small scars a testament to her hard work over the last two days.

 

[Charlotte McClarin Level 9]

 

Gripping her spears she nodded to him, “Let’s do this.”