“What about the smithy?” Edge asked. “We need to make a second one.”
“Then do so. There’s enough of you to make several smithies with the anvil rewards you can get.”
“Then let’s start with another two smaller ones near our building,” Edge said as he pointed at several of the groups. “Groups one through ten get busy making the sheds; the rest need to get the anvils.”
“Speaking of things, what’s with the tower? Did you leave anyone?”
I pulled him aside, and he nodded.
“I sure did, boss. They’ll be peddling in several shifts until they’ve finished selling everything.”
“What then?”
“Then we’re done for the time being.”
“I guess,” I muttered. “How are our stores of crystals?”
“Quarter of a million rank one crystals, around twenty thousand rank two crystals, and just under three thousand rank three crystals.”
“That’s quite the haul. Did you pay out the salaries?”
He shook his head and scratched his beard. “Not yet.”
“Give everyone ten rank threes, fifty rank twos, and a thousand rank ones. Have them cycle as much as they can. It won’t be of any use to them dead.”
His eyebrows shot up. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah, I am,” I replied with a curt nod. “Just do it. The salary might be the difference between life and death.”
“Alright, I’ll do as you wish, boss.”
“And you can double your own cut,” I added as he was about to turn away. “And I won’t take no for an answer. Any officers or members who did much more than the rest, give them a 50% raise on the basic salary.”
“We’ll—”
“Doesn’t matter. Just do it and do it today.”
Edge turned about and ran over to where most of the members still roamed around.
“Gather at the HQ in five minutes! That’s an order from the boss!”
Many of them shot glances my way, trying to figure out what was going on. I was sure none of them would guess right until the very moment they received their pay. And that was what I wanted.
It was time for myself, so I did what every self-respecting man would do and started crafting some more bolts. One thing that surprised me, though, was the inability to upgrade my weapons further. I needed to be over level one hundred so I could create basilisk gear. And I was far from it.
I pushed the crafting aside and instead checked my arm, or rather the lack thereof. I was almost at the wrist and had a good chance of recovering by the time I had to fight the Zanoxian. Using up the Bura took several hours, and I was spent afterward. Without much else to do, I decided to get some rest in for the day.
I found Melina sitting on our little balcony overlooking a busy crowd of—soldiers? You could call them that since they would be fighting our battles. Their families had been brought in from Sylmar, at least those who wanted to stay with their loved ones and under our protection, which in the end was an overwhelming majority.
“What are you thinking about?” I asked as I sat next to her.
“Linda,” she replied with a hint of sadness in her voice. “I feel so bad for what happened. She was a genuinely good woman.”
“I know,” I whispered as I sat behind her and pulled her in close. “They both were taken advantage of.”
“And it sucks. Why is it always us who get the short straw?”
She was pissed and sad and angry and everything at the same time. Losing a loved one and a friend hurt more than we liked to admit most of the time. It was something that we tended to take for granted. Like most things in life, and then when it was gone, all we could do was fight insanity.
“I don’t know, but I plan to win and then make a world for ourselves. I already have a plan on what to wish for.”
“Care to tell me?”
I shook my head. “No, sorry. It’s a surprise, but no, I won’t be wishing the dead to be revived. They made their choice.”
“You’re right, but it doesn’t make it any less painful how they were screwed.”
I kissed the back of her head and smelled her shampooed hair. It was one thing that was familiar, one thing that would always make me feel at home no matter where we were. Her.
“Krajolik told me that Scar and Lana were indeed reborn and, after several centuries of a happy life, are now dead.”
Melina jerked around and stared at me with her mouth wide open. The expression on her face was one of both disbelief and pain. “It only happened the other day!”
“It did,” I replied with a shrug. “I don’t know how it works, but time doesn’t flow the same there and here apparently.”
“Just another thing they screwed us on, huh?”
“Nah,” I said and pulled her in to lean on my chest. “I don’t think so. They lived a good life, so let’s just take what we can get.”
She nestled in and closed her eyes as my hand moved through her hair. Neither of us said anything for a long time. Fifteen minutes, maybe even half an hour passed before we stirred and stood from the tanning chair. I got up and went to the railing and looked out onto the military base. It was abandoned, not a single soldier inside. How could it have gone so wrong when everything had been going so well?
I had done my best, I really had. I’d given it my all, but in the end, it wasn’t enough. Now there was something else I had to do. I had to protect this place, this paradise. I had to find ways to reproduce things that were available in Sylmar and find alternatives. Once I’d taken the rift, I would expand and set up bases in the lower zones. I’d allow people from Farz to come live here, and maybe even have the orcs migrate to this place. They were already part of this world and could freely move in between rifts and the outer world, so why not? If it was true that the rifts could be expanded and went on for a good while in new zones, then we’d have something to do over the next years. Who better to have around than a powerhouse like Grawl?
“Say, Mel, how do you like it in here?”
“Honestly?”
I nodded and leaned with my back against the railing. She tucked a strand of hair behind her left ear and looked thoughtful for several seconds before she spoke.
“The only things I miss are gardens and parks. Maybe some luxuries like expensive clothing, personal hygiene, and… I don’t know. Why do you ask?”
“I’m thinking about closing the rift, or at least making it inaccessible to the outside once we’re done here. Maybe we could have people from Farz join, or at least those who wanted to.”
“Yeah, but we have no way of—oh, we do. The tower.”
I nodded as a smirk crept up my lips. “We have a personal link to the tower, so going back and forth isn’t a problem. And I remember that Veles said something about coordinates back then and that if we knew certain coordinates, we could force-tune the portal to go there.”
“You’re a devious man, Vik. I love it.”
I winked and spread my arms. Or rather arm and a half or so. She took me up on the offer and pressed her lips against mine. The warmth radiating off her body was one of the few things I knew I’d never get enough of, even during hot nights.
“Sure am, love. We’ve got a lot of things to do and not enough time to do them.”
“We’ll cross bridges as we get to them. Nothing else we can do.”
“No, but I can make sure I kill that bastard Velovian. And hard at that.”
Chapter Thirty-Seven
The two-week limit was over rather quickly, and I was still far from fully recovering. My hand had just hit the first knuckle of my right thumb, but it was far from even halfway done. The itch had only become worse, and the sensation of wanting to swing around a big weapon had become wild to the point I tried to strap the halberd to my right arm. But it hadn’t worked.
“Stop doing such idiocies, please. You’re looking much more stupid than you actually are, love,” Melina protested as I tried to swing the halberd with my left hand.
>
I was far from succeeding, but that wasn’t the point. All I cared about was to see my attack value rise again after such a long time. Even after the two weeks had passed and I’d gained a bunch of new levels, none of the stats had risen. At all.
“I’m starting to think someone has put a curse on me,” I muttered as I dropped the halberd. “And not a God, but a someone. The deities don’t need to go so far to defeat me. They can just rip me apart if they want to.”
“What do you think about the last rifter? He might have something to do with it if his forte is curses and debuffs.”
“Whatever,” I muttered. “It’s going to end today, and then I’m taking a long rest before the Zanoxian wakes up.
“Without me?” Melina pouted as she curled up beside me.
“Up to you. I could use some backup just in case, though.”
“And some heavy firepower. Admit it.”
“Ugh,” I growled and sat upright on the edge of the bed. “Do you really need to hit where it hurts?”
“Aww, come on! Since when are you weak against provocations?”
“Since I lost my arm.”
She let out a sigh and remained silent as she lay there behind me, her hand tracing up and down my back. I let out a laugh and fell over her.
“Wait, what?” she hissed to my face. “You made me think I hurt your shitty feelings? What an ass!”
I spanked her and then got up to loud protests. I made my way to the balcony and stood there in the morning breeze. It was refreshing after a wild night in the bedroom. We had to make the most of it since we had no idea if today was the last day we got to live or not.
She snaked her arm around my back and pressed herself against my side.
“We should get ready,” I whispered as I took the scene in. Even though it was only 07:00, the troops were already busy working their asses off. Good. Everyone needed to pull their weight, and if I could leave the zone to them when I was gone, then I’d have an easier time fighting the rifter. “Edge!” I yelled to be heard over the ruckus. “Edge!”
He appeared from the smithy when I called for the second time.
“Yeah? What is it, boss?”
“We’ll be leaving shortly. Gather everyone!”
He put his hand up with his thumb out. “Will do!”
Melina chuckled from behind me and squeezed me even tighter.
“Hey, do you want to break my poor back?”
“No, but I can’t help but love to see how your people generally respect you.”
“Yeah, I can’t help but love it as well,” I whispered. “Until they betray me.”
She slapped my back and shoved me into the railing. “Don’t talk shit, Vik. These guys all look at you with puppy eyes and stuff.”
“And you?” I asked as I turned around. I stepped toward her, and she took a step back. I hurried forward, and she screamed, launching herself against the wall.
“What the hell? You startled me!” she yelled as I burst out laughing.
I pressed my lips against hers and took her all in.
“I love you, Mel,” I whispered. “I couldn’t help but show my affection for you.”
“Ass!” She slapped me again and pushed me back. “You almost gave me a heart attack.” It took her several seconds, but then her arms shot out and grabbed my back. “Love you too, you fool. Don’t do that again. I’m not good with people invading my space.”
“Got anything special we could wear while outside? Matching kimonos or something?”
“Oh, I do!” she squealed. “I bought them the last time we were having dinner with… Kade and… Linda.”
“Then let’s honor them, alright? Make Sylmar a good place they would be proud of.”
She nodded and looked away as I stretched yet again. For some reason, my limbs were getting stiff all the time, and I was losing sensation in them. Was it the loss of Bura? I kept it almost at zero all the time, as I kept pushing it into my hand.
We got dressed quickly and stormed outside. They were both pitch-black kimonos with golden threading and a phoenix embroidered on the backs. They looked rather expensive, and I had no idea how much she had dished out for them, but it was worth it.
“Hunters! Soldiers! Men and women! Friends and family!” I started and spoke loud and clear. I spotted Mark, Sarah, Donald, and Rita sitting off to the side while the hunter group with Edge at their head stood in the clearing off to the right. “Edge will be in charge of you until I’m back, so make me proud, and protect our home as I go out to fight a war to protect our world!”
No one spoke. No one needed to say anything, as we knew what was at stake. I looked over at the wall they’d built over the last ten days and was pretty satisfied. Two rows of thick logs, reinforced with crystals, made a corridor that led right to where the group was standing. They had switched on their armor and held their weapons at the ready, knowing the gravity of the situation.
“You can go without a worry, boss,” Edge said and saluted me.
“Please don’t. We’re not the military. We’re a big family. We’re friends, and we’re in this together. I’ll put my life on the line, so you do your job, and I’ll come bearing gifts!”
“I think that was a bit too much,” Melina said from behind me. “You look like a caesar.”
“Yeah, about that,” I muttered. “I don’t like being the one in charge. I just want to be… no, that’s wrong. I don’t want people to bother me with crap and let me live my life. But that’s usually not possible.”
“Until we’ve taken care of them, yeah. We just have to get rid of the Zanoxian.”
“Just, huh?” I sighed and turned back to the hunters. I walked over to Edge and stopped in front of him, offering the man my hand. He shook it and graced me with a stupid grin.
“Do the same with the others,” he whispered. “They’ll respect you more for it.”
“You just read my mind,” I whispered back, trying not to be overheard by the closest hunters. I stepped past him and offered my hand to a woman, then to a man standing beside her, and made the rounds. Their faces lit up, and their expressions changed. Once I was done, I stood in their midst. “Alcohol and meat are on me when I’m back!”
“Still, you should have seen them from the outside,” Melina said as she tsked her tongue. “They ate out of your hand.”
“Hey, you’re making it sound so wrong. Is it wrong to have them defend our home? Their home? After all that I’ve done for them?”
“Oh, I’m not saying you did anything bad, but it looked so… political.”
I shrugged and pushed her ahead through zone 3:5’s shimmering dome only to find her hissing on the other side.
“What? You look like a damn basilisk.”
“Stop pushing me! I know it was my turn to go through!”
“Huh? I didn’t push you because of that but because you called me a politician.”
“I did not!” She stopped and put her hands on her hips, glared, and bared her teeth at me.
“You look like a tomboy. I don’t want a tomboy as my woman.”
“You just keep digging a deeper grave, you know?”
I stopped and laughed, unable to hold back any longer. “It’s so easy to pick on you, Mel.”
She pulled out her bow and slammed it down on top of my head. It barely hurt, but it sent me sprawling on the ground.
“Asshole! Sometimes I wonder why I’m even trying so hard!”
“Because I love you?” I replied, still unable to keep the laughter from my voice. “Because I gave you everything? Because I gave you your revenge and almost lost my life doing it? Because I saved you? Do you want to add anything else?”
“Because you’re good-looking?” she murmured. “Because you made me so strong?”
“Ahh, see? There’s that too. I made you into the second strongest person in Sylmar, and probably far wider than just that. Now, do you really want to throw it all away over some teasing?”
“No, of course
not, but you need to stop right now. I’m about to lose my control, and I just might hit you with an arrow next.”
I shrugged nonchalantly and got to my feet, ignoring her offered hand, and sent her a mock glare. She scowled and slapped my shoulder.
“What? Domestic abuse on top of it?”
“Oh, you!” she cried out and then slapped her mouth shut. “Shit! That wasn’t good!”
“You’re lucky I’m not feeling any monsters around, or I’d leave you to fight them alone,” I said and stepped past her, a smirk on my lips. She didn’t see it, luckily, or I’d be abused even more. Melina did shut up right after and followed me like a stray pup, several steps behind me.
We waded through the desertlike landscape, following a river that led toward the far exit, and entered 3:3 next. From what the map told me, there were no other entrances leading into 3:2. It was a one-way street, which was a good thing, I reckoned. He wouldn’t be able to sneak past us.
I stopped for a minute and studied the layout. Flat sand as far as the eye could see, but that was an illusion, as this in-between zone was rather small. We could cross it in a matter of minutes, but I was trying to focus on the zone beyond it. The shimmering dome was keeping me from seeing anything though. There was a single good thing about it: it was as small as the zone we were standing in, with a very narrow entrance. I liked narrow. My towers liked it even more.
“You stay behind with the towers,” I said and nodded toward the oasis ahead.
“I’ll keep him from getting out, don’t worry. You just make sure you don’t die.”
The frustration and annoyance with me from earlier were all gone. She was serious and calm again. Just the way I liked it when we were out hunting. Melina buffed me, or tried to at least, but the buffs weren’t sticking.
“You can stop, Mel,” I said after her third attempt. “Focus on yourself. I’ll be fine.”
She didn’t say anything but just nodded and readied her bow. I nodded back and started moving. My Enma sensory field showed there was nothing, so we didn’t bother taking it a step at a time. We hurried toward the next zone and entered without thinking. I got my bearings and studied the exit in a single heartbeat.
Crossroads: A LitRPG Cultivation Series (Towers & Rifts Book 3) Page 28
