Chapter 633: Better together

The meeting ended with the right tone—sober, but purposeful faces rose as Mason dismissed them. His main people followed for a smaller, kind of one on one series of meetings as he walked.

Phuong wanted to know if he could get Haley spending points on some teleportation items and buildings to make everything faster and easier. He said yes. Carl was asking if civilians should be paid somehow for helping and if anyone was off limits. He told him to decide whatever was needed to get the result, trying not to be annoyed at the idea of paying for civilian help.

He knew their system was…different. And that the vast majority of people who chose that role weren’t interested in physical danger. But it still irked him.

Blake hung around at the back as he walked with his small team. When the others were gone to their tasks Mason stopped and gestured his brother over to a side room. He closed the door behind them and took a breath.

“When you’re done with the Nexus, I want you to take the civilian ‘killers’ to the Crucible. You know what that is, I assume.”

“I do. I spent several days learning everything I could about the east. I assumed that’s why you wanted me to be your temporary ‘mayor’.”

“It is, on top of other reasons. I want you to learn everything you can about those civilian killers. Background, temperament, classes, everything. They have no system protection. You can use any mind power you feel necessary.”

Blake raised a brow.

“It would be easier if I knew what you really wanted to learn.”

Mason knew his brother would understand his plan the moment he explained more. But trying to keep him in the dark wouldn’t work. And he wanted to start trusting him again.

“I’m told a person’s chances of surviving the crucible are about 50/50,” he said eventually. “I want to know who’s surviving and who isn’t. Is it dumb luck? Physical courage? Diet? Everything and anything.”

Blake slowly nodded, meeting Mason’s eyes. He understood, of course he did. Mason wanted as much information as possible in case he had to send civilians en masse to become players, or die. They didn’t need to talk about it. Blake shrugged like he didn’t care, his easy smile and charm back on his face.

“And here I was starting to think you didn’t want my help at all. Help analyze the Nexus. Sort out the Crucible problem. Sit as ‘mayor’ of the only human city. I’ll be a very busy bee.”

“I

always

wanted your help. Now don’t make me regret it. If it’s too much you can always…”

Blake raised a hand and shook his head.

“Don’t worry. And if there’s city problems I’ll talk to you or Carl. I don’t expect many.” He met Mason’s eyes and put up his second hand. “And no mind powers, I get it. None required. I’ll just listen and offer suggestions. Maybe look up the constitution on our little databases. But I have a request.”

Mason took a breath and nodded. It seemed only fair.

“When we have the time, you—and whichever of the twenty-five women you’re now sleeping with—come to the tower for my wedding and House formation. I’ll work around your schedule.”

It was less than he’d expected. Perfectly reasonable, really. Mason saw no choice but to agree.

“Wonderful.” Blake smiled and slapped his arm. “On the other hand, if you don’t bring the women, I’m sure we can find you a good, sturdy orc or three. Maybe one who’s in heat.” He winked. “And you’ve been enjoying that goblin, hmm? I told you greenskins had their virtues.”

Mason felt a small flush of heat in his face, and battled it for his life. Only Blake still had the power to make him blush. The son of a bitch was smiling, too, knowing very well the effect his words had.

“For the city stuff, work with Rahman, and Haley, too, I’ll tell them,” he said.

“And what may I ask will you be doing during all of this?” Blake looked mostly curious. “I didn’t hear you really explain that during the meeting.”

“Because I didn’t.”

They had a staring contest until Mason rolled his eyes.

“I have objectives to get back to—the things I was doing before Jeong and his horseshit. But first I’m gonna feed these people.”

“No offence, brother, but you’re not exactly a farmer. Other than system points and food from Nassau, how exactly do you intend to do that?”

Mason smiled and went for the door. His ‘plan’ was to ask several nymphs to help him speed things up. He had a feeling he knew what they’d ask in return. It was a tough job, but someone had to do it.

“I’m a druid, remember?” He gestured for his brother and held the door. “Now go make yourself useful. And maybe we all survive another year.”

“My lord.” Blake bowed like a courtier, then walked off whistling.

Mason watched him and took a breath, seeing images of the kid he’d known all his life. An old piece of him desperately hoped Blake didn’t let him down again. But he was prepared either way.

**

[Objective: Impregnate the elves of Shariss. Gain House, Patron, or Lineage rewards based on success. Reward determined in: 9 months.]

[Objective: Explore the entire Western Continent. Reward: Patron and Wyrdwalking rewards based on actions.]

[Objective: Obtain a blessing from every ancient druid on the Western continent. Reward: improvement to all individual druid blessings.]

Mason walked towards the city gate, desperately going through his ridiculous profile. There was so much to look at in the settlement and house tabs he honestly didn’t know where to start.

But he figured he had Haley and possibly others to help him with that. He was the only person on the planet who could finish those objectives. Well…maybe not ‘elf impregnation’.

He knew there was a handful of elves who’d already taken human husbands in Nassau. They’d never quite managed their ‘mass wedding’, though he figured they could still do that when they had a day to spare.

He could only imagine the chaos if he made the civilians of the holy city aware that a bunch of beautiful elven women were desperate to get pregnant. He wasn’t sure what ‘value’ they’d have in the civilian system, but he expected it to be enormous.

Maybe the fairest thing to do was give everyone equal opportunity. But basically? Fuck them. The players and civilians who’d survived the madness of the west were getting first dibs. Once they had all they could handle,

then

the east would get their chance.

And he still hadn’t solved the problem of actually impregnating them. He needed the ‘approval’ of both Gaia and Cerebus, which he now maybe personally had. But that brought him back to doing the deed himself. His other option was the divine artifact—the seed still waiting back home. He didn’t want to use that, either, but he wasn’t sure he saw any other reasonable solution.

Again, he’d have to experiment. Maybe if he ‘blessed’ water now it would count as both Gaia and Cerebus. Maybe he just had to set up a ‘love pool’ like a nymph lair, where his human followers could take their blushing brides to make some babies in his private pool.

It was worth a shot. And he was pretty sure the men wouldn’t complain.

Exploring the western continent and getting the last druid blessings would be somewhat harder. But with the centaur scout-added guidance to his Wayfinder, he had a pretty good sense of the landmass now.

He had two primary tasks before he finished exploring—one, get the nymphs to help him grow some crops at warp speed. And two, get Kitya the elven beastmaster to help him bind some kind of flying animal…

If that failed, he’d grow himself some more permanent wings—learn some kind of shapeshifting spell from Eve, or maybe in the Fey. Time went slower there. He felt like Gaia and Cerebus owed him at least one favor between them. All he knew is that now that he’d had a taste of flight, he wasn’t going back.

When the final battle came, he wanted to be able to fly around the field with his bow, picking off invaders with a full vision of everything. Something told him he’d be struggling to keep up and see the full view of the invasion. And that he’d have to be able to get to multiple, critical locations at impossible speeds.

Between Wyrdwalk and the ability to fly, he expected ‘impossible’ would be entirely doable. And in the meantime, he’d be able to map out the rest of the continent at record speed. He’d find the more useful places to investigate. Hopefully dungeons, ancient ruins or maker halls. He’d find the remaining players and any more creatures willing to talk and make friends.

He walked through the city ignoring eyes, mind too busy to worry about what anyone thought or trying to look ‘nice’. Haley’s advice was extremely useful in the civilized world. But that wasn’t where Mason truly belonged. It wasn’t where they really needed him.

He smiled as he finally stepped out of the gate—now ‘morphed’ back from its defender form, but still with a sleeping, wooden face on the outside. He reached out with One with Nature and felt the creature inside, ever vigilant, waiting for the next war.

His natural bonuses kicked back in, and he closed his eyes and breathed his first proper breath since going in. Soon he’d take his women and go back home to Nassau, and leave the city to its little problems.

He walked out to the constantly growing field of grass, still expanding out from the seed of the great tree he and Demi had planted. Life was pulsing all around him, cracking stone and reaching for the sun.

He knelt at the spot of the seed, putting his hand on the soil and reaching out with One with Nature. It was warm and pulsing with mana, so powerful he could barely keep his hand still.

“Don’t worry,” he whispered. “I’ll protect you.”

The thing

hummed

like it heard him, like the consciousness was already forming. He suddenly wondered if it would think of him as a ‘father’, or something else when it grew. It was a strange thought, just like the life he’d made with nymphs in a different great tree.

Whatever their relationship, he had the strong urge to protect and nurture it. Like it was his responsibility. The idea didn’t frighten or worry him—like he understood that whatever was required, he’d rise to the occasion, even if he didn’t know the details yet.

With surprise he felt wetness in his eyes, and dropped a single tear when he blinked. It stained the soil and quickly vanished, and he rose and put away the thoughts of his own parents and being abandoned.

Unlike Blake, he had no memory of them. He’d never known why they’d left him or who he was. He only knew he would never abandon his own children, or the life growing at his feet, or the people of this strange new world who needed him.

He’d help them to be stronger, to stand on their own, and if they failed, protect them with his last breath.

With a smile he realized there was enough power to Wyrdwalk glowing from the seed, coming at him almost urgently. Like it was listening and trying to help.

“Thank you,” he said, pulling the mana towards him with the barest flick of will. “You’re right, little one. We’ll protect them together.”

He activated the power, and stepped into the Fey.