Chris

    I had to admit that I may have handled things poorly. It was hard to train Annabeth without remembering the faces. Those of the Order. Men and women, while I didn''t spend too much time with, spent a decent amount getting to know them and training them. The memories of what came next and seeing them repeat made me feel... hollow. The memory of my ice forming around their already cold bodies.

    Doing the same things all over again wasn''t fun.

    Having a yelling match with my sister over it also wasn''t the best highlight either. It was Anna''s first day and I had treated it like Navy Seal boot camp. I wanted her to fail, wanted her to ring the bell, which wasn''t the right way to go about training an eleven-year-old.

    Hell, I was surprised she kept getting back up. That took heart.

    After leaving Anna off and getting a talking to I deserved, I went off to my forge still slightly frustrated. My hammering was muffled, thankfully, and I worked throughout the night with muddled thoughts.

    I wasn''t working on my armor, but on something else.

    Austin needed to be re-geared more than I did, but I wasn''t even working on his replacement gear either. I wasn''t sure when his urge to leave would flare up, and I wanted to make sure I had his new equipment ready before he left.

    Vincent, with his Fire Affinity being closer to Austin''s Solar, took care of the forging, but I still had to spend time drawing Runes on it.

    I wasn''t working on the piece now, as I still needed to practice. I wanted to use Tier 2 Runes. One of the biggest worries I had was my Profession falling behind and using them was my idea to push things.

    Right now, it was only at Rare, and I hadn''t done a whole lot to make me think that would change. I also wasn''t sure how long I would wait at the cap to fix that if it turned out to be true.

    Austin, with his Epic Class and Epic Profession, received the same stat points as someone with a Legendary Class and Rare Profession. To keep my stat advantage and subsequently my power advantage, I needed to focus on both.

    Another reason I wasn''t focusing on my own armor was because I didn''t want to remake it again after evolving. If I made a new set now, as soon as I evolved into whatever new Class I chose, I would possibly need to remake it again, depending on the new Profession Skill I unlocked.

    I wanted to hone my Skills and upgrade them as much as possible before making a new set as well. I also wanted to give the materials time so that [Mana Infusion] would get them accustomed to my Mana and the Cold.

    I hadn''t realized I''d spent the entire night and the next day had started until Sophia came into the room, drawing my attention.

    "Sir, Samuel is here to see you." She said all businesslike, a step inside the door. She didn''t usually like coming in further as it was colder near the Spirit Fire and she was not as well liked by the Cold.

    Samuel? Who the fuck is Samuel?

    "Who is that?" I asked, looking up from the metal piece in my hands.

    Sophia looked confused. "I was told that Abigail informed you of this meeting before."

    Did she?

    I tried to remember back to what she''d said last week. Ah, I remember now. She said a friend of Elliot''s wants to meet me but didn''t tell me a name.

    "Samuel is Elliot''s friend?" I asked, hoping that I was right, as if I wasn''t, I was more clueless than I felt comfortable.

    Sophia nodded with a small amount of relief that I had recalled. I didn''t realize that meeting was today. It was a touch annoying to be pulled away, but I was hopeful this meeting wouldn''t last long. With Anna''s training taken care of for the week, I had the rest of it to dedicate to the forge.

    Elliot and Samuel had originally come from the same Town and joined us at the same time. Elliot had risen into an Order Captain while I wasn''t sure what his friend was doing now.

    I knew he wasn''t in the Order, as I would have known his name, and I also knew he wasn''t a guard. I remember him volunteering for the Demons, though, so he''s at least got that going for him.

    "Alright, Sophia, lead me to him." I stood and placed the half-finished Rune on the table. It was going to fail anyway, as I was still getting the hang of the higher Rune and was far from being able to successfully engrave it.

    "Uh, sir, I think it''s best if you change first." She said hesitantly.

    I looked down. Ah, it''s best I do. I didn''t work with a flame, so I didn''t have soot covering me but I also wasn''t in the most presentable attire.

    Samuel

    His hands, even in the frigid cold, were sweating nonstop. It felt like a river was flowing down his back as he walked through the snowy streets toward the Castle. He was lucky there was magic now, as the sweat would have killed him in this kind of weather Before. Wicking his heat away with an errant breeze to be left to die of hypothermia.

    "There''s no need to be nervous. Relax a little." His friend for nearly a lifetime, tried to calm him down but it didn''t work.

    "That''s easy for you to say, Elliot." Samuel retorted, "You''re not the one marching to a room with him. I''ve seen what the man can do, no amount of reassurances is going to make me any less nervous. The knowledge that he could kill me in a snap of his fingers doesn''t just go away."

    Samuel clearly remembered what the man he was about to meet was capable of. Elliot, the damn bastard, had convinced him to go fight the Demons and it was hard to miss their Lord''s achievements.

    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    ''It''ll be fine,'' he said. ''They''re Demons, Sam,'' he said. ''This is what''s right, Sam.''

    Eventually, he caved and saw himself marching off to battle otherworldly creatures. He''d been bedridden for two weeks after that fight, and it took months for his leg to be regrown.

    The next time his friend came and asked him to go South, into the unknown, to kill the unknown, for an unknown amount of time, he flatly refused. There was no way he was getting fooled twice. Nope, no shame on him happening this time.

    While it was hard letting his friend go off to battle alone, there was no way in Hell he was going with him. He barely survived the first time, and Samuel was not close enough with Lady Luck to try his hand again.

    Best to leave that to the maniacs and the insane.

    "He''s not going to kill you," Elliot said and gave him a pat on the back, "You''re not worth it." Ah, gee, how helpful.

    Samuel grunted, "I know that. You know that. Even Christopher knows that. But that doesn''t change the fact it''s possible and there won''t be a damn thing I can do about it."

    His mind replayed charging the Demons. He wasn''t as strong as Elliot and wasn''t told to be a ''champion.'' Instead, he was just like the rest of the Warriors and was told to hold the line.

    He charged in and immediately nearly died. He started to fend off one demon in the hopes he wouldn''t be skewered. One. In the course of the battle, he killed just under a dozen. Most were the mindless hell hounds, as they were easy to bait into aggressively attacking.

    During the battle, he still remembered his charge being instantly stopped by the first rank of Demons. Being behind the man during the charge, he saw the Lord, a lone man clad in Ice, ram through rank after rank like it was a stroll in the park.

    The man killed more demons in one swing of the hammer than Samuel killed in the entire Battle.

    And he was about to sit in a room, a confined room, and talk to the man.

    With Elliot by his side, they cleared the Inner Wall easily, and he couldn''t help but marvel at the Castle. He''d helped construct it, but seeing the finished product still took his breath away.

    Not many got to come inside to see it that often.

    The Halls looked entirely different now that they were furnished, and he could tell some changes had been made. It looked... lived in, but not in a bad way. Homier than he expected the monstrosity of stone to be.

    One of the few people working in the Castle directed him to a meeting room where he waited.

    Elliot was still by his side, but he was about to leave. Samuel had wanted to have his friend with him for the discussion, but Elliot had declined. It wasn''t his fight, he''d said, leaving Samuel to go at it alone.

    "Are you sure about this, Sam?" Elliot looked... not worried, as he didn''t share Samuel''s nervousness, but... disappointed. Elliot had tried to get him to join the Order many times, but each time Sam refused.

    That wasn''t what he wanted. This was.

    "I''m sure." He said firmly, even though his nerves were a wreck, he knew this was what he wanted.

    "Alright, good luck then. Remember, be upfront and honest, and everything will be fine." It wasn''t the first time Elliot had given him the helpful tip, but he still nodded anyway.

    Being left alone only made things worse for his clammy hands. He tried to dry them off on his furs, but that didn''t seem to work. The last thing he wanted to do was shake the man''s hand with sweat dripping off him.

    Samuel cheated and used [Meditation]. He was good enough to keep his awareness of the outside world while meditating, but it wasn''t as deep. That didn''t matter as he was only using it to control his breathing and heartbeat.

    He didn''t have to wait for long, thankfully, but he wasn''t sure if that was good or bad.

    His fearless Leader marched into the room like he owned the place, and to be fair, he did. Christopher had never oozed charisma like some people Samuel had met before, but there was a weight around him that was impossible to ignore. It functioned even better to keep eyes on him.

    Christopher looked a little tired, but Samuel wasn''t going to say that. He wore what everyone else wore, but of much better quality than his own. He also knew that he didn''t have to and would be just fine with nothing on at all.

    "Samuel, I''m told you wanted to see me." He said. Thankfully, his hands had dried in the wait.

    "Uh, yes, sir." Samuel stumbled initially, but got his feet under him. Elliot also told him not to call him my Lord, but he couldn''t help but call him sir. There was no way he was not going to give deference to someone who could snap his neck with two fingers.

    "Well, what about? Elliot kept tight-lipped when asked." He seemed curious as to why Samuel had sought him out, which boded well.

    "Ahem, I don''t know if you remember, but I joined your procession right before you stopped here and built Frostheim. I''m from a small town that you passed through." Samuel started.

    "Yes, I remember."

    "Well, sir, I was wondering, and a few others too, if it would be possible to rebuild our town? Not in the same spot, as that''s days away, but a new area we could start over." Samuel rushed to get the words out quickly.

    Seeing how Christopher wasn''t going to respond, he continued.

    "Some are more accustomed to a... slower lifestyle. One without so many people around. Now that the City''s grown, it''s also getting a bit crowded. Not to say that''s a problem! Just that some, like myself, want for a different life."

    Mainly, people missed having their own lawns and backyards. Houses they could call their own. An independence that was impossible to find in the City.

    "I see no problem with that, but I don''t understand why you''re coming to me about it." Christopher said, confused, "If you need help purchasing a Pylon, that can be arranged."

    Samuel was confused. "Uh, what?"

    "Pylons are available now that we are a Small City. If you wish to start your own Settlement, you will need a Pylon. Unless you want to go without, but then you won''t have access to the Market or other advantages. They''re expensive, but I''m sure we could work something out. If you already have a group planned, the cost divided amongst you shouldn''t be back-breaking." Christopher said.

    I think he thinks that I want to go off and start my own city outside of his territory. A sperate city. An independent City.

    "Um, I was hoping to stay within the Faction. You would still rule it, and we''ll pay you taxes in food or coin." Samuel said, leaving ''and I hope you''ll protect us'' unsaid.

    "Oh. Oh!" A look of realization flashed. "You want to create a Village under me? Your pylon subordinate to mine? My Laws and taxes... that means I''d have to protect you."

    It was clear that he was quickly catching on and working through all that entailed.

    "How do you plan to face the Settlement Waves? While being a lower Pylon Level makes them easier, they still come regularly. Pylons of the same Faction all receive their Waves at the same time, so our help will be limited. Plus, it doesn''t seem like a long-term solution to have to send people out to face them every month or so. If you wish to run a Village, at the very least I ask you to be self-sufficient for day to day life.

    "Also, defenses? It took a long time to build the Wall and enchant it. Do you have someone who can Ward it?" Christopher ran on faster than Samuel could speak up, "How high a Pylon level do you wish to go? Outpost level is easy enough. Village gets harder, but it still won''t require anything too extensive."

    Samuel seized the pause to speak, "We are prepared to face the Settlement Waves alone. I, and a few others, went to face the Demons and came out with a fair bit of strength." Nothing compared to you, though. "We don''t plan on going any higher than Village for now, so that should keep the Waves manageable with who we bring. They keep getting stronger, but we think that should be fine." Samuel said.

    Christopher nodded, "It''s good to see you have a plan, but that doesn''t mean I''ve agreed to it. I still don''t know how I feel about this. I only wanted to build one City to protect my family. A Bastion, if you will. I never thought about Villages or Towns or anything else."

    Samuel gained some courage over the conversation so far and used that to point something out, "Everyone cannot live in one City. There''s only so much food to go around."

    He immediately regretted it. The hard stare froze him in place, and the sweat running back before was nothing compared to what was happening now.

    "I guess you''re right, but I will need to think this over. I''ll have Elliot come get you after I''ve decided." He said, ending the meeting and standing up.

    Samuel didn''t even remember shaking the man''s hand goodbye or walking out. All he remembered was getting out of there as fast as possible.