Blake scratched at the open gash on his arm while he waited for the scheduled meeting with his chancellors. As much as he hated it itching as it healed, he had purposefully allowed himself to be injured within the Tiefling scenario in order to increase his mastery over Focused Regeneration.

  Only three percent remained before he could evolve the spell. He hoped to alter his chi ability so it worked on others before morning. While he did have a few healing potions with him, those would eventually run out.

  It would be so much easier if I could just cut my arm and heal it over and over again.

  Unfortunately, the artificial intelligence always knew when you were attempting to cheat it. In the same way you could not tackle a scenario two levels above yourself with guns and grenades to gain the Master Solo Warrior achievement, you could not just give yourself a minor injury and heal it repeatedly. Asking a friend to do so in your stead did not work either. Both actions were met with either no mastery gain, or outright punishment if continued.

  Stupid Architect.

  Despite the alien AI’s assurances to the contrary, he still felt as if it was actively sabotaging humanity. To Blake’s mind, it should not matter who caused the injury. Regenerating flesh worked the same, regardless.

  “Uh…” a new refugee in his forties approached him. “Baron Blake?”

  “Yes?” he asked politely, doing his best to hide his wince at the strange title.

  At least he didn’t say Ambassador.

  “Do we need to ration our food? I don’t see much here, especially if a lot more people are going to join us.”

  Blake shook his head. “No, go ahead and eat whatever you want. Tomorrow, we’re going to drive around town to scavenge and recruit.”

  “Are you sure? We eat a lot of food…” he trailed off.

  “Don’t worry, by tomorrow, food won’t be a problem, ever again.” Blake grinned. “We’ll be eating monsters for breakfast.”

  The man’s eyes widened in horror, and he slowly backed away.

  Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it.

  After his new faction member left, Blake observed the temporary camp they had erected just outside the small town of Eager. Five hours before, he had started construction on the faction hall, left a few standing orders, and then ran a level three scenario by himself.

  When he returned from the alien planet, he was happy to see his directions were followed, and a line of camper trailers now circled their camp under Brent’s watchful eye. Once they unhooked the two campers they had towed to Eager, they raided a nearby RV storage lot for more. There was not enough time to upgrade their faction hall to level two before monsters would spawn, and there was no point in constructing a wall around the relatively small area a level one faction hall allowed you to build within.

  For a temporary fix, Blake had his people create a barrier out of towed campers around the edge. There was plenty of room within the circle to construct their prerequisite structures, and they could be moved once they needed more room.

  With this tactic, nothing would appear within the circle, and they would have a temporary wall from which they could defend their faction members. The flimsy campers would not stand up to any significant monsters, but the ones that would soon invade would be weak. As an added bonus, people would not be forced to sleep outside. There were now plenty of beds and couches within the camp for everyone.

  I’m surprised more people didn’t do this last time.

  His new members laughed and made jokes around a fire as they ate, secure in the knowledge they were protected. Blake was sure anxiety would return tomorrow when the monsters appeared, but for now, it was a welcome respite.

  Blake sat in the camp chair in silence as he observed the activity around and considered his plans.

  Hopefully I can get a real wall up soon so they don’t have to worry at all.

  Construction of the faction hall hut was almost complete. After it was finished, Brent and his laborers would start building the prerequisite structures required to upgrade it to level two. Once that was finished, hopefully within twenty-four hours, they could start construction of the wall.

  It would be built at the maximum distance from the level two faction hall, eight hundred feet. That would give them almost fifty acres worth of land within it to work with, the same as Blake’s initial town in Pinetop.

  There was plenty of space for the next couple of weeks.

  Eventually, they would upgrade the faction hall and expand the walls outward. However, by then, he would have already appointed a chancellor to handle everyone and assigned a few combat teams to guard the new town.

  Suddenly, he received a notification from Jessica.

  Finally!

  He answered the holo-call and was surprised when his mother was already on it. Both women sat behind their desks and scowled at him.

  This can’t be good.

  “Blake,” Donna began in a stern voice. “What were you thinking?”

  Huh? What’d I do?

  “Jessica and I spent the entire morning going through our notifications before we just gave up. It was impossible to keep up with the requests, we ended up having to delete everything. Why would you tell people to contact us if they wanted to join? Why didn’t you talk to us first?”

  Damn. There’s really that many people that want to join us?

  Blake winced. “Sorry, I didn’t think it would be that many. But, how else are we supposed to find people who want to join us?”

  “Oh, I don’t know,” she said facetiously. “Maybe create a recruiting thread. Have people who want to join leave their information in it, so a team can go through it. Then we can decide who to invite rather than waste time talking to people in Europe or South America.”

  Shit, why didn’t I think of that?

  “Oh, that’s a good idea,” he admitted.

  “Uh huh,” Donna rolled her eyes. “Next time, please talk to us before doing something like that.”

  Blake nodded. “Sure.”

  “In his defense,” Jessica cut in. “He never had access to that communication method before. It wouldn’t likely occur to him to utilize it.”

  Thanks, Jessica!

  “But, it still was a massive headache,” she continued.

  Blake groaned inwardly.

  “Now that we got that out of the way, how goes progress on the new expansion?” Donna asked. “Any issues?”

  “No, it’s been great so far. I even worked a scenario in, so I’m flush with nano. Although, if I can master my healing spell tonight, I’ll evolve it so it works on others. Then I’ll be back to zero.”

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  Jessica nodded. “We have added another four hundred members since we last talked, so that is another one hundred mega-nano in taxes. I can send half to you if you need it.”

  Blake’s brows rose. “Sure, that’d be great.”

  “We’ve only added around two hundred today,” Donna grimaced. “Unfortunately, the government evacuated everyone within a twenty-mile radius of The Dome, long before the power went out. We’re having to collect everyone, and there’s only so much room in the convoys.”

  “That’s still a lot,” Blake defended the numbers.

  “Yes, well, we need more trucks,” his mother complained.

  Blake frowned. “Don’t we have, like, two hundred conversion kits lying around?”

  Donna nodded. “We do, but the guy we had converting them hasn’t responded since the government declared us terrorists. I’m not sure if he doesn’t trust us anymore or what, but we need to find a new mechanic.”

  “Don’t we have close to two thousand members now?” Blake asked. “At least one of them should know how to work on a truck.”

  “You’d think so,” Donna said bitterly. “But, so far, no one’s admitted to it.”

  “Don’t take it to heart,” Jessica advised. “We’ll find someone soon. Once we do, they can train others.

  Donna sighed. “I hope so.” After a moment, she added, “Oh, before I forget, Chairman Tessay’s been asking how much longer before he’s appointed chancellor.”

  Blake shook his head. “I’m not sure why he wants to give up his air conditioning and security to come out here. There’s nothing here, and there won’t be for at least a few days. Tell him once we get some bunkhouses built and a wall around them, we’ll talk. Until then, he’ll just have to wait.”

  “He likely feels useless at the moment and wants to contribute,” Jessica suggested.

  “Then tell him to find a mechanic,” Blake suggested. “Or find a way to put the horses to use.”

  They continued to discuss their progress and future plans for the next half hour. Eventually, Blake noticed that the combat team had returned, and he ended the meeting when he saw Antonio stalk towards him alone, anger written across his face. “I’ve got to go, there looks to be some kind of drama going on. If anything changes, let me know.”

  Jessica and Donna said their goodbyes, and the holo-chat was closed. Blake turned to acknowledge Antonio. When the team leader was only a few feet away, he asked, “How’d it go?”

  The major stopped and bared his teeth. “Awful. Those two question every order, ignore every command, and are a pain in the ass to deal with.”

  That’s surprising. You’re all military, shouldn’t you get along great?

  Blake frowned. “Did anyone get hurt?”

  Antonio shook his head. “No, but it’s only a matter of time until someone does.”

  Maybe they’re trying to sabotage the team? Why would they do that?

  “Did they at least help you fight?” Blake asked in concern. “They didn’t make you do all the work, did they?”

  The major shook his head. “No, but that’s another problem. They claim they have no prior experience, yet they are somehow able to kill twice as many Tieflings as us. And, once they finish, they refuse to step in and assist unless ‘we’re in danger’,” Antonio growled.

  Oh, I get it. Seems Jeremy and Jimmy are even more competent than I thought.

  Because they chose to hide their military experience from Blake, they were forced to continue the facade with Antonio. On the surface, they seemed inexperienced, despite the dozens of scenarios they likely ran to raise their Physical Power as high as it was. Rather than come clean, they took their frustration with the situation out on their leader.

  Sorry, Major, you’re going to have to take one for the team.

  “That’s actually a good idea,” Blake nodded. “It’s best if everyone learns how to fight without intervention. After all, they may not always be available to help. It seems like Return to Duty was better practice than one would think.”

  Antonio’s jaw dropped as he paused to process Blake’s words. After a moment, he blurted, “You can’t be serious.”

  “Dead serious,” Blake confirmed.

  “Son, the reason soldiers win battles is because of teamwork. Without that, we’re no better than amateurs. Those two men refuse to work with us. This isn’t a computer game, we don’t respawn if we die.”

  If you’d stop being pissed at them for a moment, you’d realize they’re helping you. You’ll never learn if they always help.

  Blake would’ve liked to share his thoughts with the officer, but he knew it would only anger him more. As he learned recently, if a team did not mesh, no amount of words would fix the issue. Instead, he said, “Well, when we get more volunteers, we can split the teams into two. Until then, can you work with them?”

  Antonio gave a curt nod. “I’ll do what we have to.”

  Blake smiled. “Thanks. I’d like to set up a watch schedule tonight. The monsters aren’t supposed to show up until dawn, but there might be some angry people out there as well.”

  “Good idea,” Antonio nodded. “Watch duty is best held in pairs to make sure no one falls to sleep. I’ll hold watch with Jeremy, while Jared partners with Jimmy.”

  I see you don’t trust them.

  Blake shrugged. “Fine with me. You guys should all get some sleep this afternoon. I’ll hold first watch.”

  Antonio frowned.

  Blake raised his hands. “Don’t worry, Brent and his helpers are going to be working late into the night. I won’t be alone. I’ll wake you up at midnight, fair?”

  After a moment, Antonio gave a nod of affirmation.

  “Then go grab some food, and settle down, it’ll be a long day tomorrow, and you’ll want to be rested for it.”

  A notification appeared and he grinned in satisfaction.

  You have gained mastery over a spell. Focused Regeneration is ready to evolve.

  ***

  “Incoming!”

  Blake woke to the sounds of battle. He immediately sat up to make sure everyone was okay, and splintered the wood above him with his head.

  Oops.

  In his haste, he had forgotten that he slept within a small camper. He barely felt the impact, but the bunk above him was now destroyed. Blake disentangled himself from the sheets and yawned as he shuffled out of the trailer. After a quick stretch, he retrieved his bow, slipped on his quiver, and carefully opened the door. Once outside, he leapt atop the temporary home to scout the area.

  Oh good, they’ve got it handled.

  The sun had risen over the horizon as Jimmy and Jared fought off two Kobolds. A Goblin corpse lay on the ground beside Jimmy, and in the distance, he saw four Lupus headed their way.

  He turned and saw Jeremy and Antonio exit their own trailer, eager to join the battle. Blake pointed toward the incoming threat, and they dashed away to face it.

  Seeing that he was not needed, he checked his notifications.

  Enemies have now appeared within the world. Kill them to gain nano and grow in power.

  Blake dismissed the message and opened the next.

  You have been given a new directive: Survive the onslaught for four hours.

  Can they handle this on their own?

  Blake had planned to leave after breakfast to rescue survivors. Now that monsters had appeared, people would be far more willing to join him. However, he didn’t want to leave them and return to a graveyard.

  Let’s see how well they do.

  Blake watched as Jeremy lined up beside Jimmy and readied himself for combat. Lee still fought the Kobold, as did Jared. However, unlike Jeremy, Antonio rushed toward his subordinate to assist him.

  He’ll never learn if you kill it for him.

  Blake sighed, but chose not to reprimand him. They would get plenty of experience over the next few days.

  He suddenly chuckled to himself.

  It’s kind of funny. I’m doing exactly what Antonio was just complaining about.

  He stood back and let the four fight without him. With his bow, he could always intervene if necessary. When the four Lupus arrived, he watched as Jeremy killed the first and seamlessly switched his focus to the monster beside it. Before Antonio could do more than block an attack with his shield, the spy had already killed his opponent and was about to finish off the next.

  Jimmy eliminated the Kobold and rushed to assist his friend. His spear pierced through the new monster’s haunch, and instantly disabled it. The last Lupus tried to circle around the two to attack Antonio from behind, but Jeremy was able to use the butt of his spear to knock it away.

  Thirty seconds later, there was only a single monster left. Jared struggled to defend against the lone Lupus, while Antonio aided him. Meanwhile, Jeremy and Jimmy leaned on their spears as they observed the final struggle. The difference in strength and skill between the two groups could not be more stark.

  They have to be special forces or something. Pretty sure they can handle the monsters while I’m gone.