“Thanks, I like those priorities. I’m sure some emergency will force us to adjust, but for now that seems solid. Tomorrow, we’ll go after the two-level dungeon.” He turned to his mother. “Will you come along? And by the way, how was your time in the wilderness dungeon?”
“Of course I’ll come,” she said with a laugh. “Every time I let you out of my sight, something dangerous happens. The dungeon was fine. I think we’ve got a pretty good handle on what’s involved. We also managed to harvest quite a few of the plants growing around the pond. Turns out it’s not always the same herbs. Luz has been able to make a few basic potions from them—not on the level of the System Store ones, but enough to help stop bleeding.”
“Good. Hopefully after we tackle the new dungeon tomorrow, things will settle down a bit and we can focus more on those things. Speaking of which—Mom, who should we take? Anne offered to come. She’s pretty strong in hand-to-hand combat.”
Allison considered it for a moment. “For a new dungeon like this, I’d definitely want to bring Jamal and Michael. They’re dependable, and we’ve built up a bit of team chemistry. I doubt Julia would want to come—and as her mother, I’m happy about that, even though a healer would be good. As for damage, another mage would help. Damien comes to mind, but maybe we let him settle in with Tracy. Barry is an option too, but I think he wants to start designing a training regimen—and he and Tracy can work on that together. So yeah, why not bring Anne along?”
“Very well. I’ll eat something and then get to bed. I’ll let the others know we’re heading out after breakfast.”
After dinner, Ben did one more thing. He walked to the System Store, sold his remaining cores, and looked at his options for buying a new axe. Of course, he could just grab another woodcutting tool, but it was time to acknowledge that, at least for now, he wasn’t just a lumberjack. He was the Protector of the settlement—of his people. And for that, he needed a proper weapon.
The offering wasn’t wide—likely limited by the current settlement level—and Ben suspected it wasn’t even close to what trained crafters might one day be able to produce. But it was what was available now.
He had three choices:
- A steel hatchet for 275 credits
- A battle axe for 440 credits
- A battle axe of sharpness for 825 credits
He knew he wasn’t a great fighter—not yet—even with his [Axe Handling] perk. But with proper training and the right gear, he might live up to his own expectations. Without hesitation, he chose the battle axe of sharpness.
Within seconds, it materialized on the Store platform, growing from a golden lattice pulsing with Energy until a silver-gleaming axe took shape. The double-bladed head had a vicious central spike, and the slightly shorter handle gave it a compact, brutal elegance. It looked lethal—and Ben hoped it would live up to that promise. A harness came with it, allowing him to carry it on his back.
As he walked back to his lodge, he spotted Sarah watching him from the mess hall entrance. She gave him a thumbs-up and disappeared back inside—likely to report his newest acquisition to the others.
The next morning, Carter—a middle-aged man who had been with them from early on—approached Ben during breakfast.
“Ben, I must admit, I’m a bit embarrassed by that first leather shirt I made you,” he said, clearly uncomfortable. “Since then, I’ve gone through a few iterations and gained two new perks, in addition to my original [Leatherworking] perk. One is focused on armor, and the other on Energy infusion. They’re both basic common perks, and the magical aspects still don’t compare to the System Store, but the quality is definitely better than before.”
“That’s amazing—for many reasons,” Ben replied. “It shows that with dedication and hard work, people can gain perks. And not just through fighting, but also through crafting—and probably many other paths. I’m really happy for you. And don’t worry about the shirt.” He pointed to the torn and battle-worn garment he was still wearing. “It’s served me well these past few days,” he added with a smile.
“I’m glad to hear that,” Carter said, “but I can’t have you walking around in that anymore. I made you this.” He opened a large bag at his side and pulled out a full set of leather armor worthy of the name. It no longer resembled a simple shirt, but a multi-piece ensemble: a breastplate and backplate, bracers, and protective panels for thighs and shins. Instead of the dark grey of the original, it was obsidian black with a stone-like texture that Ben immediately recognized.
Carter handed it over with a shy reverence. “I hope you like it—and that it’ll keep you safe.”
“Wow, this looks incredible. Is this made from the mutant rat leader? How did you manage something like this so quickly?”
“I’m glad you like it. With help from the System Store examples and the new perks, I’ve made real progress. I can’t do self-repair enchantments yet, but the armor has increased durability. It should hold up well.”
“Thank you so much, Carter. How much do I owe you?”
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
Carter waved him off. “Nothing, of course. It was your hide anyway.”
Ben clapped him on the back. “I really appreciate it. And I don’t want to devalue this incredible gift—but I think we need to establish a few principles for the Protectorate. If only fighters get Credits from selling cores and loot, while crafters and support roles go unpaid, we’ll end up in a bad spot. Let me transfer 250 Credits to you. That still acknowledges that the materials came from our dungeon run, but it also rewards excellent work. Okay?”
Carter nodded happily. Before he could leave, Ben asked one more question. “Do you happen to have another set that might fit Anne?” He pointed to the young woman sitting at the far end of the large dining table. “We’re heading out to a dungeon this morning, and I’m not sure she’s had the chance to get any gear yet.”
Carter offered to speak with Anne and see if he could find something suitable—for now—until she could either buy something from the Store or commission a custom set from him.
Ben quickly returned to his lodge to change. He chose black cargo pants and a black t-shirt, then donned his new armor on top. It fit perfectly. Heavier than anything he’d ever worn before, yes—but not so much as to hinder his movement. It felt solid. Reliable.
Finally, he strapped on the harness for his new axe and stepped out onto the plaza to meet the team.
“Boss, you look like a boss in that outfit,” Jamal greeted him with a grin.
Allison tapped on his breastplate and nodded in approval. “That’s much better. I’ll have to thank Carter for keeping my son safe.”
Anne walked up, wearing a full armor set herself. Unlike Ben’s, however, her pieces were mismatched—different browns and styles from Carter’s earlier iterations. “Why do you look like the Dark Knight, and I look like I robbed a Renaissance fair’s bargain bin?” she joked.
Ben blushed at the attention. “Thanks. I think Carter did an awesome job. Are you ready?”
Everyone nodded. Allison added, “Yes, ready. I just hope this doesn’t take too long—it would disrupt our watch rotation. We had two more wolves last night, and it’s not ideal to have this much of our fighting strength away from camp. But I’m sure things will be fine. Let’s go.”
As they left the settlement, Ben reflected on his mother’s words. He hadn’t participated in watch duty much lately, always being out and about. That needed to change. He didn’t want to create special privileges—at least not at this early stage of the Protectorate. He accepted that, should the settlement grow according to the obligations the System had placed on him, they’d eventually need a more formal leadership structure. But for now, it was about setting the right example.
He also wondered if there was a more sustainable way to deal with the constant beast attacks. Fighting them off one by one, as they were drawn in by the Energy density of the infrastructure, seemed inefficient and dangerous. It was something to discuss with the others—when they finally had time to breathe.
Having walked the path just the day before, they made good time. No threats presented themselves along the way.
While hiking, the group briefed Anne on what to expect during her first dungeon run—caveating, of course, that none of them had ever done one with two levels. They aligned on their basic setup: Ben and Jamal would lead and pull enemy attention, Michael and Anne would flank, and Allison would support from the back—dealing damage or restraining enemies as needed.
As they reached the dungeon portal, Ben turned to his party.
“Ready?”
Everyone nodded.
And with that, they stepped inside.
Jane sat in her living room, looking at her two daughters, both of whom worked with her in the family business.
“I talked with Bill. They’ve lost contact with quite a few of their suppliers, and realistically the others will follow soon. There’s no point in dragging this out—our business, as it stands today, is dead. Money will likely follow. And without money, no civilization.”
Her daughters weren’t quite as tough as she was—how could they be, given their different upbringing—but they were intelligent women with a clear-eyed view of things, if not always on family. They shrugged and nodded, unsurprised.
Ashley, her oldest, raised an eyebrow. “I know you, Mother. You’ve got a plan, don’t you?”
Jane grinned mirthlessly. “I wouldn’t say a plan. But creating the business wasn’t a plan either—it was a gamble. Before we go there, though... what’s the family motto?”
“Promises made, promises kept,” both replied in unison.
“Mother, we’re in our fifties. I think you can rest assured we remember, after hearing it a million times since we could talk!” Mary said, exasperated.
Jane grinned again. “True—but a reminder never hurts. And it matters now, because I made a promise not to share the following unless I trust someone implicitly. Unfortunately,” she looked at Mary, “not everyone in our family can be fully trusted.”
Mary got teary-eyed whenever her son Antonio came up, but she gritted her teeth and nodded.
“Don’t worry about it.”
“Good. So, the gamble I mentioned is the young boss of the Jackson lumberjacks. He told me, in confidence, that they’ve set up a system-approved settlement up in the mountains. He spoke of wondrous things—System Stores, a new currency, perks... I think we should move the family up there and start from scratch. Staying in the city will be unpleasant.”
Her daughters stared at her, wide-eyed. They weren’t immediately on board, but the outcome was never in doubt. Her family believed in her—and they were willing to follow her lead.
Before they left, Jane went to a cupboard and pulled out two huge stacks of cash, handing one to each daughter.
“Use all your connections. Buy up every Energy core people have pulled from the few creatures that made it into the city. They might be more valuable than people think…”
Barry looked at the notes he had made over the last few days. It felt magical—not in the sense of Energy and fireballs, but in the sense of returning to the one thing he loved more than anything else: teaching.
A training injury had led to addiction. Addiction had led to bad decisions. Bad decisions had led to prison.
He had once taught philosophy and PE—a rare combination, but one that suited him perfectly. He had studied Asian philosophy and martial arts from an early age. At first, he’d been inspired by cheesy movies about Shaolin monks, but over time, his interest had deepened. He trained in karate and aikido, later picking up some taekwondo, eventually blending his passions into a meaningful career as a teacher.
Even in prison, once he’d gotten clean, he hadn’t stopped teaching. He had started a martial arts class for the other inmates.
But that was in the past.
Now, he was thinking about how to combine his martial arts background with medieval weapons—and how to teach that to people who, just a week ago, had never imagined fighting anyone, much less fighting for their lives.
In recent days, he had read up on HEMA—Historical European Martial Arts—and was now planning lessons and thinking about how to stay true to his conviction that ‘The way is not taught—it’s shown’, given that he had little experience in that style. Anyway, he hadn’t been this excited in years.
But it wasn’t in his nature to indulge that excitement for long.
Whenever he felt himself getting carried away, he’d pause, step away from the desk, and run through a few katas to ground himself. Then he’d return to the work with renewed focus.
His friends’ lives depended on him teaching them well.
He would not fail them—or himself—again.
patreon page (there are two short bonus PoVs that I had to cut from this chapter over on patreon as well).