“So, it appears that I am still Tier 1. This can only mean that [Knight Protector] specifically, or unique perks in general do not count towards the five perk threshold,” he said dejectedly.
“That sucks! I had looked forward to see you writhe in agony again.”
Allison slapped Adam on the arm for that comment.
He continued undeterred, “in all seriousness, now that it is confirmed, I can sort of see why. Think about it: you would get a perk on Tier 1 and it forever reduces the requirements to get to something like Tier 5, 6, or 7, which must be incredibly hard and rare, by 20%. That would seem a bit overpowered.”
Ben sniffed in frustration. “You are not wrong, but it makes it a bit harder seeing a clear path to Tier 2.”
He checked the status in his [Knight Protector] perk and found that he was among the 0.01% of the most powerful people on the planet. That was an improvement versus the last time he had checked and likely a result of the settlement being Level 2, as well as having received two uncommon perks and significantly increased his attributes since then.
“Son, I can't imagine that there are lots of people that challenge themselves more than we do, with all the dungeon runs etc. So, I am sure you are on a great path, and there are many ways to get another uncommon perk. For example, you can just go for the three Mind perks… And even if you don't, there will be enough situations that will make that happen automatically…”
Ben nodded. “You are right. I have no reason to complain. Let's get on with our days.”
***
While the others left, Adam stayed with him for a bit longer.
“I have a few more points, Sir Knight.”
Ben laughed. “Yes, that is exactly the level of deference I expect from my loyal subjects.”
He immediately cringed as he saw one of the inn staff looking at him with open mouth. “Sorry, that was just a joke!”
Now it was Adam's turn to laugh.
“Anyway, just a few points. First, I recommend that you read the book about the history of the systems. It is – hopefully – not urgent, but it is quite interesting to understand why the systems are so urgent about making us consume Energy and push it into unpopulated areas. We really don't want to experience dimensional rifts. The monsters coming out of those make everything we have seen so far look like Christmas elves. And that, in turn, is probably just a teaser on what happens to worlds where the Drakniks invade. There typically isn't much left once they are done. Anyway, it is not happy reading, but if you ever wonder why we are doing all of this, that is part of the reason.”
Ben shuddered slightly when thinking about that prospect. “Okay, I will look into it. Not sure there is much we can do about it, though.”
“Yeah, that is true. Now, second point, I talked a bit with Steve Taggart, the police officer. He is quite active on watch rotation and has made it in the tryouts for the next round of Protectors, he thinks that as the settlement grows, there will be a need for a police force that is separate from the Protectors. For two reasons, one, good policing – not necessarily what we have seen – is all about de-escalation and integrating with the community, that requires different instincts and skills from a Protector who is always looking over their shoulder for the next attack from a monster. Also, it might attract a different set of people, that might be willing to risk themselves if necessary for their neighbor but don’t go looking for it in a dungeon every day.”
“Ok, that was quite the pitch. What are you trying to sell me?”
“Once Steve is done with the basic Protector training, I think we should think about having him start a small group of people who he could train to do good policing.”
“I am not against it, but maybe we go full medieval and call it Protectorate Guard?”
“You give up on the alliteration of Protectorate Police?”
“Yeah, I think the image of the police is too bad. That is a chance to start fresh. But for a Guard to work it needs rules, which we don't have. Maybe he and Arthur, our friendly neighborhood lawyer, can come together and suggest some very simple rules?”
“Good idea, I will talk with them.”
***
It was late afternoon as Ben stood with Barry at the sidelines of the training grounds watching the new batch of Protectors going through their training.
After getting used to his new Body attribute, he had quickly checked the System Store for potions to help him progress through the steps of Constitution. They had been added to the store, but the potion for step 1 cost 100,000 Credits. Later steps were even more ridiculously priced. That meant he either needed to save for a long time, or find other ways to progress. He wasn’t worried for now.
“How are things coming along?” Ben asked.
“Well. They have on average lower Body attributes as most of them were city dwellers, but those we selected were typically quite active and working out. A couple of them also have some self-defense or martial arts experience.”
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“Good. We need to leave for the City in two weeks. I would like to see whether there are any more people that want to join and also use the opportunity to explore the libraries in the City. I will only feel comfortable doing that if we have enough people that would be ready to join us on the trip and, more importantly, keep the settlement safe.”
Barry shrugged. “They won't be martial arts masters, but nobody here is, but they will know the basics and do their best. It should be fine.”
“That is …” Ben was interrupted by shouting from the East palisade. He waved at Barry and ran over to where he saw a man and a woman on watch, equipped with spears, fighting against something on the other side of the wall.
Including dodging around a couple of people, he arrived within less than 15 seconds and jumped on the footboard of the palisade.
On the other side was a wolf. But it wasn't anything like the creatures he had fought so many of over the last month. That they still fought on a daily basis, as they attacked the settlement.
Dire Wolf. Energy-Born. Tier 1. Rare Challenge.
The creature was so tall that it could almost look over the wall. It had dark gray, shaggy fur that almost looked as if it was made from metal. Its fangs were as long as Ben's hand, and its eyes glowed golden.
Ben's instinct was to jump over the wall to finish the beast, but the two defenders seemed to have things under control and dealt damage to the massive wolf.
His thoughts wandered on how hostile the environment would get, if these kind of creatures were to replace what they had to deal with so far.
He was jolted from his musings as the wolf seemed to take a couple of leaps back, preparing to jump over the wall. Ben took that as a signal to get active. With a leap he crossed the palisade and used the momentum to slash at the dire wolf with his axe.
He landed a solid blow but got tackled in return as the wolf’s momentum carried him into his own chest.
The beast, weighing hundreds of kilos, made him exhale sharply and he was worried that he might crack some ribs, but… he felt fine.
Instead, he took two quick steps to the side to reposition himself, ducked under a slash of the wolf's vicious claws, and landed a deep hit onto the beast's neck that ended the fight.
He grabbed the beast by the neck and pulled it towards the gate, where his mother, Barry, and Adam waited. Jamal and Michael were lurking around as well.
He deposited the carcass in front of the others, “looks like good crafting material… but it seems our environment keeps leveling up.”
“So it seems. I am not sure how long our palisades will be sufficient to keep our people safe,” Allison said.
Ben looked at Adam, “what are our options?”
“There are options, the question is, as always, what we can and want to spend. In principle, we can upgrade the palisade, we can move to a stone wall, or, which we certainly can't afford, have real battlements. Let me…”
“May I make a suggestion,” Barry interrupted.
“Sure.”
“We have been cutting down trees for the last couple of weeks to ensure enough distance between the wall and the forest edge. We are lumberjacks. We can cut the lumber down, make spikes and create a layered defense. We have a lot of people who are looking for work. Let's not rely on the system for everything. It might not last for a long time, and eventually we have to upgrade to a wall, but this gives security and purpose.”
Ben was speechless. First of all, because he was not used to these kinds of forceful interventions by Barry, and second, because Barry had made him realize that his first instinct had become to rely on the systems for the answer, instead of taking things into their own hands.
After a moment he cleared his throat, “thank you, Barry, for reminding me that we should roll up our sleeves and get things done ourselves. I also just remembered that Thomas had suggested building traps a long time ago and I never really followed up.”
“I also think it is a fantastic project for the community to come together. We just must be quick and do good work so that it actually helps keep us safe,” Allison agreed.
“Good. It also saves us a lot of SCs, at least for now. I will coordinate with everyone. Maybe I can make Thomas the project lead for this,” Adam said.
“Oh, Mom, you will be happy to hear that the new constitution feels good. I took a hit from that wolf that could have cracked some ribs but just bounced off of me.”
Allison smiled and gave him a hug.
***
Another mission. Ben took in the harsh landscape. On one side lay plains with sparse grass growth; on the other, huge, jagged mountains, partially hidden by gray clouds. To his right, his mother was talking with three men whose poverty, even before Arrival Day, was obvious. Despite the constant cutting winds, they wore cheap sportswear beneath woolen coats.
The group stood in a small space between the three main living quarters, something that might be a shearing shed, and a larger livestock pen that held three cattle, a handful of chickens, and dozens of sheep. In total, this tiny farming community somewhere in Patagonia had just 18 members, seven of whom were children.
Half an hour had passed since Ben and his team had arrived through a system-granted portal. In that short time, the cold had crept into him, and he cursed not bringing warmer clothes.
It looked like the discussions between his mother and the locals were going well as she waved him over.
“Son, these gentlemen are very grateful for the opportunity to leave, as they are being harassed by the local wildlife as well as Energy-borne creatures and they have already lost quite a few of their sheep. The only ask they have is for us to allow them to bring their livestock along. Do you see any problem?”
He shook his head. “Not at all. Quite the opposite. Having livestock is a great boon for our community. We just have to test whether it works with the portal.”
One of the men waved a child, maybe ten years old, over and asked her to bring a chicken from the pen. She quickly ran over and, within seconds, captured one of the birds and brought it back.
Ben grinned at her. “Do you want to be the first one to cross the portal?”
Her eyes widened, and she slowly shook her head.
He laughed. “I understand. Should I take the chicken?”
She looked at the man, who nodded, and she handed it over. There’s a first time for everything—this was his first time holding a chicken. He carefully picked up the bird and transitioned through the portal without any issue.
Returning quickly, still holding the chicken, he handed it back to the girl and nodded to the man. “That sounds like a plan. Can you herd all the animals through the portal?”
“Yes, yes, we can. It is no problem at all. Can we have one hour to pack our things and prepare?”
“Definitely. We might need a bit more time to prepare a pen on our end. Why don't we have one of you come over with me now so you can give directions for how the pen should be built? In parallel, you prepare things here, and then when we are ready—in an hour or two—we'll make the transition. In the meantime, the team will stay here with you to make sure everybody stays safe.”
Nearly two hours later, it was quite a sight: the families of farmers directing the livestock with long sticks and the occasional shout toward the portal, where others waited to receive the animals and guide them to the newly built pen near the greenhouses and their field at the southwest corner of the settlement.
Some were clearly emotional about leaving their home, but they also wore wondrous expressions on their faces as they looked at the marble city awaiting them on the other side.
