Reidar shifted his weight as the crow banked beneath him, the sudden motion pressing him into the creature's coarse feathers. He looked down at Creamont sprawling below, his stomach tightening at the sight; it was nothing but a chaotic patchwork of defended districts barely holding back the tide of monster-infested ruins.

<It looks so fragile from up here,> he thought. Ahead, the Spriggan base rose against the horizon, its skyscraper's upper floors gleaming in the fading light like a solitary beacon in the encroaching darkness the monsters represented.

As the guards lining the rooftop recognized him, they lowered their weapons. Once the crow landed, Reidar dismounted and dismissed the creature with a thought, watching as it dissolved into mist. A guard stepped forward, wearing armor of better quality than what most Spriggans wore, while the level indicator above his head read level 69.

—[Mark Fencer—Level 69]—

"Reidar," Mark said. He nodded in greeting. "Glad you're back in one piece. We heard the explosions. Thought you might've run into trouble."

"Nothing I couldn't handle," Reidar said, rolling his shoulders to work out the stiffness. "What's the situation here?"

Mark gestured toward the stairwell. "You've got visitors. Big ones. Helga Grimstad and Aldric Jensen showed up about an hour ago. They brought their entire factions with them, and there are more than just two."

Reidar's eyebrows rose. "Helga and Aldric?"

"Yes." Mark paused, his expression growing more serious. "They didn't come alone, either. They brought thousands with them. Warriors, crafters, families, and kids. The whole damn region, from the looks of it. We're trying to find space for everyone."

"Where are they now?"

"At the ground level. Seraphine is sorting them into our available districts, figuring out who goes where. It's chaos down there. We don't have housing for that many people." Mark's expression turned grim. "And we don't have the resources to feed them all, either. Not long-term."

Reidar nodded. The Spriggans had been managing with their current population, but thousands of new mouths coming in a single day would strain everything. Food. Water. Even something as absurd as defensive positions, which became far more important than one might think in these dark times. All of it would need to be reorganized.

"I'll head down," Reidar said. He moved toward the stairwell. "Thanks for the heads-up."

"One more thing," Mark said. "Helga's been asking about you. Seraphine told her you were fighting, but the woman looks ready to punch something. Just… be prepared."

Reidar allowed himself a small smile. Helga was the same—aggressive, direct, and always spoiling for a fight.

"I'll keep that in mind."

Reidar descended the building, and the noise of activity reached him immediately. People shouted orders. Footsteps echoed against the concrete. He heard children crying while their parents tried to calm them. At some point, he saw their faces—full of fear and apprehension.

The Spriggans' numbers had more than doubled in size overnight. Managing that would be a nightmare, but it also meant more fighters. More crafters. More people who could help defend against the War Hounds and the Church.

Reidar continued down the stairs, leaving the quiet rooftop behind. At some point, he reached the ground floor and pushed through the door to the war room. The space occupied the same corner office where he had spoken with Seraphine the other day.

Four people stood around the main table, with others huddled behind them. They were the leaders of the other factions who joined the raid, the weaker ones.

As Reidar entered, Seraphine looked up first. Helga and Aldric turned a moment later, while Kara straightened from where she'd been leaning.

"Reidar," Seraphine said, relief crossing her face. "You're back."

Helga grinned. "There's the summoner. I heard you were fighting someone interesting."

"Interesting is one word for it," Reidar said. He moved to the table and glanced at the maps. "Aaron Abstuln. Level 297. Mutated human."

Aldric's expression darkened. "Seraphine told us already. A nasty fight, uh?"

"You can bet on it. He's working with the War Hounds," Reidar said. "I had to; I let them go."

Seraphine's eyebrows rose. "You let them go?"

"Not without planting some spies on them," Reidar said with a smile, admitting that he had been forced to leave because everything else he tried had failed. He paused for a moment before explaining that he had deployed thousands of Vorathid Foragers, which were tiny enough to follow the enemy unnoticed, allowing them to track the War Hounds back to their base and reveal the Church's hiding spot.

"I need to know how many people they've power-leveled and where they're operating from."

Seraphine nodded. "Yeah, it was a great idea. We need that information."

She paused.

"I was explaining the situation to them when you arrived," Seraphine said. She gestured to Helga and Aldric. "We now have proof the War Hounds are allied with the Church of Unbinding. Aaron's presence confirms it. They're building an army, I presume. They are giving Judas what he wants—control, although a fake one—and in return they will have a better hold, possibly a complete one, over the city."

Helga crossed her arms. "We didn't come here to join your war, Seraphine. We came to Creamont because the valley's monsters went everywhere, and alone we would not have been able to repel them. The barriers would protect us, but food would run out at some point. The monsters there are too strong now."

"We need the levels," Aldric said. "We're not looking for a conflict with the War Hounds or the Church. We're looking for a way to survive in a region full of level 200 and 300 and higher-level monsters."

Seraphine's gaze hardened. "I understand. You want a place to stay without getting involved in our problems." She paused. "But if you're staying here, you need to help defend this place. The War Hounds won't ignore thousands of new arrivals. They'll see you as a threat or as potential recruits."

"We can handle ourselves," Helga said.

"Against level 150 fighters backed by a level 297 monster?" Seraphine asked. "And that's without talking about the monsters. You saw what Reidar can do. He is the strongest person with the system in this city, and he couldn't break through that barrier. What makes you think your people will fare better against a monster at that level?"

Silence fell over the room. Aldric's jaw tightened. He exchanged a glance with Helga, and they both realized she was right.

"There's another reason you should join us," Seraphine said. "Reidar's been power-leveling my people. We jumped many levels in less than a day. If you want to reach higher levels fast, your best option is to fight alongside him."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.