Sanavil is one of the most successful cities in the far south, a success born of its ability to produce food. It’s a true rarity, given the difficulty of growing crops so far in the south. Despite that, Sanavil can still produce much food, all thanks to a powerful skill held by the leader of the city. A skill, which is currently causing problems on the farmland.

“[Lady] Rose, please relax. I’m sure [General] Rathos can explain the situation to you when he gets here,” David, a rat-kin attempts to placate his mistress as respectfully as he can.

[Lady] Rose, a woman weighing near a thousand pounds, shuffles slightly in her oversized plush-chair. The chair creaks, but it holds.

“David, everything was normal a week ago and now it’s all changed! Somethi-” she abruptly stops speaking as she senses the individual nearing her room atop her castle. Actually, three individuals, though one is the more important.

The doors open as Rathos, clean shaven and garbed in proper military uniform, walks in with his [Head Maid], Henrietta, and Scarlet, Rose’s captain of the guard, in tow. Despite his impeccable appearance, Rose is still unhappy. She had summoned him hours ago and it had taken him far longer than usual to arrive.

“Rathos.” she says in a neutral tone. “You are late.”

The [General] makes a small bow. “My apologies. We were hosting an impromptu celebration for my daughter. Today, she cast a spell for the first time,” he says with a smile. That smile, that slight curve of the lips, has annoyed Rose for the past two years. Ever since she pushed Scarlet into a relationship with him, he has become less solemn within her presence and more friendly.

Regardless, she can’t be too harsh with him considering his value as a [General] and because his level is probably higher than her own.

“Rathos, I want to know why my city is surrounded by a forest of food that seems to have grown overnight.”

Rathos nods, “I noticed that too, which is why I’ve brought my [Head Maid] with me.” Rathos moves to the side and gestures to the fox demihuman wearing a maid outfit. Her eyes are focused, but her face is a carefully crafted mask of neutrality.

“Henrietta here is an accomplished [Mage] and is best able to explain the situation.”

Henrietta steps forward and curtsies to the [Lady].

Rose sighs as she rubs her face. She reaches down to the table in front of her and grabs a cake. Not a slice, but an entire plate of cake. With a heavily practiced movement, she uses a fork to scoop up about a fifth and shove it in her mouth without allowing even a crumb to fall.

“So, the situation has to do with mana then?” she asks after swallowing.

Rathos inclines his head towards Henrietta, who answers.

“Yes, [Lady] Rose, the problem lies not in the lack of mana, but quite the opposite. For whatever reason, an enormous pulse of concentrated mana was released south of Sanavil, and it has traveled north quickly. Your skill, [Blessing of Nourishment], has absorbed much of that pulse and used it to assist the growth of crops. That is the reason that you now have a rather untamed forest beyond the city walls.”

Rose absorbs the information quickly. She turns her head to glare at the wall, annoyed by the presence of vines which have climbed it and started producing fruit.

“Also,” Henrietta begins, “the natural mana in the air has grown significantly stronger, and it feels as though it is still increasing.”

Lady [Rose] frowns, takes a bite out of her cake with far more vigor than she normally would. With her skills, she feels something… ominous on the horizon. A storm is brewing, intimating imminent change to the South.

“Do you have any idea of the cause?”

“No. This is an unprecedented situation in the history of the region.” Henrietta states.

Rose takes another bite, only now realizing that in her worry, she has forgotten her manners.

“Please, sit. I apologize for making you stand. This change is… worrying. David, please give our guests some refreshments.”

David nods and runs off.

“My [Lady],” Scarlet begins, “I don’t believe myself suited to these conversations. I think it would be best for me to return to work and make sure that the [Farmers] and others are taken care of.”

Rose turns to look at the tall, fiery redhead; a soldier that she has raised into something far greater. She wears a set of enchanted armor that looks more suited to a [Mercenary Captain] than a [City Defender].

“Go ahead. Inform the guards to prevent people from taking any food without permission. Just because we have a bountiful harvest doesn’t mean I will allow thievery.”

“Yes, my [Lady],” Scarlet says with a nod before leaving.

Once the doors close behind her, Rose looks back to Rathos. He sits alone on the couch while his [Head Maid] stands a respectful distance behind him.

“Rathos, it has been six months since those two idiots retreated. Six months of quiet peace and steady rebuilding. But now, with this influx of food, I fear they may return.”

Rathos shakes his head, “I find that unlikely. The abundant harvest should instead deter people from attacking. A skill that could create a forest overnight speaks of someone with an extremely high level, easily over one hundred. That and my presence will make any lesser [Kings] think twice before acting against us.

The Lady takes her last bite and places the spotless plate on the table. She then leans forward, “You forget, Rathos. They retreated because they no longer had the food necessary to support their armies. If they continue to lack food, they may very well do everything in their power to take my city.”

“They can’t.” Rathos states, ”Not while I’m here. A full-on blind assault would be suicide. They could only attempt to starve us out, but we’ve already recovered our emergency food supply. With rationing, we could survive for over five years now.”

Rose sighs, knowing that when it comes to warfare, Rathos knows best. If he says they can’t win, then she should accept his advice and move on.

“Alright then. I suppose all we can do is wait.”

Rathos nods slowly, “Indeed.”

__________________________________________________________________

Gravitus kneels on the floor of his castle with injuries marking his entire body. Cuts, burns, and bruises cover him beneath his battered armor. The [King] still lives, albeit unhappily. He might even be able to stand and walk away.

Unfortunately, a strong hand grips his shoulder, keeping him on his knees.

He takes a moment to look up at his captor and the one responsible for his agony and defeat. A single individual who crushed his castle walls and slaughtered his elites.

“Gravitus, you seem to be doing very well,” a man walks into the hall while doing his best to avoid touching the burned remains of Gravitus’ elites.

“Tersus, you traitorous bastard.”

The skinny man dressed in all white with not even a speck of dust on his clothes merely chuckles.

“Me, traitorous? Come now, we agreed to attack Sanavil together, and you decided to leave me after only a year of sieging. If anyone here is a traitor, it would be you.”

“My people called for their [King], and I went to save them.” Gravitus growls.

Tersus merely chuckles, “Oh come now, is that the lie you tell yourself? It couldn’t possibly have been a lack of food, or that your bloated army was too large for your kingdom to support.”

Tersus shakes his head, “You understand war quite well and can easily improve the morale of your [Soldiers], but you lack understanding of all your other responsibilities. Your city is filthy, your people are starving, and it looks as though you’ve done practically nothing to fix it.”

“And you think you could do better.” Gravitus seethes.

“Absolutely.” Tersus responds.

Tersus then points towards the man holding Gravitus down.

“Joseph here is an [Inquisitor], as you might already know, and he can vouch for the success and cleanliness of my kingdom. Actually, Joseph, would you mind saying a few words?”

The [Inquisitor] sighs, “I care little for the petty squabbles between two minor kingdoms, but [King] Tersus is by far superior the [King],” he says as he looks at Gravitus.

“His kingdom is spotless and clean. Everyone is healthy, even the slaves. Very little of his food supply goes bad and the whole city has no rodents. Compared to the many places I have visited, his is easily one of the most prosperous kingdoms down south.”

A smug grin appears on Tersus’ face as he watches fury build within Gravitus.

Then, Gravitus roars as he stands up and pushes Joseph away. He ignores his wounds and charges at Tersus while pulling a hidden dagger from his armor.

He doesn't even get halfway to the [King] before his back explodes and he collapses, already dead as he falls to the ground.

Tersus stares down at the corpse in shock. He looks at Joseph, who has his hand outstretched.

The [Inquisitor] frowns at him. “You should not play with your enemies, especially when they are on their last legs.”

Tersus gulps and nods. Then, his expression turns into a smile.

“Well, regardless, his kingdom is now mine.”

“And my contract is finished. Now, tell me where [General] Rathos is located.”

Still smiling, Tersus turns around and begins walking out, “Absolutely. I can show you exactly where he is. Follow me and let me get you a map.”

Joseph takes one last look at the corpse of a once powerful [King] before following Tersus outside of the castle.

___________________________________________________________________

Jessica watches as the catkin woman clumsily eats her stew with a spoon. A simple wooden spoon and bowl, but nonetheless a rarity for [Slaves]. Most always, they eat with their hands, and the food is simple, like black bread or whole vegetables. Meat, present in the stew, is a luxury.

“Slow down. You’re going to give yourself a stomach ache if you eat too fast. Nobody will take your food from you, so take your time and eat up.”

“Miss Jess, is this really necessary? She’s just a slave. I think it would be best if she were taken back to the [Lord]. She is his property, after all.”

Jessica turns her head and makes direct eye contact with the [Tavernkeep]. The man’s expression freezes on his face.

“If your [Lord] has a problem, then he can talk to me.”

Layn gulps as he moves his eyes towards the [Guards] sitting at a table nearby. They don’t move, practically refusing to do anything about it. Even the drunks are quiet, something very odd. The only ones who seem completely unaffected are his two [Slaves], both of whom have little problem dealing with the women.

Debatably, he could use a skill to discourage the woman’s actions but he feels significantly out leveled.

“She’s almost done. Bring another plate of stew,” Jessica orders, and Layn can only groan silently as one of his [Slaves] smiles and heads back to grab another plate.

Out of all the days to make a stew with meat, it had to be today. Meat is expensive, and he got a great deal for it from a [Farmer]with Lots of good fat chunks too. He was going to sell the soup for a good price, but now he is giving it to her for free, and not even to her, but a [Slave].

With his anger silently rising, Layn takes a single step towards Jessica, but stops when the door opens violently.

“Dammit, why do you keep doing that!” Jessica shouts.

The masked man walks in and huffs, “I was just checking the workmanship of the doors. Making sure they are of adequate quality.”

She gazes at him, checking him over. “Who did you kill? What the hell did you do?”

The masked man raises his hands, “Hey, I only went for a walk, nothing else. I did not kill anyone at all.”

Jessica points at Quasi’s shoes that trailed blood into the tavern.

“That’s not my blood.”

Jessica glares, “You promised you wouldn’t kill anyone!”

Just as the [Hero] is about to reply, another man stumbles through the doors, his expression is panicked and clothes are ragged.

“They’re all dead! Everyone’s dead! The [Lord], the [Guards], everyone! So-some guy with a mask walked into the [Lord’s] mansion and everyone just… All he did was walk through, and everyone just kept dying around him. It’s all… Everything’s… So much blood…”

Quasi looks at Jessica who had heard everything the man said.

“See? I told you I only took a walk.”

The liveried man, who had just entered, turns his head towards the voice and notices Quasi.

The [Servant] shrieks, turns around, and rushes through the double door, creating another bang.

The doors squeak as they swing back and forth on their hinges. After a few seconds, one of them falls to the floor.