As I calm down, my conscious mind becomes aware everything changed. The instant I thought I would die. The instant I hold the connection to my companion and we became intertwined even more deeply. He seemed to share something similar to my perception field.

Thinking of how things changed, the certainty that my first couple of uses of Aether brought is back, but as I cycle it I realize that it's gone again. And what my gut was talking about didn’t have anything to do with Aether. Perhaps I have just overused it a little, so I will stop for a while. A glance at my pool makes me wince at the amount missing. I hold only about 35% compared to right after integration.

I come back to the perception field, and suddenly I know. This is how things have changed.

Unbidden, the mental image that comes to mind as I attempt to look at the world with my perception field is of my own body. Of extending my body to encompass all around me.

Space around me comes alive. The feedback is much greater than before. I don’t have to rely on other tangential aspects to make out ‘color’. If before everything was black and white, now I had access to a true 3d colored vision with incredible resolution.

I close my eyes and the mild headache afflicting me subsides. I think of a few experiments, but then remember where I am. So I continue focusing on defending against any further attacks.

The main shield, a behemoth that nothing could get through, or so I thought before, now holds twice the mana needed to defend against an attack of this magnitude. I start to increase the throughput between it and the batteries in the inner world, but my main focus is on strengthening the double-layered shield around me.

Protecting everyone else is fine and dandy, but increasing the defense the big shield provides by 10% takes much longer than tripling the strength of this smaller mana shield. Over the next few minutes, with the enemy still blind and confused I finish the preparations. and I turn my attention back to the enemy.

I could probably be a small help to the Medics, but I still focus on the enemy. The Medics already have a few of the health fruits, potions, and an improved salve that the unnamed girl developed. After a closer look, all except a single one have more or less superficial wounds.

With my focus back on the village, everything changes. Before, I could only move the roots so far away from myself because of my experience sharing Pando’s senses. I inferred where people were from the vibrations and pressure as they stepped upon the roots.

I am no longer blind. I move the roots as if the enemies were right in front of me. I can finally start tangling them quickly.

I have yet to find any true poison, but a simple combination and concentrating the resulting liquid yields me a numbing salve that helps. Everyone caught suddenly starts to lose control of their limbs before they get completely tangled.

I don’t want to see you keeping your morale up.

---------------------------------

Charlie’s POV

“So doctor, do you think those two will make it?” I ask in a low tone voice away from them.

“The system changed a lot, back on Earth, I would have given the big one a 10% chance, and the other one a 50% chance of surviving. Now? The worse off one I give a 50/50 shot, and the other one should make it. The problem is that neither of them seems to have a particularly high constitution.”

“Do absolutely everything you can. I mean, you should always do your best…”

“But the consequences this time are direr if they die in our care, am I correct?”

“Yes,” I say simply thinking of the headache it would be if they died, for both myself and Nash. Most would not blame us for Max’s actions, but a few people are waiting to pounce on any opportunity, and these two are amongst them. If their villages were anything like them, they will come with unreasonable demands, and make a stink when they don’t get it.

A glance upwards shows me the shield activated at full power. At least nothing else should get through, the last attack was far too fast and sudden. Even a high-speed fireball would take 5 to 10 seconds to arrive at our camp even if we figured out how to overcome the range limitations. That lightning bolt, or whatever it was hit us in the blink of an eye. I have no idea how Nash managed to protect himself let alone us.

------------------------------------------------

Max’s POV

Damn that little bastard, I still have a trick or two up my sleeve, but even if takes him days, Nash is making it look like he could defeat our village by himself. Anyone with half a brain can realize it was not that simple, he would need far too much mana and eventually get tired. But, the soldiers in the heat of combat aren’t going to have the time to reflect.

And he already had about 100 people tangled.

It seems my persona, which I was running 24/7, is now starting to affect my judgment. I calm myself and quickly run through the options. In a few seconds, my decision is obvious and I’m resolute. There is no other choice and delaying would only be to my disadvantage.

I leave the control room and head for my throne room where the comm box is.

Inside, my advisors and a few other people all stand around discussing the situation, but when they see me, conversation and movement stop. Nobody knows what my orders are, and I only hold for a moment, to make clear that I’m the one in charge. My presence is all I need to silence a room. Before the silence turns uncomfortable, I start speaking:

“Turn on the comm:” In a moment I’m connected, and Charlie’s distinctive voice comes through.

“Charlie speaking.”

“We yield.”

Everyone around me almost gasps in shock at my words, but they are well trained. No sound leaves their mouths, and before they can say anything I lower my hands indicating to the cut the transmission.

“My lord,” one of my sycophants starts, but a simple glance sends him skittering back to his place. After another pause where not a single person makes a peep, I begin.

“Nobody here is stupid. I did not want to concede defeat, and if we pushed the issue, we may even have been able to inflict enough losses on them to make them retreat. But how many of our soldiers would be lost to accomplish that? A third, half? I made the hard decision, and I did so early enough that the economic impact will be minimal.”

They are slightly surprised at my decision, but after thinking for a moment, they start to see the wisdom of my words. Some even seem to come around. I have cultivated an unpredictable persona for a reason. They learned I could head wise counsel, but when I reach my decision, even if it seemed random they know to obey me without question.

The preparation was worth the time, as even the people who vehemently disagreed with my actions are meekly preparing themselves to obey, instead of questioning my judgment.

“Now invite them in, the contract is already in vigor. Station our soldiers outside and do what is required of us.”

In the contract, I managed to squeeze a few very obvious advantages if I yielded early, and it paid off. These were the easiest clauses for them to accept. They were probably counting on me holding to the last moment, not yielding so soon.

The essence of my agreement limits my attacks on other villages. But I still get to keep my current villages as long as they wanted to be part of my coalition. And that wasn’t a true surrender.

The only thing I have to gripe about was the cost of freeing the prisoners, and the policing of anyone under me I will be required to do. So much preparation just to fail.

If Nash wasn’t acting as support, then things would be different, but that is fantasy land, and I have to deal with things as they are.

-------------------------------------------------

Charlie and other village representatives enter Max’s village.

An hour later, not fully healed from the attack yet, I enter the village. To my side and around me are the 100 strongest fighters from all the allied villages. Not that we have much to worry about after the contract came into place, Max may play the brute but he isn’t dumb.

Even if the sanctions against him were mostly economic, he needs gold to make his little empire run just like everyone else. And he would lose any system mechanics like access to the map room and anything of the sort. He wouldn't even be able to initiate further contracts if he broke this one.

That didn’t mean we are being dumb about it. Around me and the other representatives are a dozen mages, a hundred fighters and roots accompanying us.

With all of that, I’m not too worried about our safety. With all of our preparations and only a fraction of their army still inside the village, we should be safe. Everyone has mana shields and a few other protections, courtesy of Nash.

As expected, the layout of the village is uniform with all of the others. We are guided to the biggest building in the village, the same one we turned into our guildhall. Though this one is much larger. We can faintly see where the seams where their carpenters expanded it. When the second set of doors is opened we see the famous throne room.

Finally, I understand why people talk about it. It feels like stepping up into an actual throne room.

Given he surrendered, some of the luster faded. We all know he is not the one that holds the real power here, and as we step inside, the roots continue to follow us. A few more also move through the tiny cracks in the floor simultaneously showing up all around the room. Knowing that Nash can observe the place as well as if he was here himself is a relief.

Taunting him to see his reaction, I ask:

“So you really yielded?”

“What is it to you?” he answers. Almost childish, though I couldn’t forget most if not all of it was an act, otherwise he wouldn’t be in power.

“If that is how you want things to be. Let us get down to business, how are you going to pay the ransom for the people we captured?”

And so, another long negotiation starts.

-------------------------------------

Max’s POV

I was doubtful before, but now I see how he managed to wrangle over a dozen villages to come here so easily. Charlie is impressive. Sharp and collected, with a tongue that even made me doubt my convictions for a moment.

But looking him in the eye, I learn in that instant he has no idea of what I managed to sneak into the contract. He knows that I could ignore all the consequences and attack anyway, and he is prepared for that. What he is not prepared to respond to is me attacking without incurring the penalties imposed. There are a couple of loopholes, but today is not the day to use them.

Their biggest mistake, in the end, was underestimating me. I wonder what they would look like if they learned of my previous occupation.

A lawyer. Some would describe me as a sleazy lawyer, but I was just gifted. I had so much fun making contracts that screwed over the other side.

I had always been big, but my back precluded me from imposing on other people like when I was younger. So I had learned to play the game from another angle. And I took to the profession with gusto.

The system changed everything, and I didn’t lose my knowledge and skills. I just gained another avenue to exert my will, and when the time is right I will crush them all.

Eventually, they leave. A single person is left behind in my throne room. Though the place feels hollow given the circumstances, that isn’t of any comfort to him.

“You told me not to underestimate Nash. That is the only reason that I don’t wring your neck.”

“Yes, …”

“Shut up. You have a long way to go. I told you not to send the messenger bird during the day.” I see he wants to speak, but he knows not to disobey me. I paid a lot for him, it wouldn’t make sense to not get my money's worth. Killing him would be a momentary pleasure, crushing Nash and his village would be much more satisfying.

He couldn’t tell me anything confidential from the village. It is a shame, but I can deal with it. I just needed him to hate Nash. That will make him a very useful tool.