After I had grown more than 100 bushes to a solid height of 1,5 meters the sun began to settle down and the elves returned from the river and the forest with fresh fish and meat. There were also some women with vegetables found around the hill and down at the river. Examining their clothes I sighed because almost no one had any decent armor or clothes and I would have to find some hemp or even cotton if possible, so the tailors had something to work with.

The little game that had been hunted until now, wouldn't provide much leather for a nice set of armor. I would have to find a way for them to protect themselves, but with all the other problems I had at the moment, I wasn't sure if I could help them with personal clothes at the moment. Hell, I even hadn't a decent roof for them to sleep under.

Feeling an intense gaze on myself I searched for the origin and saw Gillian standing on the wall watching me work. I think she was angry because I didn't choose her as a guardian but I needed some heavy artillery now and if I guessed right, I would be able to create my next guardian at level 15. I went over to her with just a thought and greeted her cheerfully.

“Hi Gillian, as you can see, the first line of defence is almost finished and after that I want to build the pitfalls to stop some of our attackers. I know, that you are angry that I didn't choose you for my next guardian but I think that at level 15 I will be able to create a new one and that will be you, so please just have a little bit of patience with me again. I just need enough mana for the level up and then we can work it out, okay?”

She remained silent and just stared at me with a plain expression, making me extremely nervous with it. Then she jumped down the wall and went to her tree sitting down before it.

“I will meditate now and you will send me an invitation! You showed all the others your astral body but me and we also have to talk about some things, “She closed her eyes and her body dissolved before my eyes.

Not wanting to anger her any further I invited her to my inner mind where she arrived moments later, looking around the place until she discovered me watching her from some distance, “Are you afraid, I would bite you?” Smirking she sat down at the table and pointed to another chair obverse herself, “I want to discuss your plans for the next days and as you already said yourself myself turning into your next city guardian. I have gathered enough mana to level you up myself just now, and after some of the elves have given you their mana we should have you leveled up in no time at all. Watching you teach Chara to manipulate mana and grow plants with it, I think that I will be able to help you with your work more directly by taking control over the vines, “She had a smug expression on her face when she saw me surprised, “I'm somewhat of a wood elemental and with a bit of training and enough mana I will be able to make the vines moves the way I like. If you could change the vines on the outside of the wall or make some of your nightshade grow there I would also be able to manipulate them. Imagine the goblins trying to get over the walls and be attacked deadly poison the moment they touch the obstacle.”

I was pleasantly surprised of the idea and reflected on the possibilities of an elemental guarding the centre of my town. With Gillian watching over my core using the vines as a kind of hands to strike down enemies, I would have to make the vines a bit stronger and perhaps I could also add some special effects to them.

“I don't think that it would be wise to add nightshade to the vines inside the wall because the elves would hurt them now and then and I don't want them walking around frenzied and getting respiratory paralysis. We should ask the elves about any useful plants near the town and then I can look into imbuing their abilities into your personal vines.”

Excited by getting her personal defence Gillian chattered on, “Yes, and if you could give me a big mana stone for personal usage, I would perhaps be able to create my own wood elementals to help with the fight. I will be able to summon them after I have reached a certain height, but I could do it even now with enough mana to spare.”

“You know that I create mana stones out of my personal crystal mass, right? If I use it for other things, I wouldn't be able to reach level 15 and make you my next guardian. So what shall it be, Gillian?”

The young tree girl wasn't happy about my words and pouted for a moment and I chuckled when I saw her biting on her lips thinking over the different paths available to her. Not that she would get to choose any of it. I wanted to level up as fast as possible to get a bigger mana pool and a new defender for my core. Perhaps I could help her with my own mana to summon these wood elementals she talked about. It would certainly help with the numerical disadvantage we had against our foes.

“I want to be a guardian first and maybe later, when the situation has cooled down a bit, you could give me a mana stone. That would be the best course of action for now, I think.”

I smiled and added, “It's the only course I approve, Gillian. I have to get stronger and defeat the goblins and their aids with everything I got, and anything else has to stand back concerning this matter, even your wishes.”

Surprised and a bit scared Gillian looked at me, “What has happened with you? You were an other person last time we spoke, much more kind and without this severity.”

I just shrugged, “I got an eye opener from some people and realized that this world isn't the nice and peaceful place I knew from home, and to survive here I would have to crush some eggs to make my enemies think twice before attacking me. Let me be clear now, Gillian, I will be boss and give the orders. You will have to follow and give advice but never try to force me into something. I am able to reclaim your guardian status and will do if you anger me enough. Did I make myself clear?”

She seemed to shrank in my gaze and looked down to the ground before she nodded slightly.

I didn't want to be an ass but she was a bit too much demanding and I had to put her in her place before any problems arose. I had enough of them already.

“I will do as you say and put your safety and the city first. But please don't disregard the elves in the process.”

I shook my head vehemently, “Never will I neglect anyone who I promised to help, unless they betray me, but I don't think that Kalla or any of the others would do something like that. At the end of the day I am their home and protector. Now let's start with you and the elves giving me the mana and level me up. After I have reached level 15, I will make you mine, “Gillian blushed crimson red, “Hehe,nice color, and then we will try to give you some personal arms, dear Gillian.”

I felt her mana rush into me and I used it to grow my crystal again, noticing my maximum range increasing again by 100 meters.

New city buff!

Barkskin

The skin of your dedicated defenders gets hard as ironwood bark without limiting movement

Cost: Initial 1000 mana Upkeep: 2 mana/minute per defender

Wow, now that's a game changer! Wait, when I reached level 10 I got a screen with the message that I also got a city buff. I should really check my messages better!

Fertility

You can designate a race inside your influence that gets a boost to fertility, increasing the chance of members of the race to propragate by 100%

Cost: Initial 1000 Upkeep: 1/h per target

That wasn't the big hammer I wished for, but in the long run it would spur the interest of other elven communities and increase my own elven population much faster.

I hoped that the next levels would give me more options as well, making me curious and wanting to get the next levels as fast as possible.