Mana Saturation of (Earth) has surpassed (E Rank) Threshold. Rank Up.

[Dungeon(Earth)](D Rank)

Prepare to Defend the Dungeon! Fight!

Lee woke up when the message appeared, though it wasn't the message that woke him, it was the rippling wave of Mana that passed over and through his [Mana Mind]. "The Monsters!" The sudden surge of adrenaline, when he remembered the invisible monsters, did nothing more than make the pain in his head pound harder. Lee gave up on opening his eyes and calmed down a moment later. He didn't need his eyes to 'see' that he was very obviously inside [Three], more specifically, inside his apartment.

The comfortable glow of the building all around him was calming but also Lee could 'see' people all around him. Some were in a hurry as they ran in and out of his range, but most were moving calmly and not behaving as if they were under attack. A quick glance at his previous Notifications and he relaxed even more.

Victory! You have Successfully Defeated the Hidden Invasion.

Greenfield Village Fort Territory is Protected from Targeted Invasions for 7(local days).

Your Contributions To the Defense have Earned you:

+20 All Base Attributes

+1 Class Level

As the Member of the Victorious [Greenfield Village Fort] with the highest Contributions, you gain the Bonus:

Passive Skill: [Mental Resistance I]

"Hidden Invasions… fuck." Just when he thought things were getting under control. But he did like the rewards… "How did I get the highest Contributions though?" Something to figure out later. The more important information was that Earth was now D Rank. “I’m falling behind the curve again.” Lee was a bit worried about how costly that Invasion had been but he didn’t feel like trying to move just yet. "They managed without me and I'm positive that I killed at least one of them. How that counted higher than everyone…" He remembered his attack far too well… That might have been a mistake, to fight instead of running, but his everything hurt right now, so instead he went over the rest of his Notifications, starting with his combat log.

Skill Level Up: [Liquid Mana Blast]

You have Forcefully Evolved your Skill [Liquid Mana Blast] into [Liquid Mana Beam]

Debuff Gained: [Mana Burn]

Debuff Removed: [Mana Corruption]

Trait Acquired: [Forced Aspect]

Trait Upgraded: [Magic Overreach VII]

Debuff Upgraded: [Mana Burn II]

Trait Upgraded: [Magic Overreach VIII]

Debuff Upgraded: [Mana Burn V]

Trait Upgraded: [Magic Overreach IX]

Debuff Upgraded: [Mana Burn X]

Trait Upgraded: [Magic Overreach X]

Trait: [Magic Overreach] Evolved into Trait: [Mana Blooded]

You have Killed an Invader. Contributions Earned.

Debuff Gained: [Sleep Toxin]

Debuff Gained: [Unconscious]

"That fits with what I remember…" Lee winced just looking at the Mana Burn and the changes to his traits. "I hope I didn't fuck myself too much…" He pulled up his new Traits.

[Forced Aspect]

Your Use of [Liquid Mana Beam] to Remove [Mana Corruption] has Seared the Aspect Mana into your Channels and Core. This process has Forced multiple Aspects to Fuse within your Core and you have Gained the ability to wield Aspected Mana.

By Forcing this Change you have paid a Price.

-20% Total Mana Capacity

-20% Total Channeling Capacity

"Well… okay?" It wasn't that bad, he didn't really need a high Mana Capacity with [Three] and the Mana Well, it might even be a good thing for his Runes. Many of his ideas for new and improved Runes actually required Aspected Mana. He looked at the next one. "Please don't make me a cripple…" Lee really didn't like how his body was currently feeling and was afraid to look at his status just yet.

[Mana Blooded]

You have repeatedly Channeled Mana beyond what your body can handle.

You have used more than 10x your Mana Pool in a single Skill.

You have ignored Mana Burn in your pursuit of power and in doing so, forced your [Liquid Mana Channels] and [Liquid Mana Pool] to expand beyond their limits.

You have paid the price and Adapted to Survive.

All [Mana Burn] will accumulate much more slowly.

-50% Mana Manipulation due to increased Mana Flow Rate.

-50% Effectiveness of All Physical Attributes

+40% Effectiveness of All Magical Attributes

+100% Liquid Mana Channel Capacity

+100% Liquid Mana Pool

It wasn't all bad… Lee read over it again while he worked to calm his breathing and with it the throbbing in his head. He had lost more physical power and that penalty to Mana Manipulation… "I hope that doesn't hurt my Rune crafting too much." On the other hand, he'd doubled his Mana pool and doubling his Channel Capacity had to be useful, especially if he needed to use that attack again… On that note, he pulled up his new Skill.

[Liquid Mana Beam(Initiate I)](Epic)

Point at your problems and make them go away with extreme prejudice.

Fires All Available Mana in a Beam of Destruction that lasts as long as Mana is Available.

(The Initial Cost of this Skill is Beyond the limits of your Mana Pool. Requires (Mana Well) to be Activated.)

"Sounds badass… wish I could have seen what it did better." He'd been a bit distracted when he used it before. Mostly from the burning and melting… "Let's see the Status. Shouldn't be as bad as I thought."

Status

Name: Lee Cascade

Race: [Mana Driven Source-Touched Human](E Rank)

Titles:

[First Time?]

Traits:

[Adaptable] [Source-Touched] [Mana Blooded] [This Is The Way] [Minor Lord] [Ruthless Unbreakable Soul]

Class: [Runic(Journeyman IX)](Legendary)

Class Skills:

[Rune Compression(Apprentice I)](Rare)

[Rune Creation(Journeyman I)](Rare)

[RuneScape Creation(Journeyman III)](Rare)

[Rune Storage(Initiate IX)](Epic)

Attributes:

Strength: 77

Vitality: 81

Dexterity 80

Perception 77

Intelligence 100

Willpower 85

Twin-Soul 215

Non Class Skills:

[Soul Awareness(Apprentice V)](Rare)

[Create Rune Disc(Apprentice III)](Rare)

[Source Regeneration](Passive)

[Venom Resistance I](Passive)

[Mental Resistance I](Passive)

[Liquid Mana Beam(Initiate I)](Epic)

[Mana Mind(Apprentice VII)](Passive)(Epic)

Buffs:

[Resting]

Debuffs:

[Famished]

[Mana Burn III]

"Odd how little changed for what felt like a monumental event." He perused through trying to remember exactly what had been there before. Just in case… "Still have some Mana Burn… and I'm hungry…" He stared at his Debuffs. Something had changed, but what… "The Soul Wound is gone!" His eyes jumped to the [Ruthless Soul] Trait and he saw it had changed.

"Unbreakable…" He read the description and then Lee stopped his perusal and focused on the Runes that were somewhere inside him… or around him… it was hard to explain where exactly, but it was the only way he'd figured out how to see their Soul. He found the faint trace and followed it inwards, also sideways, or maybe… it didn't matter. Lee eventually found himself floating inside their Soul space.

"You did it Stan…" Lee smiled and his body shook as tears ran down the sides of his face. "You did it!" Buried memories of agonizing pain tried to rise to the surface, but Lee pushed them back down. "We survived it!"

Lee hung there for a time, suspended in the light of their Soul and surrounded by a dark void speckled with flickering stars. He hovered next to the small pug that was curled up in a little ball over a glowing crack of light. Lee rested a 'hand', what passed for one in here, on Caffeine and watched the light of his Runes that now spun freely around their Soul, no longer desperately holding them together. He thought of pulling them out but glanced down at the sleeping pug. "I'll leave them up for you Caff, a night light to help you sleep."

You Do Not Hold Full Dominion over your Twin-Soul. All Involved Parties must Agree.

Lee was startled by the Notification but didn't hesitate for a moment. "I agree." Caffeine stirred slightly beside him and then something started to happen. He took a moment to try and figure out what was changing, not that he could actually tell, something to do with their Soul, obviously. But he did figure out one part. "Stan is Ranking up again!" Lee only watched for a moment longer, before petting the sleeping pug one last time and pulling himself back to reality. "Take care of him, Caff."

Lee opened his eyes and forced himself to sit up. "That is enough resting. I'm falling too far behind." Then immediately stopped and clutched his head. "Ow." He sat for a bit until his head felt like it wouldn't fall off and then looked around at what his [Mana Mind] had been showing him.

The first thing he was curious about was the porch. "Three finally did it! I wonder why now?" The railing on his porch now extended all the way to the ceiling, leaving only small gaps between the barbed metal bars. "They didn't use to have thorns either…" He did like it though, it felt much safer now despite how strong he knew the windows were.

"Thanks Three." Lee spoke softly into his quiet apartment. There was no response but he was used to that and moved slowly off his mattress to put his feet on the floor. Lee wasn't sure what to expect from his newest physical penalties, but whatever had changed was subtle enough that he couldn't detect it and was on his feet a moment later. "Maybe all the new Attributes made up enough of the difference?"

Lee looked towards his front door and then through it to study the figure standing outside. He couldn't tell who it was… "Why is he… or her?" He looked closer with [Mana Mind]. "He… Why is he just standing there?" The man held a sword in his hand and a shield on his arm, but he stood facing away from the door, as if… "Is he… guarding me?" He was pretty sure that man was wearing a full set of armor beyond that, all without any Runes. The man also had odd Mana… It was unlike anyone Lee had seen before. "He looks Human, but what is going on with that density and movement?"

His attention was pulled away by another approaching figure. One of the Anubi… The small creature climbed the last flight of stairs and turned towards Lee's apartment. It stopped in front of the other man and Lee saw its mouth move, likely saying something but he couldn't hear anything through the door. Lee did note some small Mana fluctuations in front of its mouth, though based on what he saw, it looked like nothing more than air moving. The man at the door didn't reply, only inclined his head slightly while not moving from his spot. The Anubi simply crouched next to the railing across from him and Lee watched its head turning and twitching in weird motions. "Like a dog sniffing at the air…"

Lee spent a moment too check his attire and realized that someone had changed him, at least he was pretty sure… somewhat sure. He must have been covered in dirt at least… but he couldn't remember. Little things like that seemed to slip away under the more life threatening events. Nevertheless, he was presentable and even wearing his Robe, though the Runes in the plates that made up his batteries were all gone. Something to fix, or better yet, improve. Lee pulled on his Mana, gently due to the fact that he still had some Mana Burn, and immediately stopped at the searing pain. "I can wait a bit before replacing them."

Lee pointed a finger at his front door from ten feet back, no point in not being careful, and sent a thought to the building. "Three open." The deadbolt unlocked with a loud clunk but the door remained shut. Lee stared in surprise even as he noticed the two outside perk up at the sound of the deadbolt. "It always opens. Why not this time?" Were the two out there a threat? Lee swallowed nervously as he once again noted the drawn sword in the man's hand.

The Anubi had darted forward by now and was sniffing at the crack under the door. It stopped and half barked, half growled something, but Lee heard no English words following after. "Right, it doesn't have the necklace." Once he thought to look for it, the complex weave of magic was obviously absent from its neck. Lee took a breath to ask who was outside and the man's voice echoed through the thick door.

"Vice Commander! Are you awake? Do you require assistance?"

"Vice Commander?" Lee thought. "Oh right, that's me. But why is he…"

"I am Sergeant Miller. Alejandro ordered me to guard your door. Do you require assistance?"

That calmed Lee a bit, but… "Why is your sword out?" Lee yelled through the door, still nervous. Maybe his recent brush with invisible monsters had put him on edge?

The man outside flinched and turned his head down towards his hand, then quickly sheathed the weapon, with only minor fumbling. "Um, sorry, I just didn't want to be caught off guard?"

Lee could hear the question in his voice and kept his finger pointed at the door as he called out. "Open the door."

The man did, slowly, and Lee watched the door with a trembling finger. He really didn't want to test out [Mana Beam] just yet, especially while already under a [Mana Burn] Debuff, but the weak response from [Three] combined with… everything, had him on edge. The sight of the Human man's face on the other side of the open door, provided far more relief than he'd expected. His eyes seeing humanity where his [Mana Mind] was still stuck on the strange fluctuations.

"Vice Commander?" The man asked, while looking at the shaking finger pointing his way. He glanced around at what he could see of the apartment but didn't step through the door. "Everything okay?" Behind the Sergeant, Lee saw the Anubi peeking around and when he made eye contact, the small dog creature dropped to all fours and placed its head on the ground with a bark.

"It… it's fine." Lee dropped his hand and moved slowly towards the door. "Where is Alejandro?"

"He is hunting." Miller said and then added belatedly. "Sir."

"He survived!" Lee was a bit surprised at the sudden rush of relief that flooded through him. The crazy bastard must be growing on him more than he'd expected. That and not having the man nearby when he woke up just felt… off. "How long was I…" Lee stopped in surprise when the Anubi tilted its head back and howled loudly.

Miller flinched in surprise as well and his hand wrapped around the sword's hilt as he glanced at the Anubi, but he didn't draw the blade and instead turned back to Lee. "It has been two days since the attack, Sir. The General said that if you had questions I should call for Mrs Morales or Bradley. I'll only be a minute."

"Don't bother." Lee said, his [Mana Mind] picking up the sudden flurry of activity in the garage, most of it centered around another of the Anubi and after a moment of closer inspection, Lee could tell that it must be Trak, or at least whoever had the necklace. Then another form darted into his range on the other side of the courtyard below and shot upwards.

Maria sailed smoothly over the courtyard railing and landed behind Miller and the Anubi. "Lee. You wake. Good. You sleep too much, miss much work."

Lee smiled and walked past Miller, feeling more at home with a familiar face, even Maria's. "I'm glad you're okay Maria. How are the kids?"

"Bien." Maria tilted her head towards the courtyard below.

Lee felt more weight lift from him at her words. "I really need to stop sleeping through these things…" He turned as Miller stepped up behind him and was distracted by the sight of his open front door. Lee turned back to Maria. "Has the building been acting different?"

She looked between him and the door. "no sé"

Trak sprinted around the corner before Lee could ask a follow-up question and slid to a stop at his feet, face bowed. "Bark, bark, bark.(Forgive me, my Lord!)" He kept huffing, barking and even growling. "I was guarding you but had to step away to give my young instruction! I will stay by your side from this point on!"

"Jeez!" Lee took a step back and lifted his hands. "Trak, chill out man! Er Anubi…"

"My Lord…"

"I said, Don't call me that!" Lee exclaimed and then sighed. He dropped his hands and spoke in a calmer voice. "Trak, you and your… tribe?" Trak nodded. "You all have done nothing but help us." He knelt down to stop looming above him. "You can relax, okay? You don't need to be all 'my lord' this and 'my lord' that. It gets old."

Trak nodded a bit stiffly while Maria stepped up and placed her hand on Lee's shoulder. He felt her Mana pulse through him, then she patted his shoulder and stepped back. "You go work. I send food." Then she turned and jumped off the balcony.

Lee's stomach rumbled loudly. "Thanks… Maria." He said belatedly after she was gone. "Right, work to do." Lee started for the stairs and his garage workshop. "I should…" Behind him, the Sergeant pulled his sword and started walking behind him. Lee spun on the man, pulse jumping. "What are you doing!?"

Miller stopped abruptly, looking unsure. "I… The General said to never let you out of my sight unless you are in a room with only one entrance and then to guard that entrance with my life. Sir…"

Lee sighed. "Is that really necessary?"

Trak spoke up… barked up. "My Lord it is!"

"What?"

"My Lord, don't you understand?" Lee just stared at him. "My Lord, your… Fortress, it… it killed the Invaders! You were unconscious and it still killed them!"

"The Contributions! I get credit for Three's kills?" Lee nodded at Trak. "It does that. That is why I don't need a bodyguard, right?"

Trak opened and closed his mouth a few times before more sounds emerged. "My Lord… maybe you do not fully understand. Forgive me but in all the Legends and stories of the Ancient Runics, and their Unbreakable Fortresses, only one ever mentioned a true Living Fortress!"

Lee tilted his head to the side, trying to follow where this was going. He knew Three was special but it couldn't be 'that' special… Trak continued talking. "Regardless of that my Lord, all the Legends mentioned that the singular vulnerability of any Runic Fortress is… the Runic. If the Runic is slain, the Fortress dies with him. We must protect you!"

Lee nodded reluctantly as he thought about it. "I figured it would… not that I think about dying… very often." But still, he was inside said Fortress, that should mean he was safe, right?

"Your Brother… I mean the General, told me to be extra vigilant because your Fortress was behaving… 'sluggish'." Miller nodded his agreement to that statement and Lee thought about his door not opening, or closing. It was still open now. "It slew many enemies but is still young." Trak continued. "It is not unreasonable that your Fortress requires rest. And in that case, we must be on guard!"

"Okay, okay." Lee gave up. "But can you put the damn sword away?" He looked at Miller and the naked blade in his hand.

"Sorry sir." He slid it back into the sheath. "I am not very fast at drawing and I don't want to be caught unawares again…" Miller shivered and met Lee's gaze with a haunted look. "I saw it sir, when we were on the wall. Saw one of them grab Aaron. I… I fumbled my draw and it got me too…" His knuckles were white where he gripped the sword. "Ale… General Morales saved me but… Aaron didn't make it. I want to be ready… I… I have to be ready!"

"I'm sorry…" Lee didn't know what else to say. "How many… how many did we lose?"

"Too many." Miller shook his head and looked at the ground. "They went through us like… like we were nothing." He looked up again, this time with a spark of curiosity and hope. "It was really lucky that most of them attacked this building."

"They weren't all after me… were they?" Lee remembered Jake saying something about him being targeted because of the Mana Well, but the monster's couldn't know that… "The snake knew…" Lee sighed. "Can you walk in front of me at least? I can see you when you're behind me and the sight of a naked blade at my back makes me… uncomfortable."

"No need, sir." Miller stood up straighter. "I need to remember that I am a shield now, not a sword. The General made me his Apprentice, gave me a real Class, a Class that will make a difference and he told me to keep you safe. I have been training since the attack. Nothing will get to you while I live, I swear it!"

"I too shall see that myself or one of my pack always watch over your person." Trak chimed in.

"Damn… wait?" Something caught his attention. "Alejandro is Adept Rank already? And how does becoming an Apprentice work if you had a Class already?"

"Yes sir. As for my old Class, it is 'Suspended from progressing' until I finish the 'Apprenticeship' and either exceed it with the new one or gain an Evolution that combines them." Miller seemed happy to talk about it, he must have had a terrible Class before…

Lee nodded. "That's interesting. Can he have more than one Apprentice?" It could be a way to bring a lot of people up who hadn't made a good choice at the start.

"Not until he Ranks again." Miller looked down. "I don't know why he chose me, but…" He looked up, fire in his eyes. "He won't regret it!"

"Alejandro is a smart man." Lee told him. "He must have seen something in you and so far I'm thinking he chose well." He looked between Miller and the Anubi. "Thank you for looking out for me. Now just a moment." Lee walked slowly back to close his apartment door. "Three… Lock?" The deadbolt turned over with a clunk. "Thanks Three. Get some rest if that is what you need." He turned back to the Sergeant and Trak. "Let's go to the garage, I need to figure out a way to keep monsters from being able to sneak into our Fort again." Lee wanted to do something about the walls around the Fort, Maria's earlier feat of athleticism making them seem rather pointless. The Hidden Invaders might have simply jumped over the wall and into the Fort, and even if they only climbed up and over, it was not enough. It was time to make their first line of defense do more than just sit there.

Trak sent the other Anubi ahead of them down the stairs to… scout the way? As Lee descended the stairs, Trak ahead of him and Miller behind, his [Mana Mind] sphere of… detection? Sight? His range spread out into the street next to [Three] and he stopped halfway down. "What is going on out there? Are we under attack?"

"What is it?" Miller tensed, hand flying to his sword, but not drawing as he hefted the shield and moved in closer to Lee.

"All of the people." Lee said, his attention on the seemingly never-ending stream of people walking past the building. They were coming from the direction of the one small gate in the wall…

"General says that another of the Human strongholds has fallen." Trak barked.

Lee saw Miller relax behind him. "Yea, that is why the General is hunting right now. We just gained a whole lot more mouths to feed…" Miller said and then added more quietly. "A 'Whole' lot more."

"I see." Lee continued down the stairs and into the garage. He did stop one more time to stare at something, with his [Mana Mind] of course. "So that is what a pregnant woman looks like…" It was a fascinating glimpse into something that was only seen on TV or in movies, at least for him. He could 'see' the baby in the womb, or at least Mana running around and through its tiny form. It was cycling through the baby and then out through the mother before coming back and doing it all over again. "Damn, how did a pregnant woman survive all this… oh right, the Lair Buff." Lee shivered and wondered how long she had actually been pregnant… "Hopefully magic makes it easier…"

Lee stepped into the garage and it looked… the same, mostly. The red glow coming from May's forge drew his eye and Lee saw that she had expanded some since he'd been here last. The forge itself was much larger, Bradley must have upgraded it, and the old ring of silencing Runes now circled around two anvils, just barely. "I should expand that." Lee thought watching her hammering away in silence. The sword she was working on looked different than the ones Lee had seen before, in fact it looked like the sword Miller was carrying. "Maybe she heard about the old ones breaking?"

Lee waited until she dunked the glowing metal into a barrel of something and then stepped into her field of view. May looked up at him with only a small widening of her eyes and then glanced down at the ring of glowing Runes. She held up a finger and did a few more things to the sword before setting it down and stepping outside the ring of silence. "Lee, glad to see you up finally."

"Hi May. I was gonna make your quiet zone bigger, any preferences? Oh also, are you making new swords? The old ones…"

"Yea, yea, they broke, they were too weak, blah blah blah. I made enough for everyone! I was in a rush and 'Your' magic was supposed to hold them together!"

Lee took a step back at her sudden outburst. "Woah! I wasn't attacking you… I was just wondering if we needed better metal or something… but yea, that does make sense, though you could have told me, I might have been able to do something to… well probably not." He trailed off.

May snorted. "We got better ore. Those old swords were made from the iron fence that used to surround this complex. Now I'm using the ore found in the Iron Lair, or whatever it's called, much better. Make the circle out to about here." She shoved Miller aside and ran her foot along where she wanted it. Miller scowled at her and May stepped into his face, or at least his chest, that was as far up as her head came on the large man. "Your D Rank now Miller. Still think you're stronger than a woman?"

The Sergeant stepped back immediately, his face paling. "No Ma'am!"

May snorted and looked down at the shorter Anubi. "What are you looking at?"

"I would be honored to fight beside a mighty warrior such as you again, Mistress Smith." He barked, and then bowed low.

May laughed and patted Trak on the shoulder. "That's the right attitude, Miller."

"You're D Rank!" Lee exclaimed and Miller jumped. Lee blushed and continued in a softer voice. "I was just wondering before why your Mana looked different… wait, how many are D Rank already?"

"Ah!" Trak jumped and dug a hand, or paw, into a pouch and pulled out a glowing Core. "General said to give you this! Your kill!"

Lee took the Core. "Damn."

[Attribute Shard](D Rank)

+10 All Base Attributes

"That would help." Lee said softly and absorbed the Core. Energy swirled through him from the dissolving Core and small twinge of pain shot through his head, almost lost beneath his current headache. Almost, but not quite.

+10 All Base Attributes

Intelligence Fortification +10

Debuff Downgraded [Mana Burn II]

"Were they all D Rank?" Lee asked, once the absorption was finished. He also tentatively pulled on his Mana.

"They were." May said. "Strong buggers too." Miller opened his mouth and May added. "Still not stronger than this 'woman', right?"

Miller smiled. "Trust me ma'am. I will never doubt your strength again. Or any woman's!" He added at her frown.

"Good." May looked at Lee. "You going to fix it already or just stand there?"

"Sorry, May. I think I'll come back. Don't want to take this down until I'm sure I can put the new one up." He looked around the garage. "No one would enjoy that."

"Hah. Pansies." May turned back to her work but stopped before stepping into the circle. "No pain, no gain." Then she stepped through.

Lee turned away. He was still hurting from the Mana Burn but also, the reduced Mana Manipulation from his Trait had him extra nervous. Lee stopped. But he might have a way to get around that, a loophole. He closed his eyes to focus. Inside his [Rune Storage] there was no Mana Manipulation. Lee drew out the RuneScape that circled the blacksmith and saved it. "I hope this works if the normal Runes are harder…" He wasn't ready to try doing it normally, not unless it became necessary. Lee glanced back to May. He could switch out the RuneScape now… or wait for the Mana Burn to fade more. Yea, that was a good idea. He wasn't waiting because the tiny woman was scary. "What happened with you and May?" Lee was curious now.

Miller sighed. "After they saved me, I told her to give me her sword because I could fight better than a…" He winced. "Than a tiny woman."

Lee laughed. "Short person syndrome?"

"No." Miller said. "She was right to put me in my place." His eyes got a faraway look. "You should have seen her… Those things… with one arm, they knocked me and even the General around." He smiled. "May caught its arm with one hand and dragged the thing down to her level. Chopped it into pieces before it could do anything… just like that."

"Damn." Lee followed his gaze to the woman in question, once again hammering on something. "All that work must have paid off for her…"

"The General was a juggernaut out there." Miller went on. "But May… and Bradley…that boy." He shivered. "I heard the guards laughing about him being a coward before… I bet they don't say that to his face." He laughed. "He was a demon out there, Saira and Mar too! All of them! I thought I was hot shit with my [Guard] Role from Wil… Commander Wilson, but now I know the truth." He looked Lee in the eye. "I will be a true warrior and keep you safe sir, or die trying."

"Let's avoid the dying part if possible. And don't go all fanatic like this guy." He hooked a thumb at Trak. "One is enough. Now, I need to…" Lee trailed off, his attention caught by something behind Miller. He moved past the man and looked at the jumbles of jagged and bent rebar coming up from shattered concrete. "Is that?"

Miller turned and Trak spoke. "Yes, that is where your Living Fortress killed some of the Invaders! There is more over there and even some on the outside where they tried to climb up!"

"Three…" The ground was stained dark around the mess of metal and concrete. The ceiling even had some stains, or splashes… "Thanks Three. You saved me again. Probably saved a lot more besides. Do you need Mana? You can use the Well can't you?" No reply, as usual. Lee turned to the others. "Has it been repairing at all or just staying like this?"

"I don't know. Sir."

"I have been watching very closely, my Lord!"

"Of course you have… fanatic."

"It has been repairing! Though slowly…" Trak barked.

Lee nodded, it was good that Three was getting better, but what could he do to help? It must not need Mana, did it need Source? That might be a bit out of reach… He would just have to wait. "And improve our defenses so that this isn't necessary again." The noise and movement passing outside the garage's ramp was getting louder and more intrusive, Lee headed towards it curiously. "Just how many people are coming in?" A hand on his arm stopped him before he could start up the ramp.

"Sir." Miller said. "It would be better to remain inside at this time but if you insist, at least let me find a few more guards. I… am not confident in my ability to protect you in those crowds." He looked very worried.

"No, it's fine." Lee took a step back. "I was just curious." He watched more and more people pass, some glancing down at them but most watching Wilson's guards who were calling orders and directions. "Just how many people are coming?"

"Hundreds. Maybe thousands." Miller said and then hesitated before adding. "It's just a rumor and we didn't have a full headcount but… it is likely that the last Invaders matched our numbers at a one to ten ratio." When Lee didn't respond he kept on. "One to ten. Like the Cores they dropped. Like if we have a thousand people in the Fort, we could get a hundred of those monsters attacking us." He glanced around and added. "The General told us not to talk about the rumors and to focus on getting stronger… but people will talk because…"

"I get it." Lee said as goosebumps broke out. "People will need to pull their weight because even just living here increases the danger for everyone."

"If that is how it works." Miller said. "We don't actually know."

"I need to get to work…" Lee turned from the crowds and headed for his thinking spot. "So glad I'm not in charge of that mess out there..." He glanced towards the Alchemist room, that was still walled off from the rest of them, as he passed. Most of the other Anubi were inside and Lee slowed as he noticed something. He turned back to Trak with a smile. "Congrats, looks like one of your tribe is expecting… uh, puppies?"

Trak beamed. "Yes my Lord! It is joyous news that has helped to lift all our spirits after the passing of Ratch."

"Wait… Ratch, passing?" Lee had a bad feeling.

"He fell to the Invaders while defending you my Lord."

Lee's heart sank. "I'm so sorry Trak." He'd been just walking around and laughing while Trak had just lost a member of his family. "He died to protect me…" Lee didn't know how to process that. "I'm sorry Trak… I didn't know." A paw touched his clenched hands and Lee looked up.

"My Lord, Ratch died to protect his family, his pack, and his Lord. It was a worthy fight and a worthy death. We are all of the same mind, better to die free than to die a slave. This place here, serving you in this Fortress, if you will have us, our tribe will stand at your side all the way into the Heavens."

"Of course I will!" Lee exclaimed as he dropped to a knee to face Trak at eye level. "All the way to the Heavens! Whatever that means…"

Trak dropped down to his own knee and ducked his head. "We are honored my Lord. Our tribe will rise beyond what has ever been dreamed possible. That is what Ratch died for. So we mourn him yes, but we also honor the sacrifice he made to see our descendants reach the Stars!"

"Thank you Trak." Lee blinked away some moisture in his eyes. "I wish I had known him better."

"Ah he would have liked that my Lord. Though I think he would have been too nervous…"

"I'm not that scary." Lee protested. "Hell, I'm not scary at all!"

"I… may have boasted about your greatness a bit too… much, my Lord." Trak ducked his head sheepishly. "I have always enjoyed the stories of the Runics since I was a pup."

Lee laughed and stood up, pulling Trak up with him. "So… to the Stars?"

"Of course!" Trak beamed. "That is how all the stories end. The God's come to punish the defiant Runic and he sails away into the void among the Stars, vowing to return and cast down the God's who challenged him."

Lee chuckled. "You know, my Class description actually mentioned that."

"What did it say?" Trak was quivering with anticipation before he caught himself and straightened. "Um, if I may be so bold, my Lord."

"It said nothing more than what you already heard." Lee told the now despondent Anubi. "I want to know the rest of your tribe Trak."

The Anubi nodded eagerly and placed his hands on the translation necklace, as if to remove it. "I can give you this and you will be able to communicate with them." Lee held out a hand and Trak slowed. "Of course I'm sure you have much better tools than this!"

"I actually don't." Lee said, studying the necklace with his [Mana Mind]. "It doesn't look like anything to me, obviously a magical effect in action but it's not Runes so I'm lost there, but never mind that. That is a problem for later, right now I need to figure out a way to keep the monsters out." He glanced back once at the people still streaming past the building. "If I can."

Lee stopped next to May's circle and studied the RuneScape, comparing it to the one in his [Rune Storage]. He couldn't spot any flaws and before he could think about it too much, Lee pulled the RuneScape from the floor and back into himself. He heard one deafening clang before his foot came down on the line May had specified. Mana burned out of him and a new wider ring flashed into existence. "That wasn't so bad."

Skill Level Up: [Rune Storage]

[Rune Storage] has reached the Initiate Threshold. No Evolutions Available. Upgrade Available. Proceed? Y/N

Lee plopped down in his spot, back against the inoperable elevator shaft, and accepted the Upgrade.

[Rune Storage(Apprentice I)](Epic)

The Runic may Create and Bind Runes and RuneScapes within their Soul. Bound Runes may be Called up and Applied Instantly and do not require the Runic to redraw them, only supply them with Mana. Bound Runes will Remain after use and can be reused or removed and replaced by Runic at will.

Number of Bound Runes limited by Skill Level, Soul and Intelligence.

Apprentice Effects:

Greatly Increase the Storage Space. Apprentice Ranked or Lower Runes and RuneScapes will Occupy Less Space in the Storage.

User Gains some Control over the speed of Application.

"Not bad. Every bit will help." Lee opened his eyes when someone came running towards him from the stairwell. "Jamaal!"

"So glad you are back!" Jamaal said, beaming. "Here, Maria says you are hungry." He handed Lee the biggest breakfast burrito yet. "I will see you later. Lots to feed!" He sprinted away.

"Thanks Jamaal. You are a god!" Lee smiled and stayed where he was while he ate and started designing inside his [Rune Storage] what he had in mind for the Wall. Miller and Trak loomed on either side of him, well, at least Miller loomed. Lee didn't let it bother him, he planned to live a long time, whatever it took.

Because he had to reach the Stars someday.