Mature Content Warning: None Really. :)

Author's Note: Another chapter showing what's going on. We have a few more of these, but this arc is about building a city and multiple different scenes, so... well yeah. The end of the volume is rapidly approaching. If people need a recap of which character is who and why, let me know. I noticed it mentioned in a previous comment.

Chapter 34: Day By Day

"Sir, the eastern sector patrol has discovered the camp of the bandits who have been attacking travelers." stated a Valkyrie after saluting Aaron. Her name was Faine and she was the commander of her free demi-human company.

"Any losses?" asked the older man as he took stock of one of his more capable captains. Faine had shown herself to be quite promising. She was currently being considered for the elite guard even if she did not know about it.

"Two personnel are being attended to at the healing center. No fatalities."

"The mission went well then?" inquired Aaron.

"Yes, sir. Eight human combatants and their demi-humans were apprehended along with all of their equipment. There were no signs of any escapees though we are still on alert for such."

"Excellent work commander Faine. On behalf of the master of this city I congratulate you and your team." replied Aaron with a smile.

"All in a day's work sir." stated the Valkyrie with a perfect cliché for the moment.

----

"So, you see Sir, if you are willing to allow us a chance we can bring in a great deal of money for your town." stated the front man for the fighting Falconettes. They were a low end start up D-team that could not find a city that would take them. All the major ones already had an official team, and none of the other towns had a population that could support such an endeavor.

With over two thousand people living in this area already, and more coming in by the day, it was rapidly moving into reasonable town status. The team owner wanted to take the risk and sink his money into this place since it might be his last chance to enter into the professional circuit instead of being stuck in the minor leagues.

D-teams were professional battle teams that represented an entire city region. They specialized in more than battles, however. They played various games such as soccer, or football if you preferred, or held strength competitions. Battling was only one event that would be held during an arena match. Each event winner earned a point for their team overall, at the end of the arena match-ups the team with the most points won. Many teams competed at one time.

Scott considered the proposal. A stadium would have to be built. It would only be a grassy area with a few seats around it at first but it could really be useful in the long term. With the team granting twenty-five percent of any money won in tournaments to the town in the way of taxes it could help a great deal if they proved to be quality players. It would also provide a distraction for the masses that was desperately needed. The constant long hard hours of work were taking their toll on everyone.

"We can fit you in. You'll need to be a short distance outside of town though. We need the surrounding area for farming and defensive positions."

"Are you ser... yes! I mean... yes. We'll gladly set up shop outside of town. Where do we pay for land rights?"

"Go out of this tent and head to your right until you reach a tent with a large white sign out front that says register of deeds. They'll take care of you after I sign off on this."

"Thank you sir. You don't know what this chance means for us. We thought we'd never get our team out of the minor leagues."

Scott nodded. Even if the team ended up being a complete bunch of losers they would at least be entertaining.

They finished their business and parted ways then. After the man left another individual was announced and Scott received the fifth supplicant of the day. It seemed many people had ideas for the town and they wanted to speak to him.

This particular supplicant was a scrawny young girl that seemed to be trying her best to hide her nervousness.

"Sir..." squeaked the girl before her eyes went wide and she snapped to a salute. She was awkward and obviously was outside of her element in this setting.

Scott stared at her for a moment as he tried to figure out who she was. Shortly the information trickled through his mind and he recalled that a young girl of similar features was responsible for discovering that there were bandits operating to the east. Several travelers had been waylaid and killed before that discovery. Many more might have if she had not discovered them during one of her hunting trips.

"Ms. Amalie Chaldess?" asked Scott politely.

The skinny girl's eyes widened in shock that he knew her name and she nodded rapidly. "Sir! Yes... Yes sir!"

The man could not help but smile at her nervousness. He wondered if he had looked like that when he first joined the army. Of course, he had. All soldiers did, usually. The strange thing was that she was not even in the militia.

"I hear you are responsible for alerting us about some bandits on the eastern road." replied Scott lightly.

The girl croaked a little then blinked and took a deep breath before nodding quietly. It was obvious that she was almost painfully shy.

"You've been awarded a bounty of fifty-thousand credits for the information but you asked to see me instead of receiving it. What's so important that you'd willing give up money? Newly started out hunters need cash almost desperately." stated Scott with a thoughtful tone. Now that he knew who she was he was actively curious about what she wanted. Few people gave up the equivalent of a few hundred dollars just to get a meeting with someone.

"Yes, yes sir. I...” began the girl before she found herself unable to speak. Her nerves were obviously getting to her.

Scott nodded and gestured toward his command table. It was actually a shaped bit of rock with padded chairs around it.

Amalie looked confused for a moment before Scott spoke up and told her he wanted her to sit down. She nodded slowly and a blush rose to her cheeks before the girl moved to her seat. Scott took up a spot opposite of her and smiled.

There was a brief moment of silence then Scott asked, "So what did you wish to speak about Ms. Chaldess?"

She swallowed and then took a deep breath again before blurting, "I wanna be a knight!"

Scott tried to decipher what she said but he ended up asking her to slow down and repeat herself.

"Sir, I... I... I want to be a knight.." she managed to force herself to say.

The man was at a loss for what to say. He did not have the authority to make her a knight. He said as much but she shook her head and replied, "I didn't mean... I... I wanted to know how it's done.. What I had to do to become one...”

Scott considered that for a moment. Then he replied honestly. "I'm not really sure myself. I'm somewhat of a special case. Aaron is the Guildmaster of Oldtowne and a knight. He could probably tell you a great deal more about the requirements necessary to become one."

"Aaron... do you mean General Aaron, sir?" asked Amalie. She had heard all kinds of things about him. He was older than time and a better swordsman than anyone alive. This was quite an accomplishment for a human actually. The strangest thing was that depending on whom you asked some swore he was older than the war. That had to be a tall tale though.

"Yes, he was my mentor in the knights... and honestly he probably still is. I don't even know if my trials are finished yet. I really should ask about that." stated Scott thoughtfully.

Amalie nodded as her anxiety slowly ebbed. The master of the city was talking to her like he was a normal person and she was not just some civilian. She could hardly believe it, but it was nice. The conversation continued for a moment along the same lines then slowly turned toward Scott's plans for the city compared to his original purpose.

"Wait... This city is supposed to help save the world?" asked Amalie wide-eyed.

"It was only supposed to be a fortress with a training area. A self-contained place to act as a base for readying troops. Things changed though.”

The girl widened her eyes even further, almost to the point of having them bug out. She was living in a city that was meant to house people who protect the world. It brought a lot of her desires into perspective.

They continued to chat for a while before Nina poked her head in and interrupted them by saying the next appointment had been waiting for fifteen minutes. This caused the two conversationalists to say their good byes. Before she left, Scott gave Amalie an official note to give to Aaron. It was a simple missive which stated that she needed to speak with him about a personal matter and his signature to make it official.

----

"Things seem to be coming along." said Apollo as he watched the hustle and bustle of the growing city. He and Aerune had not really had much to do during this so they had become rather interested in wandering around.

"It's a bunch of foolishness if you ask Me." replied the black cat in a snooty manner. She thought that Selenite business should remain as such.

"Why's that?" asked Apollo as though he did not already know the answer.

The black cat whisked her tail and took on a superior attitude. "All these people are in the way! The girls should be training, not running around building a city!"

Apollo bobbed his head. "They are training, though. They spend at least a few hours a day working on their skills. I don't see a problem with having allies that can be useful."

"Useful? They can't even stand up and fight when the Dark Empire is around!" sniped Aerune.

"Neither could the armies of the Earth and the Moon during those final battles. Without them, though, we would have lost much sooner." remarked Apollo.

"Well you know, Master could always summon more of my brethren to this world. Though, I suppose that would not be useful unless he was willing to make certain sacrifices." stated the tiger suddenly.

Aerune jumped straight into the air as she turned, expecting to see a giant tiger. To her surprise she saw a white winged house cat with black stripes.

"What happened to you?" asked Apollo. It seemed to be an appropriate question. The tiger had been much larger previously.

The mini-tiger shrugged. "There isn't as much free flowing mana in this world. It's easier to maintain this form. Otherwise I would have to go hunting."

"What's wrong with hunting? There aren't many large animals in the world anymore, but there are a few random monsters. Some roam free."

"Animals don't have enough spiritual energy. There aren't enough mystically endowed creatures in this world. If I went hunting there are only two kinds of meat that would sustain Me." admitted the tiger with a kitty version of a calculated expression.

"Wait... you mean?" asked Aerune with a shudder in her voice.

The mini-tiger nodded. "I could return to my original home and sustain my strength easily. Master needs me. I stay because of this."

"Will you be able to transform back?" asked Apollo.

The tiger nodded then looked toward the busy city and flapped his wings. "Yes, but every time I do I will need an energy transfusion from master."

"Why do you keep calling him master?" asked Aerune curiously. The tiger she remembered could have probably killed every single one of them with little trouble. That thing radiated power like a high-power halogen light lit up a room.

The tiger looked at her curiously. "Gods are to be respected. I am surprised he tolerates your insubordination."

"Gods?" asked Aerune incredulously. She knew the creature was a little odd, but she did not know he was out of his mind. "What in the world would make you think HE is a god? He's not even the strongest fighter in the group."

The tiger looked at her for a moment then slowly closed his eyes. A few silent seconds passed before it spoke. "How creatures of this realm can delude themselves so fully is beyond me. I am a demon tiger of the Steel Fang Mountains. The nature of the master is without dispute. I would know his kind were I to have been struck blind, rendered deaf, and lost the ability to smell. I would not be able to serve him otherwise. The master's power is the only reason I can exist in this world at all."

The tiger turned and gestured toward the humans and demi-humans before speaking again. "If one such as these had tried to summon me they may have had the inner strength to do so. However, I would have devoured their souls in the process. They are mortal creatures. Their power is limited."

"So... wait... you really do think Scott is some kind of god?" asked Apollo with a growing sense of uncertainty. There was a lot of strangeness about the man but he did not know about any apparent divinity.

"Yeah right, he can't be a god. He's too weak!" snarked Aerune. She considered this entire conversation to be nothing but utter foolishness.

The demon beast glanced at her with amber eyes then turned away to watch the people working hard to please his master. He would allow the pitiful small fanged she-cat her delusions. There was no point in arguing with a lesser species after all. He did reconsider his thoughts about her species a moment later, however. The white one did at least seem reasonably intelligent despite being born of such a weak effeminate sub-species.

----

Scott fired off another of his black metal attacks and watched it slam into the slowly cracking slab of ancient concrete. The abandoned and tumbled down city had proven to be an excellent training ground. Most of the metal had rusted completely through, but the concrete slabs were still found in large sections. A lot of the material was being slowly cannibalized for city construction, but before that took all of the material the place would be perfect for training.

He spent a moment focusing on his power. He focused on his connection to the metal, as he called it. Ever since he had gained the patronage of Dio he found that he could focus on a song that the heavy metal idol had performed with interesting results.

The three powers he had gained from Dio had taken a while to manifest. He could summon demon tigers... well at least one. He could summon more, but there would be issues... He had thought that the songs he had been granted powers with were the other two gifts. He had been wrong. They were part of one gift. The gift of knowledge.

His gifts had been a sort of rite of passage or acceptance. He was not sure what to call them. He thought of them as gifts of strength, wisdom, and skill.

Strength came in the form of a large power increase. It had always been within him as it felt no different than before. However, it was like someone had changed out some rusted water pipes for clean ones. His power flowed with much greater fluidity and speed now.

Wisdom came in the form of understanding. He now knew a great deal more about how to shape his inner spirit into physical reality. He understood more of why his power seemed to use heavy metal and rock music as a conduit. It made it easier to train and actually develop his powers now.

Skill came in the form of the special magic and powers he had been granted via fiat. He had gained the tiger summoning spell as well as the defensive power. Furthermore, due to the gifts of strength and wisdom as well, his skill had increased. He knew now that his spells had many facets and levels of technique that he could use. New powers would be cool, but he wanted to completely master what he already had first.

The only exception to that mindset was his desire to discover some sort of healing power. He knew that he could heal theoretically. He just was not certain how to do it, yet. It would be based on a song that resonated with that intent. So far, that song eluded him. He hoped to discover it at some point soon, however.

Scott took a deep breath and began to focus his energies again. He allowed his mental playlist, the song he was going to use as a conduit, to rotate into his mind. The song he chose was one again, Black Metal, by Venom.

This time when he felt both the words and the mystic energy of the music burning inside him, He focused on the necessary connecting words in the song. The words that linked his will with his power before releasing into the world around him were not lyrics from the song itself, but a mnemonic device that allowed him to become part of the music instead.

He felt his power growing and building in time to his inner rhythm. The tempo of the music began to rise. Then at the appropriate moment he thrust both hands forward and cried aloud, "Black Metal!"

Instead of the sphere of black lightning energy he was previously able to use, he unleashed twin waves of black magical energy that began twisting around each other like a rope. The front edge of the wave began to vaguely resemble a serpentine head for the briefest of moments. However, just prior to slamming into the concrete slab it began to lose cohesion and the energy ropes began to fray apart.

Scott smiled lightly. He needed to train more, but his powers were coming along. He could already force his black metal attack to maintain itself for half again its previous maximum distance. Its actual damage level attack wise was not much stronger at full power than before, but it would last longer and its debilitating draining effects had doubled.

He had noticed that about all of his spells and abilities. They had a much greater potential for status effects than damage.

He took a moment to focus on his inner spirit, the calm center from which the metal spoke to him. The music had grown dimmer, subtler. He had used a lot of his power today in practice. It was getting harder to feel the noise, so to speak.

"One more time... then I'll work on the physical stuff some...” murmured Scott.

Makina and Ashe Naile watched from their position on a former office building that had fallen sideways. The level of progress Scott had made was nothing less than awe-inspiring.

"How... can he do that...” muttered Ashe Naile in continuing shock. She knew wizards who were nearly a hundred years old who could not produce powers like that. Yet, Scott had been practicing less than a year. She remembered that he had studied some of the mystic arts at home but that sounded like ritual and religion... priest stuff. This was definitely sorcery.

Makina grinned and remarked glibly, "Because he's just that cool!"

Ashe groaned at her then turned back to Scott. He was still very rough in his skills. With a little more refinement though, he would be truly dangerous as an enemy.

'What the hell are you?' asked the half dark elf mentally, as she watched him perform feats of destructive magic that should have been beyond him for decades yet.

----

"So, the road has finally been cleared and made ready for travel?" asked Aaron to one of the lieutenants in the army engineering corps. Their group had been responsible for clearing away the debris from the old highly that ran between the area and the league. It had been littered with rusted out vehicles and badly damaged asphalt.

The Golem nodded at him and replied, "Yes Sir. One hundred twenty seven demi-humans were captured in the process. The road is ready for use as a main transportation route just as it was in pre-war times. Though we didn't use asphalt."

Aaron nodded. They did not have the heavy construction equipment necessary for that. The rock and ground types could manipulate stone and dirt, but they cannot do much with asphalt. "So, you used stone slabs?"

The golem pondered a moment and then nodded, "You could say that. A bunch of us worked on shifting the ground at the elemental level. It took a lot of effort but we made the road seem to have always been one solid stone road."

"With proper maintenance it should last a very long time then." replied Aaron thoughtfully. "Was there any salvage worth noting among the scrap?"

"No, most of the metal was too rusted. There were a few valuables such as gems and pre-war coinage. Lord Scott had requested that we collect all of that sort of thing that we found."

"Yes, it'll be sold off to private collectors and similar investors to help fund the town. Your group will receive their portion of it as well."

The golem smiled. The army corps of engineers was looking more and more like her kind of thing all the time.

----

Cerene jumped to the side and wobbled slightly as she tried her best to avoid Nina's whip attack. The slicer and the angel demi-human had been training for about an hour now and both were starting to tire. They were in a terrible state of undress as they had ripped each other’s training clothes apart in the practice session. This had become quite common of late when the girls practiced.

Each session had to give them the best work out possible. They had to continually increase their abilities as much as they could. There had been no attacks recently by the Dark Empire recently, but they felt that something big was coming. Even if they never attacked again there was still the possibility of their main base at the North Pole.

The angel demi-human felt a lash against her thigh as she tried to avoid the long reach of Nina's weapon. The slicer demi-human was getting very good with her chain weapon. Despite Cerene's superior agility, even if she was quite clumsy for reasons that boggled the mind, she did not manage to avoid that many of her fellow team mate's attacks.

Nina kept on the offensive constantly. If she did not Cerene would take to the air and fly beyond the reach of her weapon. Then she would be on the defensive as she tried to avoid her chakram or occasional psi-blade attacks.

The angel fell over as her foot slid on a rock and for the third time that day she narrowly avoided an attack that would have finished her training. Nina frowned at her in consternation. The girl had an insane level of dumb luck when it came to avoiding damage.

Cerene widened her eyes in shock as the blade end of the chain whip zhwipped past her face. The entire moment moved in slow motion as she watched the chain crawl past her face despite its lightning speed in reality.

The split-second passed and the angel demi-human felt her energy rising. Normally she did not like to fight. That attack had been so close though... Cerene thrust her hands toward Nina as her whip started swinging back toward her the slicer.

A mana bolt of celestial mystic energy flew out from between the angel demi-human's hands and rocketed across the short distance between the two.

Nina's eyes barely had time to widen as she found herself hurtling backward with the wind driven out of her chest. As she hit the ground white light with radiant white light laced with silver lightning crackled around the impact point on her chest. After a few stunned seconds Makina ran over and checked on the fallen slicer. Her eyes widened and she turned to look at Cerene. "Uhm... wow... she's out cold...”

Cerene blinked. She won? Her brief sensation of pride was over-ruled by her realization that she had knocked her team mate out. "Nina!" she cried before running over to her fallen friend.

Training would be over for the day, sadly. Hopefully Nina would be fine, even if her pride was temporarily broken.