Lee woke up in his bed.

He appreciated that part of waking up, but what really surprised him, was how good he felt. "How long did I sleep?" he thought with some concern. His [Mana Mind] showed him that things were calm, at least in and around [Three], and he had his bodyguards in their places. One Anubi on the porch, and a man that he was mostly sure was Miller, in front of his door.

A smaller human was on the couch… "Gabriel…" Lee recognized his Mana. "He must have Mana burned himself pretty bad… poor kid." Lee couldn't see the shield RuneScape in the apartment downstairs. Someone must have broken the shield to let everyone out since Gabriel hadn't been awake to remove it. "I'll get your staff remade…" he thought, "you made a damn good showing in your first battle." Maria had put him in here… did she trust Lee to take care of him, or just want him where the bodyguards were? Probably the latter, since he couldn't sense either of the boy's parents in the building.

Lee opened his eyes. There was sunlight coming through the westward facing window. That, plus the angle of the light on the wall, indicated late afternoon. "Damn, Gabriel shouldn't be down this long. Definitely not longer than me…" He was almost afraid to move, just in case the burning was waiting to pounce on him. So instead he closed his eyes again and checked his Notifications. There was a lot that he had missed during the fight, some attribute gains, Skill and Class Levels, etc. But some were more informative.

Trait Evolution: [Mana Blooded] - [Mana Flesh and Blood]

[Mana Flesh and Blood]

You have Continued to repeatedly Channel Mana beyond what your body can handle.

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

You have Continued to ignore 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 with your Flesh and Adapted to Survive.

-90% Mana Burn Accumulation Rate

-50% Mana Manipulation due to increased Mana Flow Rate

-90% Effectiveness of All Physical Attributes

+90% Effectiveness of All Magical Attributes

+400% Liquid Mana Channel Capacity

+400% Liquid Mana Pool

That likely explained why he wasn't burning anymore… "I lost more physical strength." He hoped it wasn't too severe. "As long as I can still jump around… I really need to make something to fly with." There was something else that should help with the lost physicality.

[Dungeon Warfare] Victory!

Calculating Contribution Rewards…

New Title: [War is Hell]

+50 All Base Attributes

+1 Class Level

Optional Reward: [Mana Well] Upgrade.

Enemy Fort Contained a [Mana Well]. As Sole Owner of the [Mana Well] within [Greenfield Village Fort]. You may Claim the Enemy's Well and Expand the Available Power of your own Well. If Claimed, you will Forfeit all Material Claims from Enemy Fort. If Unclaimed, [Mana Well] will be Spawned in a Random Location on the Dungeon World [Earth], You will Receive +50 All Base Attributes.

Lee didn't have to think about that one for long. Upgrading one of his primary power sources was a no-brainer and he wasn't sure if he actually needed any 'Material' from the Fort. As for the Attributes, those could be gained in other ways and he wasn't sure if there was any other way to upgrade the Mana Well.

[Mana Well] Upgrade Complete.

There was no noticeable change but he wasn't actively pulling on the Well at the moment, so… he looked at the last of the messages, as well as his new title.

[War is Hell]

+1% Effectiveness of All Attributes during any [Dungeon Warfare]

[Greenfield Village Fort] Territory is Protected from Targeted Invasion for 15 Local Days(14 Days 18 Hours).

[Greenfield Village Fort] Territory is Exempted from [Dungeon Warfare] for 1 Local Year.

[Greenfield Village Fort] Territory Size Increased.

The Title was straightforward enough, though he wondered if anyone would even that small of an increase... maybe it would get better with repeated victories? The year-long cool down for [Dungeon Warfare] had him wondering just how big of a deal that had been… but on the plus side. "I slept only six hours… that upgrade was definitely worth it! That also explains why Gabriel is still sleeping." His Title definitely wouldn't be improving anytime soon either.

He still sat up slowly, tentatively, and when no pain manifested, got to his feet. This time he hadn't been cleaned up, though someone had stripped him down to his underwear. Given how bad he still smelled after rolling around in the orcs… gore, that was a good thing. But it was nothing a quick shower couldn't fix. The half used up bar of soap in his bathroom got him thinking and hoping that someone in the Fort would be able to make more. He had no idea how soap was made, something about lye…

His Soul was feeling much better as well, thanks to a handful of levels he'd gained in [Soul Reinforcement]. So Lee went ahead and started putting the Runes back on his gear. His robe had been left behind during the battle and so was still clean. He put the battery Runes back on the discs inside it. At least some of them… his Soul started to protest before he got even half done. Lee pushed it to the edge again, no reason to slow down his progress just because his life wasn't in immediate danger. Okay, not quite to the limits he'd been pushing before the battle. He did still worry that he might do actual harm to their Soul if he went too far.

The Anubi, whom he still couldn't tell apart, joined him as he headed out of the apartment. Miller was indeed waiting outside. "Did you get any rest Miller?"

"Honestly, I was barely tired after the battle…" Miller looked away. "I barely even got bruised…"

"That's great!" Lee said, "Even after getting punted off the roof?"

Miller slumped even lower. "Sorry about…"

Lee remembered how apologetic the man had been after the battle and realized that his remark could have been taken the wrong way. "Miller, that hit would have split me in half and then sent both pieces off the roof. I don't know how you could have done any better."

"I forgot to use my Skill… I shouldn't have gotten knocked away," he mumbled softly.

Lee laughed but cut it off quickly. "Sorry! Sorry. Miller, you know how many times I've forgotten something like that? Or done something stupid? Hell, us being on the roof was my idiotic idea in the first place!" He chuckled but it faded at the memory of how he had once again almost gotten himself killed. "Why do you think Alejandro is so adamant that I have guards?" he added more quietly.

"I still…" Miller started again and Lee realized that the man wasn't going to stop beating himself up anytime soon.

"Have you eaten?" Lee interrupted, "I'm starving!" He could see Jamaal in his kitchen downstairs, the man working furiously. He started that way and Miller gave up and followed. Lee considered jumping over the balcony for a second, but decided to hold off until he got a better feel for his new… 'adjustment'. He did notice that there were still patches of torn up cement in the floor of the courtyard, rebar sticking up from the holes in curling, stabbing, and still blood-stained points. "Rest now Three. You did good."

"Lee!" Jamaal looked up from the stove in surprise when they walked through the door, before his face brightened into a smile. "I did not expect you to be awake so soon!"

"Hey," Lee said, somewhat defensively, "I don't always…" He sighed. "That's fair… but this time I only needed a quick power nap."

"Excellent!" His gaze swept over the full stovetop. "Give me a few moments, and I will have your usual ready." Jamaal smiled at him but his eyes jumped to the window behind Lee, and the smile dimmed. "That… that was very terrifying, earlier." He shivered and resumed his work. "I am sorry that I only hid away in here, I… I could not move when I saw that thing… and that man, he died, but didn't…" Jamaal blanched and busied himself again, taking food from the stove and adding it to the stacks of prepared food.

"Yea," Lee nodded, "Jackson's ability is pretty crazy." He watched the man work for a bit and then had to ask, "Jamaal, who are you making all this food for?"

"Ah," Jamaal said, "you have not heard. The Commander is having a feast tonight, to celebrate our survival."

"And a funeral…" Miller added somberly.

"How bad was it out there?" Lee's good mood faded a bit. He really hoped that the rest of the orcs hadn't been as dangerous as the General…

"Not good," Miller said, "but from what I heard it could have gone much worse. Alejandro said that Saira held one of the breaches by herself while he and his wife held another. It was the third breach that went bad… until Bradley came back."

"The potions made a huge difference." Bradley said, as he walked through the door behind them.

Trak came in beside him. "I will be more prepared next time," the Anubi barked, "we are working on replenishment as we speak."

"Bradley," Lee noticed the heavier footsteps and saw the stone feet below the other man's pants. "How bad was the boss?"

Bradley frowned as he sat at one of the small tables. "It was a freaking nightmare…" He ran a hand over his face and Lee could see the bags under his eyes. Maybe he hadn't gotten a nap yet… "We got a little banged up, but we survived, thanks in part to the potions and your gear." He hefted his staff. "Speaking of which," he reached into a pocket and pulled out a Core. "We know how they were spying on us now. You got first dibs on it, here." He tossed it to Lee.

[Mind's Eye](Rare)

Create an Invisible Eye with Mana and send it Forth into the World. Eye will link to the User's Mind, Allowing them to See what the Eye Sees.

Mana Cost, Range, and Functionality Dependent on Skill Level and Intelligence.

"Mar said that the leader had a big screen or something like it, floating in the air when she first saw it," Bradley said. "It was gone when I got there, but she says that it may have been using it to target a spell on us…"

"It does sound interesting," Lee murmured. It would be even better if he could actually send magic through it… Though he was wondering whether it would stay the same after he absorbed it, or if it would change from the Liquid Mana. Some of his Skills hadn't been changed, though all the unchanged ones were passive or Class Skills and this one sounded like an active skill. It did sound handy though… "I'll try it."

New Skill Gained: [Mind's Eye(Initiate I)](Rare)

As expected, it changed as soon as he tried to use it.

You have Demonstrated the Skill [Mind's Eye(Initiate I)](Rare)

Note: Due to (Liquid Mana) Skill has been Evolved. Due to Synergistic Skill, Evolution has been Directed.

[Mana Mind's Eye(Initiate I)](Epic)

Effects: Create a Ranged [Mana Mind] Area using Liquid Mana. Range and Area dependent on Skill Level and Ongoing Liquid Mana Investment.

"Holy shit! Is that what it sounds like?" Lee activated the new Skill… and nothing happened.

It took him a few moments to realize his mistake and he 'pushed' the Skill away from himself. The effect was immediately noticeable when one side of his [Mana Mind] range expanded outward. Lee pushed the Skill into the building next door and then he could 'see' both buildings at once. The strangest part was when a gap opened up between the two. After all this time getting used to having that area of perception around him and now it felt very odd to have two of them. The second one was smaller though and didn't have the same total area coverage. Then he sent more Mana into the Skill and it expanded to match.

Lee pushed it further away, looking for a range limit. He didn't find a hard limit on the range. But by the time he reached the far side of the Fort, the Mana cost was starting to be felt. Mana was now thundering through him and out across the intervening space between the two Mana Mind's. He could only imagine what the tethering trail of Mana would look like compared to the tiny one from the enemy Commander that he had destroyed.

The Skill made it just beyond the walls before his Mana started to drain. It was draining despite the Mana Well feeding him more Mana nonstop… He felt no Mana Burn, not even a hint of burning oncoming. "That upgrade was definitely worth it. I wonder if I could channel a Mana Beam like I did the first time… could be useful."

Skill Level Up: [Mana Mind's Eye]

Lee pulled the Skill closer, back inside the walls and over the furthest building in the Fort. "Now the real test…" He picked out a singular roof tile and carefully applied a single Rune of Strengthening. A bit more Mana moved and he had to fight the torrent as he forced the additional Mana into the correct alignment. The Rune settled into the clay and shone clearly in his mind. "This is… perfect!"

Lee canceled the Skill and almost fell over at the sudden cessation of Mana raging through him. The loss of the information he'd been receiving was also jarring, like closing one of his eyes… but so much more than that. He opened his actual eyes and smiled at Bradley. "I like it! This will let me put a roof over the Fort!" He paused and then added, "Once I figure out what to use…" He had a feeling that he might need to level the Skill a bit before he could start placing large RuneScapes on the furthest buildings. He also needed more Rune Capacity in his Soul…

"Good…" Bradley swayed slightly and turned away. "I'm going to get some sleep before the party." Trak stayed behind and sent the other Anubi back to the garage to 'Work on the Potions'.

Lee waved at him absent-mindedly, already going over the possibilities of the new Skill. "If I'm outside and cast it inside Three, could I access the Well that way?" The Mana cost might be a bit high for that tactic, but maybe once it leveled up some more… He cast the Skill again and this time tried to make it as small as possible. The Skill shrank down to about the size of his apartment bedroom and wouldn't go smaller. Maybe good for accessing the Well, if that theory was viable, but not for much else.

Lee assumed that the original Skill had allowed for normal vision, aka, looking into the distance. The evolved version had lost that functionality and he could only 'see' whatever was within the area of effect. The same way his [Mana Mind] worked. It wasn't a big downside… assuming that he could actually manage what he had planned for the Fort defense.

On that note, Lee pushed his [Mana Mind's Eye] to its maximum area and started trailing it over the walls of the Fort while he looked into his [Rune Storage] and started trying to design a new RuneScape. It took some getting used to, having the moving zone of information in his head while he tried to keep it on course and simultaneously draw out a RuneScape. It finally proved to be too much and he settled for pushing it to the maximum range instead and leaving it there, just far enough that his Mana was only slightly draining.

His work was interrupted when someone poked him and Lee opened his eyes to see Jamaal standing at the table with a worried look on his face. "...okay?" the man was saying.

"Don't worry, Jamaal," Miller said as he took the plates from the man and put them in front of people. "He regularly does this kind of thing and now he just got a new skill to play with."

Lee realized that he had been staring into space the whole time and blinked a few times as he smiled at them. "Hey, it's a good Skill! Thanks Jamaal!" He dug into his burrito and went back to work while he ate the delicious meal. He really wanted to have something ready to put up over the entire Fort, even if it would be weak from lack of Rune Capacity, he could get at least an alarm system that would alert against anything getting too close or even breaching the perimeter. "Maybe a spotlight type deal…"

The bustle of people in and out of the small restaurant eventually drove Lee and his escorts out. He started for the garage but changed course and went back to his apartment. "Someone should be with Gabriel when he wakes up." He didn't know where his parents were but it must be important for them to leave him behind. He had no idea where Anita was, maybe she was with them? Either way, Lee settled down in the room and got back to his RuneScape design.

Sometime later, after a few more levels in his new Skill and another very welcome level in [Soul Reinforcement], a scream rang out in the small room. Lee and his guards all jumped at the sudden noise. Lee got up and went to the boy who was trying to scramble free of his blanket. "It's okay Gabriel! The fight is over, we won!" He had an idea of what Gabriel was feeling right now, having been through it a few times himself.

Scared, confused eyes met his and Gabriel stopped struggling. Then his eyes squeezed shut as he tensed and curled up. Lee looked away from the now groaning boy. "Trak, did you ever make something for Mana Burn?"

"I am sorry, Lee, I have not found the ingredients…"

"Are they…" Gabriel tried to sit up. "Did I…"

Lee gently helped him to sit up on the couch. "You did great, Gabriel. Couldn't have done any better myself. They are all safe."

"But…"

"It's all good," Lee said calmly, "we won and you did a good job. Look through your notifications," Lee told him. "I bet you got something for helping with the general."

"Oh…" Gabriel's eyes unfocused and Lee stayed next to him, working on his own thing while the boy went over the results of the battle.

Sometime later, Gabriel's voice spoke up softly. "Does it always hurt this bad?"

Lee smiled sadly at him. "Sometimes it does," he said, "but I like to think of how much more it would hurt if I hadn't done what I needed to. What is this small temporary pain compared to what could have been a permanent loss of someone you love?"

Gabriel's expression was horrified as he thought about what Lee had said. "I maybe could have been gentler? No… it sucks, but this is the world now. Maybe someday humanity will once again stand at the top of the food chain, and then we can let children grow up in peace and careless comfort. Until then…"

"I'm glad I fought," Gabriel said through gritted teeth, "I can handle this small pain!" Despite his strong words, tears were in the corners of his eyes.

"I'm glad too," Lee said with a sad smile, "rest now." He looked over Gabriel's status and sent Miller to grab another burrito from Jamaal. That would help him recover a little faster.

The boy only had a single stack of Mana Burn. Not the worst by any means, but still probably a new and horrible sensation for someone so young. Lee used [Mana Mind] to carry a cup to the sink and fill it with water, before floating it in front of Gabriel. It had the added benefit of distracting him from the pain and when Gabriel asked about what ability he was using and how he'd gained it, Lee got him focused on which Runes, and with which combinations, might be able to create the effect. He was hesitant to give him any ideas about using a Mana sense type skill right next to a Mana Well.

After some time spent recovering, and after Gabriel had eaten, they all headed to the garage and Lee took them on a detour to the wall. He wanted to confirm something that Miller had mentioned, involving what had happened to the enemy Fort.

And exactly as the man had said, the castle was gone. What did still remain though, was the land that had appeared in place of, and where the valley to the north had been. "Has anyone gone out there?" he asked Miller, "to see what happened?"

"I heard from Wilson that our territory expanded to include the new land…" Miller said. He looked confused and a little worried when he continued, "the valley from before, in fact all of the city that was around us, it is all still there. Just further away…"

Lee thought about that statement and started to understand why the [Dungeon Warfare] was a big deal. "We gained… land? Like new land from another planet, added to our own?"

Miller shrugged. "Seems like it, if such a thing is possible…"

"That's… insane!" Lee said, "Though, I guess it did say, 'to the winner goes Everything'. Is that what it meant?"

Miller glanced at Trak for his input and the Anubi copied his shrug. "I have never heard of such a thing… but I have heard mention of some worlds being bigger than others. I am sorry, my Lord, that is all I know."

Lee looked out over the newly gained territory and shivered. How many other places had to fight this same battle? How many of them won the fight? And what happened when someone lost? Just how much did the planet grow or shrink? It couldn't be very much or there would be earthquakes or… "Right, magic…" Lee let it go. It was not something that he could do anything about, other than making sure that his own base was strong enough to survive. "Let's go inside."

He offered to let Gabriel go back to sleep, even suggesting a sleep potion as an aid. Gabriel refused the offer, insisting that he could still work on his Skills. Lee didn't argue, it was a work ethic that would serve all of them well. He did catch the boy wincing more than once while drawing out Runes and RuneScapes.

Lee went back to his own plans. He tested the limits of his Soul by creating more batteries and then using them to get a count of how much he had to work with. This RuneScape would most likely need to be set up near the middle of the Fort. Doing so would require less total Runes but at the cost of not being automatically recharged by [Three]. He could put in a charging mechanism… but that would require more Runes as well. "Maybe I should put it on Three… I can probably sacrifice a few more Runes here and there. Though I really want to get Gabriel another staff…" He had a feeling that the boy would agree to give up the staff in a heartbeat to help protect more people. Maybe Gabriel could make his own staff… "Though some of those Runes I used were Adept level… Though that had been mainly for the beam attack. Gabriel could probably make just a basic version… it would be good practice if nothing else.

He would need to test his new Skill and see if it would allow him to reach [Three] from further away. If the initial Mana cost was low enough he might not need his staff after all. At least not from within the Fort, outside and at greater ranges might be a different story. Though he had absolutely no plans of going out again… "Miller," Lee said, "how do you feel about a walk through the Fort?"

"I… could I bring a few others?" Miller questioned nervously.

"My pack will…" Trak started to say.

Lee cut him off. "Aren't they working on the potions?"

"I… Yes, my Lord." Trak said while deflating slightly.

"Bring as many as you feel comfortable with Miller." Lee said, "Let me know when you're ready. We just need to go at least to the middle of the Fort… and maybe to the far side, just to test something."

It didn't take long before Miller returned with a couple more guards and they all headed outside, Gabriel included. "Do you know how Jackson is doing?" Lee asked, only now thinking to ask after him and feeling slightly bad about that.

"He woke up with some…" Miller hesitated, "Um, anger issues." He winced. "Alejandro and Maria took him outside the walls to… work on it."

Lee winced as well. "That's… good. I guess. Wait, where is Anita then?"

"Probably with Martin," Miller said, "he got put on a sort of childcare duty since the attack. Keeping them busy with some of his training Skills." Lee felt some sympathy for the man. That was not a job that he wanted but one that someone needed to take up. Martin was an excellent fighter… but he needed more stats, considering how his fight with the General had gone… Though if it had been any other enemy, like one that couldn't regenerate from fatal wounds instantly… plus he probably had a lot of help with the kids.

It didn't take long for him to confirm that hypothesis. They passed two of the buildings and Lee could detect the hubbub of activity before he even laid eyes on it. The large park-like open area between some of the buildings was a hive of people moving about. He spotted Martin with more than a few other adults, all surrounding and engaged in some kind of activity with the large number of children. Lee smiled at the sight and sounds of children laughing. He felt Gabriel tense up beside him and then relax, a smile coming onto his face as well when one of the children broke from the pack and charged them.

"Gabe!" She practically flew through the air and crashed into her big brother, who barely managed to stay standing as he caught her in a hug.

Lee smiled at Gabriel when he met his eyes over his sister's shoulder. "This is why we take the pain." he thought to himself. He didn't need to say anything to Gabriel, he could see the same conclusion in the boy's eyes as they closed in happy relief and his arms held her tight. Anita squealed and squirmed as Gabriel held onto her longer than she had planned, but he didn't let her go.

Lee left them to it and cast [Mana Mind's Eye] back towards [Three]. A quarter of his Mana vanished. "There is no way this Skill cost so much Mana before." he thought, "Did it just adapt to me? Or did the Adaptable Trait have something to do with it?" The Skill took a chunk out of his current [Mana Mind] range but brought with it a new sensation. The rapid Mana drain stopped as Lee could suddenly 'see' his apartment and then Mana started flowing back from the Skill when he pulled from the Well.

It was a bit of an odd sensation. Every time he'd used a Skill before, the Mana always went in one direction, but not this time. His Mana Pool quickly refilled and he now had full range around himself as well as a small glimpse of his apartment. "Sweet. This will make things so much easier!"

Skill Level Up: [Mana Mind]

"Come play!" Anita was tugging on Gabriel's hand, trying to get him to join her and the rest of the kids.

"Go with her," Lee advised, "you earned it." Gabriel hesitated and Lee continued, "you can keep an eye on things here while you wait for that Debuff to end. Go on," he said, "you don't have to be all grown up just yet." Gabriel gave up the fight and ran to join the others with Anita. Lee smiled and waved to Martin when he saw the man's attention on him. "Watch over them."

For himself, Lee took a seat at one of the many long, stone tables that ran the length of the open area. Bradley had obviously been busy over here. Saira as well, based on all the beautiful flowers blooming down the center of each table. She wasn't within his range but he could feel some of her vines running past underground and pulsing with Mana from the Well.

Lee got back to work on his RuneScape, making a few tweaks and adjustments. He didn't actually need to go to the other end of the Fort. The wall that encircled them was full of his Soul and it only took a bit of concentration to map out the area that he needed to cover. A short while later, he was ready to try his new creation. "I should be able to do it from here…" he thought, "It'll be a good test if not."

Lee moved his [Mana Mind's Eye] up out of his apartment and onto the roof of the building. "I hope this helps you Three." He had another reason for wanting to put this on [Three]. If the building integrated the RuneScape like it had the shield, it might allow for a kind of ranged vision that he was pretty sure the building lacked at the moment. So far [Three] had mostly only reacted to things touching the building directly, all the times it moved at range had been when Lee himself was there and actively looking at the threat. He had a feeling that had mattered in regards to It knowing whether something was there or not.

Lee spent a few minutes searching out and taking note of everyone of his Runes that were out in the world, looking for what could be scrapped. He found only a few, most having been taken already before the battle. He did find something else though, a very faint signal, coming from far, far away. He was confused for a moment before he finally realized what he felt. "Jake. Hah! He still has some of my Runes?" He considered pulling them back, not even sure if he could from that range but decided against it. He didn't know if Jake was actively using his bow still and didn't want to accidentally kill the man if it suddenly lost power. "Besides, those were weak beginner Runes, barely even RuneScapes." It would be barely a drop in the bucket compared to what he needed now.

Lee left those few Runes alone and gave one last look over the RuneScape, looking for mistakes. He found none and triggered his [Rune Storage].

Mana moved through him, but it was nothing like the wall RuneScape. This one wasn't going to spread out over the entire Fort. Only the effect would spread this time. The Soul strain pushed higher and higher as he slowed the application as much as he could, just in case it was too much. It finished right before he was about to pull it back out. "It's…" Lee grimaced and rolled his shoulders. "It's fine. Uncomfortable, painful even, but a small price to pay. Plus it will help Soul Reinforcement level and that will ease the strain in time." He left it up and opened his eyes. "Now to test it."

Skill Level Up: [Rune Storage]

"Test what?" Miller asked.

Lee looked up at the sky. "How do I… of course!" He summoned a small disc and handed it to Miller. "Can you throw that above the roof? Like as high as possible and straight up."

"I can," Miller said slowly, "but maybe I could do it where there aren't so many people around for it to land on?"

Lee smiled sheepishly. "Good idea."

They went back to [Three] and up to the roof. Lee could see the RuneScape on the roof of the stairwell and from there could trace the lines of magic that spread out over the Fort. The coverage was a bit over or under in a few spots along the walls but not by much, and not by enough that it should matter. "Straight up is fine." he told Miller, "I should be able to catch it on the return."

Miller looked dubious but went ahead and launched the disc straight up. It vanished against the backdrop of the sky and Lee waited with baited breath. "Please work!" Nothing seemed to be happening, and then a red beam of light appeared, shooting into the sky like a laser. An extremely annoying screeching sound grew in volume as the light coming from the rooftop angled further and further to the side. Lee latched on when a small disc entered his perception range and he pulled the now glowing disc to himself. The screeching sound came with it…

"Can you turn that off?" Miller shouted, his voice barely audible over the noise, and Trak had both paws over his ears as he nodded in agreement.

Lee frowned at the disc, and then at the beam of light coming from the point of the roof. He moved the disc back over the edge of the roof and dropped it out of line of sight. The beam vanished and the noise went with it.

"It worked!" Lee exclaimed to the dubious duo that were looking at him warily. He went ahead and explained his creation, a wide smile on his face. "Anything that enters our," he made air quotes, "airspace, will get treated like the disc. It will stop once they lose line of sight with the tower here." He gestured at the small roof. "I know it's not much now… but it should give a good warning at least… now if I could just get it to fire a Mana Beam instead of only the red light…"

"Let's go inside," Miller said, "I'll get someone to spread the word about what a screaming red light means."

Lee allowed himself to be led back inside, his mind already trying to figure out how to simply blast anything that flew too close. He would need more Rune Capacity than he had, obviously, but that would come soon enough. It might even be worth stripping some fighters of their Runed gear for something like that… but first he had to be sure it was viable. "I would need a higher roof, or a tower… maybe Bradley could create one on the roof?"

He found Bradley asleep in his apartment, Mar curled up against his side. They both appeared to be sleeping but Lee still pulled his [Mana Mind] away to one side, remembering how Mar had said it felt around her. They had both earned a good rest. "Maybe if I put a smaller one on every roof?" He settled down on the couch inside his apartment and got to designing another RuneScape in his [Rune Storage].

Some time later, Lee blinked and looked around at his apartment. Bradley was standing over him and poking him in the head with a rocky finger. "You coming to the party, Lee?"

"Ah, yes," Lee said, "when does it start?"

"It's been going already." Bradley said, "Alejandro told me you were zoned out in here and wouldn't wake up."

"Oops." Lee grinned, "I think I got it! Maybe tomorrow or the next day, and I should be able to put it in place! I just need to level my…"

Bradley sighed and headed for the door. "Tell me about it on the way."

Lee left his still running [Mana Mind's Eye] in the apartment and followed Bradley. He tried to explain his plan to create Mana Beam defenses atop the building to them as they walked, but quickly gave up at their blank looks. Not that they didn't like the idea, but they weren't following his explanations. Trak had also switched places with another of the Anubi at some point in the last… however long he'd been working.

The party was in full swing when he arrived. Food everywhere, drinks a plenty, even some alcoholic beverages had been produced, most likely by the Anubi. Bradley told him that everyone was basically immune to normal beer now. Someone had brought some back from a store recently and been sorely disappointed in the results.

The sun was low in the sky and it cast the area in the shadow of a building. That only made the colorful lights hovering above the tables all the more effective. There was also music coming from somewhere and it didn't sound electronic. "Do we have someone with a bard Class?" He found the band easily enough, but what really surprised Lee was the crowds of people. So many people. More than he had realized were even in the Fort. All of them crowded into the cleared area. Well, not everyone.

Lee stopped on the outskirts of the crowd, his [Mana Mind] almost overwhelmed by the mass of moving Mana before him. So many different colors and flavors, so many different effects active and twinkling among them. He found Saira by simply following the Mana through her vines. She was bedecked in a fancy dress that was surprisingly more modest than what she usually walked around in, and she was dancing in a crowd of other people.

Bradley moved off and Lee found Mar when she met up with him. Together they stayed on the fringes of the gathering. He didn't really know what to do at something like this… so he just grabbed a seat and started eating. Miller was taking his bodyguard role too seriously and refused to sit with him, the Anubi declined as well. Lee even tried one of the alcoholic drinks, and found it to be a vile abomination.

He was glad to see that there were guards all around the crowds, spread out and facing away. Even more were on the rooftops of the nearby buildings. A narrower sweep of his [Mana Mind] showed that the walls were manned as well. That fact, plus his new early warning system, let him relax a bit more despite feeling somewhat exposed sitting in the open like this.

Lee finished eating and started people watching. So many happy faces, laughing voices, cheers, it was… nice. Hell, it was fantastic! This is what they were fighting for. He just felt… apart from it all. He didn't really know anyone here. The few he did know were off with each other… "I should just go get back to…"

"Brother!" A hand slapped him on the back and Lee almost choked on the fruit drink he was sipping from. "You made it!"

Lee couldn't help the smile that crawled onto his face. "Hi Alejandro. This is quite the party, isn't it?" He saw Maria and their kids trailing behind the man. Alejandro had come to the party in his full gear, unlike some others…

Jackson was with them as well and Lee looked curiously at the man's Mana. It looked similar to many people around them, but his Core held that same bright red glow that he'd had when fighting the general. "Hi Jackson," Lee said with a smile, "How's the new Evolution?"

He could see the red Mana from the man's core pulsing like a heartbeat. Each throb sent that light from the Core and out into his channels. "That reminds me," Lee pulled out the Core from the General and handed it over. "I wanted you to have first dibs on this one, it might help you avoid dying and might even work synergistically with your new, uh…"

Jackson's expression looked a bit anxious as he kept glancing around but he took the Core. "With my um, rage…" he said hesitantly and his eyes unfocused as he read the Notification, "Huh, it might. I'll think about it." He sighed as he put the Core in a pocket. "It's taking some getting used to but the General and Maria have been…"

"Jackson!" Alejandro exclaimed, "I told you to call me Alejandro! Especially when we are off the clock."

"Sir," Jackson began stiffly, "I would feel better if…"

"Nonsense! You saved my family!" Alejandro proclaimed loudly once again and Lee suspected that he may have had one or two of the new drinks.

Maria confirmed his suspicion a moment later when she handed off Anita to Gabriel and tapped her husband on the back. Magic pulsed from her into him a few times and she pointed at Miller. "You watch him." She pointed at Lee. "I watch him for you. No more drink!" she said the last part while looking at Alejandro.

"Si, Mi Amor!" Alejandro bowed slightly. "No more."

Maria grabbed Lee's hand and tugged him away from the others. "Come, we dance."

"What!" Lee tried to escape her grasp but her hand was like a steel band on his wrist. "Curse my low physical stats!"

Before he could escape, and with Alejandro cheering him on from behind, Lee was dragged onto the dance floor. "We dance," Maria said, "and talk."

"Maria, I don't know any dances!" Lee pleaded for mercy but she didn't relent. Maria took his hand with one of hers and placed the other on her hip, then she started a simple two step back and forth.

Lee relaxed marginally as he adjusted to the easy dance, but it still felt extremely awkward to be here with her, his hand on her waist while he looked down at her. He was a bit surprised at the realization that he was taller than her.

She looked into his eyes and then away. "Lee, I apologize." Lee opened his mouth and stopped. That was not what he'd expected. She met his gaze again and continued, "I don't trust you before, I fear you and never thank you. I am Sorry. You good uncle, good brother. Thank you for saving us."

Lee closed his gaping mouth and tried not to step on her feet as he came to grips with this new eventuality. "Maria, I…"

Lee stopped moving, something had happened in the periphery of his [Mana Mind]. One of the guards on the roof… he'd gone dark. His Mana was fading, condensing down into a Core… he had died! "What? The other guard killed him? No, wait… that… that's not a human!" A humanoid figure with decidedly non-human characteristics was behind the man, a blade sunk deep into his back as the Human's Mana swirled into a new Core.

"Attack…" Lee gasped, "we're under attack!" Maria released him in an instant, her hands suddenly holding twin blades. More of the almost but not quite humans, became clear in his mind, now that he knew what to look for. Their bodies were very similar to humans, almost identical from what he could see, with a few key differences that felt very familiar. But it didn't matter to Lee, their Mana channels were very obviously different and they couldn't hide from him!

He reached out to all the Mana within his perception. "All of this is My Mana, no one can move through my Domain without permission!" He clamped down on all of it, forcing it to stop moving, forcing it to obey him. "It Is Mine!"

Mana raged from the Well, into him and then back out to enact his will. There was a moment of perfect silence as everyone in the area stopped under the force of his [Mana Mind]. Almost everyone… he noticed a few people still moving, but they were his allies, the strongest allies. "We are under attack!" Lee yelled into the quiet moment, "On the roof!" He pulled the non-human that was already breaking free of his imposed stillness, over the edge by tugging the Mana in its enchanted armor. It screamed as it fell, drawing everyone's attention just as the silent moment ended.

Sounds exploded back to life with that scream. New screaming yells of pain and panic rang out, drowning out the thudding impact of the monster.

Lee had forced it to land head first on the ground, but it was already struggling upright when Maria appeared next to it. She hesitated for an instant as she touched it, then drove a knife through its eye and ended its life.

Lee was busy ripping at the Mana of every non-human that he found, more and more of them swarming into his perception every second. "How did they get here? We won! We should have been protected!" He pulled more from the rooftops, while tripping others up to allow the guards they were attacking to kill them. "The wall shouldn't have been breached that easily, or quietly!" He started forcing Runes of Fire past the enchanted helmets they were wearing, onto their skulls. But there were just too many of them. For everyone he sent screaming to the ground with a melting brain, two more came into his perception. "They can't have flown in! I just made sure of that!"

Lee wanted to carve them all in half with his Mana Beam, but couldn't risk using it here, not only was his aim way too poor in these crowded conditions, but if he drained all of his Mana then he would lose the Skill inside [Three] and his lifeline to the Well.

People were rallying all around him now, though many had joined the party unarmed and unarmored. "Idiots!" Martin was trying to organize the few people he had with him to get a perimeter around the children and herd them inside the nearest building. Maria appeared in that group, her two children deposited among the rest before she dashed away towards the approaching hordes, blades wet with blood.

Lee saw the stone walls begin rising around the large open area as Bradley started mustering a defensive fortification. Lee hadn't noticed before, but Bradley must have created a stone floor while he was doing the tables earlier and now he was building on that foundation.

Lee hoped back and over the rising wall to get inside the fortification right as Miller and Trak arrived at his side. "Guard me!" Lee yelled over the chaos, and then started modifying his shield RuneScape. He could put it over Bradley's walls and increase…

Something exploded silently, out past his range. He heard nothing audible but saw and felt the shockwave that traveled through the ground underneath his feet. The ripple passed through the area and left behind… something. The earth Mana below them was now more sluggish… more rigid. And the walls stopped going up. "Shit!"

Lee saw Bradley start moving again as he stopped the wall creation and went on the offensive. His staff launched every one of the enemies it met into the air as he dashed through the charging ranks. Then something zipped through his [Mana Mind] and struck Bradley before Lee could even register its arrival. The stone-covered man stumbled but remained on his feet, the tiny spell too weak to take him down.

More of the tiny, fast spells shot into the crowds and Lee managed to stop a few until one clipped him in the ear and it felt like a flash bang went off inside his head. "Too fast!" Even Miller couldn't see them coming. "It's too weak," Lee thought as he shook off the effect, "so why…" He saw it then, they were almost surrounded by the monsters. "A delaying tactic… just slowing us down."

He saw Saira on the other side of the chaos. She was fighting with a blade in one hand and a single thorny vine in the other. "Is she too tired…" The vines in the ground below were no longer pumping Mana from [Three]... "Did she get cut off?" All of the plants in his perception were dead and drained of Mana… but that could have been her draining them for healing.

This was bad. Very bad. Their two most powerful fighters were either too tired from the recent battle, or they were being countered by something… That change to the Mana in the ground couldn't be a good thing, and he had no idea on how to go about even trying to fix it…

Alejandro was charging across the front lines like a juggernaut, with no signs of fatigue. Jackson was behind him and together they were carving a path of death and destruction. In the immediate vicinity, Miller was frantically moving around, head on a constant swivel as he searched for any incoming threats. More than a few projectiles and even some spells were caught on the man's shield before they could reach Lee.

Lee could see the Mana being expended by his allies, could see Cores dimming as stores were being rapidly depleted. He touched everyone he could reach with [Mana Mind], every human. He didn't have time or the concentration necessary to single out specific people and simply pushed his Mana towards all of them. "Take it!" He didn't know if it would work… or even if it was possible. But something happened nevertheless. Cores brightened all around and Lee felt his body start literally humming as power tore through him.

Even as he did all that, another small part of his Mind was frantically working inside his [Rune Storage], erasing lines here, adding symbols there, and moving others into new configurations. Time was running out fast and they desperately needed this shield to be up. Now!

A small army of humans charged into his perception through the only gap left in the encircling enemies. It was obvious they were human, not only from their Mana Channels, but by the fact that most of them were wearing his Runes. "At least someone was prepared!" Lee forced the Mana around him into a half-dome shell overhead and caught the next zipping spell aimed at him. "The shield will stop those when I get it finished. I should have had it ready before even coming outside!" Half of the incoming guards split off towards the children, while the rest fanned out around the inside of the barely grown walls.

Lee finished his RuneScape design as the fresh fighters arrived. "Shield going up!" Lee yelled in warning. It would be a one way shield, like the one on the walls and would let them attack from safety. A lot of people would be locked outside but the children would be protected and that would let more of the combatants fight without fear. "This is going to suck…" He set a target for the RuneScape, circling around directly inside the small walls and sent the RuneScape out.

Even more Mana moved through him and Lee started to feel it burn. Beyond that, it did suck, it sucked so bad! He was already out of Rune Capacity and forcing more regardless. Lee screamed and pulled a few Runes from the armored man behind him as he forced the RuneScape to deploy as slowly as he could. "Sorry about this…" he thought to the man as he stripped away some of his protection. It was only then, as he was taking the Runes back, that he saw the blow coming. Saw it coming with no time or concentration left to stop it.

A Runed sword pommel slammed into the back of his head with a sickening crunch that set off an explosion of pain and fireworks inside his head.

The shield RuneScape he was placing down failed, and did so with spectacular violence. Lee thought he saw Miller and Trak go flying, even as his own body was blasted into the air. Flying shards of stone sliced into and through his flesh with distantly felt lines of fire. "Why…" was all he had time to think before he crashed back down to earth in a heap. "I have to…" Voices, screams and other sounds were far away as Lee struggled to do… something, anything.

[Source Regeneration] Activated.

"It's not over… I'll heal…" His [Mana Mind] was all wobbly though and he couldn't get a clear image of who or what was around him. He hoped and prayed for the foul taste of one of Trak's potions to appear on his tongue. "Mana Beam them…" Lee felt dull impacts on his body as he struggled to line up a shot… and then another blow struck his head. Hard.

Sound fell away after that one and it felt like he was deep underwater now… sinking down into the dark, deeper and deeper… drowning… "Alejandro… Maria… Trak… Three…" Lee thought sluggishly as the world receded away from him, "anyone… help…"

~~~~~~~

Jackson

~~~~~~~

Jackson followed Alejandro as the man carved an unstoppable path through the hordes, driving back the front lines and giving the defenders time to regroup. As he ran after him, Jackson also struck back at any of the strange creatures that got within reach. They looked almost human, that is until they opened their mouths and revealed horrifyingly sharp teeth. The long pointed ears also didn't hurt.

The whole time, he struggled against the 'rage'. It felt like he had a caged beast trapped inside him, a very angry beast. It wasn't hungry, it felt no fear, all it wanted was to rip and tear everything around him into pieces until it was all Dead!

Jackson clenched his fist tighter around his sword and slammed his shield into a pointy-eared face, a swipe of his sword took an arm off another. He couldn't see anything past the monsters on one side and the humans on the other as he chased after the General.

Light bloomed bright from deeper within the human forces at the same time that he felt a surge of Mana pouring into his Core from somewhere… The light brightened and Jackson recognized the feeling it was giving off. "Lee."

The beast inside him didn't want to fight that old man… Jackson didn't understand it but something had spooked it that first time. Something looking out from behind those eyes. Something big…

Maria was also off limits. The rage beast understood what it saw in her. Inside that small woman lurked a Predator. It did not fear him, only waited calmly and patiently for him to make the mistake of thinking her prey. Then it would just as calmly, proceed to end him. That fact had helped a lot when they took him outside and ran him ragged earlier.

Unfortunately, his beast did not fear Alejandro, instead the man enraged it. Mostly because he was a turtle behind that armor and Jackson could never get through his shell.

The light and rush of power ended suddenly in an explosion that sent bodies high enough to see over the heads of the crowds. "Lee! That can't be good…" Alejandro immediately launched in that direction, soaring through the air to get past the people between them. Jackson jumped after him. He didn't like leaving the less powerful people alone out there, but he was afraid of what would happen if he lost control. He was terrified of coming back to himself amidst the corpses of his allies after going berserk. Almost as terrified of that as he was of dying… again. And again.

The scene that met him when he arrived was terrifying… and confusing. Alejandro was frozen in place, an enemy sword at his throat. "How!" Jackson yelled wordlessly as he charged, partly in anger and just a bit to drive away his fear.

"Stop!" Alejandro shouted and held up a hand towards him.

Jackson slowed and then stopped his charge when he saw the decked out monster that held the sword. Its other hand was wrapped around a small child's throat. A human child. "Is that… oh God, they took hostages!"

The small crowd behind the monster split open and Maria emerged, trailed by another of the creatures, this one resting a sinister hand on Gabriel's shoulder beside it. Claw-like nails were stroking at the metal band around the boy's neck. "I healed him. Let them go," Maria said, and for the first time, Jackson heard fear in her voice.

"No…" the monster hissed, "one more thing." Its mouth didn't match the words he heard and Jackson finally noticed how quiet it was around him. The sounds of battle were dying down and receding into the distance. "Put this on," the creature ordered Maria and handed something to her.

Jackson didn't see what it was because a hand came down on his shoulder and voice hissed in his ear, "Jackson. Remember me?"

Jackson did remember that voice. It was some pissant that he'd beat up when the guy and his buddies tried to shake him down before. "Brand, what's going on here?"

Brand laughed as his grip tightened on Jackson's shoulder. "This? This is payback!"

A searing cold pressure struck him in the back and Jackson saw the blade burst from his stomach in a wash of blood.

A voice shouted something angrily but the words were an unintelligible buzz as Mana pulsed in his chest.

It rose up, higher and higher until it filled him all the way up to the top. "Ah…" Jackson let out a relaxed sigh. "That is so much better!"

He turned to face the prey who had stabbed him. The sword twisted and sent more blood gushing down his legs, but Jackson didn't care. This weak prey had dared to bite him! It had spared him the effort of chasing it, and had offered itself up as a treat instead. He would have preferred the chase… the prey smelled so much better after a good chase, but this was fine too.

He smiled at the prey. "Thank you!" he said, and the scream that came from his mouth made the prey smell just right. "Perfect!"

His claws sank into the flesh and he started the fun! "Rip and Tear! Rip and Tear! Rip and Tear!" Jackson chanted in happy screams as he spread the prey out in beautiful chunks on the ground.

"Put it on." A voice drew his attention and something wrapped around his neck. It burned! Jackson spun and ripped into the prey who had disturbed his fun. That was fun too! But his neck was still burning…

"Stop!" The voice shouted again and Jackson sought out the origin.

"I see you!" Jackson roared in delight, forgetting the burning at the sight of a new target. It had sharp teeth and claws, but was only pretending to be a predator. "Rip!" he screamed, and charged it.

"Stop that one!" the prey squealed in a beautiful way, and then the worst prey got in his way…

A hard metal shell rebuffed his claws, not even getting scratched no matter how hard he hit it. "Out of my way!" Jackson roared at the stupid, quiet, prey. "Bad! Bad! Bad!"

He tried over and over again to get through the shell or around the prey to reach the juicier ones. But it was always in the way!

He didn't go after the small prey, all of them huddled up in a tempting herd. They were claimed by the other one… She had ripped him before, not even killed, just touched him and left him helpless on the ground like one of the pathetic prey.

More of the fake predators got too close and he happily tore them into little pieces before the metal shell could stop him. It was great fun! Except… he was getting tired… slowing down. He needed more… more power. And he had some. A little ball of power in his pocket…

Jackson pulled that little nugget into his heart… and it exploded!

The warm glow in his chest turned into a raging inferno! "Yes!" he howled, and saw delicious fear spreading to the prey all around him.

"Bring him down alive!" the fake predator screamed something again and Jackson pounced.

"Rip!" His next claw forced the metal shell backwards when it got in his way. "Tear!" Further back! "R…" The small predator touched his head before he saw her coming. The world blinked and he had dirt in his mouth. "No! Rip!" Blink. More dirt!

"Tear!" The shell blocked him again but Jackson dodged the woman before she could touch him. He forced the shell back again and felt a new sensation growing alongside the burning in his neck. A need for something… a desperate need… a Hunger!

Jackson jumped back and picked up one of the clawed arms from the ground. His teeth ripped into the cooling flesh and it was… delicious! Almost as good as tearing them apart!

"Lock him down, now! All of you! And stop letting him eat!" That voice was so annoying… Jackson swallowed the last bite and moved.

He kicked past the shell, jumped above the reaching dirt and caught the woman's hand with one of his claws before it could touch his head. His claw went numb and floppy but his remaining claw reached for the screeching throat of the annoying fake predator.

"Mine! Rip!" Jackson roared in ecstatic delight and could almost feel the flesh parting under his claws… then it moved the mewling little prey in front of his claws, held it up as a useless shield.

Jackson… hesitated. "This is not…"

The dirt grabbed his feet and a hand touched his head. The world blinked and he was buried in the dirt. "Rip you! Tear you!" Jackson howled and clawed his way up… but more dirt pulled him down no matter how much he climbed. A hand touched him and his hunger grew into pain. More dirt, more hunger.

"That was terrible," the horrible voice whined loudly, "but don't worry. You will all be taught the proper behavior, in time." It laughed in a weak sniveling cry as the hunger devoured Jackson's fire, leaving behind only the burning pain. "You Humans truly are wonderful specimens, wonderful and valuable specimens!" It laughed again with a grating and pathetic sound and Jackson howled his defiance at it. Then the burning pain dragged him down into the gnawing dark.

He felt a hand on his head as he sank and heard a woman's voice, "Be ready, Jackson." He understood Maria's words as the beast inside him curled up into a little ball in his chest and finally went quiet. "And Thank You…" Her final whispered words followed him down and his eyes burned with dry unshed tears. Both in fear of what had happened to them all, and in relief over what had not happened at his hand.