Time had no meaning while at rest I was asleep, yet my mind traveled through the endless roots and bright sparks of qi-filled seeds. My bur-covered seeds traveled with the demon hosts as they spread far and wide. On occasion, one dropped in fertile land and grew detached from the greater whole, and in time my connection to it ebbed. While my connections remained strong, I used the seeds to map out the ashen hills and the Barony of Terranor. I followed them as they raided towns to fill out their numbers. My spirit extended through the seedlings connecting to the whole like pings off cell towers. Through them and the fast-moving demon hosts, the land opened before me. I searched for the spirits that would help me ascend in my time of rest.

With the land opened, I searched for a higher fire spirit, earth spirit, and metal spirit. To ascend a balance of the 5 elements was needed unless I wanted to bow my head to a greater being. But that wasn’t happening; there were no gods or demons above me. So, I searched and stretched myself out using the demon to spread my awareness.

Terranor was one of the largest Baronies in Bedrock County. It was wealthy with more mines than people and many mining towns built across its frontier. Towns in this Barony popped up and vanished dependent on the mines. The people were shorter than most and fearful of the surrounding forests. When the demon swept through the Barony to capture the Baron and his family, it avoided the largest towns.

Now that its plan to sacrifice the Baron in front of Lucio Prescott failed, it attacked the towns it missed to swell its numbers. My thoughts on that ritual were inconclusive. I thought the demon’s goal was to forge a new host aligned to its nature. The demon’s own father was slain, and so were its siblings; they were eaten by its mother. Did it plan to turn the mother into a host and have it devour the others? If so, that would impact the qi within Lucio, creating symmetry with the demon. Lucio would have made a powerful vessel almost entirely open to the demon’s possession. This conclusion reaffirmed my decision to prevent the ritual and drive the demon away. Now the demon’s hosts unknowingly worked for me.

I found a mining town holding out against the demon through which I sensed a powerful higher earth spirit. I decided then that it would be our next destination.

But first, while the demon was scared and on the run, it was time to search out a high-class fire spirit. There were beings far more powerful than the upstart demon in the Ashen hills. I could feel the demon’s fear and knew that it couldn’t hold a candle to the greater ashen of these hills despite its many hosts. That was good because one of those big shot ashen was headed our way, killing every demon host in sight.

That’s why when Shadbak shook me awake, I wasn’t surprised that we had an emissary at our drawbridge. My eyes snapped open to total darkness; I reached out and blindly fumbled for a lamp. Once I felt the familiar grooves, I followed the runic circle slowly and let a soft pale light fill the room.

I made the lamps for a reason. The last thing I wanted to be reliant on in a wooden fortress was open flame torches. Burning down my own fortress while we had thousands of demon hosts at our gates seemed like an idiotic way to go.

“A neighboring tribe has seen our strength and wishes to trade,” Shadbak reported dutifully in her own orcish way. “Or they are scouting your fortress for weaknesses for an eventual invasion.”

The news spread a grin across my face. “Thanks, I can always count on you to tell me how it is. Has Emily sent a message to him, does he have any guards, and what’s the disposition of our guests?” I asked before looking through the roots beneath the Emissary’s feet.

“Emily knocked on the door and said someone is at the draw bridge. I haven’t moved since you nestled between my breasts like a babe and fell asleep. But if they haven’t invaded, my jade is on a rival looking to trade.” Shadbak said.

Sensing them through a few roots was one thing but looking at them with my own eyes was another. I climbed a ladder to the balcony and stared out over the dragon fire-filled moat. Small ashen worked tirelessly to fill my moat with spirit cores and demon hosts. Vast amounts of purified fire qi fed the fortress and blasted into the air. While a good portion of it crystalized, I couldn’t say we were profiting off it. No higher fire spirit had formed, much to my disappointment. My ashen refused any spirit that hadn’t formed in the moat naturally.

If one had manifested, then many of my troubles would be over. I could use the fire qi to boost my cultivation before moving out. After I harvested the crystal, I could capture a few ashen horses and feed them the crystals while we traveled to the mining town. Of course, the demon hosts would be an issue. Once out of the fortress, my strength would only be equal to high coalescence realm without transforming. Even If I reached the great circle, I still needed three more spirits besides a higher fire spirit. If I wanted to really do well then, I needed 7 more. Light and dark and wind and lightning spirits would give me a more complete set of powers. If I wanted to go all out, I would need to add an aspect spirit like knowledge or something even more esoteric. Well, the question was, how long did I want to stay in the coalescence realm? Or how long did I need to stay in it?

I couldn’t say I’ve mastered wood even with the fortress; I knew I missed aspects of the type. Give and take was simple enough, and so was generational adaptation, but I doubted that was all wood type could do. If I wanted to learn the secrets of wood type, I needed to find some old master. If the demon hosts hadn’t already killed them all in the forests, then I could search there. Speaking of mentors, I couldn’t sense Washington anymore, and there was a lump in my fortress that wasn’t me.

It drained away qi like a tumor does blood and nutrients to my senses. Whole streams of qi were subverted to the lump connected to the roots but acted as a dead zone to my spiritual senses. I could only sense that it originated from one of my seeds before it was subverted. I wanted to blame the ashen Emissary for a moment before tossing the idea aside. An entity that powerful wouldn’t need to resort to trickery. The Emissary could rip through my fortress with the same ease the demon lion could ravage a human village.

Washington was missing, and no one liked him. They probably killed him, or more likely, he did something that forced their hands. I told him to abandon the before times and embrace this new world. He refused all of my attempts to train him. Still, his death wasn’t my intention. Unfortunately, there was no one to morn him. I had things to do. But, of course, he might not be dead if that tumor attached to my fortress was him. Then he might have a genuinely terrifying skill and possibly a parasitic one at that.

I decided at that moment that it was time to leave.

The Emissary’s presence strengthened along with many powerful guards. It was in the lord class and higher in it than the demon. Each guard felt equal to the demon. So that led me to my next question.

What did we have to trade? Wooden spears, flame retardant lumber, and smoked catfish were about it; we haven’t had much luck gathering spirit cores. If I could make a trade for a high-class spirit core, I would be satisfied. There wouldn’t be a reason to stay here any longer unless there was a high-class earth spirit or core nearby. The Barony had plenty of mines, and those mines had plenty of earth and metal spirits. If I played my cards right, I might be able to snag both a metal and earth spirit. Then all I would need was water.

Then there was Shadbak’s tribe to worry about; we had already delayed too long. Though I didn’t know how much help I could give them. Still, I was fucking one of the chief’s daughters, and she wouldn’t be happy if her tribe went extinct.

Once we left my fortress, my strength would plummet to normal levels.

The demon hosts would return to being a credible threat. A high-class fire spirit would help bridge the gap.

But that wouldn’t match the sheer power boost my fortress granted. While it wasn’t yet a haunted house, it was developing into something similar but in another direction. It was living and adapted much easier than a gestalt spirit. I couldn’t say the aura from my fortress filled the surroundings the same way. But, we weren’t cut off from this reality either. Something was missing that could take my fortress from being just a building to a gestalt spirit. I needed more research to figure that one out.

I stood up and felt a little bit better. Not sleeping hadn’t done my mental health any good. First, I would meet with Lucio and his family and greet our ambassador.

“Is that an Orc?” I turned to see a slip of a girl with perfectly even black hair. Her amber eyes were a mix of comical bulging and intense calculation.

I remained calm raised an eyebrow, blasted her with the full might of my aura, and used a common argumentation technique. “No, she isn’t,” I said.

My power as the master of this fortress brought the girl to her knees. “But she’s green.” The girls said.

“It’s a skin condition and rude to bring upon her presence,” I said.

The girl fell down to her elbows in prostration. “She’s taller than any man I’ve ever met.” The girl whimpered.

“Clearly, you need to get out more,” I said.

The girl’s head touched the floor under my power. “I apologize clearly; my eyes have deceived me, and I jumped to conclusions. Prophet bless you for saving me, my lord.” The girl gasped.

I made the triad symbol and let the girl up. She sucked in a shuttering breath before letting it out. “Let's go introduce my very human friend to your father before we let the ambassador in,” I said.

The girl stared at me with almost hero-worship; it made me feel uncomfortable. “So, this is how you wield overwhelming power.”

“Would you like to write it down, or have you memorized the lesson?” I asked.

I turned to see Shadbak, who looked completely confused. She handed me my spear and dressed in her Wolfen furs. Then she strapped her own flail made from a carved plank of wood and demon host teeth to her hip. She looked like a barbaric orc woman; the only thing missing was bones braided into her hair. But, of course, she preferred her hair straight.

“Lead the way, Maddie. I would hate to keep your father waiting. There are things to do and ambassadors to meet. We also have to discuss the state of his Barony and how calling himself a baron may no longer be true. After all, the Heroes have invaded with legions at their backs to dig the demons hosts out one burned town at a time.” I said with a false grimace.

Really there was no better time to sneak into a town and snag a few higher spirits; those things were often reserved for the nobility or village leaders.

…

I stepped into my sitting room to see the Baron lounging in my comfy chair leaned back on two legs with his sons with him. His wife sang a hymn of some kind about the strength of the faith. Then she saw Shadbak and screamed. The Baron jumped up from his seat and felt for a sword that wasn’t there. He instead unleashed nascent realm qi in the form of a fiery lash. Before the qi traveled more than an inch down its path, it was dissipated by the formations surrounding the walls.

Fires were one of my greatest concerns, so I made sure to put up formations that prevented fires from getting started within my home. Any fire that left its designated places like the fireplace or woodstove would be snuffed out by the formations. Skills like the fire lash the Baron tried was no different.

While it was strange for a pure earth type to use fire techniques, there was a reason for it. From my understanding, areas heavy in certain types of qi made some type-based skills more accessible than others. If he had used an earth-type skill, he would need to supply his own qi. While in this area fire type skills could be fed qi from the surroundings. It was a clever tactic from a learned man. His weakness was in the culture; their belief in limiting formation usage made him unused to formations in combat.

Emily, for her part, rolled her eyes but ultimately stayed out of it. The Baron looked from her to us, and then his face turned red and then purple. “You’re consorting with orcs. Do you have any idea what those savages do to our towns?”

“She’s not an orc Shadbak only looks like one.” Maddie snarked. She had looked from her father to me up until the nascent realm fire skill flickered out like a blown candle. At that point, she knew who had power here.

“Have you gone leave of your senses that is an orc? She’s green tall and dressed in skins.” The Baron said.

I didn’t overtly use my strength like I had before. “So, if she had pale skin, was shorter, and wore a dress, she would be human,” I said.

I made a triad symbol. “The Prophet loves all his children no matter the color, dress, or height.” Then, finally, some recognition came into the Baron’s eyes, and he looked at Emily and then at me.

This was a long shot, but something like the inquisition brainwashing orcs to become worshippers of the Prophet couldn’t be kept secret. People talked, and many nobles would be up in arms either for or against the conversion. So I decided to use rumors and random verses from a book I considered less valuable than toilet paper to promote an idea. People loved to make misconceptions if they fell in with their belief system.

Something seemed to click in the Baron’s mind. “So, this is a further attempt at converting the heathen orcs to the Prophet’s light. A pious goal, though, dressing her like a heathen was in poor taste. I can only assume your resources are limited in this fortress.” The Baron said. “Despite the wonders within, I can see many superfluous uses of the holy law. Though in the war against demons, surely the Prophet will forgive you.” The Baron said.

I didn’t give a fuck about the Prophet or what he would or wouldn’t forgive. When people are left to their own devices and without recourse, they often find reasons to accept their lot. This Baron had gone from soon to be executed to sitting by a fire in a cooled room of my fortress. Some of my spirit peanuts were roasting on a clay tray over the fireplace. Seeing an orc might have been surprising, but we were with the inquisition as far as the Baron knew.

After using the triad symbol, he put all the wrong pieces together through rumors. Did the inquisition convert orcs to infiltrate and turn wild tribes? Absolutely, we were here in orc territory with an orc, and I had made the triad symbol. Like a good little follower, he had acted as I suspected. While gaslighting was plan B, plan A had always been to let the Baron fit us in his own worldview. Of course, plan C had been to just toss the Baron and his family out on their asses for the demon hosts.

Still, we had legions following heroes into the Baron’s lands. Towns were ransacked, women raped, and whole sects were put to the sword whether Prophet compliant or not. This man was a Baron in name only, and his uses were limited.

“With that out of the way, we have guests,” I said.

The Baron grew still. “An ashen lady, twenty ashen knights, and hundreds of footmen of the high class are at your door. The woman herself appears to be a noble spirit of the Earl class. If you have any sense, you’ll turn them away as you did the demon hosts. They worship only their foul heathen god Sol Invictus.” The Baron said and spat the last words.

“An Earl class, I can feel her power from here, and it's stronger than the demon by far. Well, I don’t think I could stop them if they invaded. The low-ranked demon was one thing, but she is another.” I said.

“Untrue the demon has an ability that blunts human crafted weapons and weakens human qi. This lady does not. If you fought her, your weapons would be much more effective.” Emily said.

“Our food stores won’t last forever. And I don’t trust you, Baron, or your children other than Lucio. I saved you, and now one of my men is dead. Washington may have been an idiot, but he was a useful one. I had plans for him, and now he’s dead. So, I will meet this Emissary and see what they want. If they want peace and trade, then that’s what I’ll give them, and if they want war and conquest, I’ll give them that too but not in the way they expect.” I said.

Speed and maneuverability are my greatest strengths, not the fortress. I could use guerrilla tactics and hit them from multiple directions and obliterate any form of stability they had. From there, I could target one of her higher ashen foot soldiers for the higher spirit core. After that, this area was worthless unless the ashen had some secret library I could pilfer. Of course, I could always use more books.

The Baron stood up and summoned his nascent realm qi. His aura erupted in full force, and I could see the power shining beneath his skin. This was the strength of a nascent soul, something beyond the human limit. But time had always been against the Baron. His only opportunity to defeat me had been while I was resting. Unfortunately, the Baron had only given me an opportunity.

I gathered the power of the reaching guard towers, the deep roots of my foundation, and the ever-hungry flames in my moat. Though his nascent qi held a quality far high than the coalescence realm, quantity had a quality all its own. I acted as the fulcrum to the power of my fortress.

The power I gathered smashed down onto the Baron. A single pebble wasn’t much, but what about a hundred, a thousand, or tens of thousands hitting all at once. Here my power was multiplied beyond my own cultivation, making it competitive to the realms of the nascent and beyond.

Bloodshot out of the Baron’s mouth, and he fell to a knee. His long grey hair soon filled with sweat and fell in front of his face. Still, my power continued to fall onto him like an avalanche without end. It was an enduring power that fell seemingly without end.

“Stop, you made your point. Please Red spare my father. He’s grieving over the loss of my brother and his lands.” Lucio said.

I noticed that Maddie only watched in cruel fascination. There was awe in her eyes and a slight smirk tugging at her lips. She was crazy. Even so, I let my power continue to flow for a second more just to make a point before reining it in. While the power continued to beat against him, I etched a tiny formation on him before letting the power ebb. I had a feeling we might not be here much longer. If that was the case, I needed some insurance once we left my center of power.

“Then there is only one thing left to do. Emily, let’s go meet our guests.” I said before turning and walking towards the door. Just before we left the room, I stopped. “We might need this room for the meeting; clear out of it before I return.”

When we were out of earshot, Emily spoke. “You made a powerful enemy today. Even if he no longer controls his lands and levies, a nascent realm expert is powerful. They are blessed by the Prophet more than the common cultivator. Only the Majority realm experts are blessed with more favor.”

Shadbak snorted. “Red couldn’t show his throat, or he would be the one on his knees. The deposed chief is strong but feels weak. Killing Washington was just as much a balm to his pride as it was vengeance for his son.” Shadbak said.

I shook my head; we wouldn’t need to worry about the Baron much longer. If I played my cards right, we’ll have what I need and possibly horses in exchange for the fortress. All I had to do was play my part, and I’d get everything I wanted.