Now that everyone had something to eat and time to calm down, we can continue our meeting. Really everyone. The two children are restless and fidgeting.

"Carl, Anna, are you two sure you want to be here?"

"Why not? What else do you want us to do? I... don't recall you giving us an order."

"Dunno, maybe play with each other or Maria? You're still children, enjoy your childhood while you can and leave the politics to the adults."

"Even if we are your slaves?"

"...if I had any say in the matter you two wouldn't be slaves anymore. Maria, can you take care of them?"

"Sure thing, my lord."

The three leave the room.

"Well, why we are on that topic, there really is no way to free slaves, is there?"

Marca responds, "I'm afraid there is none."

"At least, none we know of", responds Therese, "not that a lot was tried. As I told you earlier, Jared, the idea for slavery came from a 'Lost Child' and hardly anyone would dare to think to go against their judgment."

Darius crosses his arms, "I don't get why you care about them. Slaves are just tools to be used. Even God has decreed so."

"Sorry to break your illusion but even gods make mistakes. And I believe that to be one of those cases. If the only reason, you believe the gods to be okay with this, is that a 'Lost One' brought that idea into this world, then I feel it to be in my right as a 'Lost One' to end that business. Not that I can currently do so... repealing existing laws requires a level of 'Fortress Lord' I don't have at the moment. But eventually, I will do so, so do me a favor and start treating them less like things and more like fellow people."

"If you wish so..."

Marca asks, "Do you believe this is a good idea? Several people rely on slave labor and some of those slaves didn't have an alternative."

"I'm not happy with people getting such a seal if there is no option to remove it. As punishment for criminals, it may be preferable to the death penalty, maybe, but I've not come to a final conclusion on that, to be honest. As for those that have no other way out of their misery... I'd prefer a less permanent fate for them. Like a loan that can be paid off and then the seal gets removed or something. Anyway, this is a topic that can wait until later. We have honestly more pressing matters right now."

Therese takes charge, "I honestly can't decide which issue is more pressing, our lack of firepower against the flood monsters or the food shortage. With you taking over the fortress, the latter should become a little better since the yield of the farms no longer gets a twenty percent penalty but we'd rather need double what we currently make..."

"I think we can treat this as one problem. Currently, we only have space for a single building I can create with my authority. For anything else, we need to reclaim the slum area first."

"Then do that", demands Darius, "what stops you?"

"In theory, nothing. But the moment I lay claim on it, all the people there will be judged based on what they have done in the past, and with how things are now a lot of them will be sentenced to death."

"So, what do you plan to do then?", asks Geoffrey.

"Since I can't pardon them for a very long time, we will claim it step by step. First, we'll build more living quarters in the sole construction place we have. Then we move those from the slums that are innocent there. Those that aren't... we'll force them into a corner so we can reclaim about half of the slums without anyone having to die. We'll demolish the building ruins to create more space and replace them with an ammo factory and whatever options I have for food production. No idea how many buildings we can afford or have space for, we'll just have to start and see how it goes."

Chloe interjects, "And how exactly will that factory help us?"

Therese answers, "I guess it would provide some jobs for the current slum dwellers and let us employ some archers that are currently just sitting around because we lack arrows and bullets."

Bullets? Wait, this world has guns? I thought it was based on the stereotype of late medieval times with magic instead of guns?

"Ah, sorry, I've... never seen any of them in action. So they weren't on my mind."

Therese clarifies for her, "Makes sense, we have only about a hundred arrows left, no bullets at all, and we keep those in case an airborne boss appears with a flood."

"So, any objections to this plan?"

"None", answers Darius, "If all goes as planned, how would we proceed from there?"

"I've no specific idea for that stage, that depends entirely on how many resources we'll have left, how much more food is needed, how much space we have left... We have to analyze the results and then decide the next steps."

"Understood."

Chloe expresses her concerns, "What else can we do? I don't think just a few archers will help us survive long-term. Too many soldiers get hurt on a daily basis and have to stay away for several days or weeks."

Marca offers an answer, "Right, we need more medical staff as well. Can you do something about that, Jared?"

"I should be able to raise the number of medical jobs supported in this fortress. But as for actual practitioners, we would still need to recruit those."

"I'll add that to my list then", offers Therese, "I'm already responsible for staff matters."

"Great, while you are at it, can you also look for someone that can aid me with paperwork and a few housekeepers or maids?"

"Sure thing."

"One other thing I want to check long-term would be general education. Do you have something like a school? Or where do you get your basic knowledge?"

"Well, since nobles", Therese sounds angry, "don't allow us commoners to raise our own children or even have a family in the first place, most grow up in an orphanage. We learn a bit there but not much, they are understaffed as well."

"Right, there was that topic as well. Once I have sufficient rights, I'll need to change the relevant laws to prohibit these 'commoner' hunts that have plagued your history."

"That... won't bring them back..."

"Therese, that wasn't Jared's fault, don't blame him for it, please."

"I know, Chloe, I know."

Therese takes a short breath to calm down and then thinks for a moment, "What do you plan to do with your sla-... with the two children?"

"No idea yet. I think we should train Anna. She is a hero candidate which could become important, but ultimately I want to leave that choice to her."

"....please decide that sooner rather than later. And the other kid?"

"No clue. Carl has no combat class, even if we had access to a mine here, I don't want a child to work there... and seeing from how you react I doubt a merchant would want to take him as an apprentice. I guess, once you get me someone to work as a housekeeper, Carl could work as an apprentice to them."

"Alright."

"Hmm... right, before I forget, I met the other vampire earlier in the slums, killed him. He claimed that the vampire noble that created him lives not here but in a place called 'Bloodhausen', ever heard of it?"

Therese is clueless, "Not that as far as I can recall."

Darius has a guess, "Maybe he renamed the place after taking it over? You've done the same, Jared. Well, it's not like we have much contact with other places between those damn floods."

"Yeah, makes sense. Well, at least if it is true what he said, it means we have one problem less here."

"True."

"So, next point... it should be obvious, but I'll need a regular donation of blood. So far, I've abused the lawless slums, but if we want to truly abolish that, I need an alternative."

Chloe touches her neck, "How much... are we talking about?"

"Too much for taking it only from the same three to five people, that would only end with dead people. We need to involve more residents."

Chloe sighs in relief.

Marca is a bit curious, "What does it feel like, Chloe?"

"Don't ask me. I was utterly messed up when it happened, and maybe still am. It felt... both painful and pleasant at the same time... and I hate pain."

"Interesting", seems like Marca has a bit of an M in her.

"When you two are done fooling around...", Therese interrupts them, "How about offering tax cuts for those that donate some blood to you, Jared? Well, if you can do that."

"Not sure I can. Hey, Justo, is that an option?"

The building booms, "I think it is, once you hit level 5."

"Alright, thanks."

"It can talk?", Chloe is surprised. Well, all of them are.

"I prefer 'he' over 'it', but yes, I can."

"I meet a 'Lost One', possibly two even, I talk to a house... No, I'm just dreaming."

"Sorry, Chloe, this is real."

I give her a moment, "Ok, so, fifty percent tax reduction for a month? For health reasons, limited to once per three months. Preferably with prior health checkups and appointments so I can spread the... meals out a bit. Overindulging doesn't help any of us. Well, need to see what exactly I can do once I unlock the option."

Chloe is worried, "And... if you don't get enough volunteers?"

"I hope it doesn't come to that... I don't want to become a tyrant who has to order for mandatory 'volunteers'... worst case I could abandon my morals and keep about a dozen slaves just for feeding purposes..."

I hate this idea...

Therese takes notes, "How many would be the minimum for you to get by?"

"That is a complicated question. Just to live, two per week, or just one if I would be willing to take enough blood to kill the victim. I am not.

But since I also need to spend some time in the dungeon, three to four would be better. Any beyond five would just mean I need to take less blood per donor. That is unless I obtain a way to store some blood for later use, like travel to other places or extended stays in the dungeon."

"Alright."

"I think that's all the points I wanted to go through for now. Anyone got something else to add or can we make plans for the big announcement?"

"Nothing from my side", didn't expect much else from Elly.

No one else says anything.

Therese finishes her notes, "When do you plan to hold this announcement, Jared?"

"The sooner the better. We need some time to prepare, I have to write my speech at least. I think it'd be better if I had two more levels for 'Fortress Lord' so I at least know what I can promise as compensation for blood donations. That would mean it should be after our next dungeon visit on Thursday."

"So how about directly on Thursday then? Let's say in the evening so you have enough time to check your options regarding tax breaks."

"So we'd have just three days to prepare everything, do you really think that is enough?"

"Two should be plenty if everyone does their part properly, right, Darius?"

"Why are you looking at me? I'm the personification of reliability!"

"Sure you are..."

"Good, Thursday evening it is then. Can I leave the notices for the announcement to you?"

"Yeah, no problem!", Darius seems energetic for some reason.

"Just make sure enough soldiers remain at the gates during that time."

"What do you take me for? A bloody beginner?"

"No, just someone that nearly killed their 'holy figure'."

"Hey, come on! That wasn't my fault! I didn't know the truth about you at the time!"

"Anything else we need to consider for that?"

Chloe answers, "I don't think so."

"Good, then that's that."

Finally, Geoffrey speaks up, "Uh, Jared, what do you plan to do with our party composition? As you know, three left recently."

"Yeah, we'll need to find replacements."

"Don't ask me, please", says Therese, "I know you weren't involved, but I have bad histories with both nobles and vampires. I... don't want to be reminded of what happened back then. And I don't trust myself that these feelings won't come up at an inopportune time."

"Sure, I won't pressure you."

What? People talk about their issues before they become a problem? What madness is this!?

"But you can count on me!", proclaims Darius.

"No, I can't."

I don't want him in my group. He is strong, yes, but I can't trust him. He's shown to be too impulsive and unpredictable. His stupid high STR combined with the [Blessed Weapon] skill and one lost temper could cost me everything...

And it is totally not because you tried to kill me a few days ago, nope.

Now, what excuse can I use...

"Eventually I'll need to leave this fortress to travel to other places. I can't in good conscience leave this whole fortress without your leadership. I don't think I can afford to create a team to take down one dungeon and then start completely over for the next step. The investment of time and 'Class Cores' would be too high."

"You can't mean that..."

"I can and I do. Sorry, but I can't take you with me, Darius."

"Fine..."

"So, Marca, Geoffrey, you two still want to be in? Long-term, I would like to make the members of my party 'familiars' like Chloe is, assuming that it is safe, and so far Chloe shows no signs that it isn't. The point of that is that I can share one skill, later even two or three with my 'familiars'. I was thinking of starting with [Sleepless] and then later adding [Ageless]. The former would allow you to never need sleep again, instead, you would regenerate HP, MP and SP passively. That would enable us to recover while in a dungeon. The latter skill... well, it would give you a much longer lifespan."

"And the third skill?", asks Geoffrey.

"I wouldn't worry about it. Unlocking that requires level 35 in a class with minimal stat gains and no other skill that profits from a higher level, so that won't happen in a relevant time frame. Level 20 for the second is already pushing it. But if I had to choose right now, I'd say out of the skills I can choose from [Enhanced Regeneration] would be the most useful, just thirty percent more regeneration. With that, do you truly still want to join my party? Please think thoroughly about it. Once done, there's no taking it back."

The two exchange looks, then Marca asks, "Jared, can you give us a moment to talk about this? That is... quite a big decision, honestly."

"Sure, take your time."

Marca and Geoffrey leave the room to talk.

Darius still hasn't given up, "Now, Jared. I know you've said that I can't be on the final team, but can I at least join your party until you've found a permanent replacement? You know that I'm quite strong."

"I'm aware of that, and that is another reason against it. We would just come to rely on you too much. From what I've seen from you so far, I estimate that you would have a hard time letting us go to learn teamwork on our own."

"That... may be true. Fine, I give up... but what about the holy maiden Lucia?"

"Didn't you listen earlier? The same reason that made me not invite her to this meeting counts double for extended dungeon trips. Here I might at least notice the influence of her skill in advance and still have time to prevent a disaster but in the dungeon surrounded by monsters, it would just be a death sentence. Show me a way to negate its influence and I'll take her in a heartbeat."

"Give it up, Darius", Therese admonishes him again, "his logic is sound. As it is we'd just sacrifice that girl for nothing. Why are you even so hung up about this?"

"Oh, err... nothing. I'm just exploring what our options are for building a strong team."

"Are you sure that is all? You're hiding something."

"Maybe, but nothing you have to worry about."

The couple returns, "We're in, Jared."

"Alright. With you two and Chloe that is four. The party limit is seven. I still need to talk with Anna if she is up for trying her hand at the hero thing. If she is that would be five. I don't really want to drag a child along but if the 'hero' is as important as I think it is, we don't really have a choice."

"Will you make us familiars then?"

"Give me a moment."

I quickly check my menu.

Limit 0/1 Active Familiars Chloe

Still 0/1? I expected 1/2 since I have 1 familiar currently and skill level and therefore a max of 2.

Or... is that the shared skill limit?

You have taken Geoffrey and Marca as your familiars.

You currently have 3/2 familiar(s).

ERROR: exceeding the current limit of familiars.

Rising level of "Vampire Lord" to compensate...

Insufficient exp to perform this action, 1250 required, 1247 present.

The difference will be deducted from future exp gain.

"Vampire Lord" has successfully reached level 3.

You currently have 3/3 familiar(s).

Wait, what? It can just use my exp like that? At least I couldn't increase a level when I lacked exp earlier.

Shit system... although... would that mean I can for the final battle just take a whole continent as familiars and force the system to power level me? Or at least up to the twenty familiars limit. Food for thought later.

And when did I send the invitation? Did the skill just take Marca asking about it and me not denying it as sufficient consent?

Limit 0/1 Active Familiars Chloe, Geoffrey, Marca

Ok, I give up on making sense of this system.

"Done, I guess. Does anything feel weird to you two?"

"No, I'm fine."

"Same here."

"Good, but if that changes you better visit a medic ASAP."

"Sure."

Geoffrey checks his menu, "I don't seem to have gotten the [Sleepless] skill."

"I haven't assigned it yet."

"Could you do so now? I'd like to get used to the difference before the next dungeon trip."

"Riiight, and it's totally not because you want to have more time in a day to spend with your girl. One second."

Limit 1/1 Shared Skills Sleepless Active Familiars Chloe, Geoffrey, Marca

"Now?"

"Yeah, now I have it."

"Well, then have fun on your dates."

Geoffrey reddens and Marca smiles at him mischievously. I just let the two be.

"Therese, when the speech is over, can we have a look at the artifacts your vault contains? At least I guess there must be more than just the crystal a certain someone used to give me a bad day."

Darius complains, "Hey, why don't you ask me? I have the higher authority!"

"Certain someone."

"Ok, I'm quite..."

"We can do that, Jared, but I don't think you'll find anything useful there."

"But that means there is at least something worth looking at. Even if it may be useless now, knowing what we have at our disposal for an emergency has worth by itself."

"Sure thing."

"Ok, that is enough from my side. Is there anything else one of you wanted to add?"

Nos and shaking heads answer my question.

"Fine, then I declare this meeting over."

Darius and Therese leave. Chloe, Marca and Geoffrey stay a bit longer just to chat.