As the others started preparing to venture out again, Rory went back to the column with the Warded Sigil of Settlement. Several of the others had risen, a few of the newcomers arriving at the main hall to see what sort of breakfast could be found. Rory greeted them pleasantly, though they evaded his gaze and mumbled their replies.

He let them enjoy what little they had of their meals and focused on the pillar before him. It probably looked weird, but Rory was too excited to see what bonuses they got from the zones. Rory focused on the [Settlement Status] and the Sigil of Shelter within it, which brought up the [Zonal Configuration] and its map. Once there, he assigned all the areas they had discussed to different slots they had found.

[Zonal Configuration: Tier I]

Habitation

Main Hall [Central]: First floor [Proximity Bonus]

Main Hall [East Wing]: First floor [Proximity Bonus]

Main Hall [West Wing]: First floor [Proximity Bonus]

Storage

East Tower: Second and third floors [Proximity Bonus]

-

Garden

Courtyard [Rear Half]: [Proximity Bonus]

Roof [North]: [Focal Bonus]

Roof [South]: [Focal Bonus]

Infirmary

-

-

Defence

Walls: [Frontline Bonus]

Barricades: [Proximity Bonus]

Gate: [Frontline Bonus]

Towers: [Vantage Bonus]

Command Centre

Main Hall [Central]: Third floor [Focal Bonus]

Rory stared appreciatively at all the bonuses. Well, as much as some meaningless terms could be appreciated. He didn’t have to remain in mystery for long, though. He found he could focus on each of the individual terms to figure out their meaning.

[Zonal Configuration: Tier I]

Proximity Bonus

Habitation: Allows 50% faster residents readiness switch when under attack

Storage: Allows 50% faster resource transfer when under attack

Garden: Production is 20% faster

Defence: Automatic Reconstruction is 20% faster

Focal Bonus

Garden: All produce has 25% more nutrients

Command Centre: Everyone within the Area of Influence has stats boosted by 5%

Frontline Bonus

Defence: Defence of each structure raised by 25%

Vantage Bonus

Defence: Ranged attacks now deal 10% more damage

It took Rory a second to parse all the information he had been presented. He didn’t exactly feel any different from before, but his stats had never manifested in any overt feelings. It was unlikely they would start now.

Nevertheless, it had been a while since Rory had checked his [Status].

[Status]

Rory McIlroy

Race: Human

Class: Grand Weaver

Profession: Veteran Merchant

Tier: Cerulean II [0%]

Perks: Rescuer, Stalwart, Looter, Venerable, Lifedrain

Stats

Spirit: 40 [Argent VII]

Fortitude: 40 [Argent VII]

Vitality: 36 [Argent VI]

Leadership: 53 [Cerulean I]

Sigils

Sigil of Weaving: Legendary, [Cerulean V]

Sigil of Warding: Mythic, [Cerulean I]

Sigil of Stats: Ordinary, [Argent X]

Sigil of Knowledge: Exceptional, [Cerulean II]

Sigil of Mercantilism: Exceptional, [Cerulean II]

Sigil of Wielding: Exceptional, [Argent VI]

Items

Staff of Deadly Winter

-

-

Once more, he had little faith in his maths, but from what he recalled, his Stats from his various Sigils were at the correct number. Especially if he considered all the bonuses that were in play.

He frowned at the Leadership stat. Happy as he was to be able to share his boons with others, it was strange that the system hadn’t granted him another slot after filling up all the stat slots again. Maybe it wasn’t a repeatable achievement. But if so, he’d have to figure out how to get more stat Sigil slots.

It also meant he needed to consider what sort of bonuses and buffs he could share with the others. There was his passive mental resistance as a result of his other Stat Sigils, and if he could grant that to the others, it would provide an enormous boon against monsters like the Wraith Lord. But that wasn’t enough. Rory figured he needed more.

When he met up with Leo later, the boy had received a pack containing 5 of Raspium, Lobe Seeds, Hogfish Eyes, and Poultry Gallbladders from Dez for a simple training objective. That really was a random assortment of materials. Sue had also reported that she had achieved three new Tiers as a reward for completing her patrolling objective. That was it for the Sigil of Quests for the day.

Except for his Sigil quest, which he needed to figure out.

“Rory,” Evelyn called.

He pulled himself out of his contemplations and smiled at her. “What’s up?” Then he noticed the others behind her. Several of the newcomers were trailing her, looking curious and apprehensive at the same time. “Everything alright?”

“All good,” she said. “But now that they’re all officially rescued, they’ve got a bunch of new Sigils thanks to one of your Perks.”

“Oh right, yeah. The Rescuer perk.”

“Right. Can you help them figure it all out?” She stepped closer, lowering her voice as she did so. “Of course, all of them received new Sigils, but we’re dividing them up so that they’re in smaller groups. Both so it’s easier for one person to explain… and to keep an eye on them.”

Rory controlled himself as he felt the instinctive need to inhale a sharp breath. Wouldn’t do to alert the newcomers that there was something suspicious going on. He felt a little guilty at still not trusting them to this degree, but Evelyn was right. Better safe than sorry. No telling what sort of people they all were, after what Adam had done.

“I’ll take care of them,” Rory said. “In the meantime, can you figure out where you want to place an infirmary here? I need to know for the Zonal Configuration.”

Evelyn nodded, leaving him with a parting look of warning. “I’ll let you know. Shout if you need anything.”

He waved as she left, then smiled at the people behind her. “Trust me, it’s nothing that scary once you get a grip on it all.”

The others were slowly approaching him, but then Viv arrived. As if there was some preternatural premonition affecting them, they all parted to let her through, and she walked past them with a curious look before stopping in front of Rory.

“We’re heading out now,” she said.

Rory nodded. “Who are you taking with you?”

“Just Miles, Ned, and Allen. We won’t be long, hopefully.”

“Good luck.”

“And to you.” She grinned a little. “I might be the professor here, but it looks like you’re the one with the students.”

Rory snorted at that. She kissed and then briefly hugged him goodbye, and Rory pushed down the sudden wave of worry. He trusted her to be able to handle anything she was thrown, especially with the others to support her. She had a good team.

“Okay,” Rory said after Viv was gone. “Time to figure out our Sigil situations. So, show me what you’ve got.”

They hemmed and hawed, unwilling as an entire group to come forward. Rory sighed, then decided he needed to instill some confidence back into them. Just moments ago, he’d been guilty for being suspicious of them. It made him realize they had to be feeling something similar, only about a hundred times more acute. His heart pained him a little then.

“What’s your name?” Rory asked a gangly man with wispy blond hair.

“M-me?”

“That’s right. What do I call you?”

“Uh, Sam.”

Rory’s breath caught. Sam. “Samuel?”

“Samson, sir.”

Rory swallowed. No, not Samuel. He quickly did his best to get over his initial reaction, seeing the man’s brows cloud over. That had been stupid of him. Sam was a common name. He shouldn’t have been surprised there were more Sams out there.

“Everything alright?” Samson asked. “Sir?”

“Rory. Just call me Rory.” He took a deep breath and forced his head to clear up properly. “I had a good friend called Sam. He didn’t make it, unfortunately, rest his soul.”

Samson’s eyes fell. “Ah. I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Thank you. Anyway, what Sigil did you receive after getting here, Samson?”

Samson looked up, eyes narrowing at the specificity of Rory’s knowledge. Rory only smiled in response. There was something a little fun about acting like a know-it-all master for these younger folk. It was something Sam would have heartily approved of.

“Uh, it’s called a Sigil of Gathering, sir. Uh, Rory.”

He lowered his head even more, clearly embarrassed. Rory asked him to show the Sigil, and he did so. It was a greyish-blue crystal coin with the image of a hand holding what looked like broken wooden sticks.

According to Samson, it allowed him to locate all kinds of resources and materials in his vicinity. Rory asked him to absorb it, providing him some Mana to demonstrate his new ability.

Samson stared around, eyes going everywhere as the Sigil glowed on the back of his hand. “Everything’s glowing blue!”

“Everything?”

“Well, not exactly. I think… it lets me pick and choose. Like, I can think of something and see where I can find it. It’s like having a map marker in my line of sight.”

Rory smiled. That sounded incredibly useful. “Alright, why don’t you try finding something specific.” He thought for a second. “How about trying to see if you locate the remains of the Rockback?”

“What’s that?” someone else asked, then looked mortified she had spoken.

Rory smiled. “Just a monster that died here.” He turned to Samson. “Go on, see if your Sigil can locate it.”

Samson visibly swallowed, then walked off. Rory smiled. He was headed in the right direction.

With Samson momentarily dealt with, Rory focused on the others. Most of them didn’t have anything as unique as Samson. Some Element Sigils, a couple of Stat Sigils, and one person who had curiously received a Sigil of Wielding right from the get-go. Hiding his incredulity, Rory told them to wait until he Warded them something to Wield.

For the others, he told them absorb the Sigils and start using them sparingly with what Mana they had. It would be easy to use up a lot now that their population had grown so much, so they all had to be carefully economical.

It worked out well, though. The newcomers tried out their new Sigils with splashes of water, sprouts of thorny growths, fire, lightning, and more things Rory couldn’t keep track of. He made sure they didn’t test them out on each other or anything stupid like that, then focused on the most curious of them.

“You say you’ve got a Sigil of Summoning?” Rory asked a small woman called Alia.

She nodded. “It lets me summon stuff.”

Rory smiled. “I figured. Does it tell you the limits and whatnot?”

“Limits?”

“As in, does it tell you what you can summon, how long the summons stays for, and things like that.”

“Oh.” Alia’s face scrunched up into an expression of furious concentration. “Give me a sec.”

Rory waited patiently until she eventually informed him that she could only summon one creature for thirty seconds. Problem was, she needed more Sigils to summon anything. That sounded strange, but it wasn’t without precedent. He only had to point out how the Sigil of Settlement acted as a sort of framework that allowed other Sigils to work within the parameters of the Settlement Sigil.

But more to the point, Rory had to wonder what sort of Sigil Alia could use. Summoning… An idea popped off in his head.

Rory handed her the Sigil of the Dreadraptor. “Here, absorb this and see if it lets you Summon anything.”

Alia frowned at it. “This one’s type says it’s an Evolution Sigil.”

“That it does. I’m not sure if there’s supposed to be specific Summoning Sigils, but it came from a creature, and creatures would be the perfect summons, right?”

A light went off in Alia’s green eyes. “Worth a shot.”

“Exactly.”

Alia absorbed the Sigil and concentrated again. The Sigil of Summoning glowed on the back of her hand, revealing the image of a puff of smoke with vague shapes hidden in it. Nothing happened for a moment, and Rory was starting to feel the edge of disappointment, when Alia looked up.

“I need more Mana,” she said.

Rory didn’t waste a second getting her another pack of Mana. Apparently, the Sigil of Summoning was Mana-intensive. Not unsurprising, considering it could summon an entire creature.

Alia concentrated again, the Sigil glowing on her hand once more. This time, there a was a small pop and an explosion of smoke made them step back, drawing the others’ attention. Something stirred within the smoke.

“I think it worked,” Alia said with a hushed voice.

Rory stared. The shadowy shape resolving within the light grey vapor reminded him of the Dreadraptors. It also reminded him that those birds had wanted to tear everything in the hospital apart.

For just a second, he had a feeling that this had been a terrible idea. The Dreadraptor would burst out and attack them all.

But then the monster uttered a cry that was far too plaintive to be malicious. It stepped out of the smoke on its feet, keeping its large wings close to its body. Rory retreated, but Alia didn’t move. She was transfixed as the bird monster approached her. Rory was about to pull her back, but then the Dreadraptor uttered another soft cry.

It stuck its head out like it wanted a scratch. Alia obliged, running her fingers across tis feathers.

Rory almost laughed. They made such a strange pair. Everyone else was watching the proceedings with wonder. It wasn’t everyday one saw a human and a monster bonding so easily.

All of a sudden, the Dreadraptor burst into smoke and disappeared.

“Aww,” Alia said, once she got over her surprise.

“That was… pretty incredible,” Rory said.

He still had difficulty believing that the monster had been so docile, but it had been. There was no denying it. Control was a conversation for another time, but at least they had learned that Alia’s summons wouldn’t attack her. Well, the Dreadraptor hadn’t. They’d have to experiment to see if it was true for other kinds of summons too.

“It was.” She grinned, all trace of her former apprehension, all signs of her reluctance to be in Rory’s presence, now vanishing. “Can we try it again?”

Rory laughed. “Sure, why not.”

They all got back to work, remaining careful of how much Mana they used up. Rory smiled. Things were coming along just fine.