Eric’s eyes widened as he gazed down at his wand. He couldn’t quite hide his grin of satisfaction when he felt a sudden connection, an understanding regarding the flow of mana through his weapon now every bit as profound as what he experienced when shooting out streams of liquid flame or spears of ice, the added insights boosting his now Elemental Wand skill to Journeyman tier as his sense of the arcane continued to blossom and grow. He sensed a number of ways he could enhance his connection to Elemental Wands but held back, oddly certain that leaving that potential in flux would open ever more possibilities to him in the very near future.

His mother’s eyes crinkled in pleasure.

“Well done, my son. I sense you have achieved Journeyman tier status with insights gained in a single morning! And what better tool to forge a connection to than an Adept tier instrument made for those who desire perfection over penurious penny-pinching. A Blue corp special, no less. Highest quality you’ll find anywhere on Terra, save for extremely specialized and limited purveyors who accept a very limited clientele. The only drawback is the price, which, of course, is no object for you.”

Eric smirked at that. “My wallet’s tighter than you might think. But you’re right. Blue Corp invests only in quality tools. Partly because that’s all the goblin’s treaty in Freetown allowed in their shared venture which still makes absolutely no sense to me… and maybe partly because it’s what any conscientious purveyor would have available anywhere in the galaxy, at a minimum, save for refuse and secondhand trash that assholes like the Snicklit tribe are happy to sell to rubes that don’t know any better, stuck on a low rung world that hasn’t even been solidified under a single government yet, let alone infused with whatever blessings a Silver Tier ruler might instill.”

His cynical grin widened. “Does that about sum it up?”

His mother’s smile was the mirror of his own. “Exquisitely, my dear. Save that your beautiful, wondrous world filled with near infinite resources and potential, is anything but a trash tier realm. And let no disparagement from any friend or foe that would make their fortune here convince you otherwise.”

Eric had the grace to bow his head at his mother’s words. “You’re right. I’ve been getting pretty damn cynical of late...”

“For good reason.”

“True, but I shouldn’t let mercenary predators infect my own view of the world I love and will always consider home.” He took a deep breath of air that smelled of roses, jasmine, and burnt orc hide, and couldn’t help chuckling softly, gazing at the soaring white towers capped in royal blue that had been both strategically and artistically placed around the magnificent palace to glorious affect.

“Anyone who can’t appreciate both the bitter and the sweet doesn’t deserve to be here. Thanks for the reminder, Mother.”

“You’re more than welcome,” Aurelia assured with a smile. “Now if you’re finished your training, I’ve had our chef prepare what I think you’ll find to be the best breakfast you’ve had since our world reset.”

Eric chuckled softly. “Soon, I promise, mom. But right now there’s a breakthrough I can almost taste!”

He gazed down at his wand. “And I need to stop holding back.” Words he said for his own benefit even as he did in front of a witness what he normally felt was a very private thing, though he did enjoy the sight of his mother’s surprise when the wand in his hand turned the color of blood before her eyes, and he and the wand he would claim truly became one.

Congratulations! You have successfully Soul Bound: Lightning Wand!

This wand and the secrets it possesses are now just an extension of yourself! If damaged, you may repair it for minimal potency cost. You may summon this extension of yourself from your ES Space as fast as thought!

“You are using blood magic to bind your toys. Tell me it isn’t also enhancing your understanding of that which you would bind to your soul?”

Eric winked. “Got it in one, mom. Now let’s see if I can sense what I’ve been mis—“

Time seemed to stop for a long endless heartbeat when Eric finally understood.

Understood what he had been doing wrong all this time.

Understood why the element of Lightning, long associated with abjuration and dispelling in so many cultures, was having no more effect on his revenants than letting them stand outside in a really bad storm.

The wand was only tapping in to the tiniest portion of lightning’s true potential. It’s flash of light. It’s ability to shock and burn from the inside out. But not the true essence of lightning itself.

Not as he understood it in that instant, arm jerking out as he roared the words that harnessed its inner truth, and made it his own.

“Fulmen Plures Hodie!” he roared as his wand exploded in his hands.

But not before unleashing a massive bolt of blue-white lightning, Eric only appreciating the extent of what he had done when first one, then the whole row of Revenants he had struck collapsed into scorched, empty husks.

Through patience, perseverance and an ever growing connection to your tools, you have gained a glimmer of understanding into the true nature of lightning! A source of power, and the element of abjuration itself!

You now know the Lesser Rune: Lighnting!

Runic Lore is now Rank 24!

Eric took a deep breath, looking down at the half dozen now completely lifeless shells. Shells he sensed would never host another spirit, ever again.

He swallowed, his throat feeling suddenly parched, turning to his mother now peering at him so intently with her gaze.

She flashed him a tight little smile. “It appears that you’ve indeed had your breakthrough… and that there are significant advantages to soul-binding an arcane focus.”

Eric gazed down at the wand even now flowing red like liquid blood as it reformed in his hand, before hardening and reforming as the familiar ebony wand anyone with an eye for quality would recognize as a Blue Corp import. Save, perhaps, for the faint tinge of crimson when the light caught it just right.

“Yeah, you know what? I think I did.”

“And unless I’m mistaken, Eric, you cast that runic chant not as a ritual… but as a spell.”

Eric blinked, heart skipping a beat, realizing his mother was right.

It had cost him his wand as a focus, and a tiny sliver of potency to repair it, but she was right!

“Now, Eric,” his mother gently urged her dazed son. “Now, do it again. As many times as you dare! Embrace the dying embers of your sister’s gift to you with the flickering flames of you own growing mastery! Cast it now!”

What his mother was asking was absurd. He knew that. His forging spells had taken him countless hours, compressed into mere seconds, perhaps, but it had still felt like a flood of endless insights roaring through his soul at the cost of an ever-dwindling supply of Level-up points that had forged him two absolutely glorious multifaceted spells.

“Fulmen Plures Hodie!” Eric roared aloud, in triumph and horror as six more of his revenants kissed oblivion for the final time in another flash of blue-white illumination.

And this time, his wand didn’t explode, though it began to sizzle and smoke, as Eric intuitively used its clean, basic circuit as a shell for his own forged spell.

“Fulmen Plures Hodie! Fulmen Plures Hodie!”

Eric wanted to howl in triumph with his epiphany, as one crackling bolt of blue-white flame after another crackled through the courtyard, his wand taking less and less damage with every casting as both Mana and his Qi reserves quickly drained.

By the fifth casting, his wand was no longer taking damage.

By the tenth casting, it was as good as new.

But it was only when he could unleash the spell with his straight hand held stiff as a board, absolutely wandless, that he could finally call the spell his own.

Now casting his magics at the massive trunks of essence infused wood, as the last of his exquisitely valuable Level 45 revenants fell to the ground, lifeless husks forever more.

Congratulations! You have successfully forged your first spell outside of a training pod!

This basic spell construct incorporates the aspects of Lightning along the Target of a group (one dozen or less) with a duration of Immediate Effect. Note. This spell was forged using a basic arcane lightning wand as a framework! Lightning bolt spell mirrors arcane wand along all physical parameters.

Note! Your lightning bolt spell harnesses the true element of lightning, not merely an arcane echo! Your spell has a chance to dispel any undead, daedra, or summoned creatures! Dispel chance is further modified by your Master Necromancer level! Your spell currently dispels and abjures 25 levels higher than baseline!

You now know the Lightning Bolt spell at Rank 1!

Runic Spell Forger is now Rank 6! Increasing Ranks in this Primal Adventurer Power will (along with the Runic Lore skill) allow you to forge spells with increasing likelihood of success!

But Eric wasn’t finished yet. Not when he still had over half of his Qi Pool remaining. Not when he had this one pristine chance to lock in his understanding of this spell, striking while the iron, and his insights, were so hot that they were practically glowing.

“Fulmen!” he roared as he pummeled the wooden trunks with scorching lightning bolts until the logs actually caught ablaze, ignoring the soft gentle presence gazing at him with an uncomfortable mixture of awe and wonder and perhaps a smidgen of fear as he cast his spell a final time… before slumping to his knees, closing his eyes, breathing deep, and tuning out the world as he focused on replenishing at least a portion of his utterly depleted Qi Reserves.

You have successfully struck your target 27 times!

Your ability to manipulate lightning without spell failure or backlash has increased significantly!

Lightning Bolt spell is now at Rank 4!

“Good morning, my queen,” said the smartly dressed girl who had just approached them, wearing a military uniform that complimented her figure perfectly while still looking utterly professional. Though the bright cherry red lipstick, smokey eye-shadow, and warm smile she flashed Eric’s way made it clear that her mind was on conquests of a different sort.

And her mother’s warm words made it clear that Lord Drevyn’s heir was more than welcome to do so.

“Annika, darling! So good to see you. Please, join us. What did you think of my son’s performance?”

Crimson lips pressed together thoughtfully as she gazed consideringly Eric’s way. “I’ve never seen lightning bolts like the one Eric was casting. I can taste the intensity of something… extraordinary in the air. Did he manage to claim an artifact, or make connections with a legendary crafter?”

Even when he resumed meditating, Eric couldn’t quite hold back a smile at hearing the trace of awe in Annika’s voice when his mother chuckled.

“No, darling. Those gifts are Eric’s alone. A true spell channeling the spiritual element of lightning as well as mastering the arcane. An entire spell matrix imprinted from nothing more than the wand he attuned himself to, this very morning.”

Annika whistled. “Are you serious? Forgive me, my queen. Of course you are.” She chuckled nervously. “It’s just, after seeing his… performance on the battlefield last month, the miraculous transformation of Dairyland, Silver Grove, Queensland and Solaris, to say nothing of Greystone Valley and Picksonville, and thank goodness Blue corp is open to us establishing long term leases on all of those territories… I never thought of him as an Elementalist. Rather, I always saw him as a powerful warrior. A paladin tied to the land that blossoms under his care.”

Aurelia snorted. “Quite a strange paladin that would be, with close to sixteen thousand undead revenants stronger than our best trained troops at his beck and call, don’t you think?”

Even with his focus squarely on recouping his depleted Qi Pool, his exquisite heat sense made Annika’s blush hard to miss.

“I… yes you are right. Of course, my queen. If I may ask, what is Eric doing now? Is this an advanced arcane restoration technique? Should our own mages be making note of it?”

“Hardly, darling. He’s cultivating.”

Annika blinked. “Cultivating? I was under the impression that our local excuses for administrators so firmly in the pockets of our enemies were doing everything they could to prevent the introduction of any cultivation schools or techniques here on Earth.”

“Indeed they are. And as a cultivator’s use of meridian channels and nodes is so at odds with ritual magic, I have not countered the goblins maneuverings as fervently as I might have, the status quo profiting us both.” Aurelia sighed. “Still, there is no denying the power to be had for intuitive casters able to synergize both arts. Rare as such an anomaly might be. If Eric were to instruct our elites along his path...”

“We could go far indeed,” said Annika with a whisper, her swallow audible, even to Eric. “Do you think he might be open to teaching me?”

Aurelia gave a sultry chuckle. “Why don’t you try asking him over breakfast? I do believe my son is slipping free of his cultivation trance at this very moment.”

Eric took that cue to open his eyes, give a very real yawn as he rose to his feet.

And for all that he had been more than aware of her presence, getting a good look at her sparkling green eyes caressing his own as she stepped close and clasped his hand, pressing it to her breast as she favored him with a heartfelt smile, showcasing perfect pearl white teeth, definitely sent his heart racing just a bit.

All the more so when he caught her floral scent in the warm breeze.

“Thank you again for arriving in the nick of time, like a living legend, Prince Eric.” She squeezed his hand before bowing her head and stepping back. “You’ve pulled our faction from the brink of oblivion, and helped us secure multiple territories so rich and fecund with the essence of life and magic both that the surviving farmers and druids are expecting bumper crops and glorious fruit tree groves in the years to come.”

Eric swallowed the unexpected lump in his throat, sensing both the heartfelt sincerity of her words, and the subtle scents of fertility and desire intertwined with the sweet perfume of cherry-plumb blossoms that Annika so clearly favored.

He couldn’t deny that it was a truly intoxicating blend.

“I just happened to be in the neighborhood,” Eric quipped with a bemused grin. “Strictly free agent who wanted to beef up his personal fighting forces and found lots of likely candidates.” His smile grew wider. “Thousands upon thousands of excellent candidates, and all of them just dying to join my forces! Ha ha. My being able to do you all a good turn? Let’s just call that icing on the cake of goodwill.”

He turned to an amused-looking Aurelia. “Did someone mention breakfast? I don’t know about you, but I’m famished. Feels like I haven’t eaten in a week!”

Pausing only long enough for Eric to store his supplies back into his surprisingly vast ES space, the three then proceeded to a spacious dining hall furnished with dozens of finely polished hardwood tables that were mostly empty save for themselves and a solitary table full of elven troopers kitted with straight sabers at their hips and mail hauberks under lilac tabards.

The trooper’s animated discussion immediately died off the moment a smiling Aurelia sauntered in, the dozen men and women, comprised of both pointed and round-eared Sylvan troopers, paled and bowed in unison before clearing their table of food and drink and leaving it absolutely spotless within just a handful of seconds before quickly taking their leave. But not before staring at Eric for long, thoughtful moments as they departed with final bows.

“Sorry about that,” Annika whispered to Eric, squeezing his hand. “You’re something of a hero around here, I’m afraid.”

Eric shrugged, not quite sure what to say. On the one hand, it felt good being able to play the role of knight in shining armor, or cutoff jeans, as the case may be, coming to the valiant rescue of hundreds of imperiled souls. On the other hand, when you saved people in real life, unlike a game, they remembered, would definitely consider you in a new light, and might just put you on a pedestal you weren’t ready for. And sure, it was great having people suddenly interested in him as a person, suddenly caring what he thought. But it also often went hand in hand with expectations and obligations he wasn’t entirely sure he was ready for or wanted. But still, at the end of the day, being able to play the hero for at least a few people in this crazy world would be the kind of golden memory that let him sleep at night, feeling a certain sort of peace and balance with the ruthless bastard he found himself more and more often having to be.

“I’m glad I could make a difference,” Eric said at last as his mother led them to what was clearly a preassigned table, raised her finger once, and received instant service. “I’d do it again in a heartbeat, mind you, but it does feel kind of awkward being judged and assessed by everyone I meet.”

“Which is something I had expected you to grow used to as the son of one famous actress and the brother of another,” his mother stated. “But you never really did, did you, Eric?”

Eric winced and slowly shook his head. “Let me guess. That, too, was supposedly a part of my training?”

His mother nodded. “Of course, Eric. A vital part. And one that obviously did not play to your strengths.”

Eric winced under his mother’s measuring stare. She then reached out and patted his wrist. “Worry not, my son. These hardworking, hard fighting souls are the farthest thing from paparazzi. Their gratitude is genuine and their interest in you… sincere. Now, do try the crepes with lingonberry sauce. From fruit our druids raised from territory you yourself helped us claim.”

Eric blinked at this as several deferential servitors placed a full English breakfast before him, including the crepes, which turned out to be just as scrumptious as his mother had implied.

At which point a ravenous Eric found himself hungrier for nutrition than he was answers, allowing his mother and Annika’s light conversation to wash over him as he devoured his meal like the glutton he temporarily was.

“Isn’t it wonderful, Eric? You’re territories are already bearing fruit, literally!” Annika said with a smile.

Eric nodded in agreement as he devoured the last of the eggs, sausage, and lingonberry slathered paper thin pancakes that he had missed far more than he cared to admit.

“I’m glad to hear it,” he said, taking a sip from the fluted glass that turned out to be filled with a sparkling summer wine. “I’m just surprised to find this food was grown on these territories.”

Annika gave an animated nod. “The very small handful of elves versed in druidic arts, crop production, and nature magic have been raising experimental crops throughout the territories you cleared. All of them are exceptional, Eric. All have showed themselves to have soil so rich and fertile it’s almost… magical.”

Her eyes twinkled. Eric’s cheeks flushed, just knowing she was measuring him with her gaze.

“But what’s of particular interest are the transformations that Dairyland and Silvergrove have undergone. In addition to our new… ahem… native race of faerie maidens gifted with a rather unique application of healing magic, natives which have shown themselves to be extremely amenable to working with us in return for, ahem, certain considerations… our druids have uncovered not one but dozens of magical fruit groves, Eric. An absolute fortune in magical fruit that will do wonders for our troops! But do you know what the true prize of those territories is, Eric?”

“I’m sure you’ll tell me.”

“I will indeed, hero.” Her bright green eyes twinkled with excitement. “It’s the culmination of the alchemical confectionery center we had blueprints for only! It was a long term project we hoped to complete sometime in the next decade, a project we’d be forced to put on hold indefinitely with the losses we’ve already endured, yet it’s actually in full production! Already! Being run by those adorable and oh so tempting fairies, and the entire structure’s made out of living trees!”

She chuckled ruefully. “As much as our tribes enjoy the aesthetics, unless you have a full compliment of druids on staff, such a feat is hardly practical or typical. It’s normally an affectation of the wealthiest of our clans.”

Aurelia nodded. “Most intriguing of all, the enhanced fruit groves we encountered are exactly what we had hoped to grow, eventually, over the next century. A long term dream we daren’t invest any serious resources in now, so early in the game. But it had been a dream of your sister’s. A dream I had so wanted to help come true for her. A project she could work on and nurture herself, in the decades to come.”

His mother peered at him intently. “And these groves are already in full bloom, with a harvest so rich in arcane potential that it defies belief. And your creations are already harvesting the fruit. The sight of a dozen generously endowed fairy maidens claiming the ripest fruit for themselves under the noses of our druids was such a shocking sight that they actually let them go!” She shook her head in bemusement. “Our men followed the girls, of course, only to find that somehow these faeries are maintaining and running our arcane confectionery magic shop perfectly.”

Eric laughed allowed. “Wait, really? It’s fully operational? That’s fantastic! So, there’s a chocolate section, right? And an ice cream plant as well?” His gaze then hardened. “Wait, you mentioned having your men follow the girls.”

His mother nodded. “Yes, Eric, I did. And don’t worry. Annika’s father is the most honorable of men. For all that we have claimed the territory, we have no interest in hindering legitimate economic enterprises already established. Quite the contrary, we encourage it. All the more so as the faeries are clearly your creatures, and it is their magic that allows for the production of what we truly hope will be an extremely profitable venture that will assure a steady income stream to your sister’s coffers.”

Annika smiled. “I… made friends with the faeries, Eric, after father did his cursory investigation.” She smirked. “Of course, I could have told him everything he needed to know, but I thought it best that he make the full inspection himself.”

“As is protocol,” Aurelia noted.

Annika immediately dipped her head. “Of course, Your Grace.” She turned back to Eric, flashing a rueful smile. “And you don’t have to worry about us treating them fairly. Of course we will, as we do for every human refugee we find on our lands. I mean, for goodness sake, they even have a fully functional infirmary and all but begged us to send them patients!”

Eric blinked at this. “No kidding.”

The girl still holding his hand smirked. “None at all.”

He furrowed his brow. “We all know how easy it is to take advantage of native races. Please tell me we’re paying them fairly in terms of money, resources, and liberties?”

Aurelia actually snorted and flushed at this, releasing his hand with a squeeze and taking a sip of her wine. “They seem to live mostly on, well, milk, yogurt, and cheese from the cows and goats they raise. And I have no doubt they can pluck their fill of fruit whenever they like. So they have little need for rental properties or grocery stores, and they laughed at the idea of coin. I’m not sure if they even comprehend it, or need to. They even have basic charms that let them construct clothes from wild grass and cotton fibers!” The girl sighed and shook her head. “Of course, they’re as much faerie as anything else, but they’re also clearly related to the native dominant species of this world as well.”

Eric smirked. “You mean man?”

She nodded. “I do indeed. And that’s the price they demand.”

Eric blinked. “Wait, they want living flesh? A blood sacrifice to forge the tastiest treats and the creamiest chilled confectioneries we’ll ever have the privilege of eating in this brave new world?” He sighed. “Steep, but understandable. Who are we sacrificing?”

Annika blinked, gazing at Eric for long moments.

His mother’s eyes twinkled with mirth. “So my son does appreciate the old ways, after all.”

“No, Eric, they’re not after sacrifices. It’s worse!”

Eric quirked an eyebrow. “Worse?”

Annika nodded solemnly. “They’re demanding we give them husbands. And you’re not funny, by the way.”

“I thought I was hilarious,” a grinning Eric declared, pausing only to smile and nod when the waiter came by, asking if he wanted seconds. “Yes, please, of everything.”

“Of course, Your Grace,” the dapper-looking waiter deferentially said before turning to Aurelia who somehow made it clear with a single raised brow that her and Annika’s plates were to be removed and their wine glasses refilled.

“I couldn’t help but notice that the elves here seem to be a fifty-fifty split between men and women, for all that you’re a, not to put too fine a point on it, an invading force,” Eric noted out of curiosity more than anything else.

Aurelia nodded. “We kept the numbers even because we aren’t here simply to invade, but to colonize and prosper as a race. A race that will happily open her arms to humankind and embrace those willing to walk beside us in this brave new world. Together.”

Eric nodded. “Hence why you didn’t just bring men who might be tempted to take what isn’t theirs by force, for all that I have no doubt that there are millions of women out there who would gladly marry a strong handsome elven soldier who can keep her and any children they have safe and fed in these perilous times.” He tapped the table thoughtfully. “But this way, you don’t have to. And this way you needn’t mingle with those who’s blood you find...lacking. Not unless you want to.”

His grin widened as he took in Annika’s expression. “It was a strategy that should have worked perfectly and assured absolute harmony. With hookups, if not encouraged, at least not actively frowned upon. Because you want your soldiers pair-bonding and forming families quickly. Best for the race as a whole, and for morale. And this way you don’t have hundreds of cooped up males with absolutely no outlet save the most distasteful ones. Because sure as hell, dating apps are no longer a thing, and probably never will be again.”

Eric blinked under her gaze, then chuckled softly. “But things took an unexpected turn when nearly fourhundred milk maids popped into being, all of them extremely well endowed for the purposes of, shall we say, nurturing the next generation, and all of them exceedingly hungry for husbands and families of their own.”

“With healing milk, no less,” said a truly frustrated-looking Annika. “Do you have any idea how upset the girls are, Eric? Having to compete with that? I’ve had to change rotations just so I don’t have to worry about my poor charges being, well...”

“Murdered?”

Annika flushed. “None of my girls would do such a… okay, maybe a few. And that’s why I’ve stationed those fiery lasses here. But what’s worse is that every single man stationed there spends most of his time fending off, or happily accepting, their advances!”

Eric nodded. “And this is leaving a lot of female soldiers suddenly feeling frustrated, insecure, and perhaps even unwanted. The exact opposite of what you all had planned on happening.”

“Yes!” Annika hissed. “Because you had to go off and make 400 copies of everyone’s otaku fantasy!”

Eric laughed. “I know, right?” He tapped his chin thoughtfully. “This sounds like a major dilemma. Maybe I’d better go and investigate...personally.”

Annika paled. “Don’t you dare.”

“I’m kidding,” Eric laughed, gaze hardening. “I’d never take advantage of girls that I may, or may not, have dreamed into existence. And I better not hear about any soldier hurting them, or they and I will have serious, serious, problems.” He smirked. “And if any boy steals any of my girl’s hearts, they better cherish it and put a ring on their finger or, again, we’ll have problems.”

Annika’s gaze turned solemn. “Because you see those girls you created as your children.”

Eric flushed. “I’m not saying that. But I know they’re gentle souls. I don’t want them getting hurt.”

Annika sighed. “It’s fine, Eric. Turns out, they can run our planned operations there better than we could have imagined. They need very little oversight, so we’ve only had to worry about a few dozen of our boys being corrupted so far.” She smirked. “It’s a position they’ll earn by merit, so you better believe every man not already in a relationship is working hard towards that privilege.”

Eric snorted. “I can imagine.” His gaze then turned serious. “But you guys are now holding on to what, almost half a dozen territories now?”

“And those we now rent from Blue. We’re taking full advantage of the concessions you squeezed form Blue Corp, and are planning on claiming every piece of exceptional farmland that we can. Plans for the future, you understand,” said Annika with a wink.

Eric’s gaze turned concerned. “Yet from the moment I woke up, I’ve hardly seen a soul. If I recall correctly, your force is now under a thousand men.”

“Seven hundred and fifty two,” the beautiful young elf said with a sigh. “And we don’t have a chance in hell of holding all this priceless territory ourselves. Not as we are.” She flashed an anxious smile. “So if you wanted to stick around and eat your fill of the tastiest food imaginable and maybe give a few extremely grateful soldiers some pointers… or just relax and enjoy everything that a man of your caliber deserves...” Annika’s cheeks flushed prettily as she deliberately held his gaze. “We’d be grateful to have you.”

Eric held his smile, though his gaze turned solemn. “I’m just one person, Annika. And I have a prior commitment that I’ve already put off for too long. Far, far too long, it shames me to admit, for all that one crisis after another has always forced my hand. But now that I finally have a chance to slow down and put things right, and it’s high time that I did so.”

Annika’s features paled.

Eric winced inside. He hadn’t expected to see her on the verge of crumpling, but he supposed it made perfect sense. They had been fighting a losing battle of attrition for months, and had nearly gotten wiped off the board. Foes that he had seen as tasty bundles of experience points and future troops to raise in an invincible army were, for anyone else, hideous threats that could obliterate them with spears, muskets, and cannon fire. Roaring monsters that promised violent death and even worse to the hundreds of female soldiers present, just over half of Elonia’s forces.

Threats that Eric’s inhuman strength, resilience, and penchant for furious savagery in the heat of combat allowed him to tear right through were the farthest thing from easy prey to the hundreds of soldiers who had spent weeks and months desperately dodging cannon fire while being forced to fight creatures that were easily triple their mass.

Eric recalled all to well the hard-eyed looks of elven archer veterans he had encountered on his final mad night, racing through the streets of Newark. He would never forget the grace with which their arrows had flown through the air, their technique something he had aspired to emulate as he sought ever greater mastery of a weapon he had been forced to leave behind over 25 levels ago, but eventually wanted to master. And he had absolutely no doubt that their deadly marksmanship was the only reason why the elves were still in play.

But for all their training with the recurved bow, the orcs, especially in an invading mass of thousands, were just as fearsome, just as terrible to Queensland’s exhausted defenders as the orcs had seemed to him when he had first escaped the sewers, desperate just to survive.

And here he was, acting like a happy-go-lucky lucky adventurer, the cockiest of bastards, making light of threats that had nearly wiped his sister’s people off the map.

Eric bowed his head, feeling an unexpected twinge of shame. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to disappoint you, or make light of everything you’ve been forced to endure since coming here.”

His mother blinked, as if surprised by his unexpected burst of humility, for all that Annika quickly shook her head, her soft hand, toughened only with an archer’s callouses, squeezing his own tightly.

“No, no, Eric. How could I possibly be disappointed in you? You saved our lives. You effectively, even if never officially, surrendered territories of unbelievable potential to us. You’ve given our faction hope!” She flashed a brilliant smile. “What I feel is gratitude. A profound sense of gratitude. And I’d like nothing better than to show you just how grateful I am, for bringing hope to the precious lives you helped to save.”

Eric sighed. “And yet I’m still just one person. A free agent who just happened to leave territories unclaimed that you just happened to pick up while I was embracing Vendetta and building up my own forces. And now that I finally have those forces… it’s time for me to get back to Freetown as fast as I can.”

Annika bit her lip, looking so adorable right then that Eric’s cheeks flushed with shame.

Because there was another girl who had caught his heart with an equally beautiful smile.

And he had ignored her plight for far, far too long.