Savage Awakening 41. Little Things

(2/2)

Zane was sitting against the cabin wall, thinking about his new Major Law, when Avery woke.

He heard her groan, and he was on his feet in an instant. She rubbed her eyes, blinking, squinting against the light.

"What happened?" she croaked. "I feel like shit."

"You're awake." Relief flooded him.

"Yeah, what about it? Oh! That asshat got me, didn't he?"

She patted her chest. The wound had long closed. “Huh. I’m fine now. Neat. Wait... were you waiting for me at my bedside?”

She grinned. “Aww, that's so sweet.”

Standing on the other side of the sickbed, Reina made a weird gagging sound.

"You look worried sick," Avery said to him.

He was astounded. How was she so calm?

"You almost died."

"It happens," she said, waving dismissively. "This is like… the third time?"

"This is serious."

She blinked, then scratched her head sheepishly. "Yeah, well… I'm alive, aren't I? I feel alright. I'm just happy I'm still kicking. Things worked out, right?”

They did. He supposed it wasn't as harrowing for her. She was unconscious for most of it.

"Hi!” said Avery. She'd just noticed Reina. She blinked big green curious eyes at her. "Who are you? Are you okay? You look kind of constipated.”

Reina's face twitched. "… Reina. It's a pleasure." She extended her hand, and Avery shook it. “Hey, Reina! Zane's told me all about you."

"Has he? Strange. He hasn't told me anything about you," said Reina, almost coldly. He frowned. She was being weird again.

“That's because we just met—wait." Avery looked at him, then at Reina, and then at him again. "Ohhhhhhh. I see what's going on here."

"What?" said Reina. "What?" said Zane at the same time.

"He's cute, don't get me wrong. But don't worry, he's not my type," said Avery, patting Reina's hand. "He's too big for me. You go climb that tree, sister."

Zane almost fell over. What?!

At the same time—"What?!" said Reina, reddening. "I—I don't understand what you're saying."

"Wait," said Avery. She looked at him, then at Reina. "Oh. Ohhhhh. He doesn't know! … Well, he didn't know… uh… oops? Sorry."

She patted Reina's hand again and hopped out of bed, yawning. "I'm hungry. Anyone got a bagel?"

Zane still hadn't recovered from that tree line. He looked at Reina, baffled. For her part, Reina wouldn't meet his eyes. She looked like she was ready to dissolve into a puddle.

… Was she… surely not… right?

"Anyway," said Zane, suddenly uncomfortable. He scrambled for something else to talk about. "It's good you're well. Reina?"

Reina flinched.

"Any news since I've been gone?"

It took Reina a moment to collect herself. She took a deep breath. Her face was still bright red. “Uh,” she said, which was a word she usually never said. “Right. Yes. A lot. Just what did you do at Mount Saint Helens? I've been hearing some… things. Ludicrous things."

"They're probably true," said Avery.

"Yes, well. In the past few hours half the Factions in the state have contacted us, asking to sub-Faction!"

***

There were the River Drifters, the Silent Pines, the Yakima Echoes, the Neon Blade, the Thorn Binders, the Spokane Miners Faction, and a dozen more smaller Factions littered around East and South Washington. A fair number were displaced refugee Factions needing a new home after the Legion drove them out.

But most of them weren't. Most of them sent messages like this:

Hey Luminous Faction,

This is Cassidy Neal. I was a riverboat captain on the Columbia before all this System stuff went down. I lead a Faction called the River Drifters. We're mostly water Mages. Congrats on your victory at Mount Saint Helens, man! If you told me one guy could take down a whole Iron Legion Division, I wouldn't have believed it. You're something special.

How had they heard so fast?

Those Legion folks've really been stepping on our toes lately, making these crazy claims on the riverfront. They'll probably annex us in the month if this goes on. Frankly, me and my guys have no desire to be part of that psycho Marcus's regime.

We've heard Luminous Faction has a history of freeing Factions. You treat your people well. We River Drifters would love to join you if you'll have us.

"The Knights of Cascadia were forced out yesterday too," Reina said. "Tom sent a message—the Legion's swarming the Cascades. I told him they could come here. We've got enough empty space."

"Can we absorb everyone who wants to come?" said Zane. Though he was really asking, Can you handle it?

Reina nodded firmly.

"Good," he said. He sighed. There was no going back—either the Legion went down or the Luminous Faction did. They’d need all the help they could get.

***

There was a slight awkwardness between him and Reina now. They both went on as though Avery hadn't said anything, like if they didn’t address it it might go away on its own. Though Reina's face had been pink for two hours straight. Avery herself went off doing… he wasn't sure. She'd just made a mess and vanished.

Reina's log cabin lay near the center of town. There, they strategized.

First he told her about the essence geysers in Mount Saint Helens. They needed to get on that as soon as possible. Get most of their warriors up to the Level 30s, maybe the 40s. He wasn't sure how fast the Legion would come for them. If they were bringing their whole army… he figured they had at most two weeks, likely less. With how much essence those geysers gave, even a night would do wonders.

If D-rank dungeons had treasures this good, what about C-rank? What about dungeons that spawned in dense cities, where hundreds of fighters could go in at once, and reap its Treasure Area rewards?

No wonder so many Factions got so strong so fast. The Beacon map showed the Legion had conquered their own C-ranked dungeon in Seattle. They were far ahead. And the Luminous Faction had very little time to play catch-up…

***

Reina did her best, though. By evening, everyone who'd been building, or patrolling, or tending to Treasure Areas had been diverted into strict combat roles, divvied into divisions of Rangers, healers, scouts, infantry, heavy infantry, and so on. When he caught them at dinnertime, they were drilling in the Highlands plains.

Word about him had gotten out too. If they were in awe of him before, it was getting silly now. Nobody came up to him anymore. He felt like a zoo animal, only to be observed at a safe distance. Everyone kept averting their eyes when they looked at him, as if they were staring at the sun. Men dipped their heads like a knee-jerk reaction. Women got flustered, looked away.

He kind of liked it. Nobody bothered him as he went about camp. It was nice.

***

There were so many little things he had to do before the fighting began.

First thing, he used his new mid-grade essence stones to upgrade the Beacon to D-rank.

That unlocked a wealth of benefits. For one, specialized training zones that you could site anywhere you liked. Pay for them, and the System would spawn them then and there.

Mage Dojo: Mage Dojos are sanctums saturated with elemental essence. They help mages practice and refine their essence control. Each Sanctum is attuned to a specific element, like fire, water, dark, or poison, providing an immersive environment for honing elemental magic. Grants a boost to Mage Skill training.

Ranger Dojo: Ranger Dojos are groves enchanted to mimic a plethora of wild terrains. They make perfect environments for Rangers to practice tracking, stealth, and archery. Grants a boost to Ranger Skill training.

Warrior Dojo: Warrior Dojos are arenas which give warriors a place to practice melee combat and tactics. They include sparring stations and Skill-resistant combat dummies. Grants a boost to Warrior Skill training.

Rogue Dojo: Rogue Dojos are obstacle courses designed for classes that rely on agility and acrobatics, these fields include complex obstacle courses with moving parts. Perfect for practicing parkour, evasion, and stealth maneuvers. Grants a boost to Rogue skill training.

Healer Dojo: Healer Dojos are serene havens which bolster concentration and mindfulness, ideal for priests and healers to practice healing spells. Grants a boost to Priest skill training.

You could even purchase—

Caverns of Insight: Meditation caverns attuned to specific Laws where cultivators can meditate and gain insight into the Universe.

Though they were expensive as hell.

The Beacon Store was also upgraded. It now offered dishes that promised permanent but small boosts to specific stats. Spirit Rockfish for Vitality, Lion's Heart for Strength, and so on. There were also minor treasures now, like cloaks that gave weak camouflage or compasses that pointed to the nearest Treasure Area. Few were worth the price.

He handed over his Bag of Holding, with all its mid-grade essence stones, to Reina. He trusted her to spend them wisely.

***

That evening, the most important benefit of the D-rank Beacon popped up: the larger messaging range.

Dear Luminous Faction,

I hope this message finds you well. My name is Lane Sullivan. I lead the Harbourmasters, the wardens of Vancouver and the Northern Cascades.

We've been at war with the Iron Legion for weeks now. This is a friendly warning: they are pulling their troops back across the American border. They will likely pull their forces on the eastern front as well. We believe they are consolidating a full army and preparing a frontal assault. Our best intelligence suggests you have a week before it strikes.

It would be calamitous for all of us if the Legion conquered Washington State. It is in our best interests to work together. The Harbourmasters will harass them to the north. We’ll delay their progress as best we can.

Before today we were on the verge of ceding our territory and evacuating. But what you have done at Mount Saint Helens gives us hope, Savage Sage.

We wish you the best of luck.

Just an hour later, he got a similar message from a lady who led a Faction called the Kootenai Rangers. They'd been defending Kootenai National Forest, using guerrilla tactics to ward off swarms of Iron Legion soldiers. They promised similar support—that they'd press the Legion to the east.

Neither Faction seemed to want to commit to sending troops over to wage full-on war.

In that, the Luminous Faction was on its own.

***

Things moved shockingly fast. The next morning, Zane was preparing to run another of his errands. He had his Law Fruit in his pocket. He meant to go check out that Sharpness Cavern of Insight to see if he could glean anything useful for his Axe.

Before he set off, the first of the refugee Factions arrived.

A/N:

my brain is jello

lmk if this chapter turned out okay! I can't really perceive it well rn, due to my brain being jello

I usually write my first chapter of the day the night before, but rn my brain is as aforementioned jello

Don't want to deliver a word vomit chapter tomorrow morn, which will likely happen due to jello brain

may be a 1-chapter day tomorrow as a result >.> sorry!