Chapter 56 - Levels and loot

“So what’s the final tally?” I asked Trikilo. His savage grin looked sinister in the dancing firelight. It had taken three days for us to round up the Kopregyn herds and bring their wagons to join our main camp. Hundreds of warriors and women stared at me from the cleared area in the middle of the camp. They were almost all nursing hangovers and practicing the old adage of the hair of the dog that bit you.

“Lord, we’ve taken a thousand wagons and all their carried goods. The Aurox that pulled them plus eight hundred from their roaming herds. Nearly a thousand slaves as well.” The old leader took a swig of yalk, the fermented milk dribbling down his chin as he smacked his lips and swiped it away with his forearm. We’d quadrupled our supplies of tents and wagons and our herd was larger than it had any right to be. We were rich by the standards of the steppe.

“The slaves will serve for two more winters and then become free men and women, they can choose to stay with us or can leave in peace at that time,” I said firmly. Taking the losers and their families as slaves was common practice for these people and as much as I loathed the idea I couldn’t fight centuries of tradition without losing a large chunk of my support among the nomads.

I could ensure they were treated properly while they served their time though and I had just doubled the population of my little tribe with a single battle. “They’ll be put to work in the mines. If any show signs of talent I want Klip and the other craft masters to look them over and take them on as apprentices.” I glanced at the smith who grinned and nodded at me. He’d become a firm supporter since the iron mines had proved so productive.

“And the goods?” asked Khan greedily from my right.

“Two thirds will be split among the families. The rest I claim as warlord. Does anyone dispute my claim?” I stared around with a stoic expression but I could practically feel the ice in Fay’s eyes as she glared at the crowd from my left. A roar of approval echoed out and I relaxed slightly. I had no idea what the hell I’d do with so much stuff other than maybe sell it but Fay had assured me she’d make good use of it.

“I want to establish a permanent presence here. No! I won’t ask you to become shit-sitters!” I added to cut off the immediate grumbling. “We’ll still live under felt and move our camps as the seasons change but the mine is too important to abandon over a little snow! There’s a river to the west and I want to start building there. Machines to make all our work easier will be powered by the flowing water. Looms to weave and hammers to shape metal will increase our wealth beyond your imaginations!” I announced.

“Lord, we don’t care about wealth! We want to ride to glory with you!” called one of Jandak’s lancers as he thrust a spear at the moons.

“There’ll be plenty of that!” I rose to my feet and stepped closer to the fire so it lit my face from below. “Now for the real loot. I killed over a thousand of the cannibal bastards with my magic! That means I can give some more of you access to the system and affinities. Jandak, I want your ten finest lancers, those who showed courage and determination and followed your orders! Those who ran off to loot and chased down the enemy for the longest are not worthy! I need men I can trust to obey the instructions they’re given!”

“Lord,” Jandak said as he stepped around the fire and stood next to me. He rattled off ten names and the men in question moved out of the crowd and nodded their heads at us.

“Jandak will explain the details to you. Do not spend any Souls until he has explained everything to you! You are to be my greatest fighters. Unstoppable warriors capable of dueling Ur-Viles singlehanded! Put your points into your body statistics. I recommend Life as your first affinity and fire as your second but you can choose as you see fit, once Jandak explains them to you.” I passed down the line, clasping each warriors arm and muttering a few words of congratulations as I spent three hundred Souls on each of them to give them half that amount. Enough to get them to level ten and gain imbue. They’d all be beyond peak human capabilities physically and have access to weak spells for their own protection.

“Mune, Kos! Each of you send me your five most disciplined archers!” I wanted to drive home that following orders led to better rewards than charging off like a berserker for personal glory.

The riders called out stepped forwards and smiled at me uncertainly.

“You aren’t like the lancers. You need to put your stat points into your mental abilities. Magical strength and mana are your best choices. You don’t need to fight up close: you rain death on our enemies from afar!” I paused for breath and looked at the slightly disappointed faces. “You kill at range so the enemy never even gets a chance to hurt your brothers! Your honour can never be questioned, you are my left hand as the lancers are my right. There is no difference between you in my eyes.” I passed down the line and gave them each enough Souls to get to level ten.

Six thousand Souls gone in the space of a few minutes and a couple of cringe inducing speeches. I wish I’d studied rhetoric back home but school had been one of those things I’d avoided as much as possible. I was fairly confident that rhetoric and public speaking weren’t big parts of the curriculum anymore anyway.

“Lady Fayala, have you found the candidates I requested from among the women?” I asked as I turned to look at my wife. This pomp and ceremony bullshit was for the birds. I wanted this done and then to rush her back to our tent for some privacy. She quirked a slight smile as though she was reading my mind and rose to her feet. Her long red dress swirled as she stepped closer to the fire and my side.

“Haylin, Grabel, Jestan and Kelasty. Step out!” she called and the named women stopped forward.

“We need more magic items but we cannot ask warriors to spend all their days putting spells on arrows and necklaces!” She waved a hand and a ball of ice appeared over the fire and spewed steam into the night. “Women are the better crafters among our people,” she added and I saw Klip snort to himself. He was a proud man.

“These women are from the four major families in my husband's tribe. They will be empowered to create the weapons and healing items we need and I will teach them how to cast magic in combat. You’ll never need to fear leaving us women behind again when you go to war!” She nodded to me and I passed down the line again, taking each of their hands in turn and giving each of them two hundred fifty Souls, enough to get to Enchant at level twenty and have some left over to get basic spell upgrades. Another two thousand Souls gone. The warriors were silent, not quite sullen but clearly not entirely on board with this shift in the power wielded by the women.

“Ladies. Please join me in my husband's tent and I’ll explain the writing you can see,” said Fay but I raised a hand.

“One moment please, wife. Kril, Mune, Kos and Jandak, please step forward.” Kril bounced from foot to foot as he moved forward and was joined by my Fangs.

“Fay. I have more Souls for you as well.” I touched her cheek and sent her two hundred and fifty. “My mentor and my greatest warriors, I would be remiss not to include you in these rewards.” I exchanged a warrior's clasp with each of them and gave them the same. Another two and half thousand Souls gone. I had just over one and a half thousand left for myself.

I’d had a few sleepless nights worrying over the best way to share everything out. I could have elevated myself and become a powerhouse but I would be facing hundreds of “wizards” armed with enchanted items and from what I could gather tens of thousands of warriors from the south would be massed against me when I moved against Mortimer. Plus however many Soulbound he’d made as well. Alone I would be pulled down sooner or later by some lucky spear throw or arrow, however strong I became I couldn’t cut my way through tens of thousands alone.

So I had chosen to follow in my enemies footsteps. Elevating some of my followers to be potent enough to make a difference in the fighting to come while making sure I retained enough to steadily progress my own power. Whoever our next enemy was, and I suspected it would be more of the nomads as I moved to consolidate control over the steppes, would just be more fuel for our growing fire.

I could feel my new Soulbound servants in my mind. The link was like a ghostly muscle that I could flex if needed. I didn’t want to find out how much control I could exert over them. I feared that kind of power would be intoxicating and I’d become an addict. For twenty Souls I could give someone a single level and they’d be under my sway. I had a sinking feeling Mortimer might have taken that kind of an approach and I would have to do the same to match him. Perhaps next time I got a windfall I’d consider it.

I sat back down on my chair as the celebration resumed. Yalk was passed around. Soon enough drunken dancing and singing filled the air as it had every night since the battle. Fay led her new coven of witches into our tent to instruct them on how to spend their Souls and I stared moodily at the fire. Fifteen hundred Souls… they wouldn’t go as far as I’d have liked. The further down the trees I went the higher the cost was for each step. It was the same with the levels but I had enough to take a big step up in power whichever option I chose. I pulled up my status and rested a chin on one fist as I thought.

Primary Stats: Body: D+ Mind: D+ Soul: D

Available Souls: 1552

Secondary Stats

Physical strength: 30 Reflexes: 20 Health: 200

Magic strength: 20 Focus: 20 Mana: 330

Affinity: Fire

Summon fire: Range- 45 metres, Intensity- +76%, lasts 10 seconds

Fire Resistance- +2%

Projectile: Speed- +3%, Detonation- 6.5 metres cubed.

Fire Wall: Area- 10 metres squared. lasts 10 seconds

Barrier: 20 HP

Fire Spirit: duration 10 seconds

Affinity: Life

Heal (self): 15HP and 48% increased recovery rate for one hour. Seals moderate wounds.

Enhancement (self): 58%,

Resistance (all): 19%

Projectile: Speed- +3%, (heal other)

Rapid Growth: Area- 1 metre squared.

Projectile: Speed- +3% (Enhance Other).

Shapeshift (Minor): Duration- 100 seconds

Affinity: Space

Size: range- Touch, Intensity- 30%

Mass: range- Touch, Intensity- 30%

Area: 5.5m cubed (optional) lasts 10 seconds

Resistance: 2%

Pocket Dimension: 5.5m cubed

Spatial Tear: Range- 11 metres

Imbue

Enchant

Soul Transfer

Aresk’s Boon: Carrion Feeders Gaze.

I was pretty happy with my magic at the moment. Increasing the intensity of the Summon Fire spell in conjunction with the area of the projectile version had let me delete half of the Kopregyn infantry in seconds. It had been a while since I’d gained some stat points and the sense of progression that came with improving my stats called out to the greedy part of me. I could buy some equipment from the bloody Shop but I still resented the cost for a single item. We were churning out crude steel weapons and armour now so I didn't see the point other than perhaps getting the weird mythical level equipment... but that was still too expensive for my tastes.

I spent one thousand three hundred and twenty Souls to move up to level seventy.

Level sixty: synthesised spell.

Rolling…

Based on the most commonly used magic new spell unlocked in the Fire tree: Burning Skies.

Level seventy: advanced affinity unlocked based on previous choices.

Rolling…

New affinity unlocked: Earth

I sat bolt upright and stared at my status screen in shock. There were more affinities? This changed everything. My enemies would get the same. I pondered for a second before spending my stat points and then quickly spent them.

Level 70

Primary Stats: Body: C- Mind: C- Soul: E

Available Souls: 232

Secondary Stats

Physical strength: 40 Reflexes: 25 Health: 250

Magic strength: 30 Focus: 20 Mana: 430

Affinity: Fire

Summon fire: Range- 45 metres, Intensity- +76%, lasts 15 seconds

Fire Resistance- +2%

Projectile: Speed- +3%, Detonation- 6.5 metres cubed.

Fire Wall: Area- 10 metres squared. lasts 15 seconds

Barrier: 20 HP

Fire Spirit: duration 10 seconds

Burning Skies: Area- 50x50m, duration 15 seconds

Affinity: Life

Heal (self): 20HP and 48% increased recovery rate for one hour. Seals moderate wounds.

Enhancement (self): 58%,

Resistance (all): 19%

Projectile: Speed- +3%, (heal other)

Rapid Growth: Area- 1 metre squared.

Projectile: Speed- +3% (Enhance Other).

Shapeshift (Minor): Duration- 100 seconds

Affinity: Space

Size: range- Touch, Intensity- 30%

Mass: range- Touch, Intensity- 30%

Area: 5.5m cubed (optional) lasts 15 seconds

Resistance: 2%

Pocket Dimension: 5.5m cubed

Spatial Tear: Range- 11 metres

Affinity: Earth

Shape Earth: Range - Touch, Duration 15 seconds

Imbue

Enchant

Soul Transfer

Aresk’s Boon: Carrion Feeders Gaze.

I flexed my fists in pleasure. My muscles had become like steel bands under my skin some time ago but now they felt like machine presses as I flexed my fingers open and shut. The additional mana I’d gained would be useful seeing as Shape Earth and Burning Skies each cost a whopping one hundred mana to cast.

How the hell could I protect my warriors from someone like me? I could throw a spear hard enough to impale ten men in a line. I could lob twenty fireballs a day that would incinerate huge areas with each hit. All the levels and loot were great but I needed to start thinking about how to counter myself. My enemies would all be just as strong, if not more so, than I was.