Forged By The Apocalypse - A LitRPG With Draconic Potential

After speaking to the sheriff of Londimin, Nolan, I judged that he was a decent man in over his head. To actually fix the problems here would be a whole ordeal, one I wanted nothing to do with to be honest. The talk was mostly to help me decide what I would do next. If Nolan had been a bad person taking advantage of the System, then my actions were likely to lean in a more aggressive way. As he was clearly a good man trying his best, it softened my approach.

My opinions hadn’t changed too much, though. Londimin was still a shithole in all the worst ways possible, it just wasn’t my problem. Hopefully it would fix itself up, but if not, it would just be a local neighbour that served as a reference between the two ways of living. Growth with the System in Ascentown or protection from it in Londimin. I knew which I’d prefer, at least.

“So, what’s the plan, boss?” A chipper voice asked next to my ear. I was hopping over some of the rooftops and paused on the edge of one to talk to Naea.

“I don’t really have one, even at this point, I guess. The airport is over there,” I pointed generally to the south west, “but I don’t know how to fly a plane. A part of me wants to try, but how could it be simple? I might have a high Mental attribute but I’m not sure I can figure that out on the fly.”

“Ha,” Naea barked a laugh at my unintentional pun.

I continued. “Plus just taking one seems like a bad idea. The sheriff guy, Nolan, told me where I could find Londimin’s leader, Seth. I’m just not sure it’s a good idea.” I groaned as I realised indecision was a choice in itself. Naea tilted her head, her calm expression one of mockery. “Fine,” I tossed myself from the roof, “fuck it.”

———————————————————————————

Seth was stressed. Give him a thousand monsters to fight, and he’d be happier than having to deal with any kind of bureaucracy. He had already delegated nearly every actual task he had encountered, people were always happy to help out the hero. The one topic he did not let slip from his control, however, was Londimin’s level problem. Specifically, that people were reaching the maximum level.

The food situation was mostly fine now, except they had been controlling it by letting people kill monsters in the area. Those people were naturally gaining experience, pushing to the cap of level thirty just like Seth was. In the early days when it was just him, and the closest person in level was over a dozen away, it was so simple. Now, there were questions.

It was a little morbid, but he found himself hoping for another trial wave. They seemed to correspond to certain arbitrary points of growth for the city, be it population, overall level of the populace or even, it seemed, if it just got too peaceful. There was a calculated effort in place by some of the advisors to make sure that people weren’t too happy, and thus triggering trial waves.

To do this, access to Aspects were limited, the prices in the System stores inflated and wages were low. Everything was kept within mathematical order, and while the calculus of people’s lives wasn’t simple, Seth couldn’t argue that it worked. The choice to make life in Londimin more difficult for people than it needed to be was a hard one but it had been over a week since they were last tested by a horde, longer than they normally saw between waves.

Even though others were involved in the decision making process, it was to him that everybody voiced their deepest concerns. He found himself disliking how much faith people had in him, a facet of his Aspect. The skill Hero’s Word was a passive one which made others trust him and believe in him simply by being in proximity. The political power it allowed him to wield was wonderful, certainly, but it also meant that people thought he knew more than he actually did.

Where did you get your Aspects, Seth? Is there anything else we should be doing, Seth? What do we do now, Seth?

Around and around, the questions spun. The strange alien, Titus, had told him a few things before he died but Seth had mostly been in shock. The details weren’t fully clear anymore. He knew they needed to be strong, because others would come to take what was theirs one day. Nomads, Titus had called them. Beings that knew more about the System which wanted to claim Earth’s new resources as its own. They needed to be strong to deal with the disasters headed their way.

On one hand, having many subordinates at the maximum level was ideal as they could most reliably handle threats. However, with suggestions that thirty might not be the final level, those same subordinates were now a threat. If anyone unlocked that step before Seth did, he would lose his grip on power. He wouldn’t be able to be the Hero that his Aspect demanded he be.

He wouldn’t be able to save the world.

However, his path was not a weak one. Nor was a hero ever truly alone, as his next two Aspects had proven. The Aspects of Fate and Justice had also found their way into Seth’s hands from the various quest rewards he had gained in raising up the city from nothing to a bastion. By limiting others, Seth’s power was secured. Even a level thirty with a legendary Aspect couldn’t match Seth with his three.

The three distinct magics were all harmonious inside Seth’s core for the most part, but could become “louder” based on the situation. If he was actively saving lives, then the Aspect of the Hero began to chant jauntily within his very soul. If he was meteing out a punishment, as he had been forced to do in recent days, then Justice sang ominously. The final Aspect, normally a quiet melody in the background of Seth’s magic, began to vibrate with unexpected power.

Skill - Glimpse of Destiny (Fate)

The threads which make up the weave of fate are flimsy, ever changing things. When unseen, they may not exist at all.

The ability had meant nothing to Seth when it first unlocked alongside the Aspect. It had allowed him to understand Mana Control, somewhat, but the ability to control his mana just made the activation of his skills slower. It was much easier to just let the System do its work. All Seth had to do was focus on his own body and the timing of those abilities. However, in the weeks which followed, Seth started to understand the strange technique and used it now.

Seth kept his face calm, though he wanted to smile. His eyes would be glowing with golden light, an impressive sight for the advisors. He had not explained how the ability worked to anyone, simply remaining mysterious and powerful. In truth, it was not very complex, though the idea behind it was a bit scary.

Glimpse of Fate allowed Seth to see mana in the air. Not as it currently was, but as it would be. Normally, if the ability was used at all, it was best used to find upcoming monster appearances. If there was a large amount of filthy mana gathering in an area, a monster would show up there sooner or later, dragging itself from the shadows. He was drawn to use the ability now by the tickling Aspect within his core and his poker face could not survive the sight.

The world was awash with colours and thick with mana, like Seth had never seen. He slammed the skill down and shut his eyes tight until the power faded from them. Opening them again, he saw only the shocked faces of his five advisors. “Is everything okay, sir?” Derek asked, clearly worried. Derek was a loyal, if boring and old, helper. Seth shook his head.

Seth didn’t know what else to say. “There’s a monster coming. One stronger than we’ve ever seen.”

Then, there was a knock at the door.

———————————————————————————

“Maybe they’ll be chill?” I asked Naea hopefully. She gave me a look which said I was stupid, both for assuming she would know and for hoping things would go well. “That’s way too much meaning to put into a single expression, Naea, you’re way too good at that.” Shrugging, feeling a little silly, I knocked on a set of large wooden doors and waited.

And waited.

Westfields was a fairly nice building, which had been completely reconstructed since the Shift. Instead of a shopping centre, it was now clearly the seat of power for Londimin. The energy of Aspects from the building suggested nearly everyone inside had one, but it was the architecture and design I focused on. I was impressed. Was there an Aspect of Cleaning? If so, I would pay someone a lot of money to use it. “Do we have a seat of power?” I asked Naea.

“I don’t think we do…” She answered, solemn. I shook my head in fake disgust. How could we have let someone get one over on us like this? I would be upgrading my mansion into a castle as soon as I returned to Ascentown. Making our way to the main audience hall was easy as the entire front of the building had now been designed to aim the entrants towards it. Various monster skulls and trophies dotted the walls, along with system-purchased art of impressive scenes. “This is a travesty, Grant.”

“We’ll have to fix it when we get back. Two thrones?” Naea nodded vigorously as I suggested she get her own throne, too. It wouldn’t do to get a big head, I didn’t get here on my own after all. I could hear movement behind the door, could even feel the activation of a few skills, probably used in panic. Nothing was used which affected me or Naea, so I didn’t react in kind. There was an impulse in the back of my mind to just punch through the door, but I would let the fine people of Londimin make the first mistake before acting rash. “We’re definitely in the right place, Nae.”

An energy built on the other side of the door. They were lucky I had a good read of mana now, and could tell the effect was protective rather than offensive, or I’d have started shooting off Blasts. Eventually, once a few more skills were layered on the individual on the other side, the door opened and a trembling man with a grey moustache poked his head around the door. He yelped as our eyes met, nearly making me flinch as well. “What the hell was that for, dude?” I asked, surprised.

“Terribly sorry, sir, it’s just I thought… I expected- ah don’t worry about that.” Looking at him was difficult, as his entire form swam with bright sigils and symbols of various colours. That would be the effects of those skills that were in use. At least three people’s worth. “What is it?” The man asked as though I had annoyed him.

“Are you Seth?” I replied. If it was even possible, the man’s face seemed to pale even further before it crumpled a little. He shook his head before disappearing back into the room and closing the door. I turned to where I knew Naea was and gave a shrug, honestly amused at the antics. “Don’t look at me,” I told the invisible fairy, “I don’t think I’ve done anything wrong.”

“Well, I certainly wouldn’t know,” Naea replied. “You all don’t have rules like we System-born things do.”

“Rules?” I asked, feeling like that rang a bell somewhere deep in my mind. “Like with your fairy promises and stuff?” Naea made a noise of agreement but I felt our connection shutter slightly. So, it wasn’t something she actually wanted to talk about? Alright, I could leave it alone. I was just about to knock again, firmly, when the door opened and the same moustachioed face appeared.

“The hero, Seth, will see you now.”