Civilization

Heading down the staircase, after a long hard series of battles, the fatigue hit me. Adrenaline had died down and there was only tiredness left. It wasn't just me, glancing behind me, I see that everyone was feeling more or less the same. Luckily for us, there were no more battles, and we safely exited the Abyss, going through the Portal and walking out of the cave. I didn't realize so much time had passed as the moon and stars greet us the moment we walk outside.

With Kaede leading the way, we eventually make it back to the Krepost. Worn out and tired from the journey, we all collapse in the Krepost after greeting Celine and Stellar. The pair were relieved that we were okay, and after confirming that we didn't need anything, they went back to protecting the Krepost at night. However, they were shocked by the changes in David and the others.

It seems like there was a small invasion of monsters during the day and night, with us just arriving after Celine's tamed monsters cleaned up the enemies. However, that was for tomorrow to think about. I got a blanket made out of Jackalope fur and cuddled up with Rebecca as the healing waves from the Krepost refresh our HP and fatigue, allowing a nice comfortable sleep.

Morning arrives but most of the people that went to the Abyss were still asleep. Coming out of the Krepost with Rebecca, I spot Kingston and Celine together by the baby monster pen, with Stellar, Gewari, and Frank not too far away discussing something together. Moving toward Kingston and Celine first, I ask about the recent monster invasion.

"Celine, what happened yesterday after we left? You told me there were monsters attacking the Krepost both in the day and at night?" - Ian

"Nothing too serious, however, it did feel out of the blue. Not too long after you left, we were met with a stampede of Zivotinjas and Crinzannas, the only problem is that both groups don't really mesh well together in the wild. The Crinzannas hunt Zivotinjas for food so to me this felt very weird, so I tried to communicate with the monsters first, only to be rejected.

The battle was relatively simple since there were only a total of 30 monsters. Everyone here could handle them pretty well, with simple tactics, like using the wall as cover and attacking from various angles. The monsters were unable to react or otherwise just attacked in the general direction, which leads me to believe that while there might not be someone controlling them, they were given simple instructions.

That's what happened after you left, at night, however, we were attacked from the direction of a Pillar of Light that appeared from the forest. Stellar was in the forest at the time, and we were able to react to the incoming skeletons before they reached the Krepost, joining forces with HavenFall to eliminate the rest of the monsters.

Compared to before, there were fewer monsters, and it felt like a scouting party since the skeletons weren't humanoids but beasts, mainly wolves, dogs, and other fast-moving 4-legged monsters. If it weren't for Stellar and the fact that the Zivotinjas were just as fast as the skeletons then who knows how far they would have gone." - Celine

"Interesting… Not only were there forces from the Reaper, but wild monsters were also attacking us. This is so weird because there has rarely been a time that wild monsters attacked the Krepost." - Ian

"Not just that, most of the time the monsters only stick within their group. They never group together and if you do see two different monsters, they would always be fighting each other." - Kingston

"Doesn't it seem like someone is controlling the monsters though? It doesn't make sense otherwise. At most, the person controlling the monsters is only able to make them move in a certain direction, but they might not be able to control them when they are in a fight. After all, when there is a fight, there are more complicated instructions." - Rebecca

"I agree with that theory, but then that means there is someone nearby us with a substantial amount of monsters." - Ian

"And they know our location." - Kingston

"Has Stellar scouted the area or direction that the monsters came in?" - Ian

"I'm not sure… Stellar?" - Celine

Calling Stellar over, Celine waves to the trio, bringing them close to us. I repeat my question to Stellar, waiting for her to answer.

"I did go in the direction where the monsters came from, but I didn't find anything after traveling for a while. The monsters came from the grasslands to the west, in the same general direction that Nina once came from just closer to us. What I found were endless grassland and hills, as well as the forest to my side. I made sure to travel under the effects of the mask, making me invisible, but there was nothing to be found." - Stellar

"Strange, isn't it? I remember going around the perimeter a while back but didn't find anything as well." - Frank

"Do you think maybe the monsters came from the forest?" - Gewari

"Not possible, the monsters are from the grassland, and for there to be so many of them, the controller must be in a location where they would encounter a lot of monsters. The forest isn't home to these monsters and their food source isn't there as well. It would be too troublesome to continuously forage for food and then transport them to a safe location in the forest." - Celine

"This might be a bit weird but, what if there were a lot of people? Maybe there is just one controller but what if there is a village of people as well doing the tasks which you just said." - Kingston

"You think there is another player village close by to us?" - Ian

"It wouldn't be strange since this world is so big but at the same time, why would they choose to come now?" - Kingston

"Because they saw us travel away from the Krepost… Maybe they planned for this for a while and were waiting for an opportunity. They wouldn't know about our combat level, but it would be safe to assume that having 30 monsters attacking a village without the player would be more than enough.

I doubt someone without a lot of battle experience would be able to kill even one and even with NPCs, how many could a village have? The person most likely assumed it would be 1:1 ratio of monster to NPCs, and even it isn't that ratio, it wouldn't be too far off." - Rebecca

"That means they are watching us. They would know we have returned, and they would know that we know about them." - Frank

"Hm… Stellar, I want you to send out another scouting team. Gewari, accompany her but stay invisible. Leave the Krepost invisible as well and stay along the forest. Frank, I would like you to follow them as well but, I have a more important role for you. I want you to make use of the Vampiric Offspring, and go out hunting.

Go back to HavenFall first and take a team of goblins with you. Your mission is to turn them into hobgoblins while also creating an army of vampiric beings. The more, the better and once the goblins turn into hobgoblins, go back to HavenFall and get yourself another team." - Ian

"I don't need to be here? Are you sure?" - Frank

"Yes, I had thought about this when I first saw your new skills." - Ian

"What about me? Is there something you want me to do, Ian?" - Kingston

"Take the goblins in the Krepost and go out to the grassland. Celine, do you also want to go out and tame more monsters?" - Ian

"I would love to! Kumi can handle all the monsters here, and they listen to her now as well, so they will be fine without me." - Celine

"What about you and me?" - Rebecca

"We are going to be staying here for a while. David, Ken, and Kaede will go back to HavenFall to strengthen their forces as Frank moves with the goblins to make them stronger while Gibing, Gopopo, Howard, and Yor will stay here. I think it is time to expand the Krepost, to make room for more monsters, and at the same time put in some essential buildings.

My plan is to bring Lime or someone else to start a forge here as well and be the lead blacksmith in the Krepost. After that, a farm needs to be started somewhere near here since I want the grain-like product to be produced. Houses for people and a sturdier wall need to also be implemented and if I'm lucky enough maybe new technology will be discovered, and we will be able to progress the technology tree." - Ian

"Alright then, I'll go wake up everyone that is still asleep in the Krepost and let them know about their duties." - Kingston

"I'll start to ready my things. If I'm going out to tame more monsters, then I also need to be prepared." -Celine

"Ian, I'll start scouting further out, don't worry I'll find out who is attacking us." - Stellar

"Alright, thanks, everyone. To be honest, there has been a lot of fighting going on the last few days as well as a lot of exploring. There hasn't been time to develop what we already have and instead, we have been preparing against attacks almost all the time. While I am here, I'm going to do my best to make the Krepost a better place. Estimating a week before I want a report on your actions. Do I make myself clear?" - Ian

"Got it!" - Everyone

"Then, let's get this show on the road." - Ian