The team made the final jump through to the unclaimed lands, arriving in the town of Na?tak. Gavin felt like he was stepping back in time, the locals wore clothing of woven natural fibres, dyed with vibrant natural inks. Most had facial tattoos that accentuated at least one feature, usually highlighting the eyes or mouth with bold designs that reminded Gavin of the tā moko his ancestors back home ritually carved into themselves.

  Gavin spotted tribesmen that were heavily tattooed over their entire bodies, openly carrying weapons. Spears seemed to be the most popular weapon, but bows, slings, mattocks and axes made with obsidian shards lashed to a wooden handle were also common. They eyed the outsiders with suspicion or hostility, which Gavin felt was fair, he was getting definite colonial settler vibes from their group.

  The knights met up with their counterparts who were on beacon duty, the Stormforge Wardens, a group of five heavily armed and armoured warriors that all had a heavy synergy with either lightning, water, or wind powers. They were to act as guards while they hiked the two day journey through the wilderness, accompanied by a small group of guild officials, researchers, and magic specialists, led by a local guide. They joined teams Phoenix and Twilight Seekers, their village was along the same road half a day out of Na?tak. They would all stay in Damāk overnight then carry on the following morning.

  The team made the journey before nightfall where they were shown to an empty plot of land outside the village. Gavin set his fortress up in a spot out of the way while the rest of the gathering set up tents or other conjured dwellings.

  “So, why did you have to spend all our money Gavin?” Sam asked when they were safely inside the fortress.

  “Check this out.” He said, taking an item from his inventory and handing it to her.

  [Item: Reservoir of the artificer]

  [Type: Tool]

  [Rarity: Level three, very rare]

  [Description: His master needed more than he could give, this was the solution]

  [Effect: Mana torae. Activate to transfer mana to the user or object. Mana replenishes slowly over time]

  “What's so good about this? Our armour does this but better.” Sam asked, tossing the object to Judy to inspect.

  “No Sam, this changes everything.” Gavin grinned.

  “How?”

  “When I hit level two I'll be able to get my crafting abilities to rank three in like a week.”

  “Yeah, we heard your bet with that woman.” Judy said.

  “My crafting abilities are all level two, you guys haven't ever asked why I don't make level two gear for you all?”

  “Huh?” Sam said, brow furrowing, “why not?”

  I can fabricate and deconstruct level two materials, make level two items, even create level two enchantment architecture. What I can't do is produce level two mana to finish the enchanting process.”

  “What do you mean level two mana?” Judy asked.

  “When you level up the way your soul channels energy from the ether into your body changes, the mana your body can use is fundamentally different at each level. Think of it like a fine seive, it can let water through but not much else, as you level up the holes get bigger, now water and sand can get through, then the holes get bigger and you can fit gravel through there too. When you hit level twenty your body is strong enough to withstand channelling raw ether.”

  “So you can use this to make level three items by using its charge to do the last bit for you?”

  “That's exactly what I’m saying. We can jump level two gear entirely and go straight to level three. It will mean the enchantments will have to be passive effects because we won't have level three mana to activate them, and anything I make that's soulbound will be a lot trickier, I don't know how reforging an already soulbound item will work, but it'll mean our gear is twice as good as it should be. We’all be able to take on level three or even four monsters if they fit our composition well enough.”

  “Wow.” Val said, handing his new tool back to him.

  “So, Judy, wanna finish grinding out my bubble shield ability tonight and you get the first level three item?”

  “Deal.” she said, flicking a stone from her inventory at his face.

  The pair spent the evening and small hours of the morning training. Judy shooting him with arrows from across the room into repeatedly conjured bubble shields while Gavin used his forgemasters eye ability to refine his crafted items further.

  Finally Gavin called it quits as soon as his last two abilities progressed over the line. With a rush of adrenaline he felt his base stats jump, it wasn't a quantitative leap that expanded his powers by leaps and bounds, More a qualitative advancement that made his already gained powers feel more refined and smooth to use.

  ***

  “Man, this feels good.” Gavin said, levitating himself above the ground in a sitting position with his force of will power as the group left early the next morning.

  “Hopefully we get into a fight today, if I get a good radiance of the dawn off I'll get to level two as well.” Sam said wistfully.

  “Yeah, you've been really screwed over the past couple days.” Gavin said.

  “It's not a race Gavin, we'll get there when we get there.” Sam said half heartedly, they were all hankering to get to the next stage of their advancement even though Sam was making an effort to put on a brave face.

  The party of officials and adventurers made good time as they walked between villages, they were all at least of the first rank and had a much deeper stamina pool to draw from than an average citizen. The groups mainly kept to themselves, the officials talked with each other about logistical problems Gavin had zero interest in understanding. The Storm wardens had taken the lead while Gavins team filtered out in a loose formation. They didn't need to be close to one another to talk freely.

  “Monster, up there.” Judy said pointing In a direction slightly off the road, “just spotted eyes in the trees.”

  “We're up.” Sam ordered the team, her sword appearing in her hands as she cracked her neck.

  Gavin shouldered his rifle, aiming it down in the direction of Judy’s pointed finger, his team formed up around him. The Stormforge Wardens took up a position in front of the Knights. A heavy electric tingle permeated the air as the Wardens slowly advanced up the road, Sam had her team take up a defensive posture around the various guild officials they were guarding.

  “There, up in the trees, level two I think.” Judy said, pointing off to the other side of the road, this time they all could see the set of yellow glowing eyes in the darkness.

  “We all ready?” Simon, leader of the Storm Wardens asked.

  “Ready” Sam confirmed.

  The wardens began their charge, lightning crackled and a storm wind crashed into the trees. Gavins shot hit the ground right behind where the eyes had been, but it was gone.

  “Things fast.” Gavin grunted, loading another round as the first reformed inside the rifle with a slight drain on his prodigious mana pool.

  “It has a teleport power.” Judy said.

  “Jump panther.” Val guessed, “they're fast and strong, but don't have a lot of durability. ”

  “You lot are on guard duty, we'll hunt it down.” Simon called, his team rampaging off into the forest.

  The small storm gathered and grew, wind and hail howling suddenly as the team combined their powers. Leaves and earth tore free of the forest, whipping up and around as trees groaned against the sudden tempest. Lightning cracked and ice shards hammered the area as they moved off and away from the main party.

  “You any good in a fight Haylee?” Gavin asked.

  “Not really, my skills are all utility powers.” Their third rank guild liaison admitted.

  “You still have rank three strength and speed, thats more than any of us, here, take this.” He said, handing her his spear, “It's real easy, just stick it with the pointy end if it gets clo-oh shit.”

  The monster appeared in a puff of smoke in their midst, raking claws along Sam's wooden back and clawing splinters off in chunks with a paw and popping Gavin's hastily conjured bubble shield with the other. Before any of them could react, it was gone, leaving several administrators shrieking in fear at their brief encounter.

  “It's okay guys, we've got this, Haylee, if it jumps in again I want you to stab it as quickly as you can, there's nothing it can do that will hurt you permanently.” Gavin said, levitating his two D12's sending them howling around their group.

  “Okay.” Haylee said, her voice quivering, her white knuckled grip holding Gavins spear rigidly at the ready.

  More peals of thunder and lightning rang out from the trees, explosions of light and sound blanketing the area, spreading out around the group like a stormwall around the centre of a cyclone. Whole trees and debris swarmed around them as the animating energy rose to a crescendo.

  The second time the beast appeared within their circle they were ready. Val and Gavins enhanced senses triggered Sam to use her radiance of the dawn almost simultaneously, she bathed them all in scouring light that washed over the road like cleansing fire. For the party of adventurers it was nothing more than a blinding tingle, for the monster it was agony. Divine energy nipped at its shadowy skin scrubbing away its fur and leaving red welts where the light touched.

  The split second Sam's attack brought was enough for Haylee to react, she drove Gavin's spear through its spine, pinning it to the ground.

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  Gavin whipped around, blasting two shots into the back of its head, while three of Vals swords hacked bloody chunks from its flank before it jumped away.

  “It's bleeding now.” Val confirmed. “I got a good couple of Haemorrhage conditions on it.”

  “Good,” Sam said “Gavin, reset my powers?’

  “I can't, we’re out of money”

  “With your mana you moron.”

  “Oh, yeah, forgot it also worked like that.”

  “Judy, next time you see it, light it up.” Sam ordered “don't even bother trying to shoot it, it's too fast.”

  “Got it.There.” She called pointing at a luminous red sphere burst from the undergrowth.

  Gavin popped off three shots before the panicked panther jumped again.

  The storm wardens crashed back onto the road, frustration and anger on their faces, covered in dirt and dried blood they ran to rejoin the huddled group in the middle of the road.

  “It's injured.” Sam said, “easy to spot, we've got an illusion power lighting it up.”

  “Good.” Simon said, “our powers aren't suited for dealing with monsters like that, unless we're demolishing the whole forest to root it out.”

  The monster appeared behind the wardens, bearing one to the ground, it's jaw worrying at the back of his neck.

  Gavin, barely needing to react, pulled in on his whirling hexahedrons, their speed rocketing as he smashed the two spiked balls into the creature. He took the moment it was there to place his own illusion over the panther, a thin column of red light that extended a dozen metres into the air. The panther vanished, its marker appearing far up in the trees.

  “Can you get it from here?” Sam asked.

  “Yes, Jory, Ben, you're up.” Simon said as he surged more mana into the storm he'd conjured and sent it off in the direction of the panther.

  The two Wardens stepped up, Readying their attacks, twin bolts of lightning shot out, thundering into the base of the beacon. The red line vanished, appearing at a different location, only to be blasted again and again. Soon the line stopped moving, the monster succumbing to its wounds. Gavin jumped up to its location and looted its corpse.

  “You want to handle loot distribution?” He asked Haylee when he returned to the party, “make sure to give yourself a share too.”

  “I, I can, yes.” She said, regaining her composure.

  “You did well Haylee.” Val said.

  “You should be proud of yourself.” Sam agreed, returning to her normal form

  “I didn't really do anything.” She said, blushing “I'm the highest level here and I couldn't do anything.”

  “You didn't panic and you acted.” Sam said, putting an armoured hand on her shoulder. “It's what we do. You might not have the training of a warden, but you have the heart.”

  “Shall we stop for a rest then?” Haylee said, looking uncomfortable with the praise.

  “Out here on the road?” Simon asked, “not a good idea.”

  “No worries mate, we can go into the fortress.”

  “What fortress?”

  “That one” Gavin said pointing off to the side of the road, his fortress forming at the tip of his finger.

  “That was your team that summoned this last night?”

  “Yeah, come on in, I've made enough room for us all.”

  “What is this power?” Haylee asked.

  “Divine instant fortress.” Gavin said offhandedly as he beckoned them inside.

  “Divine?”

  “Yeah, Paragon sussed me out with it, pretty neat right?”

  “As in Paragon Paragon?”

  “Yeah, he's a pretty cool bloke, thinks he's funnier than he is though.”

  “Gavin.” Sam said pointedly.

  “Oh, yeah, right, don't blaspheme the gods or whatever, anyway, who wants a pie? Still haven't got V sorted out yet, but one of these days I'll get it.”

  “V?” Simon asked taking a pie in a brown paper bag.

  “Don't ask” Judy said “if he starts rambling like that it's not worth it.”

  “I can see that.” He said, taking a bite out of his pie, “I think he's missed his calling as a cook though, who would have thought to put meat in a pie?”

  “Apparently is the custom where he's from.”

  “Where's that? Certainly not in the eastern kingdom.”

  “Nah mate, little country called New Zealand. She's a bit of a hike from here.”

  “Everywheres a bit of a hike from here.”

  “Ha, that's true, anyone seen Sam?”

  “I think she went to her room.” Val said through a mouthful of steak and cheese.

  “Ahh yeah, bet that fight pushed her over into level two, speaking of, you're next Judy, we’ll get you caught up in no time.”

  Gavin found a quiet corner to start up his crafting grind again, started on a set of level two gauntlets, then another, working his way up towards something that would tap out his spirit, intellect and willpower attributes to the top of their safe level. The mana flowing through him felt like a fire hydrant, he was right on the brink of doing himself harm, though his endurance and body of iron ability were just barely enough to mitigate the damage to a level he could passively heal. Now he could begin on the real road to power.

  Making four daggers at a time with four different enchantments he rotated through his pool of known effects. He worked quickly and efficiently, producing dozens of weapons while they rested.

  “What are you doing?” Ben, one of the Storm Wardens sitting down on the couch near him “I've been watching you make items all day.”

  “Hit level- two this morning, trying to get my crafting abilities ranked up to- three by next week.”

  “Ha, no way you'll do that, it took me two months to get any of my skills to level three.”

  “I've already bet Koyo, the Runic Blades team smith I could do it. You want to make a bet too?”

  “Actually, I don't think I will. I don't bet on things I can't control.” He said, laughing.

  “That's a good policy.”

  Sam walked back into the room, catching Gavin's eye with a smile. She radiated fresh level two mana that the team was instantly able to pick up on.

  “Nice one Sam.” Val said, “want to go have a fight?”

  “Perhaps after we get to Nyumbakka” Haylee said “I have the loot tallied, once it's divvied out we should get going.”

  She went about handing out either receipts for guild credit or the coins, Gavin’s team all took the coins, having more use for those than anything they could get at the local guild branch.

  The group arrived at Nyūmbakka In the early afternoon and set up camp in the guild grounds. They were all given time off to do whatever they wanted, so long as they stayed within the guild compound. Gavin offered his services setting up the base defences, taking the menial task of fabricating and enchanting flagstones around the site with one other enchanter. Brian, a hired level two contractor. He was happy for the assistance, though he'd been apprehensive at first given his experience following Gavin for the past few days. Once he'd seen he was able to skillfully follow their plans, taking great care to craft each stone with his best possible effort he'd warmed to his new coworker.

  Brian worked to flatten and harden the earth then lay down a bed of sand and lime, while Gavin followed along behind, enchanting and placing the torso sized hexagonal chunks of granite with care and precision.

  They were enchanted in a similar way to Gavin's armour, or, more specifically, his armour was enchanted similarly to the tiles. He'd copied the enchantments for his team's armour from the Edomont guild defences, each tile performing a very slightly different function to best absorb, channel, and use the stored mana to different degrees depending on its location in the pattern.

  The practice was good for him, maintaining his concentration as he hyper fixated on his task. He was soon straining himself to the edge of his ability, having to periodically take recovery potions to maintain his pace.

  “This is excellent work, how are you producing epic quality work on your second day of rank two?”

  “Enchanting power, scales off my spirit attribute not my level.” Gavin grunted, levitating the rock carefully into place “here.” He said, tossing him one of his gauntlets.

  “Gods Gavin” he said handing the gauntlet back “that's not good for you, you're going to wreck your body if you keep pushing like that, that gauntlet is ready to explode with how much mana you've forced into it.”

  “That's why it stays in my inventory when I'm not in a safe area, and besides, I have the body of iron ability, doing it this way helps strengthen my body to resist the damage I'm doing to it. It's good training.”

  “You should really be taking it a lot easier, take a break, let yourself recover.”

  “Mate, my job is to keep my team alive. I need to push myself so I can give them the best gear they can have as quickly as I can give it to them. Having good gear in six months won't matter if they need it tomorrow. We're out there every day doing way more dangerous stuff than enchanting rocks, I've been mauled, stabbed, shot through the heart, punched, blasted with lightning, died two ish times, had my hand blown off, my neck broken, you name it, I've had it done to me. Getting a bit tired is the absolute least of my worries.”

  “Wardens, you're all insane.” Ben said, shaking his head.

  “A little bit. But if my time here has taught me anything it's that things will go wrong at the worst possible moment, so it's best to be prepared.”

  “That is a very cynical take.”

  “You develop a certain outlook on life when you die a couple times.”

  “I bet. Well. I suppose you should carry on then.”

  “You got it boss.” Gavin said, holding out a manhole cover sized slab as he laced in its enchantment..

  Behind the two enchanters another team was assembling the hall, administration building and a barracks for the wardens to stay in while stationed at the village. When dinner time rolled around they had all but finished their work. The guild put on a feast for the assembled teams, Gavin managed to drag himself away from his work long enough to eat a quick meal, summon his fortress, and get back to it. He crafted slabs of stone late into the night, dragging himself to bed before midnight.

  The next morning they assembled after breakfast to get their orders for the day. The storm wardens would go out into the forest to place beacons the guild used to track ambient magic levels in the area. They were less complex than the infrastructure the guild had built up over the thousands of years back in their realm of influence, and would provide only an approximate area to look in and a decently reliable gauge on the level of the mana surge.

  The main issue would be there was a large gap between the level of the encounters and the difficulty. On his first day in this world Gavin had fought two level one monsters, one was an eel, that he was able to kill with a rock while injured and unprepared, the other had killed almost all of a team of wardens outright before a well timed spear had skewered it through the brain. It probably wouldn't matter for level one and two encounters, the team could deal with any number of monsters at that level, but a level three infestation could be disastrous if they weren't cautious.

  The team didn't have a lot to do until more of the network had been set up, leaving Gavin a lot of free time to work on his enchanting skills. Sam, Val and Judy spent their time training or exploring the wilderness nearby, having a good idea of their surroundings would give Judy at least the ability to teleport them to places she'd been if they needed to get somewhere in a hurry. Gavin worked in the lounge, and popped briefly through Judy's portals to fill in teleportation spots in his map.

  After dinner in the guild hall that night he stood to make an announcement.

  “Hey, ahh, back on my world we have these things called movies that are basically recordings of actors acting out a story, and since I've hit rank two, I think my memory is good enough to make a decent effort at showing you all one with an illusion power, if you guys want to watch.”

  “I'd like to see a bit of your world, you are an ourtworlder right?” Haylee said. There were general murmurs of agreement among the gathered crowd.

  “Okay, cool, well, if y'all wanna come into the fortress we can set up a decent theatre to watch it in.”

  Gavin took down his fortress, resummoning it to make the dining hall larger, taking the space from his workshop and training hall. He fabricated large leather beanbags made from scavenged materials in his inventory for everyone to sit on. At last they sat back to watch the movie.

  “The world is changed, I feel it in the water.” a soft whisper echoed around them in the pitch black room. He sat back in his seat, his smile widening as golden letters faded into view across the back wall of the theatre.