Aggro Litrpg || Progression Fantasy

The sound of axes on wood, picks on stone, arrows hitting fleeing wildlife, and the low rumble of murmured orders was basically now my whole world.

Scar's people were like ants with a shared, terrifying purpose and were doing their level best to pile up resources as fast as possible. After a few hours of graft, it really felt that the whole thing needed a Broadway musical number about the benefits of joyful teamwork, but the critical reception wasn't high when I gave it a go. Tell you what, though, they might not be fans of a jaunty ballad, but these guys were efficient, I'll give them that.

"Okay, let the dog see the bone," I said, flipping open the Village Interface and checking out our progress. Although the deadline for the reappearance of the Rebels was closing in, the available resource numbers were certainly ticking upwards. "Food, wood, stone. Perfect. We've got enough to get the Hunter's Lodge and the Signal Cairn!"

The overall stuff-in/stuff-out equation might still not be pretty, but – thanks to the efforts of Scar's crew - the amount of resources in the Storage Shed had been adding up. It was hard to believe these were the same people who'd strolled into the clearing with haunted eyes and patchwork armour, looking like little boys (and girls) lost. They were acting like securing the future of this village was their own personal redemption arc.

As I stood gazing on my – technically mine, right? - works, ye mighty, and not at all despairing, Not-Maid-Marion walked past me, a muntjac deer slung over her shoulders. She didn't say a word as she went to the Storage Shed and chucked it inside, then turned, raising an eyebrow at the half-constructed Hunter's Lodge. The vibe was a teacher silently asking if I'd done my homework.

"Yeah, yeah, we're getting there," I said. "Just give it another minute or so."

She – I really needed to find out her name - rolled her eyes and wandered back into the woods. Scar stood at the edge of the clearing with a clipboard, I have no idea where he got that from, directing traffic like a post-apocalyptic foreman. I thought about going over and offering a few words of encouragement - but, you know what? - we all have our own skillsets.

Considering all the time-sensitive issues that were now closing in, we needed this narrative arc over and done with as soon as possible, and me micromanaging didn't seem like a great plan at this stage.

"Not long now," Scar called over, casting an approving look over the rapidly completing Hunter's Lodge. "Dema's itching to be assigned to it and get going. If you're happy, I think it'll be best just to link her to it and then leave her to it. She's a fine Hunter, even if she has a... peculiar method." He gave me a grin that some might describe as wolfish. "You'll see."

"Yeah," I said, not really sure how I was supposed to respond to that.

It was barely another hour before the Hunter's Lodge creaked into completion, as the last of Scar's people stepped back to admire their work. Dema – I preferred 'Not-Maid-Marion', but no one was finding my whimsy particularly charming this afternoon - didn't waste a moment. She slipped into the Lodge and, seconds later, the village interface dinged to indicate our little village now had an official 'Huntress.'

Dema emerged from the Lodge, stretching like a cat after a nap and gave a mock salute. "Don't worry, boss. I'll be sure to bring you back something tasty. Try not to miss me too much while I'm gone."

Was she flirting with me? "I'll do my best," I called after her as she positively sprinted past the treeline.

Now we had everything ticking along nicely, the incoming resources were starting to look pretty handy.

Passive Gains (Adjusted):

- Wood: +30 per cycle

- Stone: +25 per cycle

- Food: +30 per cycle

"Booyah! That's what I'm talking about!" I pulled open the Village Hall interface, flipping through the new options that popped up. I couldn't deny that the place felt different now. More alive, like it was finally starting to wake up.

>[System Update: Village Management Expansion Unlocked]

> New Build Options Available:

> – Upgrade: Medical Hut (Level 2) [Status: Eligible]

> – Research Tree: Unlock [Available]

> – Defensive Structure: Steam Cannon (Blueprint Drafted)

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

> – Village Expansion: Housing (Max Capacity +10 Residents)

> – Market District: Unlock Trade Capabilities (Requires 3 Active Villagers)

> System Advisory: Growth draws eyes. Expansion increases chance of attracting wandering settlers... and other, less welcome guests.

The Medical Hut upgrade was the priority, surely?

Lia was still out cold, and as much as I enjoyed pretending I was capable of surviving all this mess on my own, I wasn't stupid enough to believe it. I needed her back on her feet. Badly.

I mean, imagine Katya trying her whole cryptic assassin shtick with a fully operational Lia? Or Berker waddling into view with his bargain-bin doom squad and getting five seconds into a sneer before she caved his face in. Yeah. That was the sort of help I could really use.

But… But… The System had dangled the Steam Cannon option in front of me like a shiny button labelled Press Me for Fun and Explosions. And oh, how it called to me. It practically purred.

Still, I dragged my attention away. Time to be an adult, Eli. Grown-up priorities first. Steam-powered murder-toys later. (Probably.)

No, first things first. Medical Hut upgrade. Save Lia. Build the basics. Then? Then I could go full Orcs Must Die if I wanted. I hovered my hand over the upgrade button... but a niggling little thought wouldn't quite leave me alone.

'Friend.' That word was doing an awful lot of heavy lifting in that sentence, wasn't it? Was that what Lia was? Really? I mean, if we're being honest - and apparently today's the day for that -she treated me like a bad smell half the time. Sure, she'd saved me from being eaten by wolves, and okay, fine, she'd dragged my sorry carcass across a couple of zones when I didn't know my arse from my Arcane Resistance stat. But I'd paid her back, hadn't I? I'd helped her kill Balethor.

And I'd focused my village's early momentum on keeping her breathing. Fair exchange, right? No debts. No obligations.

And let's not skip over the small but non-trivial fact that Lia wasn't exactly well-loved in these parts. I couldn't forget the looks those Rebel villagers gave her as we strolled through their little hamlet. They hadn't seen a brave warrior standing against tyranny; they'd seen a walking nightmare in regulation Empire greys. Hammer of Evil, indeed.

So, strictly speaking, there was no rule that said I had to prioritise her wellbeing. None. I could, if I wanted, spend my hard-earned resources building the Steam Cannon first. Just a little delay. Just a tiny shift of focus. No one would even blame me.

I stared at the upgrade options a second longer, and felt Aunt M's eyes fall on me, with her signature raised eyebrow. I sighed theatrically. "Fine," I said. "Saving friends first. Murder toys later."

It was probably my imagination, but I was sure I felt a pat on the head after making the decision. One day, I really was going to regret all this moral high ground nonsense. But, apparently, not today.

"Medical Hut it is," I said, selecting the upgrade whilst pretending I'd never thought of anything else. The familiar shimmer of construction began over the Hut, and Bob, my Shadowborn Builder, wandered over, along with the other workers and the process kicked into gear.

Scar's eyes scanned the village with something approaching approval. "Be an hour or so for that to be done. Things are coming together."

"Yeah, thanks for the help. Couldn't have done it without you and your crew."

He waved a hand dismissively. "We've done this before. Difference is, this time, maybe we'll actually get to keep what we build this time."

"Well, let's not count our chickens before the rebels decide to roast them," I said.

"So, it looks like we're stuck with a couple of hours' wait before this is done. What are your plans for the time? If you don't mind, I think I'll keep the boys and girls gathering for now. See if we can build up a bit of a stockpile for some upgrades."

"I was liking the look of the Steam Cannon," I said, bringing up that option.

> [New Construction Option Unlocked: Defensive Structure – Steam Cannon]

> Description: Sometimes, subtlety is for losers.

> Requirements:

> 100 Stone

> 80 Wood

> 10 Iron

> Construction Time: 03:00:00

> Operational Range: 40 metres

> Reload Time: 15 seconds (non-automated)

> Damage Output: "Excessive to the point of deeply satisfying."

> System Advisory: All problems start to look like nails when you build a really, really good hammer.

Scar let out a low whistle as the schematic for the cannon appeared on the ground, glowing with plenty of gears and cogs. "That'll certainly turn some heads."

"Yep. That or melt them."

"We don't have any iron, though," Scar said. Annoying reasonably, I thought. "That's going to be further down the line, I'm afraid. Mind you, a healed-up Level 7 Warrior and a fully operational Steam Cannon will certainly put a dent in most people's day."

"Especially as I beat the rebels off the first time by being good at a board game," I said.

"Don't get too cocky, kid. But you have a point. Things are going to escalate for sure, but neither the Rebels nor the Empire are going to be saddling up the Legion of Doom to pacify a Level 1 Village. My advice would be not to let the urgent get in the way of the important."

"Who died and turned you into Yoda?"

Scar made that weird head tilt Lia did whenever I referenced something from my own realm. There was definitely some sort of filtering going on here and I wonder what he thought I'd said to him? But I decided not to push it. Not for now. No need to freak out the guy pretty much running my village construction.

For the first time in a while, we were making decent progress. The various countdowns were still ticking down, but right now, they didn't feel like a noose tightening around my neck. Scar caught my eye and gave me a small nod. "You know what, we might just pull this off . . ."

Which, obviously, was when my minimap flooded with little red Shadow dots.