Frostbound [LitRPG Apocalypse]

Chris

Frostheim

The meeting with Alaric didn't end up taking that long. The haggling was tame, compared to the few other times I'd seen Jonathan engage in it. From what I could tell, both Merchants weren't trying to go for the throat.

The only reason I could see for not doing so was to increase the likelihood of continued business. Good-natured business, at that. I wasn't sure how it would all pan out in the future, but it seemed like we were getting a good deal.

Alaric and his nascent Merchant Company already had roots in four different decently sized Factions. Through him, we could get things from the Heartlands Alliance, the Reservation, the Stormlands, and the Twins.

Trading with Marcus's city was still best done in-house, as it were, but it was still possible through Alaric if we needed it.

One of the things Abigail was most excited about was the food. The Heartlands were aptly named, as they consisted of some of the most fertile lands this side of the Mountains. In the world, really, if things hadn't changed too much by the terraforming. The area was responsible for a large portion of the world's food production, and it was quickly reclaiming that title.

We could grow things up here, obviously, but not at the grade, capacity, or quality to even come close to what they could produce. Also, some crops just wouldn't survive our climate.

Continued trade would be good for food diversity, and for my palate.

With the cattle, sheep, and hunting, we had enough meat to go around, and now we had the grain, fruits, and vegetables to match. The deal was worth its weight in silver, as now we could make some of the things I had been missing. Our Pylon shop didn't reach far enough to get offers from Verdant Falls, which was a pity.

All around, when Alaric was finally escorted out by Sophia, I had a grin from what the day had brought us.

"I'm not sure if you meant for this to happen, or not, but either way, thanks, Austin." I sighed in contentment just thinking about the new amenities Alaric would bring.

"I knew it would be good, but I wasn't sure how good." Austin bragged, "Him being interested in some of our products was a surprise."

Abigail snorted, "No, it isn't. We have spent a lot of time and effort into supplying Sarah, Vincent, and Connor with resources and knowledge. This was the return on our investment."

"I'm just glad that inter-city and inter-Faction travel seems to be picking up. People moving around is a good thing all the way around." Jonathan noted. "It also reminds me that I still have to go to Harbordeep soon."

"Well, you can now leverage our connection to the South in trade with Patrick." I said, "But our main goal with him should be to get maritime trade up and running. The Lake needs to be mapped, surveyed, scryed, or whatever else that needs to happen to find or forge safe shipping lanes."

"I agree." Jonathan nodded, "With Lakeshore, we could reach a lot of areas around the Lake, especially with some of them connected now. Lake Ontario still remains isolated, so we won't be able to sail directly to Flame Falls, but it should cut down the trip significantly."

"Anything to get off carts for months," Abigail complained, "I'd push a boat along personally if it meant getting off carts."

We lapsed into a comfortable silence before Austin broke it. "I'm surprised you haven't evolved yet, Chris. You're the only one in the room still in E-rank." His face was alight with a teasing grin.

"I'm still preparing," I responded non-committedly.

"I imagine you got a few good options." He joked, "Single-handedly destroying a city has to give something good."

I grunted. I'd already told him I didn't like thinking about it.

"It is not my Class I worry about. Reaching Mythic is a fool's dream, but I can still push further with my Profession."

Austin looked taken aback. "I don't see why Mythic is out of reach for you. Not after all you've done."

It was Abigail who responded, "Mythic is more than just a jump in tier. It is the pinnacle. There are no tiers above, and to reach it, you must achieve everything, conquer everything, do everything, and claim everything that's possible in your rank. Sometimes, not even that is enough. The books say that talent or luck have a factor in it, but I doubt it."

Austin huffed but didn't dispute her. "Chris has done more than anybody I know."

"I've done more than most, sure, but not everything." I said, "Of my five choices, two were Legendary, now three. I'd have to get the last two bumped up before a Mythic even became possible, and I don't see that happening anytime soon."

"Ooooh, three? Any good ones?" Austin asked.

"Yes, but that's not the point," I answered, "To reach the pinnacle, I'd have to expand my Law a bit more, upgrade all of my skills a significant amount, push my Spirit a bit, and probably achieve something else I don't even know. The time alone isn't something I can afford.

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"Questing for Mythic is for people who have the time to dedicate to it, the resources, knowledge, and grit to go through with it. I may have some of those traits, but I do not have the time."

"By the grand scheme of things, we're all considered quite young." Abigail added, "Even if we'd had the System since birth, 30 years old of a 250-year lifespan is not a lot."

"700 for us, now," Austin just had to correct.

"We both know we were referring-" Abigail fell for the bait, but I waved her off.

"If it were a perfect world, I'd wait and do all I could, but I can't. As soon as my Profession increases to Epic, I'm evolving. I'm confident that a 375% increase from both Commons is enough to keep us safe. The only people who could beat me are those with Legendary in both, but that gap isn't insurmountable."

"Our situation isn't all bad," Jonathan interjected, "We might have to keep a certain pace of leveling, but don't forget that we are still advancing at lightning speeds compared to the rest of the Universe. We still haven't hit our soft caps yet, which will kill our current pace. I'd take being able to reach D-rank or C-rank over dying early with a Mythic Class any day."

Ah, the soft cap. It was sometimes easy to forget that we still had that ceiling waiting for us. Leveling was entirely based on accumulating essence. Each of our souls had a set capacity, and once we reached it, our rate of growth would stall.

Not only would we need to gather essence to reach the next level, but we would also need to grow our soul to hold it. If the Cataclysm the System's arrival caused was good for anything, it was for the rapid growth it had caused us to go through.

"How many people do you think are wasting that gift stuck in F or E-rank?" Austin posed. "To be in a position where they could level so much more if only they could meet the requirements would suck."

His words brought up bad memories recently buried, but I held myself back from lashing out at him. That was how he'd always been. Little was off limits, and no regard for courtesy.

"I'm not sure. They could try to evolve manually if they so wished, but I doubt they'd try it unless they had to." I answered instead.

"Do you have anything to say about your trip while we are all here, Austin?" Abigail shifted topics.

"Oh, nothing too big." He said, "The volcano was cool to see, but the city is odd. It's terraced into the mountain, which makes traveling through it weird. Good saunas, though. The Settlements in between the cities have a small-town feel to them, which is cool."

"And Mountainside?" Abigail questioned.

Austin huffed, "I didn't get to stay long, cause I had to come racing back. But, from what I did get to see, it was pretty nice. It's not terraced, like Yellowstone, but carved straight into the Mountain. I'd have to say it's even more defensible than here."

Hearing that was annoying, and Austin smirked at my reaction.

"Stone everywhere, a bunch of miners, what you would expect, really." Austin shrugged, "Oh, and Jayla's drilling through the mountain!"

"She's what?" all three of us said at the same time.

Austin grinned, "I know, crazy, right? Rumor is, she has family in the West, but the mountains are impossible to cross, so she's drilling through to reach the other side."

"And you saw this with your own eyes?" I asked.

"Yeah, the hole is huge and impossible to miss. Thousands of workers stream into and out of it constantly. The mining goes on constantly and happens in shifts." He explained.

"How big is the city?" Abigail asked.

"A couple hundred thousand, easy." Austin answered quickly, "Calgary was a big city, and she's gathered everything North of it, too. Not everything, there are still a few Settlements dotted where Canadians used to live, but most of it."

Bigger than us.

She had an advantage over us in that matter. She was able to found her City from the start. We, on the other hand, traveled for months, which caused any refugees or stragglers we could have gathered in the area to go elsewhere. We missed out on a lot of Winnipeg's former residents since they traveled elsewhere before we arrived.

That or died.

A few stuck around, trying to carve out a place for themselves, but those rarely lasted. Without a pylon or means to get certain resources, they just didn't have enough to grow. Those few usually migrated to Frostheim during our first months.

"It used to have over a million people," Jonathan said, "Even if only half of those returned from the tutorial, that would still leave a sizable amount."

Once again, it was evidence that we would never have the size of other places.

"I think it's about time we talk about the other news Alaric brought. The Assembly." Abigail pointed out.

"I'm not going," I said immediately. "I won't waste another year traveling there for what could amount to nothing."

"It won't be nothing," Abigail defended, "He has enough pull that many will show up. Zuri and Vanessa especially. I don't know about the Stormbringer, but there are a few other Barons around there I see making the trip. The one from Boston and the new one in Nashville, maybe."

"There's a new one in Nashville?" I asked.

Abigail groaned, "Do you even look at the reports I write? Yes, a new one upgraded in Nashville. It was revealed during our communications with Tracy."

"I think there's one in Florida, too." Austin noted, "I've heard there's a City in the new isles that's pretty big."

"I still can't believe Florida is now islands," Jonathan muttered.

"Dang, Barons all around." I joked. With that count, and if whoever this Lady Woodwright succeeded, there would be close to 20 we knew of. Probably more, in places we didn't know of.

I could see Ashton's new Prime Minister pushing for it.

"That does beg the question, with everyone home for once..." Abigail began, "Are we going to push higher? From what I've read and gathered, Viscount, in our current mana density, shouldn't be impossible."

"Will I have to evolve first?" I asked.

"I don't think so." She answered, "With Austin back, and a few others who've evolved after Lakeshore, we have over 20 D-ranks now. The boss is said to be mid D-rank. With some preparation, we can do it."

"That's more powerful than the War Leader," I stated.

"Yes, but I don't expect you to face it alone. We'll have the full might of the city and both Orders." She explained.

"I think it's a great idea!" Austin exclaimed, "It might even get me to my second Class skill!"

The idea of a good fight excited me. One where I wouldn't have to dwell on the consequences afterward, especially.

"Spread the word then." I said, "Get people prepared."

Time to talk to my stubborn brother.

Gabriel had firmly denied any form of responsibility I had tried to shoulder him with. The Curator Profession, a Council Position, advisory roles, everything.

With Abigail in charge of the city, and Rachel traveling a lot, leadership of the Mages had been... lacking. I'd pictured my Mom doing it, but it didn't fit right. She didn't really have a commanding persona. She was much more nondescript about her achievements.

That left Gabe.

There was the option to seek a Captain outside the family, but I felt this would be good for him. He could also teach others his insights into spells, skills, and whatnot. I didn't doubt he would turn it more into an academic endeavor, but I could see that benefiting us, too.

Not every Order had to be militaristic or a pseudo Mercenary Company.

He can call it the Order of the Fox for all I care, after his Bloodline.