Frostbound [LitRPG Apocalypse]

Chris

Frostheim

"I don't get it," Annabeth mumbled, "You become a Viscount if we upgrade the pylon? How does that work? I thought you had to be promoted by a King or something."

With my return and a small return of normalcy that came with it, my training of my young niece resumed. She had just over a year left until she would have a Class and could level, this was the most crucial time for her.

"Come, sit. We can take a small rest." I walked over to a snowy bench and blew it clear for both of us to sit. I wasn't close to needing a rest, but the almost teenage girl without my Endurance certainly did.

Anna shuffled over next to me.

"What do they teach you about Pylons in school?" I asked to get a baseline of what I was working with. I... didn't have kids and wasn't as focused on the curriculum they were being taught.

"I know you can buy 'em," she said cheerfully, "Then, to begin a settlement, you place it to claim the area."

"Right, do you know what level they start at when you first place them down?" I asked.

"Outpost level. The lowest level." Her voice was confident.

"Correct, and what comes after that?"

Her face furrowed, "Uh, Village? No Town!"

I chuckled, "You were right the first time. It goes Outpost and then Village. After that, it becomes a Small Town, then Large Town."

"And then Small City!" Anna cut in eagerly.

"Yes, which we are at now." I continued, "There are two forks that lead to Small City. A Noble option, which the challenge for is more difficult, but leads to a Noble Title and more rewards. The other option is the mundane option, which is easier, but lacks the rewards and Noble Title."

"Why would anyone not choose the Noble Option?" She asked.

"It depends. The Title itself is more for prestige than anything, but it's the other upgrades that matter more. Being a Noble City leads to a wider range of appointments in the pylon, and a larger area that is claimed. It also opens up the chance to vassalize other pylons, which the mundane option doesn't have. Sure, it can still have dependent Outposts and Villages, but fewer of them and nothing above the Village Level.

"The main drawback is the increased Challenge. Not every Settlement is as powerful as we are and has the defenders to weather such a Wave. The mundane option gives them an easier path to better rewards that most people can handle." I explained.

"So you'll become a Viscount tomorrow?" She looked up at me with excited eyes.

"Yes, if all goes well. Later, when land is harder to come by, rising in rank might require a promotion from a King or Emperor or something, but all it requires now is for us to beat up some monsters." I said.

"Will you be a King one day?" She asked.

"Haha, no, I don't think so. A Kingdom is a long way off and requires more than just one powerful city. The requirements are plentiful and not something I care to complete. A Duchy, maybe, but probably not a Kingdom." Her face soured at my words, and I could see her fantasies slipping away.

Duke was still a long way off. My promotion from Baron to Viscount already took a large chunk of time, and every subsequent promotion would take longer than the last. There were a lot of ranks in between. Baron was the lowest Noble Rank, after all. There were four other ranks to achieve before Duke, Viscount being one of them.

Maybe Grand Duke, if everything lines up.

Anna kicked her feet in thought, and I could tell that she was on the edge of bringing something up. I had an inkling of what it could be.

"You know... my birthday is coming up." She said, trying to be subtle.

"Ho, is it? I hadn't noticed." I remarked. The snows were still fierce in the North, but they were melting already in the South. Spring would soon be upon us.

"It would be a cool birthday present if I could be on the walls to watch..."

Oh dear. I couldn't say no immediately, but there was no way I could say yes either. This wasn't my decision to make.

"You should ask-"

"Mom will say no," She huffed, "I know she will."

I envisioned exactly that. I highly, highly doubted Abigail would let Anna watch the battle from the walls. She was twelve, going on thirteen, after all.

"The Walls could be dangerous." I said, "If it were a normal Wave, sure, I could maybe put in a good word, but not for the upgrade. Too much could go wrong."

She geared up to fight me on it, but I waved her off.

"No. Not the Outer Walls." I said firmly, "But I could see your mother agreeing to putting you at the top of the keep. With a spyglass, you'd be able to see and remain safe."

That was hinging on a very conditional if. The if being Abigail letting her daughter watch such violence. She'd already let out that she hadn't been as blindfolded during the tutorial as we had hoped, but that didn't mean lettering her see more of it was a good idea.

"Really?" She asked, hopeful.

"Maybe." I said, "But I'd ask your dad first." I threw Jon completely under the bus.

"Okay!" Our training session was already over, so she hopped off the bench and ran toward the Castle.

She reminded me of two things I still need to do. Let's kill two birds with one stone. Both the tasks that just came to mind could be accomplished in the same place.

The Emporium.

I wasn't sure if it was customary or not to inform or alien guests of our planned upgrade, but I felt it was good practice. There was the potential that we failed, however small, and that could result in... something bad. The Elf had grown on me. We didn't meet often, as Jon took care of most things we needed from him, but it was cool to talk with a completely different race.

The Dwarf and Gnome, too, if a bit less because they usually didn't wok the front of house.

We were prepared, but it was best to at least give them a heads-up. The second reason I needed to see them was because of something Anna brought up. It was her birthday soon, and I had to get her something.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

It was something I had thought long and hard about. Next year, she would unlock her Class and everyone would probably give her weapons, armor, potions, and the like to get her ready for leveling.

That meant this year, I'd get her something I felt was something more vital.

The walk to the Emporium was swift, as it was located in the Large market square not far from the Inner Gates. The traffic was heavy, as the area was filled with shops, but people made way easily enough.

As much as I didn't care for the lordly deference, there was no stopping it at this point. Anders already refused to call me anything but my Lord. Fighting it was a lost cause.

The Emporium itself wasn't as busy as a few other places, but that had more to do with prices than popularity. Not many had the spare coin to spend on Vulwin's goods, and when they did, it was a rare day, few and far between.

Such transactions didn't lead to a lot of foot traffic, but they led to a sizable amount of revenue based on the taxes he paid us.

A bell chimed as I walked in, and a few guards nodded at my entrance. I'd told him that guards inside the store weren't necessary, but it was his store to oversee.

"Baron Zalenski, a pleasure to see you." Vulwin greeted with a smile. The pale blue elf was one of the many who took titles seriously. It was a growing trend.

"Vulwin, how have you been?" I greeted him back and felt the changes in the man. Profession focused auras were hard to pinpoint because my Skill relied on power comparison, but I'd gotten better at assessing them over time.

Vulwin felt a few levels higher than I'd last seen him. Maybe even higher than Austin, in the 120s, but I couldn't be sure.

"Can't complain, a nifty expression of your people's I quite like." He said happily. "Are you back for more leather? Get those Space Enchantments working yet?"

"I've been busy with other things lately, but yes, another enchanter did. It takes a while to produce them, but we can at least." I answered. I'd gotten sidetracked from the Runes, but someone else hadn't. The bags didn't have a huge capacity, only 10-15% compression, but they worked.

"That's good to hear. What can I do for you, Baron?" He asked from behind the counter.

"I'm not sure how it works where you're from, but I thought I'd give you a heads up. We plan on upgrading our Pylon tomorrow." I said.

"Going for Viscount," He nodded, "I've heard some rumors, but thank you for telling me. Usually, such upgrades are posted so everyone knows, but going around and telling them works too."

I wasn't surprised he knew. It was through Vulwin that we bought a few devices and books on the matter. It was how we could predict what the Boss monster of the Wave would be level-wise.

He also wasn't deaf, and we were actively spreading the information while his shop was in a prominent area of foot traffic.

"Is that all, or did you come to purchase something as well?" He smiled, knowing he was likely to depart my silver from me.

"Yes, actually," I answered, "I was wondering what you had on Mental Defense?"

"Which kind? Are you aiming to fortify the Mind against physical pain like a [Pain Resistance] skill, or defend against a Mentalist? And do you plan to achieve that through a Technique, Skill, or Artifact?" Vulwin asked.

"A Mentalist," I answered, "And all three, if you have them. Technique, Skill, and Artifact." You could never be too careful. I had [Mental Freeze] and a mental defense amulet. I was looking to improve both, if I could, but also pick something up for Anna.

Everyone in the family had an amulet like mine, but I felt an upgrade was in order. Maybe I was paranoid.

"Are you fearing an attack by one?" Vulwin asked, "I doubt there's a Mentalist on this Planet that can breach your Mind."

I knew why he was saying that, but I didn't fully agree. A person had a natural defense against Mental Magic that other Magics didn't have to overcome. To breach someone's Mind, you had to punch through a person's natural defenses, even if they didn't have a skill for it. Unlike fire, which could burn you without encountering any natural defense other than Fortitude.

It was the reason it took so long for the 'Mindbreaker' to turn certain people into thralls. Their will was strong enough to fight him off. He eventually wore them down through attrition, rather than brute strength.

"I have no love for Mentalists." I said firmly, my distaste clear, "I'd rather have it and not need it than be stuck facing one without it. A bonus if it helps see through illusions." I still remembered the Demon Portal that was hidden behind one.

"Alright, alright," Vulwin said, catching onto my distaste, "I can get it..." his sentence trailed off.

"I sense a but coming."

"But if you want the best, there are... conditions. The Faction that has the best Mental Defenses isn't usually keen to sell them. You're lucky you're still at a low Rank, which makes it easier to get as it isn't as valuable, but even still, they will want certain assurances." The way Vulwin said it made me uncomfortable. They wanted assurances just to buy their information?

More importantly, who was 'they'?

"Which Faction is this? Are they large?" I asked. My knowledge of the wider Universe was sparse, but we had information on a few of the big factions already. It was hard not to with all the books Abigail hoarded.

The Order of the Phoenix Flame was one, as that was where the Fire Body Refining Techniques we bought came from. The Dragons were another, as were the Frost Giants and Fire Titans.

Outside of that, I knew of various notable Kingdoms or Empires of certain races, but only in the vaguest sense. I knew of certain Pantheons, but not well.

"I'd say. Large enough to be one of the major players. Who do you think has the Best Mental Defenses in the Universe?" Vulwin asked with a smile. The elf had a proclivity to play around. He also liked to use his greater knowledge for 'teaching moments'.

"I don't know, the Dragons?" Dragons seemed like a good guess. They were known to be the masters of magic. That claim was widely disputed, but it was still said often enough. Plus, their scales made for some of the most magic-resistant armor in the universe.

"That's a good guess. Their scales are naturally Magic Resistant, and that includes Mental magic. They also have a Draconic Will that even some of the best Mentalists would fail to penetrate." Vulwin shook his head, "But no, not the Dragons."

I stared. I wasn't playing a guessing game with him. I indulged once, and that was enough.

Vulwin caved, "Liches. Ancient Liches are wielders of the strongest mental defense magic in the Universe. They fear it more than any other, and it forces them to stay ahead."

"The Undead." I was surprised. I knew they were real; we'd read about them, but it was still hard sometimes to internalize that fact. It still felt like zombies and the like were fiction, even though I'd seen an honest to god Necromancer at work during the Gathering.

"Yes, the Undead." Vulwin agreed, "They will want assurances that you do not sell anything they give you to the Holy Pantheon or those in league with them. That includes the Faction of Light. Even though what they're giving you is trivial and everyone knows the Holy Pantheon already has it, it's the principle of the matter with them."

Vulwin was talking about the Undead Faction so... casually. I would have thought that such a Faction was more despised than he was making it out to seem. Connotation alone didn't paint them in a very good light.

"You seem... friendly with them." I probed.

"Oh, I have no love for Death Magic, just as it seems you don't for Mentalists, but we do a lot of trade with the Undead. You'd be surprised how many take up homes on uninhabitable Arctic Worlds. The cold doesn't affect them the same way as it does the living. They have no need for most of the resources and gladly trade them to us." Vulwin said. "I, personally, find it appalling, but the Frost Rose Emporium maintains a relationship with them."

"You seem to speak from experience." The way he talked about Death Magic was similar to how I felt about Mental Magic.

"The buildup of Death Magic is a constant threat where I'm from. It was why I was surprised that you bury the dead here. If you were any further North, I would have cautioned you against it. If the body cannot decay, the Death Magic will build up and cause problems. Our History with fighting the Undead is long and extensive, similar to most who come from lands of Ice and Snow."

That was a lot of information to take in. It made sense, in a way, that if the Earth were frozen, corpses would remain undecomposed. I hadn't thought that it would cause them to become undead, though.

We would have to check the Hill. Having any of my Family come back as zombies or skeletons was... unacceptable.

"Is it something you can get? And how will they extract those assurances?" I doubted they would take me at my word, and I wasn't about to sign anything with the Undead.

"Our Emporium has some leeway with them, so it shouldn't be an issue. But, and let me stress this, if you break that trust, we will excommunicate you." His face was entirely serious.

Talking with Vulwin was so natural, I sometimes forgot Translation Magic was in play, but there were times it stood out. The choice of the word excommunicate felt like one of those times. It didn't feel like it was strong enough for whatever he said in its place.

"I understand. I swear to not sell it to anyone from the Holy Pantheon or those in league with them." I said sincerely. I didn't give a shit about their internal politics. The Undead were unnatural, and I wouldn't let any of my citizens be raised after death, but as long as they stayed away, I didn't care.

"See that you do." He said. "It will take a while for my request to be approved and for your order to be sent here. A month at the minimum."

The price of such knowledge was a hefty sum, but one I paid gladly for.

There would not be a repeat of what happened.