City of Desire [Kingdom Building]

Proofread by Thomas F

It was past nine when the Bram Fortress came into view.

Even from a distance, it is shining like a torch. Long and Grand. It is one of a kind. There is not a single one like it in the empire.

Half of it is in the merchant state, while the other half is in the empire.

If the emperor were alive, no one would have dared to build something like this. Thankfully, he is not, because without this fortress, things would have been terrible.

It is what is stopping the monsters; without it, they would overrun the baronies and the city of Renin.

A few minutes passed, and I reached its large gate.

I rode inside and saw soldiers everywhere, all in uniform and alert. This is a military fort that has suffered constant attacks. So, it’s not surprising to see such discipline.

It is why Stone had designed a rotation strategy for it.

He wants every soldier of the dominion to have experience with the fighting of the monsters. Every month, soldiers rotate, not much, just around 10%.

We don’t want to change the soldiers too much to lose the cohesion, but enough that everybody gets the experience and the levels.

Constant combat provides experience, and experience gives levels. Initially at least, after Lv. 20; it becomes much harder to level up.

I stopped and looked at the man in front of me.

“Welcome to Bram Fortress, Lord Silver,” greeted Baron Harrods. The man looked relieved seeing me, and his eyes even strayed at the ring above my hand for a moment.

“Thank you, Baron Harrods,” I replied and dismounted from the Tempest.

I nodded at other officers before walking into the fortress with him. “The preparations look good,” I said as I looked around. “We are always prepared,” he replied, but I could see something in his face.

I didn’t ask and walked with him.

We are not going to our side of the fortress, no, we are going to the merchant’s side. We are heading toward the small middle part of the fortress, called the zero area.

We stepped into it and walked through the hall, guarded by soldiers from both sides.

Finally, we stopped in front of the wooden doors, and the guards opened the door. I nodded and stepped inside the conference room.

“Lord Silver,” a greeting rang out.

Eight people sitting there—the commander of the other side, along with four of his Major Generals. Sitting opposite to them are our three Major Generals.

I nodded at them before turning to the man sitting in the right middle. It’s been a few months since I last saw him.

“Commander August, I hope you have been well,” I said to Ignatius’s most trusted man. “I am fantastic, my lord,” he replied, with a grin.

I smiled at that and sat down before turning to the two commanders. Ignatius is in Renin. He is coming tomorrow after he finishes all the arrangements.

Renin needs to be secure as well. He wouldn’t want monsters to overrun the city and kill hundreds of thousands of its people.

“So, what happened?” I asked, and the mood immediately turned somber. There is something I could tell. Something that worried them.

“We have found the leader of the fourth group,” replied Baron Harrods.

His expressions turned bad when he stated it; not only his, but everyone’s. The news is not good; it may be very bad.

“It’s Voltwing Tiger,” August supplied.

I remained quiet for a moment before sighing. If I had not been sitting here, I would have cursed loudly. Which I still want to do.

Voltwing Tiger is one of the powerful monster bloodlines. They are very powerful monsters and especially aggressive.

We had heard about it from the orcs, but we had never seen it. Now we did, and there is a good chance it is coming for us.

“Is it coming?” I asked after a nearly minute of silence. “Currently, it has not moved from its place. We believe it is gathering forces before it moves.”

“It is why three groups hadn’t moved. They are waiting for it to join before they do,” replied Baron Harrods.

I didn’t say anything and looked at the file that he placed in front of me. I flipped the page and read through the information.

It is information about the Voltwing Tiger. It was Eli who discovered it, and what he wrote in the report really made my expression turn bad.

It is without doubt going to be the strongest monster tide we have ever fought.

“If they come, there will be a massive number of monsters. Three Class A monsters, with a terror like the Voltwing,” August stated.

I could see fear on people’s faces. These people are battle-hardened, but even they were scared by such a monster.

“Then, we will fight it and every monster that I come for us,” I replied, and they nodded. “It’s not like we have any other choice,” I added a moment later, bringing smiles to their faces.

Yes, the condition seemed bad, but there is no other choice.

“The current force we have is insufficient. We need more people and powerhouses. Especially Lv. 40,” said Baron Harrods and looked at me.

I shook my head.

“I can’t pull any forces or Lv. 40 powerhouses from any of my cities. Especially, not Lauryl.” I replied.

“Grimvale will be trying to use this opportunity; Baroness will need every man she has to defend against them,” I added, and could see disappointment appearing on their faces.

I know, I need more forces here, but I can’t pull them. The undead had proved how quickly things could escalate.

“The same for us, with such numbers. We will need enough men at Renin to protect the city if the monsters attack it,” added August.

I am not surprised. They need to ensure Renin has sufficient protection.

“Though I will bring more, Lv. 20 and Lv. 30 powerhouses from the cities,” I said, and could see the relief appearing on the faces of the generals.

I had already ordered some of my officers to come here from Panar, Gailhorn, and Greltheaven.

I had also issued the mission for the mercenaries, not only for the dominion but also for Inam. We have signed the contract, which will allow a limited number of mercenaries to accept missions from the dominion.

The meeting ended soon, and I walked out with Baron Harrods and three Major Generals.

“I am ordering more ammunition from Greltheaven. Also, increasing the mercenaries for the mission,” I stated. It will be expensive, but there is no other choice.

Soon, we reached my temporary office and sat down.

“Are our people prepared to fight against the tide?” I asked. “They are brave men and women; they will fight against any danger that threatens to harm the dominion,” replied Baron Harrods.

His confidence made me relieved.

The monsters would be powerful, and the numbers would be significant; I don’t want our lines to collapse at the sight of them.

“We will not only need to find them, but also keep them contained. We cannot afford them to spill into the wider territory,” I stated.

I have worked hard to increase trade, and I want to keep that momentum going. It will as long as we manage the monster problem.

“I have contacted the barons, asking them to send some of their men to support the circle of patrol,” he replied. he had informed me about this earlier and went ahead, only when I gave him the go-ahead.

I would rather not take any help from Baron’s before the laws are voted on, but we need people.

“The best way we could minimize the spill is to finish the leaders; it will make the monsters retreat immediately. The longer we fight them, the more of them will spill into the surrounding areas,” said Axseer.

“You are absolutely right, Major General, and it would work if Voltwing Tiger didn’t come. With it, even Lord Silver might not be able to deal with the monsters quickly,” replied the old man carefully, to which I smiled.

“You don’t have to be polite, Baron; Voltwing Tiger is a powerful monster. I don’t know how I will do against it,” I replied, with a sigh.

It has been half a year since my last battle against the Necromancer, and since then, I have improved tremendously.

First, I had reached Lv. 40, I was not when I fought against him; not in my Lord Class. I have reached Lv. 44, and most importantly, my control and comprehension of aura and aura method had improved a lot.

In a few weeks, I was able to refine my fighting style drastically with the help of Knight Schengen.

Still, even with all the advantages. I do not have the confidence to fight a Voltwing Tiger because it counters many of my advantages, not to mention its powerful bloodline.

“To deal with the monsters, we all will need to push ourselves beyond the limit. It is the only way we will be able to defeat the monsters.” Stated Harrods.

A few minutes later, the meeting ended.

“The second group of powerhouses had left Greltheaven,” informed Zela. I don’t want to pull more powerhouses from Greltheaven, but it’s necessary.

I nodded and looked ahead at the fortress. It is late, but even at this time, I could see people everywhere.

I walked ahead, looking at everything. People looked at me and bowed while I smiled and nodded. I could see the fear in their eyes and the resolve they have.

The monsters could attack this very night or tomorrow; nothing could be said for sure.

We have our scouts in place; the moment they move toward us, we will know and will be ready. Still, I hope the attack will be delayed.

So, more powerhouses could reach us. It would be even better if the tide collapsed.

Most of the faces I see are unfamiliar to me, but many are familiar. Some of them fought for the city since the first battle.

Soon, I saw a familiar sandy-haired man in his mid-forties with a wooden stump for a foot.

He was talking to a group of soldiers, with his back against me, when the people around him quieted down, and the man turned.

He looked surprised, but quickly controlled his expression and bowed.

“Lord Silver,” he greeted. “Captain Vasah, it’s been a while,” I said. The man was a miner by profession before volunteering to join the army when the undead attacked for the first time.

Like many others, he barely knew how to use a sword but still fought and, after the battle, joined the army.

“It is my lord,” he replied with a smile.

“I thought you were retiring a few months ago?” I asked. I keep an eye on the most loyal ones, and from what I remember, he had submitted his resignation.

The man looked surprised, before a smile appeared on his face, and he shook his head.

“I planned to, but my youngest will be finishing the apprenticeship in a few months, and I want to help him open his own business,” replied the man, with a sheepish smile.

He has two sons, with his older son being in the army.

“Well, I am glad you are staying in the army. We need people like you,” I said to the man. “Thank you, my lord,” he replied with his eyes turning emotional.

I smiled, walked away from him, and talked to a few more people, not only the ones I know but also the ones I have never seen.

Sometime, later, I returned and had a late dinner with Baron Harrods before returning to the quarters and sleeping, a few minutes later.

They will wake me up if the monsters attack.

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