Maximilian stared at the massive falcon that had tried to kill him. The bird was as big as he was if you didn't count its wings. Wings that were longer than a small airplane. He already knew he wouldn't win a contest of maneuverability. The bird would be far more agile, far freer to move. Yet he wasn't too afraid. He ran along, narrowly dodging blades of wind as he responded in kind. This wasn't how he had planned to find it, but he didn't care. This was a valuable opportunity. His first fight with something that had a dao. Not just a dao but a wind-based one. He could tell it was different from his. That this dao was different from his own. It was based on the power of the wind more than freedom and speed. Not that it helped him. He dodged yet another strike from the bird and activated Severing Disc. Once again, the air was filled with the cacophony of his dao. Electricity and wind improved the lethality of both blades. Yet he didn't launch. The bird was too fast. He traced the beast's path until he was confident; he knew where it would be. The bird launched another blade of wind, and Maximilian moved. He leaped from his electrical disk and into a free fall.

  He wasn't sure if the beast could think, but it froze for a moment. A moment that would cost it everything. He unleashed both buzz saws. Each one aimed at one of its wings. As he fell, something truly strange happened. Time slowed down to crawl, and he became hyper aware of everything. The wind whipped past behind and below him. The massive wings of the bird. He could see the fine details of every part. The beast's eyes as it dived down toward him. Even with the bird's hesitation, it was beyond fast. He had calculated how long he would fall. How fast the bird was. Yet it was different to experience it. Different to be in the middle of it. The falcon attempted a spin to avoid his attacks. The first disc missed while the second clipped its wing. The damage was minimal. Just enough to force it to slow down. Just enough to buy him the time to unleash a follow-up. He tried to use wind blades, but as soon as he did, the falcon responded. Its wind was stronger and faster than his. He didn't like it, but he had to rely on his electricity.

  His mental countdown warned him, and he acted. He summoned a disc of electricity and then released an explosion of wind and water. Just enough to slow his fall. His right hand grabbed hold of his new platform as soon as it formed. He could practically feel the falcon as it bore down on him. Yet he didn't panic. He formed two more discs beneath his feet, so he had some stability. Next, he unleashed his killing intent aimed directly above him. His recent killing spree had transformed his intent. It turned into something that made him sick. It felt like he had become the epicenter of a million-man battlefield. A place with no mercy, let alone kindness. The bird's eyes glazed over for a moment. The brief window lasted only a few seconds, but that was far too much time for him. An electrical lance shot toward it. The creature woke up just as his attack arrived. The resulting flash blinded him for a moment. He waited with bated breath for confirmation of the kill, yet none came. A moment later, he realized why. The bird survived the assault, but it was on its last legs.

  Before he could decide what to do next, his danger sense screamed at him. He immediately activated Prismatic Barrier. The rainbow shield appeared just before a blade of wind that looked like it would divide the world fell on him. His vision was consumed by the green blade. He knew immediately that his skill wouldn't be enough. He activated the array on his robes. Next, he formed additional bubbles. One for each of his dao. Hoping that he could beat quality with quantity. He had just finished the last of his preparations when the blade arrived. His makeshift bubbles were the first to be tested. They held on for a fraction of a second. Yet it wasn't all bad. He felt his attempt weaken the wind. Weaken just a bit. Next came his Prismatic Barrier. He tried to improve his barrier with additional spiritual energy, but it wasn't enough. He roared and tried to enforce his will on the skill. He tried to force it to endure the offensive might. It wasn't enough. The skill shattered, and he was forced to rely on his robes for the rest of it. He roared in defiance as he reached for all three of his daos. There was nothing he could do about the collapsing robes, but he could guarantee that the bird didn't make it out of this. That regardless of what happened next, it would die. He didn't have the time to shape his attacks beyond vague objects. Yet they were enough. He released them just as the last of his defenses gave out. The wind slammed into him. He managed to resist being cut in half. Instead, he was shot toward and into the desert like a bullet. Before he could process the immense pain, darkness claimed him.

  Maximilian spat up a mouthful of sand. The sun had fallen, which ruined his sense of time. He figured he had to have been down here for at least five hours. He had been buried several feet into the sand and inside a crater. A crater that he was fairly sure he had made with his body. He released a blast of wind to extricate himself. An act that made him scream in pain. He wasn't sure how many bones he had broken in the fall, nor did he know what other injuries he had. He pulled out a pair of healing pills and swallowed both. He promptly fell over into the sand. The healing process hurt almost as badly as the injury. He quickly realized a problem. There was a bit of energy in his body. Energy that the healing pills either couldn't deal with or wouldn't. He fought the urge to panic and took a breath. He pushed the lesser dao of rain through his body and against the strange energy. As soon as the two energies made contact, he grimaced. It hurt. It was a bit like he had a wound that needed to be cleaned with alcohol. He shook his head and pushed the energy into the opposite power. By now, he had figured out what it was. The wind dao the bird used had somehow infected him. He briefly wondered if it was something unique to the bird, but he didn't think so. His gut told him that all dao would do something similar.

  Which meant his instinct to make a healing dao was the correct one. He had no way to know if his unique body was a boon or a detriment in this, but he decided to assume neither. His physique was dormant, so he doubted it provided anything besides the affinity boost. He turned his gaze toward the war inside his body. He was winning, but it was going slowly. It would take ten or twenty minutes before he got it all out. He was somewhat confident he could get up and move about while the process completed but decided against it. Instead, he turned his attention to something else. The spiritual energy from the bird. He felt a wave of relief and excitement at the kill. He had never been a hunter, but now he kind of understood. There was a sense of accomplishment. It was indescribable. It wasn't just a feeling either. The kill had pushed him straight to level 24. Which meant three more points into Intelligence. He hadn't given up on having a somewhat balanced build, but he could tell he was really close to 300 points in the attribute. He wasn't sure if that would be a milestone for the Network, but it would make him feel better.

  As far as he was concerned, both were good enough reasons. Once he reached 300, he would turn toward Wisdom and Agility. The mental stats were going to be more focused, which meant he would need to improve his defense at some point. He looked up at the nighttime sky and ruefully shook his head. He had gotten a bit too cocky, so it was nice that something knocked him down a smidge. He knew he was strong, but there were still plenty of strong monsters. Monsters that would help him get stronger. He still wasn't sure what the point of it was. Not that he was in a position to worry about that. He needed the strength to survive. He needed to keep his mother safe as well as everyone else in Nubia. He would need it to keep everyone else safe as well. Which was enough of a reason. He pulled his focus back to the energy inside his body. The process had more or less completed. He decided to spread the dao through the rest of his body. He hoped to flush out anything he might have missed. After that, he formed several arcs of electricity to climb out of the hole. He decided not to look for shelter. He had been knocked out long enough and felt rested. He also wasn't too bothered by the chill in the air. He searched around until he found the bird's body. Or what was left of it. He wasn't sure how the battle had ended, but the bird had crashed into the ground. Hard. Most of its bones were crushed, including both wings. Maximilian decided to take the corpse and place it in his bag. With that finished, he turned and continued north.

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  Ashanti reached into her shirt and pulled out her small gold-plated locket. She opened it and sighed. Her eyes landed on the smiling faces within. It was a gift from her husband for their twentieth anniversary. It had only been five months, yet it felt like a lifetime ago. A time when everything made sense. When the world was reasonable. She still expected him to walk into her office. A smile that could brighten the world on his face. A nonsensical joke fell from his lips as he tried to convince her to leave work early. She would refuse and promise to make it up later. A routine that she could play out in her head with vivid detail. She had been foolish. Like many before her, she convinced herself that she had time. That there would always be tomorrow. She worked so hard for her family and for a tomorrow that would never come. Now she was alone. She wanted to be angry, but there was no one to blame. No one but herself. To add further insult, she wasn't one of those cultivators. She couldn't use their techniques, though she could still absorb the stones. It was cost-prohibitive. Every level demanded either slaughter or wealth. She didn't understand how Maximilian could do it. How could either of them do it so easily? She had tried. She had grabbed a spear and tried to hunt, but she couldn't.

  She wasn't sure if it was fear of her own death or an inability to kill, and in truth, she was afraid to find out the answer. She found ways to make herself useful. It was the least she could do. She even found a way to gain influence, though most of it was due to her relationship with the "lord." The idea was almost enough to make her laugh. If she hadn't seen the interface. Seeing the quests, the monsters, and her son, she would've thought it was all a lie. That she had passed out from overwork, and would wake up soon. She was pulled out of her thoughts when someone knocked on her door. She sat up. Took a moment to straighten her clothes and then called for them to enter.

  "Come in."

  The door opened to reveal the strange construct being, Nezha. She had to admit the person made her feel uncomfortable. Not because it or they had done anything to her, but the opposite. It seemed like a robot, but a very intelligent one. She had asked, of course, and Nezha said they were aware just as she was. She had wanted to ask more about their species, but she felt that would be rude. She also didn't want to accidentally cause problems for Maximilian. Not if Nezha could ask the Network for help.

  "Greetings, administrator. I have come to alert you that the settlement has gained the qualifications to purchase a shop."

  Ashanti gestured for Nezha to continue, but when they didn't, she nodded and stood up. "Give me the details while we walk." She said as she stepped around her desk.

  "Of course. Nubia has met the requirements for the Dawnwind Emporium. The recent acquisition of the crucible hall contributed massively to the effort."

  Ashanti nodded as they entered the hallway. She still wasn't sure how she felt about that place. It was too strange that an entire business could be awarded for a quest. It felt like slavery, yet it wasn't. If anything, the worker seemed excited to be here. She also had to admit the benefits were nice. Mainly, the protection she enjoyed. The Network would defend them from most threats as long as they didn't involve themselves in conflict. They could sell things, obviously, but couldn't hide anyone, defend them, or otherwise interfere. Not unless they wanted to lose that safety. She wished she had something similar. Though she was happy with Joshua. The man was kind. She knew he had a past, but she didn't care. Everything from before the end felt pointless. Like they happened in another world. She doubted anyone could afford to hold onto anything beside the worst of criminals, and even then, it would be pushing it. Everything was so complicated.

  "So, how do we go about our next steps? I assume the Network will provide the business." She said as they stepped outside. Without really thinking about it, she looked to her north. In the direction of her son. She briefly wondered if he was okay before she shook her head. She had access to the interface, and it showed him as the leader.

  "I can confirm the purchase with the funds Lord Croft left for us. It was decided that I should confirm such purchases with you before making them," Nezha replied.

  She nodded her confirmation as the construct's eye blinked. She watched silently, unsure if it was rude to ask questions while someone interacted with their menus. She had been warned that it was very rude to ask about their menus unless you had that kind of relationship. She could understand the sentiment. The status screens showed your personal details. Your entire life to an extent. Her screen was nothing interesting. No stat reached 20, let alone anything better. Her eye brightened as the air rippled. A pulse of force spread across the city. This one was weaker than the one for the crucible hall, but it was noticeable. Which meant she would have to deal with people soon. She didn't need to be told where the building was. A mental map of the settlement was always present in her head. A map that just gained a new entry. She strode forward. Her hands were straightening her suit jacket as she prepared herself.

  When she saw the shop, she wasn't sure what to think. It was a simple three-story design made out of stone and wood. The same stone and wood that the rest of Nubia was formed from. This raised a few questions. Questions that she would need to look into later. None of that was what made her hesitant. The issue, if you could call it that, was how normal it looked. There was even a lamp hanging outside instead of a crystal. She glanced at Nezha to confirm that this was correct, but the construct didn't say anything.

  "Is this the right place? It seems oddly normal. Or to be more exact, old-world."

  "Yes. Dawnwing is known for adopting the style of the home world. Many believe that it helps the transition," Nezha offered.

  She considered it for a moment and had to admit it made sense. Though to her it was just uncanny. Like something was trying too hard to be normal. Either way, she wasn't too worried. "I am going to go and speak with the owner. Wait here for me unless my so—the Lord returns." She paused for a moment before she shook her head. She still wasn't sure what the proper term for her to use was. Nor did she really care. Maximilian hadn't told her otherwise, and this wasn't a diplomatic meeting. She would have to visit that odd library to brush up on proper social etiquette. She stopped herself from putting things off any further and made her way inside. She was greeted with an oddly rustic interior. She felt like she had stumbled into one of the Renaissance fairs, only there were some problems. The lighting fixtures were modern but not. They looked like proper old-world lights, which shouldn't be in a building like this. While the light bulbs weren't glass. They were the new crystal things. The whole thing looked like an uncanny valley of what should be here. She stepped to the stone counter and waited. She was somewhat sure that the owner knew she was here. She assumed that a business would be at least that competent, which meant this was likely some sort of power play. She just wasn't sure what the point was.

  She turned when she heard a door open behind her and on one of the upper floors. She turned and stared as a person resembling a human with the head of a hawk made their way downstairs. They were robes the color of the dawn sky. Robes that were backless to allow their wings to flex behind them. Ashanti briefly wondered if they were light-based cultivators. Between the name and color scheme, it seemed a safe assumption. When the person stood before her, she gave a nod and spoke up.

  "It is good to meet you. I believe we have things to discuss."