Root of Dominion

The warband trudged onward through the cracked earth of Isgrim, the newly enslaved settlers chained in a long line behind the wagons laden with spoils. Dust devils swirled in the wake of their passage, carrying the metallic tang of blood from the morning's conquest. Liam scanned the horizon, his nature affinity humming with the pulse of underground streams—veins of water snaking beneath the desiccated surface, ripe for his command. Thornewood lay three days distant, but the dome's relentless squeeze demanded faster expansion; scouts reported rival clans probing the borders, drawn by rumors of his growing might.

Hannah rode close, her mount a sturdy mare scavenged from the settlement. Sweat beaded on her exposed arms, the leather straps of her armor creaking with each shift. 'These new ones are green, Sovereign. The men eye you like you're the devil incarnate.' She nodded toward a cluster of bound warriors, their faces etched with resentment masked by the contract's forced loyalty.

Liam grunted, urging his dire boar forward. 'Let them. Devotion will temper the steel.' His thoughts drifted to the system notifications flickering at the edge of his vision—EXP from the raid pushing him closer to class level 33, profession inching toward 21. The air grew heavier as they descended into a shallow ravine, walls of eroded rock looming like silent sentinels. Vegetation clung stubbornly here, twisted shrubs fed by a hidden aquifer.

A shout from the rear shattered the monotony. 'Ambush!' Arrows whistled from the ravine lips, one grazing a slave's shoulder, drawing a spray of red. Bandits—twenty ragged figures, cloaked in hides, affinities sparking with crude fire and shadow bursts—leaped down, blades drawn. They targeted the chain gang, aiming to sever links and claim fresh meat.

Liam reacted instantly, roots exploding from the soil in a frenzy of thorns and coils. They lashed out, wrapping around a bandit's legs and yanking him into the dirt, spikes piercing flesh. He screamed as the vines tightened, bones cracking audibly. Hannah charged, mace whistling through the air to smash a fire-wielder's skull, brains splattering across the rocks. 'Protect the line!' she roared, her voice a thunderclap amid the chaos.

The loyalists rallied, spears thrusting and shields bashing. A shadow-affinity rogue slipped past, dagger aimed at Liam's back. He spun, light bolt erupting from his palm to sear the man's chest, the scent of charred meat filling the air. The bandit convulsed, dropping as Liam's roots dragged the corpse underground, nutrients absorbed in a grotesque bloom of flowers.

Simone's absence stung in these moments; her arrows would have thinned the herd from afar. But the core held: a water mage from the new slaves summoned a geyser, scalding two attackers, their skin blistering as they howled. Liam pressed the advantage, space affinity flickering experimentally—a minor warp pulling an archer off-balance into Hannah's path. Her mace caved his ribs, the impact echoing.

The skirmish ended swiftly, bodies strewn like discarded rags. Liam knelt by the wounded slave, a young woman with earth affinity, her arm gashed deep. 'Heal if you can,' he commanded. She nodded, trembling, channeling a crude patch of mud to staunch the flow. EXP flowed in—modest, but the system's greed sated for now.

As the dead were stripped—looting rings, a few credits, and a shadowed cloak that hummed with potential—Liam attuned to the ravine's vein. Roots delved deep, tapping the water source. It surged upward, bubbling into a makeshift spring that his band drank from greedily. 'Mark this on the maps,' he told a scribe slave. 'A waypoint for the empire.'

Night camped them in the ravine's shelter, fires low to avoid drawing more predators. The slaves huddled, whispers of the day's violence circulating. Liam retreated to his tent, the herbalist from the previous night attending him. She knelt silently, unbuckling his boots with practiced deference, her curves straining against the simple shift he'd allowed her.

'Undress,' he said, voice low. She complied, fabric pooling at her feet, revealing full breasts marked with faint contract runes, hips wide from her trade's sedentary life. Liam stood, shedding his own clothes, his cock hardening at the sight. He pulled her up by the hair, mouth crashing against hers in a bruising kiss, tongue invading as hands roamed her body, pinching nipples until she whimpered.

He bent her over a fur pallet, spreading her thighs. Fingers probed her pussy, finding it wet despite the day's horrors—the bond ensuring readiness. He thrust in, burying deep in one stroke, her walls gripping him like velvet. She gasped, pushing back, ass cheeks jiggling with each slap of skin. Liam gripped her waist, pounding relentlessly, the tent filling with her muffled cries.

Hannah entered unannounced, eyes darkening with lust. She stripped efficiently, joining by straddling the herbalist's face. 'Lick,' she ordered, grinding down as the woman's tongue delved into her folds, lapping at clit and entrance. Hannah leaned forward, capturing Liam's mouth, their kiss tasting of salt and desire. He reached around, fingers circling Hannah's ass before plunging in, matching his thrusts.

The rhythm built, sweat-slick bodies moving in sync. Liam pulled out, slick cock pressing against the herbalist's rear. She tensed, but he pushed forward, inch by inch, the tight heat enveloping him. She moaned into Hannah's pussy, vibrations drawing a groan from the warrior. Hannah rode harder, fingers twisting in the slave's hair, her own climax cresting as juices smeared the woman's chin.

Liam fucked the ass harder, balls tightening. He came with a grunt, flooding her depths, pulling out to watch the overflow drip. Hannah dismounted, licking the mess from the slave's hole before kissing Liam, sharing the taste. They collapsed together, the herbalist curling between them, spent and marked.

Dawn brought movement. A system alert pinged: Profession Progress: Vein Mastery Unlocked. Tap underground resources for clan buffs. Liam smiled, integrating the spring into his network. The march resumed, stronger, the ravine's water trailing behind in a vine-conduit.

Two days later, Thornewood's silhouette emerged—a fledgling bastion of spiked walls and budding fields, the Mother Tree's sapling core pulsing with life. Slaves gasped at the sight, the contrast to Isgrim's wastes a promise of Liam's vision. But scouts brought ill tidings: a rival warlord, Jax, mustered forces to the east, eyeing their gains.

Liam dismounted at the gates, Hannah at his side. 'Prepare defenses. We'll meet them on our terms.' The empire's roots deepened, ready to strangle any who dared.

Liam Voss

Race: Human (F)

Level: 32 (+2)

Affinities: Nature, Light, Space (Rare Triple)

Class: Acolyte of the Mother Tree (E) Level 32

Profession: Root Sovereign (D) Level 21

Stats:

STR: 28 (+2) | DEX: 30 (+2) | VIT: 32 (+2)

INT: 35 (+2) | WIS: 25 (+2) | PER: 26 (+2)

END: 29 (+2) | LUK: 12 (+1)

Skills: Light Bolt (Common - Light), Bramble Wall (Uncommon - Nature), Identify (Basic), Root Manipulation (Advanced - Nature), Vein Mastery (New - Nature), Space Warp (Basic - Space)

Passives: Nature Sense (Enhanced)

Titles: Conqueror of Veins

System Credits: 320 (+250)

Inventory: Shadowed Cloak (Equipped), Various Loot

Experience: 450/3200 to Class Level 33