Nightmare Realm Summoner

“Well?” Alex asked, looking over to Rhyss, who floated alongside him and Claire. “Pretty good, right?”

“Two Legendary Boons for the very first wave is indeed nothing to squint at,” Rhyss agreed with a small nod. His lone eye blinked. “It is greater than I would have expected for the difficulty of the fight. It is clear that having two towns tied to the same location does, indeed, result in greater reward.”

“It also means we’re going to have twice as much trouble with the crown,” Claire concluded. She crossed her arms in front of her chest. “Not that this is a very surprising revelation. It was pretty much what we expected from the very start.”

Alex grinned. “And it does mean twice—”

“The rewards,” Claire finished. She arched an eyebrow.

Alex grimaced.

“Am I seriously that predictable?”

“Yes,” Claire said. “We’ve been over this. You might want to diversify you interests a little… though I suppose a single-minded devotion toward challenge is certainly a good way to pull ahead. It’s certainly served you well so far.”

Alex grimaced. “You’ve managed to word that in a way that makes me feel very much like I might be a bit too simple. Am I simple?”

“Simple is nice,” Claire said. She patted him on the shoulder. “I’m used to complex. Saw more than enough of that back on Ayrin. There’s times when it gets to be a little too much. You can only go out for a good meal so many times a week before you start wanting something home-cooked.”

Alex’s eyes narrowed. “Hold on. I’m not really sure if you’re insulting me or not.”

Claire smirked. “Good. That’s the way it should be. I prefer you when you’re on your toes. People who get comfortable get complacent. That’s just as true in life as it is in relationships.”

Rhyss said nothing. He just watched them. His features were flat, but Alex could have sworn he saw the faintest flicker of a smile tug at a single corner of the Advisor’s lips.

Did he… no. I don’t think he’s capable of it. This guy doesn’t have emotions… right?

Either way… I’m getting Claire a bouquet of scorpion flowers or some shit. That’ll show her complacent.

Alex cleared his throat and looked back over to the Advisor. “Rhyss, what can we get with… what, seven Legendary Boons? I still don’t want to use the Mythic one we’ve got left. Just in case we need it for something.”

“It would be easier to tell you what you could not get,” Rhyss said. He paused for a moment. Then he shook his head. “No. That would be equally as difficult, actually. But I surmise that you understand the intent of my words. I would suggest being considerably more specific with your request if you wish to be here for any less than several days.”

“Ah. Right,” Alex said. He glanced at Claire. “Thoughts?”

“Well, Mite is working on the Endbringer Culverin,” Claire said, pursing her lips. “That’s meant to be a cannon tower of some kind. I’d hope it would be decent enough offense for the time being. We should make sure we’re ready to deal with the next waves from the Bleeding Crown, not to mention whatever shit the Starfallen might stir up with that Armageddon Call. Who knows when they’ll use it. Either way, defense is the most important thing we can improve.”

“We already have walls, though,” Alex said.

Rhyss sent Alex a flat look.

To be fair, it was much more of a normal look. Rhyss didn’t send anything other than normal looks. But it was still more than enough to get his point across. Alex coughed into his fist.

“Right. Defense buildings,” Alex said. “Does that narrow it down to a reasonable amount?”

“No,” Rhyss replied simply. “Not even close.”

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“Figures,” Alex said. He tilted his head to the side in thought. “Let’s see. We’ve already got a wall and a way to quickly teleport people in and out of the fight. What about some kind of trap, or a moat? That could be a good spot to expand to. Make it harder to get to the walls in the first place.”

“That would narrow things down considerably,” Rhyss said.

“Can you look for something that would specifically work well in both the Mirrorlands and 274-50?” Claire asked, tapping a finger against her forearm. “Something that could take advantage of the connection between the two locations? If we could draw on Mirrorlands energy to empower the town on 274-50, we could probably get a lot more out of a normal building than expected.”

Rhyss hesitated for a second. His gaze flicked through the air as if he were reading something. Then his head inclined in a faint nod.

“Yes. That will thin the options down very nicely. Consider it done. Would you like to see them now?”

“Yeah,” Alex said. “Show us what you’ve got.”

Rhyss raised his hand toward them, palm-out. A blue screen shimmered in the air. Letters traced across its surface, quickly filling it with information.

Thornmaw - 4

Whispering Gate - 4

Ravaged Pitfalls - 5

Riftlight Moat - 6

Mirror Valley - 7

Rhyss floated over so he was directly behind the translucent screen. “These are the options that I believe best suit your request. I have excluded anything overly common. When it comes to defenses, a great deal of their effectiveness comes down to how familiar your opponents may be with them. Since the System has demonstrated that it is willing to send more intelligent enemies, not to mention our position with the Outworlder families, I believe it would be wise to focus on selecting options that people are unlikely to have seen. That will align well with drawing power from the Mirrorlands.”

“Perfect,” Claire said with a sly smile. “Can you tell us a bit about the options?”

“The first two are the most basic,” Rhyss said. “Though they are still very effective.”

“I’d hope so,” Alex grumbled. “They’re 4 Legendary Boons.”

“Everything on this list would be good,” Rhyss said. “I do not give bad suggestions. However, their effectiveness will vary depending on the direction you take the town and the specific opponent we happen to be up against. Decisions regarding this will have to be yours alone.”

“Right,” Alex said. “So… the first two?”

“A thorn hedge and an enforced gate,” Rhyss said. “The first of which will magically grow using soil from the garden that Orchid has been working on. The vines will consume magical energy, drawing them to attack anything that draws near. It would be possible to exclude members of the town from their sight.”

“Offense and defense rolled into one. Nice,” Alex said with a nod. Then he snorted. “Until someone shows up with a flamethrower.”

“Vines do have certain weaknesses,” Rhyss said, inclining his head in agreement. “A very clear one. However, these would be resistant to common flame. It is quite difficult to burn a magical living plant when it is full of liquid.”

“Right,” Alex said. “Fair enough. How’s the gate work?”

“It attempts to drive mad anyone who enters through it without permission. It is a mental attack,” Rhyss said. “Difficult to detect and likely to be strongly empowered by the Mirrorlands energy. I am unsure as to what extent the Boon would grow, but it would definitely be powerful. The drawback…”

“It doesn’t work if you don’t go through the gate,” Claire finished. “So it would be mostly targeted at people entering with negative desires but through the proper routes. More anti-subterfuge than it is protection from a siege.”

“Precisely,” Rhyss said. “To continue, the pitfalls are exactly as they sound. Pits full of Riftwarped energy. Very optimal for large hordes of enemies not watching where they are going. They can be partially concealed, so I’d expect them to be at least somewhat effective against intelligent opponents. The moat would be similar. A pit dug around Mirrorwane, reinforced to withstand pure Riftwarepd Qi that would flow through it. We would not even attempt to hide it. The moat would simply prevent anyone from growing too close to the walls aside from entering through a drawbridge before the main gate.”

Alex nodded slowly. He could see how all of the options thus far were useful. Rhyss hadn’t ben wrong about that. “And the last?”

“A formation that covers the entire valley that Mirrorwane sits within. It would originate from within Mirrorwane and pair with the town ability, Mists of Vil’Kazer to confuse and disorient anyone who enters the valley,” Rhyss said. “This is the most expensive option, as you can tell. It would be far more of a passive defense than the others, and it would do nothing to anyone with powerful mental resistance. But, for hordes of stupid monsters…”

“It would be extraordinary effective,” Alex concluded. “Right. I’m with you. Claire, any thoughts? I think I’m between the last two. They seem the most likely to be useful in general.”

“As am I,” Claire said. She fell silent for a moment as she thought. “To be honest, I lean slightly toward the moat. We already have a defensive ability that targets people’s senses. Focusing too much on that could lead to us getting into a very bad spot when something resistant to that kind of magic comes along.”

“Same here,” Alex said. “And to be honest, a moat just sounds fucking badass. You can’t have a castle without a moat.”

“A reasonable cause to make a decision potentially affecting the future of a town,” Rhyss said without a hint of sarcasm.

Alex narrowed his eyes. “Yes. It is.”

“I think it’s a good choice,” Claire said. She sent a sidelong look at Alex. “Potentially in spite of your reasons for choosing it.”

“Well, good.” Alex pressed a finger into the shimmering screen, selecting the building with an eager smile. “Then it’s decided. Let’s get Mirrorwane a moat.”