Eric quickly made his way back to where his allies were gathering, by the thankfully still upright Empire State building, a glittering beacon to 20th century industry while billowing clouds of dark smoke filled the air, countless blocks having been set ablaze, and not just from Eric.
He frowned down at the dozens of heavily armored mercenaries and dwarves awaiting him below, keeping his chin up, preparing himself for what would no doubt be bitter recriminations and accusations of wanton destruction, friendly casualties, and putting them all at risk.
Which made it all the more surprising when each and every person gazing his way—from the pair of grizzled mercenary veterans with dozens of talented Bronze at their command, to his wide-eyed, awed-looking friends Eliot, Zachary, even Luigi Firebeard—all of them were now kneeling before him as Eric landed lightly on his feet.
Then, with a resounding crack, they all slammed fists to often armored chests.
“Hail Eric Silver, Prince of Arcadia, conqueror of New York!”
Eric blinked, stunned by the pronouncement as a smirking Orlin Ironthews, the only one who hadn’t kneeled but who had instead honored him with a perfect 45 degree bow, stepped forward, a twinkle in his eye as he presented before Eric a glittering golden prize that left Eric absolutely breathless.
“Your key, Champion. And may I say… damn well fought, boy!”
Eric blinked, thoughts racing. There was so much he wanted to say. Just looking at the solemn faced mercenaries now before him, knowing that at least a handful of their number had died while he had been fighting for his life… to the scent of smoke and fires he that knew he was at least partially responsible for, and the thousands of deaths he felt responsible for. even if Bunz tried to reassure him that things would be so much worse if he hadn’t taken Song down. Yet despite his familiar’s reassurances, a part of him wanted desperately to apologize to them all.
Yet the cool-eyed gazes of Lars & Mikael and the measuring look in Orlin’s fierce grey eyes, not to mention his own Social Perception made it clear that there was only on path forward for him at that moment.
He dipped his head, claiming the key before raising it above his head. “For New York! A city reclaimed! A people redeemed! A realm restored!”
“For New York!” His allies roared in concert. A roar that resonated and echoed endlessly in Eric’s skull as he became one with the blinding light and roaring tides of fate now sweeping him away.
Congratulations! You have SUCCESSFULLY walked the Path of the Hero and have SOLVED the Five-Fold riddle of New York State!
You have SUCCESSFULLY preserved all 5 Shadow Realms and have unlocked the KEYS OF ASCENSION For New York State!
All New York State Delves have been successfully cleared by you, your allies, or your enemies!
You are PERSONALLY responsible for clearing 50%+ Of New York State Territory!
With this Lynchpin, you may claim the ENTIRETY of New York State upon defeating all other cognizant factions. (All remaining unclaimed territories shall automatically be blessed with all LINCHPIN BOONS that you choose!)
Orc Faction has unconditionally Surrendered! (Chief Blood Fang has Fled South! Chief Big Think wishes to swear allegiance to you!)
Gnoll Faction has unconditionally Surrendered all New York State Territories! (Chief Gristle has fled North.)
Surviving Goblin faction has fled New York entirely!
Only one surviving unaligned faction remains. Said faction has elected NOT to interfere with New York State’s ascension. You may PROCEED without purging!
Eric’s mind screamed with the wonder of infinite possibility. Even as he felt his fragile still White-Tier soul drown in an absolute sea of power and peril that few would dare embrace before Silver… he felt the gentle hand of his sister pinching his nose.
He gasped, blinking his dazed eyes open to find himself in his mom’s bunker once more, comforted to have his absolutely radiant twin seated beside him, looking at the triple screen monitor setup he had with undisguised admiration.
“Looking good, bro,” she said with a cheeky grin, a touch of pink lip gloss and dark mascara her only accents to features every bit as good as the most flattering glow-up, looking more like a queen on her throne than the still awkward teenage sister he had shared so many gaming nights with, all the more so when she had given up other less positive things for the sweet joy of leveling up.
Her emerald green eyes grew intent as she took in two screens in particular. “Hmm… it looks like you’re getting your standard wonderfully absurd 4 Lesser Bounties to infuse the 5 Shadow realms of New York.” She flashed a teasing smile. “Though with how tight you and Conceptio are… and Earth itself, it seems, those ‘lesser bounties’ are a fuck ton more powerful than anything else I’ve ever heard of anyone else having access to. Those are fairytale level feats, bro.”
Eric grinned. “I know, right? Even though a tiny part of me is sad that I’m not getting 4 Lesser Bounties to shape each individual shadow realm, I’m not so much of a greedy idiot that I can’t just stop and feel simple gratitude that I’m getting a sweet, sweet bonus 75 Points to Strength and Vitality, and 25 to Soul Reserves as well as I somehow lock each Shadow Realm into place and make them even stronger than they were before.”
Elonia nodded, hair done up in the french braid she favored. “I know. And that’s not even counting the two epic boons you get to infuse the entire state with!”
Eric nodded. “And I want your help with that, Elonia, for obvious reasons,” he said, giving her the gentlest shoulder bump.
Her cheeks flushed, she lowered her head. “Eric…”
He raised his finger with a smile. “Come on, let’s focus on The Big Apple. Then I have some ideas I’d love your input on.”
Her look of awkward uncertainty transformed to an assured nod and a competent smile. “You know it, Eric. When it comes to organizing your assets, investments, school subjects or life, you know you can count on me.”
“Ha ha,” Eric smirked, before he turned his excited gaze back to the city.
“Okay, here are some things I’m thinking of… for my dwarven buddies, I 100% want to fulfill my oath to Orlin. I feel like that’s really important, so let’s give him reinforced shadow paths both to key points in the city and beyond the gate that no foe can see or follow.” He furrowed his brow. “The thing is… I can see two ways of doing it. One is where I make that the absolute focus of the territory boon I’ll grant him. In that case, no one is even finding those shadow ways unless they’re strong enough to break the equivalent of my Ashland Delves that I made so many levels ago, tied to the power level of the world.
“Basically, Deepest Silver with a fleet of Dreadnoughts, or an actual Half-Step Gold,” Elonia clarified.
“Basically, yeah. But that would be the only perk I could give him. My other choice is to give his territory a general Boon of Prosperity. That will infuse his whole territory with what I sense he wants most! It will expand the space and stability of his realm, unlock hidden mushroom groves of all sorts of tasty and nutritious varieties, reveal super secret self-replenishing ore deposits… I think he’s surprised about what I manifested in Harriman Territory, so thinks Self-Replenishing ore is actually a thing, and since he believes it and I know it… it’s now officially ‘a thing.’ And finally, the Boon of Prosperity also includes secret shadowy passages to and from the entrances he values the most.”
Elonia blinked. “Wait, you can give all that to him with one lesser boon?”
Eric solemnly nodded, pointing to the screen. “See there, where it says Lesser Boons are enhanced by the bloodline potency of the Contender in question and the significance of the territory? And this is the linchpin to the entire state!”
Elonia smirked, tapping the screen with a carefully manicured nail. “All I see is a tiny sign saying: Beware of ridiculous amounts of cheese.”
“Ha ha. Anyway, yes. It all counts as a General Boon of Prosperity. A great all-around boon, wouldn’t you say?”
Elonia snorted. “Ridiculously so. So, what’s the problem?”
“Only thing is, the shadowy passageways are only as resistant to penetration and invasion as my potency allows. And since I’m just a White-Tier Contender...”
“Level 27 Silver.”
Eric blinked at that. “What?”
His sister gave him a pointed look. “Your baseline potency, the amount of attribute points you actually have, is equivalent to a Level 27 Advanced Silver, the most common type, and by common I mean you’ll find an average of one ruling an entire settled world… Or a Level 21 Adept Silver or, for the truly privileged intergalactic elites who have the resources of an entire interstellar clan to aid in their forging and ascension… you’re as strong as a Level 17 Elite Silver.”
Eric gazed at his sister in slack-jawed disbelief. “No fucking way.”
Her sister chuckled. “Close your mouth, Eric. You look like a hick. Anyway, that’s for your standard 7 Node configuration. If you’re talking about the absolute absurdly powerful elites who actually have Royal Configurations like Mother gave to us… You’re the equivalent of a Level 10 Elite Silver with a 12 Node Configuration. And that’s fucking rare. Mother wasn’t Elite, even if she was still a catastrophic threat to anyone who opposed her, being so close to Gold herself. Because it’s like comparing a spoiled Level 10 novice to a Level 95 veteran player. A HUGE world of difference in the Silver realm.”
Eric blinked at this. “Wow. Cool. So what you’re saying is, I can give Orlin that General Boon of Prosperity, and it should count as honoring my oath and helping out his entire clan.”
Elonia nodded solemnly. “It will.”
Eric blinked at that, surprised by her certainty, before realizing he could sense it himself. He flashed a relieved smile. “Excellent. Now I can focus on the territory that’s really worrying me.”
His sister gave him a wry smile. “The one with a certain freekishly attractive succubus queen you’re not afraid of breaking with your fucking absurd 2000+ Strength?”
Eric’s cheeks flushed. “Why the hell is it that as badass as I am, you can still make me feel like I’m fourteen?”
“Because I’m your sister. Anyway, what are we doing for your main squeeze? Because you can actually squeeze her without popping her like a balloon?”
“Ha ha. Probably not as much as she would like...because she’s not my focus.”
Elonia blinked. Before her eyes grew round with sympathy. “Oh… oh! For a few days, you were actually… mortal, right?” She winced. “No longer absolutely drunk on power.” She sighed, shaking her head. “Fuck, we are so screwed, aren’t we, brother? Hearts pounding with such a sweet fucking rush that we can’t escape it with clean sobriety even if we wanted to.”
Eric smirked. “Not if we don’t want power-mad assholes with no boundaries at all to tear off our skulls and drink down our brains like a refreshing protein shake. Nope! It’s power train to the max.”
He flashed a cheeky grin. “I just see it as feeling psyched and charged after a good workout.”
This earned an arch look. “You were laughing like a madman after obliterating Song and his cronies like Super Punch man, tripping balls, mainlining ungodly Silver-Tier potency.”
Eric nodded. “Like I said. Feeling charged up after a really good workout. Anyway, for the few days I was actually…” he sighed, “You know. Human. Sane. Completely myself again, whatever that even means. Anyway, I met a girl that I think the old me could have really fallen for.”
He rubbed eyes that stung for no reason at all. “She was sweet, smart, strong, had obviously been through hell and back, fleeing whatever noble purge had struck her family in ancient Czar Russia before fleeing to the New World, starting a farm, and she still pulls a win as a loving mom and provider with a beautiful mushroom grove and talents at magical arts that are still, for all my power… utterly beyond me.”
Elonia gave him a gentle smile. “She sounds like a sweetheart. Maybe a bit like… never mind. Eric? Don’t cry.”
“I’m not crying. My eyes sting. And when she and the entire town turned to mist, as if they were no more real than a memory, the minute she surrendered her Golden key to me…” He gave an angry shake of his head. “No way in hell Agda and her family are nothing more than mist and dream. That’s bullshit, and we are bringing them back.”
Elonia’s supportive nod turned to a horrified look. “Yes, you totally should… wait, Eric! They’re tied to New York’s linchpin! It has a real cost!”
“I know. 5 Soul points.”
Elonia paled. “Eric, that’s half a person’s soul!”
Eric held her sister’s gaze while he slashed open his palm and streaked his blood upon the suddenly flaring screen.
“Eric!”
Eric forced a smile. “It’s okay. I have over a thousand.”
“Eric, that was fucking—what? You have over a thousand?”
Eric gave a shuddering laugh as he squeezed his cut shut. “Yes, I do, and that fucking hurt!”
Yet Elonia’s eyes widened at what the once-more clear screen showed. “Eric, you just unlocked the Enigmatic class. For everyone!” Her brow furrowed. “Full blooded humans, I mean. Not us.”
Eric chuckled softly. “Good for everyone else, then. I couldn’t make heads or tales of it, and I tried. I mean, it gave glimpses of faerie castles if you looked into the maze, and we’re freekin’ elves! And it’s still beyond me!”
Elonia shrugged. “Who knows? Oh, is that Agda? And her baby? They’re adorable, Eric!”
Eric grinned. “I know. So, what do you think of the massive monastery I made for everyone?”
Elonia’s brow furrowed, before she blinked in bemusement. “It looks like one of those massive temples you see in those ancient ruins in Cambodia! Ocher stone and bas-relief carvings.. and are those pagodas? And it’s near the shore. Look at that flock of seagulls by the setting sun. It’s beautiful!”
She gave him a curious look. “What’s it for?”
Eric flashed a secretive smile. “I’ll tell you, but this goes no further than you and me. Assuming you’re actually you and I’m actually me and we remember all this when we wake up.”
Elonia smirked. “Sure, Eric. So, spill the beans!”
Eric lowered his voice. “The mists of enigma might have been a bit dangerous, washing away people’s memory, maybe even washing the weakest from existence entirely…”
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Elonia frowned at that. “Okay, that doesn’t sound too good, Eric, honestly…”
“But it ALSO washes away plaque.”
“Arterial plaque?”
Eric chuckled. “No… maybe? Hmm… that’s a good bonus. Maybe mine will, but in the best possible way. Yup, I’ve just decided that it will. No strokes or heart attacks in my sanctuary! Anyway, I’m thinking of meridian plaque. You know, the absolute bane of cultivators? Especially the more powerful ones, desperate to reforge and cleanse themselves after years of struggling for any advancement at all in their hyper-ruthless academies, spending absolute fortunes on mystic fruit and potions that can help them progress just a single half-step further. You know, just like in all the cultivation novels I used to bore you with?”
Eric’s grin widened as his sister’s jaw dropped. “Fuck… and cultivation is a thing now, isn’t it? You were telling me about it once. I think? In a dream?”
Eric smirked. “More like an alternate timeline. But we won’t worry about right now, because all that matters is what we do from this day forward. But yes. Cultivators are a very, very big thing.”
Elonia swallowed. “Eric, if you have a shadow realm with magical mist that actually wicks waste Qi or System residue or plaque or whatever your calling it away…”
“That’s now just as secure as the entire linchpin of New York!”
“Eric, if you were to grant access to a realm with something so vital to powerful cultivators in desperate need of a good meridian spring cleaning…”
Eric nodded. “To melt away all that calcified arterial and spiritual plaque, even if it’s been ingrained over centuries. Who knows? Maybe it will even cleanse any impurities or repair flaws in their Dantians!”
“What do Dantians do again?”
“Still figuring that part out. Point is, my little cultivation temple retreat HAS to be worth some serious credits.”
Elonia gazed at her brother for long seconds. “Eric… if a squeaky-clean foundation is everything that I think it is, and there are old cultivating masters out there, just like in those stories you shared with me that maybe I actually did read a couple of, when I was bored or avoiding temptation, and those geezers are willing to do whatever it takes to advance…”
Eric’s smile turned to a grimace. “You think maybe I went too far?”
Elonia chuckled. “I’m not sure. But be careful who you tell! And you’re right. That double-edged blade you just gave us might cut through a lot of resistance and buy us a lot of friends… or cut our own throats, if we’re not careful.”
Eric winced. “Point.” His flash of concern soon transformed to childlike excitement once more. “Okay, Elonia, here’s the thing. I have a few awesome ideas for New York, but they really depend upon what we can do to boost the entire state.”
Elonia’s eyes widened, soft pink lips curving in excitement as she caressed the screen, magnifying territories both well loved and still exotic and wild, completely unexplored.
Yet now, somehow, with having seized the linchpins and the entirety of New York State, Eric and Elonia both understood their nature as if they had traveled every square mile on their own two feet.
“Two enhancements that would transform the lives of all my people.” Elonia caught herself, nostrils flaring, before giving a rueful shake of her head. “No. Not just my people. Every soul in what, 50,000 square miles?”
Eric flashed a knowing smile, shaking his head. “Don’t worry about what the free apocalypse textbooks said. How many of once white-tier regions ascended to Red… then Black? If you close your eyes and just feel it’s potential…”
Her eyes widened in awed disbelief. “150,000 square miles. It… it all tripled in size!”
Eric nodded. “Yes, it did. And that could equal a lot of hungry mouths to feed… or a bounty so grand that the Duchy of New York could serve as the bread basket of the entire continent.”
Elonia gazed at Eric for long moments. “Could you truly… over the entire state? Eric, it’s not just Arcadia. It’s…” she shuddered shaking her head. “Mother told me about what happens to Contenders who dare to push themselves too far while in the throws of transformation.”
Eric chuckled softly. “Somehow, I don’t think that will be a problem for me. Turns out that I get at least as much back as I give, when I dare the Path of Endless Bounty.”
Elonia furrowed her brow. “I’ve never heard of the Path of… Eric!”
A tiny part of his mind smiled with relief, sensing that her awe was just as great as his own when he sensed the entire state transform with the sudden surge of his will and the primal power of an ascending world, channeled by the majesty and might of five sacred trees.
Wondrous magic potent enough to infuse the entire duchy with a lustrous bounty of ripened crops, stately fruit groves and magic so verdant and sacred that it could transform an entire world as Eric shuddered with joy as his Interface rang with the clarion notes of unseen bugles and trumpets.
Eric Silver has successfully infused New York Duchy with Pristine Green Magic!
All territories within said duchy now enjoy Enhanced Fertility!
All crops within said territories will germinate to the peak of ripeness with a single act of a sovereign will!
All territories within New York are now infused with Wood-aligned Spiritual Energy and magical essences! A SIGNIFICANT portion of the local population has manifested Druidic affinities and Wood-Aligned cultivation affinities!
Elonia gazed at Eric with awe, their previous conversation, much to Eric’s relief, forgotten. “Eric, you’ve just blessed the entire state! And that’s no Lesser Boon!”
Eric chuckled. “I learned quite awhile ago that a rising tide raises all ships.”
Her brow furrowed. “Eric…”
“It means that whats a Lesser Boon for a White tier region is elevated 3 additional steps for Orange, 4 for Red and 5 for Black. And since so much of New York had been on the verge of erupting and all that potency, wild energy and magic is being leveled between all the territories… yeah. It’s a pretty epic boon, isn’t it?”
His sister swallowed, raising her fingers to brush his cheek. “Thank you, Eric.”
He blinked.
She grinned. “Few things are more terrible than a mother having to comfort a hungry child, knowing that famine is just beginning. With you choosing food over riches or power…”
Eric snorted. “Level 27 Silver equivalent, remember? What the heck do I need more power for? I’d rather be able to close my eyes on a down-stuffed mattress without seeing so many faces of people I…” His words cut off, cheeky grin growing strained before his sister’s knowing gaze. “Anyway… yeah. This is real life, so why not go the hero route? Because I gotta live with myself either way, and a good night’s sleep is just as priceless as gold, riches, or a couple extra attribute points.”
He then gazed down at the map of the entire state with so many patches of ruins, scrubland, and desert that had just transformed into a lush green paradise with a hungry look in his eyes that was most definitely focused on the bottom line.
“Still remember one of my all time favorite world building games?”
Elonia blinked before her eyes filled with bemused wonder. “Wait, Eric, you’re not thinking…” Throaty laughter filled their home away from home, feeling to them far more real than the shared dream it was. “Train Tycoon 2.0!”
Eric grinned, eyes lit with joy. “Damn right. Now imagine the best quality steam engines in all of TT 2.0, with magical track that never rusts, wears down, and hell maybe even gives the trains a boost all its own?”
Elonia’s wide-eyed gaze was the match of his own. “Eric, railroads are what opened the great plains to expansion, united America’s industry, and helped us form the bread basket and industrial capital of the world for over a century!”
Eric nodded. “Exactly. Now, how much stronger do you think the economy of your duchy will be when every city and town is connected by rail lines? Before today, adventurers took days to travel between New York and Philadelphia, and they were adventurers! Now, with New York clear and stable and glowing with a bounty of blessed fecundity… how quickly do you think we’ll have countless tens of thousands of families wanting to set up communities and farmsteads and trading towns of their own? How fast can we get the entire state settled with people living happy productive lives raising bountiful crops the equal of anything that high tech crop farming allowed for pre-apocalypse? Or think of all the opportunities and trade flowing back and forth on the express trains we’ll have running from New York to New Arcadia to Freetown to Ashland while thousands of hopeful bright eyed kids and geezers looking for a fresh shot at youth see if they got what it takes to enter my Ascension Center, take a class, spend a couple weeks in an accelerated boot camp so they can fight as a unified group and not die… then adventure their hearts out on relatively safe and wealthy top floor delves?
“Eric, I love the idea. But this is a boon that will last forever! And the only thing it takes to lay tracks down is…”
Eric gently clasped her hand. “Magical tracks, Elonia. Tracks that don’t require years of specialized mastery and training and decades of slowly developing our productivity and skill as we work from clueless survivors who know virtually nothing who will otherwise be relying on slow ass wagons to cart massive stores of grain and produce we could use to feed the entire nation. Because Elonia, the thing about any track boon I grant… it’s a boon that isn’t just skin deep.”
Elonia blinked. “Eric, what are you saying?”
Eric flashed a grim smile. “I’ve dreamed of this, Elonia. Of the entire world flying apart in a red-sun like buildup of power and pressure and peril. But we can stabilize that pressure, maybe, if we clear all the delves plaguing our world.”
“That could take years, Eric.”
Eric dipped his head. “If I take this boon as opposed to say, one that will immediately double the number of Delvers in the entire state…”
“Wait, you can do that?”
“Elonia…”
“Yes, Eric?”
“Every territory I claim, even if I toss it to you or Blue… they will all have this boon.”
Elonia’s brow furrowed. “Wait a minute, Eric. You’ve only been raiding in New York State, right?”
He nodded. “Correct. But don’t for a minute think that wild, uncontrolled territory expansion is occurring here alone.”
Elonia frowned, before her eyes widened, suddenly getting it, her voice coming in a breathless whisper. “Eric….”
“Yeah, sis?”
“Eric! Are you saying that if you raced to Philadelphia and demanded their surrender… they’d suddenly become part of our network?”
He laughed, eyes twinkling. “I see you get it.”
Her voice raised. “And any territory between New York and Philadelphia, even though I think it’s mostly White… it doesn’t matter. Your rail line is a massive bandage keeping the Earth from hemorrhaging.”
Eric’s grin widened. “And...”
“Fuck! If you were able to...” She took a shuddering breath, eyes blazing with fierce intensity. “All you have to do is make it to California. It doesn’t matter whether or not you dare take on all the hellish creatures that I hear are bubbling up in the heart of Arizona. If you could claim even a single city or town…”
“We’d no longer be in danger of exploding like a red star. Or the former United States, at least. I mean, I might need to connect a few more points… but yeah. Basically, you got it.”
Both of them froze to odd stillness as the words left Eric’s hushed lips. Daring to say what neither of them wanted to even think about, even as they gazed at the triple monitor maps, noting both New York City, a now lush and fecund New York State… and a nation covered in orange, save for most coastal cities and territories… with blisters of Red and Black bursting into existence in the center of their nation, slowly warping the entire map.
A trembling finger gently scrolled from the East Coast to the West. “Do it, Eric.” Her eyes lit with fierce intensity. “Be the railroad tycoon you’ve always wanted to be. Connect New York to San Francisco, Washington to Texas, Main to Florida, and keep our nation in one fucking piece!” She stared at the map, eyes widening. “But you don’t have to stop there,” she whispered. “You keep on going. Mexico to Brazil to Argentina. British Columbia to Alaska to Quebec and connect that right back to New York. You could save our entire continent.”
She then spun the holographic globe suddenly before them, Eric catching quick glimpses of wondrous vistas, hidden sanctuaries, and shockingly bright Red Zones signifying extreme peril that transformed to hideous black.
“And you can’t stop there, Eric. You don’t dare. The entire fucking world.” She took a shuddering breath. “One day. When you’re ready. You could save the entire world.”
Eric dipped his head. “That's the plan.” He then exhaled with sudden tension, the awful weight of responsibility he suddenly felt, and on some level resented. Because why the fuck were the world’s problems always on his shoulders? And his only reward were jackals tearing at his ankles, eager for his blood after he exhausted himself saving their stinky hides. But still… the millions of innocents that far too many skinwalkers wearing the guises of Administrators lorded it over didn’t deserve to die horribly, simply because their leaders were tyrants. That just meant that after Eric saved all those good honest folk… he’d slaughter all the tyrants that refused to act with a certain amount of fucking decency, or bend the knee to his sister.
Something he was already getting pretty good at.
It was downright becoming a knack.
So Eric forced himself to ignore over half a dozen extremely tempting choices, including one to transform the entire state into a cultivation mecca beyond what he had already instilled... or to inspire Extreme Wealthy dungeons to pop up in every territory. Safe, stable, never at risk of monster raids, with the promise of so much potential loot that Caliban himself would be roaring with approval. And why stop at territory enhancement when he could enhance his own potential with the formation of a library filled with so many precious secrets that would FINALLY be open to him, without him sacrificing one ounce of his power because he had played the noble fool far too long and it was finally time for him to get HIS!
He clenched his fist. “No. Some things are more important. A hell of a lot more important than a heritage library.”
Elonia’s eyes perked up at this. “Wait! Hold everything! You can get us a heritage—”
Eric dared hesitate no longer, a single fingertip trembling with a drop of his own blood upon the monitor. A single streak of red connecting New York, Ashland, and New Arcadia, and it was done.
Congratulations! You have chosen the boon: Train Tycoon Contender!
Because when elite gaming rigs are a thing of the past, shaping the entire world to your whim is the next best thing!
Now, every city and town within New York is connected by indestructible tracks infused with Terra’s own potency! The more intense the territory and mana discharge, the stronger the tracks will simultaneously be!
You may evolve this perk along multiple pathways.
1. The Free stations sub-perk assures a full service station manifests wherever you so wish, in every city and town or industrial complex that has ever known the grace of your rule or the might of your Wrath! These full service stations come with magically replenishing vending machines and ticket booths with all proceeds automatically being credited to the bank (Blue Corp S&L) of your choice!
2. The Trains sub-perk gifts you with the boon of one free train, cargo or passenger (or trolley for small towns as you choose) with every station, System or man made, that you posses and for every five thousand people in a given territory! This train will be both enchanted and self repairing, needing no more fuel than the mana resonating from the indestructible tracks it forever rides! This will also open up the Conductor Noncombat Class and the Engineer Adventuring Class!
Show the world just how grand and wondrous your new transportation system truly is!
3. The Rail Expansion sub-perk automatically extends your enchanted train tracks beyond the barony of New York to any region or territory or city that Embraces your Path of Endless Bounty! Because the wise ruler knows that economic conquest is just as important as military, even if you still have to put down a few stubborn souls who refuse to appreciate the glorious heights of progress you promise, it’s all for the greater good!
Elonia’s eyes crinkled with her smile. “I gotta admit, I like all three. Honestly, that magical trains sub-perk would be my hands down favorite. New Arcadia alone would give us the right to claim over a hundred magical self-repairing trains!” She sighed. “But we have a world to save, or at least keep stable long enough to figure out how to handle the inevitable beast surge, and as much as I would love to see some sweet Continental steam engines connecting our cities right this minute… the thought of you instantly forging thousands of miles of indestructible tracks right through a hot zone that could connect the entire continent… yeah. I think we know what path we need to… Eric? You didn’t!”
Eric flashed a cheeky grin. “I did.”
You have used 2 unspent LOCAL territory boons to enhance Train Tycoon Contender boon!
Your rail lines now enjoy a LIMITED number of bonus enchanted trains and stations with every fresh territory you claim!
Note! Synergism detected!
New York City serves as the heart of your rail-line empire AND serves as the linchpin of an entire duchy.
No capital of commerce grows without an Innovative and Productive population to match!
Elonia’s awed smile quickly became a look of growing concern. “Eric, what’s wrong?”
Eric trembled, face locked in an agonized rictus as his mind was overwhelmed with the sudden hideous pressure of redefining not just a single territory but an entire state. And how odd it was that it was this boon, and not blessing all of New York with fecundity, Spiritual Energy, and natural magic with the same sneakily worded perk that was pushing him to the breaking point. Such a simple enhancement, relative to 150,000+ square miles transformed to a lush, green Faerie paradise. What appeared to be the faintest silver lines, when seen from their bird’s eye view, connecting the cities and towns of this state.
Silver train tracks that were, in fact, indestructible. Not just hard to break, but somehow infused with the potency of Terra herself. Strong enough that no Silver Contender could casually break them. Strong enough to connect an entire world. To stabilize and entire world. And the minute Eric dared to invade any neighboring state...those tracks biting into the very bones of the Earth would travel right along with him.
It was a shockingly powerful boon. All the more so when Eric dared to visualize not one but two sets of parallel rails that would allow for what might one day be high speed lines as well as more sedate freight and local transport within cities, towns, and farming communities.
In that one agonizing moment that seemed to last for an eternity, Eric dared to think about an eternity where his world actually survived and prospered… and commuting wasn’t a complete pain in the ass.
Yet in that moment he felt his heart pounding so erratically, never mind his shockingly absurd Vitality… suddenly so dizzy that he was falling out of his seat, he refused to tear his eyes from the monitors before him, from a synergism that could make all his locomotive dreams come true.
Because when it came to both the System, administration, invention, and survival itself… clever builds and synergisms were everything.
Such as all five versions of NYC infused directly with twin boons of innovation and productivity, where a king, finding himself the gentle father figure to not just hundreds but thousands of dwarves, found his thoughts racing with all the possibilities of steam and locomotion when his excited second made it clear that the entire world was now open to them… and that Blue Corp had just put in an absolutely massive order for, of all things, steam powered locomotives.
