Frostbound

Chapter 255 - Marcus

The City passed us by quickly, but there was still enough time for me to pick up a few more things. My Perception stat wasn't that great for my level, but it was enough.

It was funny how much this place reminded me of home. It was lively, worry-free, and jovial. Taverns held laughter and smiles could be seen on the people we passed.

From the way Austin described the world, it made it sound like all happiness had been sucked out of it. It was nice to see other places had made it back on their feet other than home.

Ashton's City was still working to get there. From what our scouts reported and the one time I walked through, he still had a way to go before all the issues at The Fort were fixed.

Instead of being led to a Castle that sat at the center of the city, or a central fortification, it was only a manor. A highly decorated one with a significant bearing, but merely a house all the same.

Similar to most other construction we passed, it was comprised of old bones and new furnishings. It was clear which parts were older construction and which were new.

The building practices were the same, so there wasn't a strange dissonance in terms of architectural practices, but the materials used were wildly different. Not to mundane sight, but to everything else, the newness and subtle power they held was easy to spot compared to the old.

The Butler, as that was how he appeared, led us through the manor with ease and efficiency.

The inside was similar to the outside but with slight changes. The various buildings outside looked to be militaristic, but only now beginning to branch out into individuality.

Signs and coloring, windows and ornamentation all seemed newer than the buildings themselves.

Here, that was more closely resembled. Paintings, probably ripped from somewhere important, hung on the walls and the walls were very recently redone.

It was sad there weren't any trophies hung on the walls or spoils of war. Seeing how similar our two cities were, I expected there to be at least a few insect parts from their war with the bugs.

Instead, it was a normal house. Well, as close to normal as one could get nowadays.

"Through here, please," another bow I had to not grimace at. I always found them distasteful. Sure, they were supposed to portray respect or deference, but that never sat right with me. One shouldn't have to debase themselves so another could feel important.

Saying nothing, I pushed through the doors and entered into a grand meeting room. It wasn't enough to be called opulent, but it was a step above the hallways and rooms we passed through.

Just like we did.

Our Castle was mostly bare except for a few select spots, the meeting room where we met guests was one of them. Good impressions and all.

A large window on the far side of the room opened it up a bit and let plenty of light stream in while also giving a wonderful view of the City below. We were a few stories up which gave the window a height advantage, but it still wasn't enough to see over the walls.

Still, what could be viewed was substantial.

Inside the room sat a large table with enough space for a number of chairs. Only two sat at the ready now on opposite sides, but more would fit comfortably.

One was occupied, and after I walked through the door, it shut behind me leaving the two of us the only people in the room.

Coming into the meeting, I knew of his description. Both Austin and Abigail had already met him and described him to me, but it was another to see him face to face.

Short, black hair and a cleanly shaven face. A sturdiness in his frame that spoke of power but not too much to be called bulky or fat. Similar to my own in a way. There were no glaring muscles or bulging biceps.

Marcus was a touch taller than me by a few inches, but not too much.

His clothes were well made and looked fancy, similar but better than the butler's. My own clothes weren't a match for how fancy his were, but I didn't care for things like that.

Outside the physical, neither Abigail nor Austin got the man's bearing right. Austin said his presence demanded respect and that he gave off natural leadership and Abigail had claimed similar.

That wasn't what he felt like to me.

This man was a force to be reckoned with. He didn't demand respect, it was what weaker people's instincts defaulted to when meeting something above them.

He held it back well, but I could tell. I felt slightly threatened and that was saying something. It made me wonder how many Steps he'd taken. The deep well of Mana I could feel from him spoke of having a Mana Cultivation of some kind, but Bodies were harder to probe.

Without drowning the man in my aura, I wasn't able to tell and that wasn't how I wanted our first meeting to go. His Law was similarly in question. I knew he had a Tier 2 Water Law, but it was possible he held others.

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Fighting him would be fun but I knew we wouldn't come to blows. Unless something went horribly wrong, but I doubted that.

Ashton had a similar bearing the first time I met him but he wasn't able to keep up. Looking back on it now, it was mostly a mixture of meeting someone so strong for the first time and underestimating myself that I even considered us similar.

Marcus blew Ashton out of the water.

The only other difference from the picture I'd been given was the tips of his hair were turning blue, instead of black. A deep, navy blue and it mixed in well with the dark black, but it was a change.

Marcus stood and put out his hand in greeting, "Christopher, it's nice to finally meet you."

One of them must have told him not to call me Chris. It wasn't the end of the world and I wouldn't fly off the handle at people shortening my name, but I didn't prefer it. For people I didn't know and weren't close friends, I preferred my full name.

"Likewise, Marcus," I shook firmly and he matched my strength.

Interesting.

"We received the request for an additional transport rather late but we were able to construct one in time. Everything is all set and ready for our departure." Marcus started, "We estimate the travel to take 5 days depending on the current and any interruptions."

Oh thank the Lord! 5 days to go from Minnesota to St. Louis was a godsend.

The same trip over land would take months. Bless rivers and their expedited travel.

"That sounds good, but I suspect that isn't the reason you wish to talk to me about." Travel plans could go through Abigail or my assistant. Not something I cared overly much about.

"No, it's not." Marcus said, "I suspect others will be there by the time we arrive, and showing up together, in one group, will paint a certain picture... I'm not sure how much you've kept up with the political situation, but it's not good. The Stormbringer, as he calls himself, took over much of the Midwest. His territory extends from Lake Michigan to the Ohio River. Anything to the East or West that wants to get through has to go through his territory.

"A Large portion of the coast is under the control of someone called The Admiral. Information on him is low, but we know he's former military. No one was able to confirm if he was an actual Admiral or not. The Reservation to the West of here has been forming a large War Party we suspect is already on their way South.

"And that's only what we know. Our information can only get so far and much of The South is a mystery to us, but we estimate at least a few other major Factions stationed down there."

My face was impassive at his descriptions and I knew what Marcus was getting at. Of the Factions he listed off, a few had already gone to war. Chicago was conquered through war and I suspected a few more fell for similar reasons.

If we showed up together, his enemies would become my enemies.

We knew he was on bad terms with The Reservation and a pylon in Iowa. That would be two right away. Plus, we were far to the North, detached from any potential expansion by conquest, but Marcus wasn't.

If someone sought to expand to the North, they would eventually run into, and potentially fight, Marcus. If we were seen as allies, that would add another potential enemy.

It was nice to see his concern, but he forgot about one thing. Abigail was the worrier, not me. If any of that was to happen, then it was going to happen. I didn't care.

Our partnership with Marcus was worth more than that. He'd already been a great help for my family and the threat of a few enemies wasn't going to deter me.

And, based on his strength, I doubted a continued relationship would end badly for us.

"I understand." I said, "And I don't care. If any wish for a fight, I will give them one."

Marcus chuckled, "I was told you would say that. While it's good to hear, I would be remiss if I didn't inform you of what you're getting into. I already owe you a great debt."

"You've been a great boon for us as well. My family means the world to me and you've given them the opportunity to grow stronger." I said, and the opportunity to live longer.

The dark thought was unwelcome, and I banished it quickly.

"But, you did leave out one important Faction. To the Northwest of here sits another you would be wary of. Butting up against the mountains, near where Calgary used to be, sits Mountainside. We've had sparse communications with them but we know the leader is at least a Baron already," I said. "And we both know the strength required to become one."

Marcus and his City went through a massive period of growth after defeating the bugs. Without a looming threat, they burst into advancing. Pylon upgrades, construction, everything they couldn't or didn't waste manpower on.

"We also have word of a few more pylons to the West. We aren't positive, but we believe one sits where the Yellowstone National Park used to." I said.

While Marcus's intel was mainly from the Southeast, mine was from the West. The Reservation cut him off from anything to the West which made him uninformed of the happenings further out. Plus, after receiving Mountainside's letter, we spent most of our Scout manpower trying to find it which led to a great deal of intel on the situation.

Our talk of potential threats and Factions to watch out for continued but nothing substantial was brought up. We both knew that everything would depend on the Gathering.

With power readily available, and people's inflated sense of importance, enemies could be made with a look. Grudges would be held and slights would be remembered.

We didn't worry about most of the pylons we knew about. Marcus detailed a few that hadn't grown large enough to matter. Not every pylon had powerhouses at the helm or people behind it that could push it further.

Most were brought up simply so we were aware of them.

Meeting him was... nice.

Meeting Ashton came with its own circumstances, but meeting Marcus was a breath of fresh air. He was amenable, friendly, and most of all, a man I got along with.

Ashton was okay, if the debacle with the Mine wasn't considered, but we were too different.

Chatting here felt easy. Welcome even.

It wasn't long before all our respective information ran dry.

Both of us sat looking out the window. Just looking out over people doing this or that.

"I can't believe how much things have changed," I said, feeling nostalgic. "I was in this City once." It was a long time ago, but it was funny to remember.

"You were?" Marcus asked, surprised.

"Yeah, came up here for a football game." I said, "They just built their new stadium and it was nice." The memory was a fond one. Gabriel didn't care for sports so it was just me and my dad who went.

The tickets were expensive, but it was well worth it in my opinion.

"I doubt it's still standing," I commented sadly.

Both of us felt sorrow for that. Marcus probably for a part of his hometown being destroyed and me because the memory I associated with it didn't feel the same.

"What about your hometown?" Marcus asked, "How did it fare?"

His question drew me to a halt. I hadn't thought about it much. Ever since we started building the City, that was what I considered home.

"I don't actually know." I said, "We left so quickly I never got a chance to see the changes."

The last I remembered, it was being fought over by two different factions. I didn't even remember their names.

I wonder who won.