Rimelion: The Exploiter

13. East Fortification

After leaving Ryan, I contacted Lucas, and we met just outside the village. I couldn't help but picture him trying to hunt those ridiculous wolves as he came crashing through the bushes. So inefficient, so boring.

"Charlie, so what now? Let's live it up—I've only got a week until I'm out of here."

"Fruit, everything's going to be fine," I greeted him with a playful nickname, but he just stared at me blankly. Darn, that wasn't it—no fruit. What did that girl call Ian...? Ah! "Pumpkin, I know a decent leveling spot. Leave the wolves to the amateurs."

I grabbed his hand and pulled him along with a spring in my step. We had some time to grind while Lisa was gathering things to enchant for the evening.

We passed our old Frexie spot and headed into the plains. The sun blazed overhead as we moved past fields crawling with stupid venom monsters, but they weren't our target. I had something even better in mind, though it would take at least two hours of walking to reach.

Eventually, we sneaked past a flock of crow monsters and reached a charming meadow stretching over a mile long. On our right, impassable mountains rose, their peaks disappearing into the horizon, while on the left, a river sliced through the landscape near the distant edge.

We waded through waist-high, emerald-green grass, listening to the soft babbling of a nearby stream. It flowed alongside us, eventually merging into a wider river further down. When I noticed Lucas panting heavily, I called for a quick break, and he gratefully gulped down the crisp, cool water.

Keeping low to avoid detection, I guided him around the more dangerous areas. Soon, the only sounds were our soft breaths and the faint rustling of grass. A sweet, floral scent hung in the air, mixed with the earthy aroma of the meadow. We crouched behind a bush, trying to stay quiet as we continued sneaking through.

At the far end of the meadow, a ten-foot cliff stood tall—our target. Lucas blinked a few times, then looked at me with a smirk. "This is what you wanted to show me? Romantic spot, I guess." He plucked stray blades of grass from his hair and tried to wash a dirty sleeve in the stream. While he fussed with that, I scanned the cliff's edge for something specific. After a moment, I found it: a stone with rough edges, carved with a rune I didn't recognize.

"Romantic? Sure," I replied, grinning. "But check out the enemies down there. And the best part? It's a fortified position." I sat near the cliff's edge, feeling the damp air rising as I peered down at the creatures lurking below.

[Waspie Lv.10]
Type: 2-uncommon | HP: 165/165

As the name suggested, they were wasps—but nearly two feet tall. The monsters buzzed around, hunting for flowers to plunder, their long stingers and narrow waists giving them a menacing look. Watching them, I pressed down on the rune carved into the stone.

[Congratulations! You found East Fortification. Do you want to occupy it?]

Not yet, System. I turned to Lucas. "How's the staff? Gimme!"

My dear mage, finally done fussing with his cleaning, glanced at an invisible menu before nodding. "Sure, but you can't actually use it."

"That's fine. I used to be a warrior, so I just need something to flail around with." He shrugged and handed it over without further comment. Whoa, I thought, eyeing the staff. I'd known a Boss drop would be decent, but this good?

[Staff of Flame]
Quality: 4-exceptional
ATK: 3-4
Durability: 85/85
Effect: +5 INT, +2 damage to flame spells
Restriction: Level 7

"Okay, Lucas, when you hit level seven, it's yours! For the main menu..."

'Now, system. Please send them to attack me.'