Frostbound [LitRPG Apocalypse]-Chapter 205 - Cynical

Dear Abigail,... Dear Sister,... Sister,

Bah, you know who this letter is meant for already, it doesn't need a greeting. This isn't the only letter being sent back so I will keep it short. We have vanquished the enemy and are marching home.

We still have scouts out scouring the countryside for traces of any rogue Demons but I don't suspect there will be many. The Evolved Demon in charge was much stronger than anticipated and makes me believe the leash it kept on its fellow Demons was tight.

Still, it doesn't hurt to be thorough. Fort Hope has also dedicated some scouts to the same purpose, but I don't feel comfortable leaving it solely to them. With their help, we should be able to catch them all, hopefully.

The only task left unfinished is finding the summoner.

Every attempt to do so has been met with failure. No matter how hard we look, the culprit eludes us. Everyone was told to be on the lookout, but I doubt that will be of any use.

Now, before you go reading anyone else's letter, I informed the messenger to give you mine first. No matter how poorly of a state they claim I am in, don't believe them. Especially Ashley.

It's not as bad as it sounds, I'm just a little... lighter now. I think this is the least I've weighed since high school! Ah, that joke doesn't really make sense without seeing me.

I'm told the road to recovery will be long but I'm confident it will be swift. My lovely sister will make sure of that. I will go into the finer details of everything that occurred when I see you in person, as I don't wish to recount it in this letter for multiple reasons. Other than that, there is one more thing I should inform you of.

My recent struggle has highlighted some things that need to change. I have been too passive in our advancement and I aim to fix that.

The first of which is recruitment.

I have sent out a squad of scouts toward the remnants of Toronto in order to gain any who wish to join our ranks. I plan to do the same when I get back to other parts of the country.

I'm unsure how effective it will be, but seeing how many Austin has sent our way since he left gives me hope that our efforts will work as well.

That being said, it would be best to plan for a population increase in the coming months. In addition to this letter, I have added a list of the Professions I told the scouts to look out for and offer rewards for, but that doesn't ensure they will join. Add any you see fit to the list so it can be added when the next round goes out.

We need to be prepared in case our current number of Farmers doesn't increase in proportion to our total population.

I am sorry to drop this on you with little warning, but it needs to be done.

Our Pace of Advancement needs to increase.

All my other plans can wait until I return and we can discuss our best course of action then.

I hope Jonathan and the kids are well, I'll be home soon.

P.S. Tell Anna and Josh I have a surprise for both of them when I get back. One I'm sure you'll love.

Abigail,

Below is a recounting of all injuries sustained during the fight and what my [Body Scan] was able to discover. Don't tell Christopher I sent you this as he strictly told me not to. While he was touch and go at first, he should make a full recovery.

Regards,

Ashley

4 broken ribs and 3 fractured ribs

Broken femur, tibia, and fibula on both legs

...

More fractures than I can list

...

One broken wrist

One collapsed lung

Numerous ruptured disks

...

Severe Concussion

Multiple Organ Failure

Dislocated Right Shoulder

Amputation of the Right Arm below the shoulder joint

...

Our march back home was more than welcome. A general feeling of glee was radiating from our group as everyone was looking forward to returning home.

There was still the undercurrent of sadness, one look at the many ice coffins could bring someone down, but most chose to look at the bright side.

The threat against us was defeated, and our mission was successful.

Among the many things we would do after returning, a heartfelt sendoff was high on the list. Second only to reunions.

Thinking of what I was going to do made me think of how we would do it.

For all of my life, burial or cremation was the most common way to send someone off. I was partial to burials, but that didn't mean everyone had the same views.

Additionally, with our new magical world, Death Mana was an affinity out there. I hadn't seen it, and no one we knew had it as their affinity, but it was still a thing.

Other forms were probably out there too. With the myriad of affinities we already knew of, saying some form of Death mana wasn't out there was stupid.

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That being said, would bodies rise from the dead?

While I hadn't seen it and hadn't heard anyone mention such a thing, it needed to be considered in how we would do things. If there was a chance of undeath from burial, that would have to be considered. No one would want that fate to befall their loved ones.

There had to be a way to keep that from happening. A Formation or enchantment of some kind to ensure that wasn't possible.

Other options came to mind as well. The Viking way particularly, as it was in line with the theme we had going. Other than the smaller lakes, there wasn't a large body of water we could use, though.

I still preferred burial, but I would leave the option open to whatever the person wanted. Unless they requested being shot out of a cannon, I didn't care one way or the other.

Even though a month had passed, it felt like we arrived the next day. People nearly took off in a sprint when the walls came into view. As soon as we were spotted, it looked like the whole City came out to cheer for our return.

The praise felt good.

The next few hours were a whirlwind of activity as every emotion on the spectrum was exuded by people in the crowd. Exuberance and happiness for those hugging their returned loved ones.

Deep grief and sadness for those looking on at icy coffins. Gratefulness and joy at knowing the threat against them was defeated.

It was a lot to take in. One group was hugging each other tight in joy while another was sobbing over ice.

My own family was one of the lucky ones. All of us returned, even if some weren't in the pristine condition they left in.

Abigail nearly lost it when she saw me and I had a sneaking suspicion she knew what to expect. Without foreknowledge, I anticipated her to be more animated at the state I returned in.

Anna and Josh marveled over my new arm. Anna said it looked cool and wanted to play with it while Josh just poked at it in wonder. Vinny just laughed and said forging would be harder.

The rest of their reactions were in line with what I had expected.

Everyone spent a long time hugging and talking and it was a much-needed unwind after what we faced. Even if a particular person's lecture went on and on.

The following day was a much more somber affair.

With the amount of dead that chose burial a cemetery was planned out and constructed in record time. Abigail, with her magical ability to think ahead, already marked out a spot to place it but just hadn't started building it yet.

I had no idea how long it would last or if it was big enough, but all those worries could wait for another day.

Nearly the entire City watched as people were laid to rest. Last words were said and tears stained the Earth.

My Ice kept the bodies from decomposing during our trip which let people view them for the final time. I fogged up the ice on some as it wasn't a pretty sight.

As they were placed into their final resting place, I voiced my thanks for their sacrifice and dispelled the ice around them so they could return to the earth.

It didn't get any easier as the day went on.

Every one hurt just as much as the others.

As that completed, and I left the family to grieve alone, there was one last thing to do.

The ring on my finger brought me comfort to wear. It had become a habit to rub it at certain times, and now it was time to place it.

Part of me didn't want to. It whispered that construction wasn't done and I should wait but my day spent burying people shot that down.

Waiting any longer would be stalling and I had done enough of that.

Similar to the cemetery planned in what would be our future city, there was another spot sectioned off.

Inside what would eventually be the Inner Wall, an idyllic spot was set aside for just that purpose.

It bordered the cliffside and gave a stunning view of the landscape down below. A forest of green as far as the eye could see.

I didn't think there was a better place for miles around.

Using the ring was instinctual.

It probed my mind for where I wanted to place it, and similar to any other System construction, it worked in ways I couldn't decipher.

A blink and it was like the hill had always been there. The ring that I had worn for over a year turned to dust and blew away in the wind.

After watching so many others shed tears over the day, it was my turn to do the same.

Not much was said as my family looked on. Just a quiet remembrance.

The following days were gloomy but the liveliness came back. This wasn't people's first experience with loss, and sadly, wouldn't be the last.

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It felt odd to wake up in my own bed after everything that happened and I doubted I was the only one who felt that way.

My daily routine had to be amended as the Dungeons were off-limits to me. Doctor's orders.

Instead, I got caught up on everything I had missed during my three-month journey. It hadn't felt like that much but it was already well into Summer and nearly fall.

Not that the leaves would start changing soon but it was a bit of a reality check to see the crops I had helped plant nearly grown upon my return.

For most everything that happened, Abigail handled much better than I could, but she did set aside a few things I needed to handle. Luckily, I didn't need to enforce laws on anyone. Jonathan made sure there was nothing lax while we were gone.

It was mostly small things. The construction crew was waiting for me to engrave the Wards before they could continue and other status updates of similar importance.

It wasn't until our Council meeting three days after our return that I felt decently caught up on the happenings and better understood the state of the City.

The room was far from the sparsely decorated grey drab it once was. Rugs and Furs lined the floor, giving it a comfortable feel along with trophies or the like hung on the walls.

It was a stark difference and one I had to comment on.

"I turn my back for one second and you redecorate the whole place." I joked.

"If I left it to you, it would be years before you put anything up," Abigail said.

I was glad for the change though. With her moving into the Castle along with her two little ones, it did need a homier touch that it had been missing. A warmth that it now had.

It was a welcome change.

The meeting was one of the longest ones we had ever had, as both sides had much to discuss. Specifics of what occurred needed to be detailed. The discussion over our new Mine took nearly an hour alone.

"... I know this is another draw on our manpower, but it's a high priority. It will take a while, maybe a few months, to get a mine up and running but the sooner we do the sooner we can start growing the Dungeons. They should be close to a Ninth Floor already which would change a lot. More income from taxes, better loot from the new floor, more essence to those that can clear it. Faster leveling for the strongest in the City.

"Part of the agreement with Fort Hope was that they would provide a portion of the workers so that should help but if we want to get a steady supply of crystals, we probably need to send our best." I stated.

"If we do that, our supply of stone will go down. We just got up to speed and are quarrying it at a rate just enough to keep up with construction. If we send off the best Miners we will be behind again." Abigail said.

"I know, but they are better used at the crystal mine. Hopefully, their expertise will help get the initial construction up and running faster."

"I agree with you, but I needed to tell you the drawbacks that will occur. I won't know by how much stone production will go down without speaking to Francis, but it will be by a significant amount."

"Can we get it from anywhere else? Austin mentioned where he's at is selling stone." I asked

Everyone looked to Jonathan.

"As it is now, our market can't reach that far. We would either need to upgrade the pylon or build a Trading Hub somewhere in the City." He said.

I sighed hearing that, "I don't know the Runes for something like that. All my focus has been on the Wards. But, we should prepare to upgrade the pylon anyway. It's been delayed enough already."

Everyone nodded at that.

After our side was finished, it was Abigail's turn.

"Everything went mostly according to plan. Construction is ahead of schedule and the crops are growing nicely. We've had major advancements for both Farmers and Miners that have accelerated things..."

Most of what she described was to be expected. All until she was wrapping up.

"Our income from the Dungeons suffered, but that's to be expected. The new Mine will help bring us back some coin. Besides that, not much happened except for one thing..." She finished recapping.

Before anyone could say anything, she shifted around the papers in front of her and presented what looked to be an envelope.

"While you guys were gone, we received a letter from another pylon."

She had everyone's attention after another pylon was mentioned. I didn't recognize the name or the symbol on the letter either.

"The City's name is Mountainside. We aren't sure where they're located, but we predict it's somewhere West of here. Most likely near Calgary."

My eyes were still glued to the opened envelope as she spoke and a growing concern welled up inside me.

"What did it say?" I asked, "Because I swear to God, if it's another dire warning I might just lose it!"

She shook her head fiercely, "No, no, nothing like that. It's a request for Trade and an offer to reopen communications. It's written fairly straightforward and doesn't say much else."

"No threats they need help with? No demands for anything? No proposing of an Alliance?" I questioned with narrowed eyes. "Not even any veiled threats?"

In response, she tossed me the letter to read for myself and even then, it still didn't feel right.

All it stated was an openness to begin trade and discuss future cooperation.

If everyone at the table hadn't reacted with the same scrutiny, I would've thought I'd become cynical.