Defiance of the Fall

And by trees , he didn’t mean chopped down lumber , but actual trees . There were dozens of mages that reminded Zac of the root mage he had killed , who grew large black trees out of the ground . They then somehow forced it to grow in shapes that would constitute rooms and walls . It took less than an hour for a few mages to grow one of the house-trees into its final size . There were also mages who summoned rocks out of the ground . Under their care the rocks seemed like clay , allowing the mages to form them to their will to form a natural feeling to the walls and other stone features .

The palace was only three stories tall at the highest point , but it was expansive , featuring multiple buildings , beautiful gardens , sky wells , and courtyards . The gracefully curved roofs were made with tiles , with their eaves hanging out a few meters from the structures . The most central building in the complex had two layers of eaves , giving it an even grander feeling . Zac supposed that was either the general’s living quarters or some type of throne room . Surrounding it all was a black hedge roughly 2 meters tall . It felt decorative rather than providing any protection , as anyone would easily get through or above it .

The only thing that took away from the grand structure was the dull colors . The palace was mostly in shades of black and grey , giving it a very foreboding feeling . The only flashes of color were splotches of red in some details , the shade reminding him of the shining pillar .

The second group moved back and forth between the town and a cave in the mountain . He wasn’t exactly sure what they were doing there , as they held no equipment or the like when moving . They likely had magic pouches just like him , obscuring any hint of what was going on inside . He didn’t dare sneak in , as there seemed to be activity inside the cave at all times .

His two guesses were they either were mining , or there was some sort of huge area beneath that they explored . He hadn’t seen anyone hurt or wounded when walking back from the cave at least , so it shouldn’t be full of subterranean monsters at least .

The last group , and also the smallest , was small parties heading out of the town and in different directions of the island . They looked like small search parties , but not like the ones he had encountered so far .

It seemed that the demons had learned their lessons from their two missing groups , and had improved the power of the parties . They all held at least five demons , but that wasn’t all . Accompanying them was a varied amount of beasts . They all had a few Gwyllgi running around to the front and the sides for the party , seemingly acting as scouts . There was also a couple of barghest that moved in the front , filling the role of meat shields . A few parties even had an imp or two subserviently following the demons .

Zac felt like he was no match for a party like this , there were too many variables and things that could damage him at the same time . He hadn’t tried fighting those parties , staying far away as possible . Now that he knew what he was up against , he realized he really only had one advantage .

He knew a lot about them , but for them , he was still an enigma .

Chapter 36 - Determination

After observing the demons for two days Zac also was certain that they were real living , breathing beings . He had always had a sneaking suspicion that they might be puppets , or NPC’s if you will , created by the system to give a challenge to Zac and earth .

But the last two days he had watched them go about their day . They had worked , they had joked around and played cards . He had seen a few start a fierce brawl until a leader ran up and broke them apart . In essence , they were alive .

He hadn’t really thought about it properly before , but they were just like him . Did they even want to be here , or were they forced by the system just like him? Could he just keep regarding them as the enemy , and killing them simply a means to an end?

But Zac soon had soon steeled his heart . The world has fallen , and chaos reigned . They were invaders on the island , HIS island . From everything he had seen and hypothesized since the integration in the multiverse he knew he couldn’t go soft and hope for a peaceful solution .

Even if that somehow was possible before , he already had pulled the trigger and killed a bunch of their kind . Any opportunity for negotiation was already out the window . He would sooner or later have to decide how to act if he ever managed to reunite with humans again , but for now , the only diplomacy he’d deliver would be with the swing of his axe .