The rest of the outriders turned their mounts, following their bloated leader into the forest. The squelching sound of their departure was almost as revolting as the sight of Berker himself.

I let out a long breath, watching them disappear into the trees.

I stared at the notification, feeling a strange mix of relief and dread. I'd managed to hold the Rebels off, but the reality of my situation was becoming clearer by the minute. My problems weren't going to stop. Berker would be back, and next time, it wouldn't be a puzzle challenge. And Katya's countdown was still running.

As soon as the Rebels were out of sight, Scar and his crew emerged from the trees, their expressions grim. They hadn't helped, but I suppose they hadn't legged it either. Scar approached, his eyes scanning the Well's new defences, and the shimmering barrier casting strange reflections on his face.

"Well," he said slowly, "I wasn't sure you had it in you."

I wiped a hand across my forehead, still catching my breath. "What? You thought I was just going to let them stomp all over me?"

Scar gave a small shrug. "We've seen people fold for less. The fact you stood your ground... that's something." His eyes flicked to the Well again. "You need to understand that we're not fighters anymore. But then again, maybe... maybe with you around we won't need to be."

It wasn't exactly the ringing, Braveheart endorsement of 'Freedom!' I was hoping for, but it was better than a slap in the face with a wet fish. I guess, for now, we were safe. But all sorts of clocks were ticking down now, and I knew I had to get this village further along its development before any of my growing number of antagonists made good on his promise to return.

Winning the game and activating the Well's defences had bought me some time, but the Rebels were coming back. As was Katya. And Lia was still not up and about…

Scar was yelling at a few of his group that had returned from an expedition and were now, in his words, 'lollygagging'. The wiry woman with the bow—whom I'd started mentally calling Not-Maid Marian—flipped him the bird and led a few others back into the trees.

I watched them go, and a new notification lit up across my vision:

[System Alert: Level Up Achieved]

New Level: 4

Stat Points Gained: +2

New Ability Unlocked: Crash Tackle (Combat Skill – Tier 1)

[New Ability Acquired: Crash Tackle]

Description: Sometimes a tank needs to make room. You may execute a shoulder-led charge against a single enemy or small group within 7 metres, stunning and knocking them prone if successful.

– Activation: 1-second charge-up; 5m dash

– Impact Damage: Moderate (scales with Strength and Endurance)

– Stun Duration: 2 seconds (targets under [Rage Debuff] stunned for 3 seconds)

– Knockdown Chance: 70%

– Cooldown: 90 seconds

Passive Bonus: +5% Physical Resistance for 5 seconds after a successful tackle.

System Advisory: A wall is a wall... until it learns to run you down.

Okay, so I wouldn't be playing tower defence anymore. Now I could try to run through things like an angry, well-armoured bowling ball. Good. About time.

I opened up my Core screen, hovering my mental cursor over the Endurance stat. As usual, that home for my two new points was calling to me like a siren.

[System Character Sheet]

Name: Elijah Meddings

Class: Iron Provocateur

Level: 4

Title Pathway: [Warden Channel]

Subclass: Read-Only

Threshold Anchor: [Halfway Hold - Well of Ascension]

System Integration: Sanctuary Status: Pending Stabilisation

Core Vitality Metrics

Health: 42

↳ [Base: 22 | Class Bonus: +8 | Set bonus: +12]

Health Regeneration: 6/hour

↳ Stubborn Constitution (Lvl 3) effect applied]

Stamina: 40

↳ [Base: 18 | Class Bonus: +10 | Set bonus: +12]

Stamina Regeneration: 4/hour

↳ [Resilience trait synergy applied]

Mana: 10

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Mana Regeneration: 1/hour

↳ [Origin trait detected. Purpose: Unknown.]

Primary Attributes

Strength: 6

Agility: 3

Speed: 2

Endurance: 12

Intelligence: 4

Wisdom: 3

Charisma: -2

Luck: 2

Unassigned Progress Points: 2

Abilities

Aggro Magnetism – Lvl 3 (Active Aura)

Effect Radius: +7 metres (base range)

Duration: +3 seconds (base duration)

Activation Cooldown: 30 seconds

- Rage Debuff (Lvl 2)

-20% Dodge

-20% Endurance

+10% Stamina drain per action

25% chance to misapply Abilities

Cannot voluntarily disengage from target during effect duration

Synergy Detected: Lineholder's Instinct

Enemies under Rage Debuff suffer -5% Attack Speed

Initial pull effect applies mild stagger to nearby targets (1 sec recovery)

Unwelcome Mat - Level 1

Passive: Gain +5% mitigation against all damage taken while guarding, taunting, or defending others.

Active (Cooldown: 10 minutes): when an ally within 5 metres would take lethal damage, you may choose to take it instead.

Bonus: If you survive this transfer, you immediately recover 10% Health and Stamina.

Crash Tackle - Level 1

1-second charge-up; 5m dash causing moderate damage (scales with Strength and Endurance) and Stun debuff. Duration: 2 seconds (targets under [Rage Debuff] stunned for 3 seconds)

Cooldown: 90 seconds

Passive Bonus: +5% Physical Resistance for 5 seconds after a successful tackle.

Traits

Stubborn Constitution – Lvl 3 (Passive)

Resistance to knockback, stagger, and panic effects

Enhanced pain tolerance

Minor bleeding and fatigue effects suppressed

Lineholder's Instinct – Lvl 1 (Passive)

+5% Mitigation when within 5m of an enemy with no other allies present

Immune to first [Fear] or [Terror] effect per encounter

Enemies under Rage Debuff suffer -5% Attack Speed

Shadow Marked – Lvl 1 (Passive)

+20% Resistance to [Poison], [Corruption], and [Infection] effects

First [Venom], [Toxin], or [Paralytic] effect per encounter is nullified automatically

Shadow-aligned entities no longer register you as entirely "Other"

Magical detection returns "Unstable" alignment

Suppressed side effects: internal temperature variance, dream leakage, minor hallucinations

Advisory: Repeated exposure to Shadow may accelerate alignment shift

Current Drift: [Shadow Tolerance 3%] ← Monitored

Strategic Instinct - Lvl 1 (Passive)

+10% to situational awareness during defensive encounters

Slight predictive boost to reading enemy movements within 15m radius

+5% bonus to Group Morale when acting as a Command Node (party leader or settlement governor)

Skills

Closed Circle (Combat | Hand-to-Hand) Lvl 3

Bonus to grapples, disarms, and improvised restraint techniques

Increased control in confined or uneven terrain

+10% Damage with fists, elbows, knees, or wielded detritus within 2m

Enemies struck while engaged in grapple gain [Off-Balance] (temporary debuff)

Weighted Argument [Combat | Blunt Weapons] Lvl 4

Bonus damage when wielding branches, clubs, staves, or other persuasive planks.

Bonus Applied: +15% Impact Force +10% Stagger Chance +10% Impact Force (doubled)

Improvised Javelin [Combat | Thrown Weapons] Lvl 2

Bonus accuracy when throwing spears, staves, or similarly balanced items

Critical hit chance increased against [Distracted], [Staggered], or [Unaware] targets

Passive: Instinctive trajectory compensation upgraded

New effect: +10% Impact Force when target is within 15m

Inventory Modifiers: Expanded Inventory Slots: +12

↳ [Class Modifier: Durable Backbone | Item Carry Bonus]

I was about to do just that when Scar reappeared at my side, wiping sweat from his brow. He glanced above my head and immediately frowned. "You're not seriously going to dump all your points into Endurance, are you?"

"You can see my stat sheet?"

"Just the basic numbers. I assumed you were displaying them to show off? I mean, reaching Level 4 is absolutely nothing to be sniffed at. Fair play to you."

I really need to figure out how to switch that visual feature off. There was nothing showing above Scar's head. "What Level are you?"

"I'm 4. Most of the rest of my crew are 2s and 3s. We've had a hard life of late."

My word, that was instructive. I was two days in and already at Level 4. I'd need a decent explanation for my rapid growth if these guys hung around. I thought again about Lia's Level 7 – she must have been doing some serious stuff for the Empire to get that high.

"What's wrong with just throwing everything into Endurance?" I said, not unlike a sulky teenager. "It's been working so far."

"Endurance works great. Right up until it doesn't."

"Wonderfully sage advice," I said. He really was an awful lot like Griff.

"Look, you're not a juggernaut. Not yet. Your Class—Iron Provocateur—wants you to tank, sure, but you're not built to outslug real monsters. You're clearly built to draw fire. But if you just stack Endurance, sure you'll survive a little longer... but you'll still lose. A real tank doesn't just endure the world, they seek to shape it around them. They make the fight theirs."

"So what do you suggest?"

"Don't neglect Strength. Maybe even a little Agility if you want to start actually moving like someone who wants to live. Endurance's good, but I think you're meant to be more than just a meat shield, aren't you? Warden."

I looked again at my sheet. Strength was sitting at a sad 6. Endurance was bossing the room at 12, whereas Speed and Agility were... laughable. Deep down, I knew he was right.

"Okay," I said. "Two points. Where do you want them?"

He didn't even hesitate. "One into Strength. One in Agility."

I pulled up the System window, made the adjustments, and felt the quiet thrum of confirmation ripple through my bones.

Scar grinned as if he could see the change flickering through me. Maybe he could. "Good. Now, when someone tries to cave your skull in, you'll be just that little bit less dead."

"Comforting," I said. "Truly heart-warming stuff."

"Welcome to leadership, Warden," he said, clapping me hard enough on the back to almost send me sprawling. "It's all blood, mud, and disappointment from here."

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