SSSSS-Rank: Negative Leveling-Chapter 73: War Council

Luthra returned to the settlement just before midnight, exhausted but victorious, the gate core in his pack and Level -10 fresh in his system.

Rebecca was still awake, sitting on the roof of the main building watching for his return, when she saw him approaching she practically flew down the stairs to meet him at the gate.

"You’re back, you’re actually back, how did it go?"

"Gate cleared, Level -10 achieved, no injuries, successful mission overall."

She hugged him without warning. "I was worried, everyone was worried, Khorvash wanted to go after you three times but Misha convinced her to wait."

"Good, I wouldn’t have needed the help and it would have been a waste of resources."

"You’re impossible sometimes, you know that right?"

"I’ve been told."

Misha appeared from her office, still awake despite the late hour. "Welcome back, I see you didn’t die, that’s convenient given the meeting we have tomorrow morning."

"What meeting?"

"Association contact, remember, Captain Vera wants to coordinate intelligence about Syndicate movements, I scheduled it for tomorrow afternoon but given your early return we can move it up if you want."

"Keep it in the afternoon, I need to sleep and then test my new abilities in the morning, what’s the update on defensive preparations?"

"Borris has the perimeter fortified with basic walls and watch towers, Jako set up early warning tripwires and alarm systems in a three-mile radius, Khorvash trained a twenty-person rapid response team, we’re not ready for a full military assault but we’re better than we were."

"Show me the current layout tomorrow after I rest, I want to review everything before the Association meeting."

Khorvash emerged from the shadows where she’d apparently been lurking. "Level -10, that’s the milestone Lilith mentioned, what did you unlock?"

"Absorption Mimicry, I can steal opponents’ mana enhancement techniques through direct contact, temporary duration but potentially game-changing in the right circumstances."

"So you can copy how other people use their power?"

"Essentially yes, if I touch someone using mana reinforcement I can absorb the pattern and replicate it for a limited time, the stronger the opponent the shorter the duration but also the more powerful the stolen technique."

Misha looked thoughtful. "That’s actually brilliant for intelligence gathering, you could copy techniques from enemies and learn their fighting styles without prolonged observation."

"That was my thought as well, it’s more tactical than purely offensive but tactical advantages win wars."

The next morning Luthra woke to his usual 4:30 AM internal alarm and immediately started his routine, forty thousand push-ups felt easier now with Level -10 enhancements, his body moved with greater efficiency, every motion optimized.

After training he met with Borris to review the defensive preparations.

The ex-Syndicate enforcer had done good work, the settlement’s perimeter now had eight-foot stone walls reinforced with scavenged metal, four watch towers with clear sightlines in all directions, and choke points designed to funnel attackers into kill zones.

"This is solid work, Borris, how long did this take?"

"Three days with a hundred workers, we used earth-mages to shape the stone and metal-workers to reinforce the weak points, it won’t stop a full Syndicate assault but it’ll slow them down and give us defensive advantages."

"What about escape routes?"

"Three hidden tunnels leading to different extraction points, wide enough for civilians to evacuate quickly if things go bad, Misha’s idea."

"Good planning, what else do we need?"

"More fighters honestly, we’ve got about seventy people who can hold a weapon competently but only thirty with real combat experience, against a Syndicate force of two to three hundred we’re badly outnumbered."

"Numbers aren’t everything, we have terrain advantage, we know the settlement layout, and we have me, Khorvash, and Misha as force multipliers, quality over quantity."

"You’re optimistic, I’ll give you that."

The meeting with Captain Vera happened in the afternoon, the Association representative arrived with two guards and an air of professional courtesy.

"Luthra, congratulations on Level -10, our sensors detected the significant mana spike when you cleared that C-Rank gate solo, impressive work."

"You track gate clearings?"

"We track significant mana events in our jurisdiction, solo C-Rank clears qualify as significant, but that’s not why I’m here."

She pulled out a map covered in marked locations. "Syndicate activity has increased dramatically in the last two weeks, they’re moving resources, mobilizing hunters, and conducting reconnaissance on independent settlements across the northern territories."

"They’re preparing for something large-scale."

"Exactly, our intelligence suggests they’re planning coordinated strikes against multiple targets simultaneously, overwhelming resistance through sheer force."

"And you think my settlement is one of the targets?"

"We know it is, one of our embedded agents confirmed you’re on the priority list, they want to make an example of you for defeating Kane and operating outside their control."

Luthra studied the map, noting the other marked settlements. "What’s the Association’s position on this?"

"Officially, we can’t intervene in Syndicate territory without escalating to open war, unofficially, we’re very interested in seeing independent settlements survive and potentially create a buffer zone between Association and Syndicate territories."

"So you’ll help us without officially helping us."

"Precisely, I can provide intelligence, supply caches of weapons and medical equipment, and ensure that if you request emergency extraction the Association will respond, but I can’t send official troops until after an attack is underway and documented."

"What about other independent settlements, are they organizing any kind of mutual defense?"

Vera pointed to three other locations on the map. "These three settlements have expressed interest in coordination, they’re all facing similar threats, if you could organize a defensive pact it would significantly improve everyone’s chances."

"That requires travel, meetings, negotiations, all of which takes time we don’t have." 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

"Which is why I’m offering to facilitate, Association airships can transport representatives from each settlement to a neutral meeting point, you could have a council within three days."

Luthra considered the tactical benefits, four settlements coordinating defense meant shared intelligence, potential reinforcements, and unified strategy, the downside was trusting people he didn’t know with critical information.

"Who would attend this council?"

"Leaders from each settlement, you’d represent this location, the others are a woman named Thalia who runs a refugee camp to the east, a former B-Rank hunter named Gareth who established a training compound to the south, and a merchant coalition leader called Finn who controls a trading post to the north."

"What do they bring to the table?"

"Thalia has numbers, over a thousand refugees with basic combat training, Gareth has skilled fighters, about fifty B and C-Rank hunters who retired from active guild work, Finn has resources and a network of informants embedded in Syndicate operations."

"And together we’re supposed to hold off a Syndicate offensive?"

"Together you have a chance, separately you’ll be picked off one by one, it’s basic military strategy."

He looked at Khorvash and Misha who had been listening to the conversation. "Thoughts?"

Khorvash shrugged. "More allies means better odds, I don’t see a downside unless one of them betrays us to the Syndicate."

Misha tapped the map. "Vera’s right about the strategy, isolated targets are easy to eliminate, coordinated defense forces the Syndicate to commit more resources and creates opportunities for counterattacks."

"Alright, set up the council, when and where?"

Vera smiled. "Tomorrow evening, neutral ground fifty miles north of here, Association will provide transport and security, bring whoever you trust to help negotiate."

After Vera left, Luthra called a meeting with his core leadership, Khorvash, Misha, Borris, Jako, and Rebecca gathered in the planning room.

"We’ve got three days until the council and maybe two weeks until the Syndicate attacks, we need to be ready for both, Misha, you’re coming with me to the council along with Khorvash, Borris, you’re in charge of the settlement while we’re gone."

"What’s the play at this meeting?" Borris asked.

"We assess the other leaders, determine if they’re legitimate allies or potential liabilities, negotiate terms for mutual defense, and establish communication protocols, if everything goes well we’ll have three additional settlements watching our backs."

"And if it doesn’t go well?"

"Then we’re no worse off than we are now, we still have our defenses and our people."

Rebecca raised her hand. "Can I come to the council?"

"No, you stay here and continue training, this is politics and negotiation, not your skillset yet."

"When will it be my skillset?"

"When you’re older and more experienced, for now focus on getting stronger."

She looked disappointed but nodded.

The next day passed in preparation, Luthra tested his new Absorption Mimicry ability by sparring with Khorvash and copying her dragon-enhanced strength temporarily, the technique worked but the strain on his hybrid core was significant, he could only maintain stolen enhancements for about thirty seconds before they faded.

’Thirty seconds isn’t much but in a real fight that’s enough time to land a critical strike or defend against an unexpected attack.’

[Correct, as you level up the duration and stability of stolen techniques will improve, at Level -25 you should be able to maintain them for several minutes.]

That evening, the Association airship arrived, it was a massive floating vessel powered by enchanted crystals, easily three times the size of any building in the settlement.

Luthra, Khorvash, and Misha boarded along with Vera and her guards, the journey to the neutral meeting point took about three hours, flying over the northern wasteland at speeds that would have taken days by foot.

When they landed, three other airships were already present, representatives from the other settlements disembarking.

The meeting site was a large cleared area with a central pavilion, Association guards maintaining a perimeter to ensure no hostile forces could interrupt.

Inside the pavilion, four chairs were arranged around a circular table.

Luthra studied the other leaders as they entered.

Thalia was a middle-aged woman with sharp eyes and callused hands, she moved like someone who had seen combat but preferred not to.

Gareth was a grizzled veteran, easily in his fifties, with scars covering his exposed arms and the bearing of someone who had led troops before.

Finn was younger than Luthra expected, maybe thirty, dressed in expensive merchant’s clothes but with the alertness of someone who had survived dangerous negotiations.

They all studied each other with the wariness of people who knew they needed allies but didn’t trust easily.

Vera stepped to the center. "Thank you all for coming, I’ll keep this brief, the Syndicate is planning a coordinated assault on independent settlements, you’re all targets, separately you’ll be eliminated, together you have a chance to survive and potentially push back, this meeting is to determine if coordination is possible."

She stepped back, leaving the four leaders to negotiate among themselves.

There was a long silence.

Finally, Gareth spoke. "I’m too old for politics, so I’ll be direct, I’ve got fifty trained fighters who can handle B and C-Rank threats, what I don’t have is territory worth defending longterm or resources to sustain a prolonged conflict, I need allies who can provide both."

Finn leaned back. "I’ve got trade networks and intelligence, I know when Syndicate forces move and where they’re going, what I lack is military strength, my compound can’t withstand a serious assault."

Thalia looked at both of them. "I’ve got a thousand people who need protection and basic supplies, most of them can’t fight but they can work, build, and support those who do, what I need is leadership with military experience and resources to arm them."

They all turned to look at Luthra.

’Great, somehow I became the critical piece in this alliance without even speaking.’

"I’ve got a defensible position, functional economy, and some combat capability, what I don’t have is overwhelming force or perfect intelligence, from what I’m hearing, we each have pieces of what’s needed, the question is whether we can trust each other enough to actually coordinate."

Gareth nodded. "Trust is earned, not given, I propose a trial period, we share intelligence about Syndicate movements for one week, if the information is accurate and useful, we move to the next step of coordination."

Finn agreed. "I can provide real-time updates on troop movements through my network, if the rest of you act on that intelligence and share results, we’ll know who’s serious about this alliance."

Thalia added, "And I can send support workers to help fortify each location, extra hands for building defenses, tending wounded, whatever’s needed, if you protect my people I’ll support your operations."

It was actually a reasonable proposal, low commitment with tangible benefits, a way to test the waters before fully committing.

"Agreed," Luthra said, "one week of information sharing and mutual support, at the end of it we reconvene and decide if a formal alliance makes sense."

The others nodded.

Vera produced documents outlining the basic terms, everyone signed, and the first step toward a defensive coalition was established.

As they boarded the airships to return home, Khorvash looked satisfied. "That went better than expected, no one tried to kill anyone else, and we actually reached an agreement."

"Don’t celebrate yet, the real test is whether they follow through, talk is easy, action is what matters."

Misha was reviewing her notes. "Finn’s intelligence network could be invaluable if it’s legitimate, Gareth’s fighters would significantly boost our combat capability, and Thalia’s support workers could help with all the infrastructure we’re struggling to build."

"Which means the Syndicate will probably try to eliminate them before they can contribute, we need to be ready to provide support if one of the other settlements gets hit first."

The airship carried them back to Luthra’s settlement, below the northern wasteland stretched out in darkness, somewhere out there the Syndicate was preparing their assault.

’Two weeks, maybe less, until everything we’ve built gets tested, time to make sure we’re ready.’