She let the question hang in the air, her smile widening as she caught his reaction. He started with a cough, as if he sucked in a plume of smoke, and when he managed to calm himself, he turned and glared at her in silence. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

"Very well. I shall leave you to your smoke and your silence. But do try not to think of me too fondly while you’re sitting here all alone in the dark. It wouldn’t do for the Chief to lose his focus."

She happily spoke, laughter ringing out behind her as she walked down the slope.

’A damn vixen! "A bloody educated noble vixen," he cursed softly, barely a whisper. The coughing fit returned; he’d inhaled smoke again.

It took him a moment to regain his composure; once he did, he turned his attention to his panel.

[Name: Bramm Osric]

[Realm: Light Red]

[Soul Spirit Tattoo: The Great Anchor]

[Summoned Warriors: 9]

[Renown: 7300]

"Looks like they were able to earn the renown back that I spent."

With Adara the way she was, Bramm didn’t want her here all day, teasing and being a headache as they waited for Resven and the group to return. Thus, without hesitation, he had summoned 4 other warriors.

Bramm put her in charge, and they left the same day, hunting and patrolling the areas around the perimeter. With the fence basically done, most normal beasts would not be able to enter, and even Light Tier primals would leave.

Thus, his day had returned to the peace and quiet it had before she appeared. Adara was apparently quite adept at commanding troops, as the system had even reported a small-scale battle where the group had fought against 10 forest wolves and won without much injury. It rated the battle an A.

During the battle, two of the warriors advanced to True Red: Adara herself and another had done so the day before.

Bramm was happy with the new group. They had been quite proficient in dealing with the beasts. ’Now, once the others return, they will have teams of their own... Resven, Telarin, and even Keren would do quite a good job. Mestin... well, we’ll see how he fares. If he isn’t suitable for command, I can always add him to Telarin’s or Adara’s group.’

’With them scouring the areas and growing we’ll be able to expand quite a lot. Summoning a few more warriors wouldn’t be a bad idea. I think once Adara hits Orange tier, I’ll start summoning a few more to act as leaders and veterans’ he mused with a soft smile.

The plans for the expansion of House Osric were well underway. He had plans for added cabins and sleeping quarters, a training ground for spars, more storage units and campfire areas, as well as building a large and sturdy gate and a few watchtowers.

Once the basics are down, he could really be called a Mormaer... a weak one, of course, but a noble of the highlands nonetheless.

"The problem will be coins... It’s all good for now. Especially since there are a lot more primals in the area, but once things settle down and I need to expand there will be trouble with the upkeep and costs... I’ll have to look for a few products or materials other than beast materials to produce or sell later on..."

And just like that, he added another note to his list of to-dos. He was certain that with the group growing stronger, it wouldn’t be long before he had the strength of Houses like Morvayn or Draken.

"Well, guess there’s not much to do in the meantime. With Adara and her group present, I’m sure nothing bad will happen. I should get back to training myself," he nodded slowly, stroking his beard with a smile, "If that vixen grows stronger than me by too much, I don’t think I’ll survive long..."

He shuddered slightly before chuckling. True, Adara was a beautiful woman; however, even if her teasing was genuine, he had no interest in love in his life...

A specific memory flashed through his mind, and a saddened sigh escaped his lips as he stood up and grabbed his axe. He had found that doing breathing exercises whilst training boosted the circulation of his vitre, and it was growing steadily.

He had been awakened for more than a year and a half, and only a few days back was he able to advance to True Red. In another life, he would have been content, but with his men and house growing stronger, he ought to as well.

And thus his resolve for strength grew, and so did his power... bit by slow bit.

***

Great Hall of House Morvayn

The heavy iron-rimmed doors groaned as they swung shut, cutting off the howling mountain gale and leaving only the low, crackling of a fire. High above, the vaulted ceiling was webbed with an imposing ironwood canopy. Massive, curved beams of dark wood were reinforced by thick, heavy bands of ribbed iron and steel that bolted into the stone, looking like the skeletal ribs of a great, upturned war-galley.

Down the center of the hall ran a deep, sunken fire pit, nearly forty paces long, roaring with splitting pine logs. The scent of woodsmoke, wet wool, and oiled steel hung thick in the air, while shifting shadows danced aggressively across the stone floor, thrown by the flames and the thin, sharp lances of grey highland daylight piercing the narrow slit windows high above.

Hanging majestically from the ironwood rafters were the massive banners of the House.

At the far end of the hall, elevated on a three-tiered dais of stark white stone, sat the Thane’s Seat. It was a monumental throne carved directly into the bedrock of the fortress, its high back framed by sharp, geometric stone molding and draped heavily in thick, winter-grey wolf pelts.

Just below the dais to the right, positioned precisely to signify both proximity and submission to the crown, sat a second, smaller seat executed in the exact same style. This subordinate throne was likewise carved from the identical grey mountain granite and adorned with matching silver and gold filigree, its seat lined with the same dark fur.