Growth

Sly made good use of the next few days. Ariel gave him a primer on the state of Ruyanei. Monsters and beastfolk allying with or being of the Dark. The Demons were of special interest to him. He was absolutely stabbing them in the back and it would be the height of hubris not to expect trouble from them and their minions. He had taken their trump card away, that would slow them down but they might just snatch another poor sod.

He'd like to stay off the gods' radar too but that might be too much to hope for. Ariel can help with that as long as they don't draw too much attention. That would have to do for now.

He set a few more empowered emanations to work building a strangely quiet little village around the glade. A scattering of cottages, stables, pens for livestock and the smithy that he spent more time on than anything else.

Sly really didn't want to go out into the world unarmed. His magic was potent enough but magical power wasn't inexhaustible. So he'd put special attention into making Sarah, his smith and sort-of-daughter. She had a greater portion of his essence than any of the minions he'd created. His flesh, blood and seed all being used in her creation. She even shared his looks, slender and wiry with dark hair pale olive skin and deep emerald eyes. Having someone to talk too who wasn't trying to jump his bones for a change was nice. He'd been sure of that, even his musk was only comfortable to her. Of all his emanation only she had any real life of her own.

Though she was created as an adult with a job Sly let her personality develop, mostly, on it's own. His primary influence being by conversation. She was made with a passion for her work and Sly fanned that flame. The short-spear she proudly presented him was a fine work. Holding the solid shaft and testing the deadly head made him feel a bit more secure.

~Yup, I'm still a dude, give me a big pointy dick-shaped object and I feel better.~ He wryly thought to himself.

He hadn't but had the thought before Hu interrupted the peace of the glade.

"Shitheads!" Creaked the raven at full volume. Startling Ariel and getting a chuckle out of Sly and Sarah, who had been teaching the uncannily clever ravens how to swear appropriately. The levity didn't last long though, Sly understood his beasts when they communicated and Hu's meaning was clear.

"Thanks Sarah, I think I might be needing this. Our home is yours as my Firstborn until I return. Ariel we need to move!"

Sly whistled sharply and the three largest males of the pack as fell in around him. He might have liked to bring the whole pack but he'd shared his fertility with his beasts and too many were out of the fight for now. Without time to waste the group followed Hu down a narrow path to a brazen gate standing alone astride the way. Approaching the gate at a run Sly wave his hand in it's direction causing it to open for him for the first time.

As soon as Sly passed through the gate his stride faltered. He was diminished and it sucked. He had grown so accustomed to the buoying swell of raw power his domain gave him. He was suddenly very aware that his highest level was still only two and he was very much not invincible. The forest around him wasn't his, yet.

Wolves, ravens angels and fae rangers do travel rather quickly in any forest. Within minutes the group came upon an old rutted road cutting through the deep forest. From here the wolves noses twitched and low growls echoed from the trio. Sprinting to the left, east by the sun, the party rounded a bend in the road finding a grotesque tableau.

A dozen or so (11, his handy HUD told him) bandits of varying species had a large caravan at their mercy. Marking the bandits in his mind Sly cloaked himself in a bit of fae illusion while his allies charged forward. Ariel got the jump on them first, swooping down and driving a spear of light into a burly orc who had the bad luck of being closest. By the time what was left of the orc had hit the ground a human man and woman and a goblin were being savaged by the wolf trio.

Sly was moving alongside the road studying the situation. With real danger making his adrenaline spike the benefit of the Timefruit juice he had kicked in. The world slowed around him and he got a chance to really take in the scene. A massive orc (Bandit Leader lvl 2) had what looked to be a few families cowering, his crude iron spiked club dripping gore. Five of his comrades were grabbing for weapons as they put aide the looting. Then there was the minotaur. (Brute lvl 4) It was both fucking and eating a matronly human woman who's sobs were barely audible.

Sly the fae-lord badass kept his cool, sort of. Sly the dude really fucking wanted to vomit. Slipping close to the orc Sly lashed out with his spear while he growled out his entangle spell. Sly's new favorite tree obliged as a branch wrapped around the bovine's throat and ripped him up into the boughs with a wet crunch as he went limp. The surprise stab pushed directly into the orc's right eye lodging momentarily in the thick-boned eye socket before sliding smoothly out.

~I'll have to tell Sarah how well this handles.~ Sly thought momentarily, expecting the orc to crumple as he removed the blade.

To Sly's great surprise the shithead orc didn't die. Thus he was entirely unprepared for the counter-strike as the enraged bandit slammed his crude club into Sly's left shoulder. The iron spikes burned his flesh and shattered bone. Now one handed Sly backed away barely fending off the following two swings. Seeing that the three unoccupied bandits had started to box him in Sly pushed most of his remaining magic into his earth element, throwing up a cloud of dust with a stomp and immediately following with an earth spike from the ground just beneath the one eyed bandit.

When the dust settled the leader had an 8 ft. pointed stone pillar bisecting him vertically. The remaining bandits and his allies all listened when the injured Simon roared. "Hold!"