Maximilian sped down the mountain. There were a few things he had to do before he could leave in earnest. First of which was to find that last group. He wasn't sure if they would've survived on their own but if they had he wanted to at least offer them the chance to move. He wasn't sure how the rules worked in regards to new settlers but they couldn't be too big a deal. Not if the Network wanted people to form countries and other organizations. It was something to think about later. He enhanced his speed with spiritual energy and was back in the forest within three hours. An odd sense of homecoming filled as he looked at the dark thick foliage. He didn't think of the forest as home. Not in a serious sense but it was the first place he had gone. It was the place he returned to. Part of him considered building a new settlement somewhere in here but that was for later. After a handful of near misses with a few panther beasts he leaped into trees. He arrived at the makeshift campsite half an hour later. Just in time to find the group harried on all sides. Only it wasn't beasts that had attacked, it was cultivators. The group wore mismatched clothing and the lack of energy told him that they were normal clothes. That they got from the Network. He assumed the group had been in the tutorial but hadn't done well.

  There were ten in total and seven of them held straight swords while the other three held spears. They were covered in dirt and looked like they had just passed through a battlefield. Despite that it was clear that they weren't here for a peaceful conversation. They either couldn't or didn't want to restrain their killing intent. Something that had a clear effect on Mama June's group. The group still had their guns, but they looked like they'd sooner run away than use them. Fortunately the group hadn't hurt anyone, yet which meant he could defuse the situation. Maximilian leaped from his place amongst the trees and landed about ten feet in front of the group of cultivators. Who raised their weapons immediately.

  "Greetings gentlemen I couldn't help but notice that you've found some friends and associates of mine. I would appreciate it if you left them alone." Maximilian flashed the group a pleasant smile as he circulated his spiritual energy. He wanted to avoid a fight if possible but he wasn't going to let them get off too many attacks. He was confident he could win but he wasn't sure he could protect everyone.

  "Who the fuck are you?" A bald dark skinned man asked as he stepped forward. His spear raised but not pointed at Maximilian.

  "Maximilian, Maximilian Croft. You might've heard of me." He was about to explain further but the looks on their faces made it clear they had no idea who he was. "Doesn't matter. I would appreciate if we can all go about our business?"

  "Well if you and your friends hand over whatever valuables you have we would be glad to. Especially that bag around your neck." His words caused the rest of his group to inch forward. It wasn't enough to be a threat to him but the implication was clear. Maximilian looked down as if he were considering the offer before he shook his head.

  "I can't do that. I have grown rather fond of the bag. I would appreciate if you all left anyway. I haven't had the chance to learn what human beings can handle compared to beasts.

  "I wasn't fucking asking." The man growled and nodded to two other spear wielders. The pair then charged him. Maximilian sighed and reached for his Dao. He did his best to restrain the power he used but it felt like putting his hand over a fire hose. The difference between his comprehension made its self-known. He conjured a dart of electricity that roughly half as strong as the ones he had been using. The dark caught one of the cultivators squares in the chest. He tried to do the same with the Dao of Rain, but he had much less control over the pressurized jet of water. The result was one cultivator paralyzed as if he had been hit with a stun gun. The other shot back almost ten feet into a tree.

  "The son of a bitch has two skills. Attack him together!" The man barked out before rushing forward with his weapon raised. Maximilian briefly considered moving but decided against it. His actions had earned the groups attention. Which meant as long as he kept it the others should be safe. That and he doubted the group could hurt him. He activated Prismatic Barrier seconds before the first spear strike arrived. The rainbow shield blocked that attack and the subsequent five attacks.

  "You guys can still leave. There is no need for us to keep this up." Maximilian offered. He wouldn't hold his breath, but he wasn't sure how he should deal with the situation. He could attack them, but they would die eventually. Especially if he used Severing Disc. He had no faith in his ability to reduce that skill's lethality. Maximilian caught the leader's gaze and sighed. It didn't take a genius to see the mental calculations going on in his head. They couldn't hurt Maximilian but Maximilian could hurt them. Which meant they had two choice. They could run away and take their chances with the beasts or they could take a hostage. The leader broke from his companions and made half way toward Mama June's group when he was hit with Static Bolt. Maximilian wasn't able to reduce the power of that skill so he took the full brunt. The poor man shook as if he had been hit with a taser and then fell forward.

  When he failed to receive kill energy he let out a sigh of relief. The man was stupid but he didn't need to die for that. Maximilian glanced at the others in case they wanted to continue the fight. When he saw the fear in their eyes he reached out and ended his defensive skill. The group was done which meant he needed to pull back. If he pushed them too hard they would either run or renew their attack with desperation. He didn't want to chase them through the forest so he decided to ignore them for now. Now that he had a moment he looked over the group of survivors and didn't like what he saw. They had all been roughed up but he could tell that most of their problems were old. Their clothes were torn and repaired in several places. They were covered in cuts and scrapes as well. Their situation was better than it could've been though. None of them had any serious injuries which only made him more confused. They had skills, they should've been able to work together against the group. It wouldn't have been easy but they should've been able to do it.

  "Aren't you a wonderful sight." Mama June said with a exhausted smile as she walked forward. It was clear that the woman's smile was forced though from what he could tell the sentiment was genuine. He reached into his bag and pulled out a bottle of healing pills.

  "I am sorry I hadn't come back earlier. I was preoccupied. Here these should help with the worst of your injuries." He handed her the bottle and then passed over several more. He hadn't wanted to burn through his healing items that fast but what else could he do.

  "No need to apologies its better late than never. Even more so in this case."

  Maximilian nodded and turned his attention back to the group of attackers. Their leader had recovered but they hadn't run off. He wasn't sure if that was because of their fear of the forest or their fear of him. He decided not to reveal the answer to that mystery. Now that the danger was over he wasn't sure what to do with the group. He wasn't going to kill them but he didn't have a prison or anything either. "Alright, fellas what happens next is up to you." Maximilian gestured to the forest across from them. "You are free to take your exit and try your luck or you can hang here. Not sure where you came from but if you choose to stay here you are going to follow the rules. I won't give you another chance."

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  The group stared at him for several moments before gathering together. Maximilian decided to leave them to their conversation. He had already done the intimidation part of the conversation and he didn't want to over do it. Which left Mama June and the others. He smiled at the elderly lady as she spoke with leaders he had met before. From what he could see the conversation was a bit animated. Not quite an argument but not quite a friendly conversation. Maximilian strode up to them just as they reached a lull in their conversation. "I hope things are going better?"

  Kim looked him up and down before nodding. "You survived." The surprise in her voice was almost enough to make him laugh. He was pretty sure that wouldn't go over well so he refrained. "That's good. I wish we had something more to show after the kindness you gave us last time." She gestured to the broken remains of a chunk of wall. "As you can see we've seen better days."

  Maximilian nodded and scanned the rest of the group. There were some people missing. He noted that Tony wasn't with them anymore which was sad. He had started to like him. "Yeah do you know what you want to do next? If not I do have an offer." When the group failed to offer a response Maximilian decided to continue. "I made my settlement, Nubia at the top of the mountain but I am going to need some citizens. You all are welcome to join."

  Kim raised an eyebrow but before she could offer a response Mama June laughed. The matronly woman offered her hand which Maximilian took. "We would be honored to accompany you. Though we aren't able to make it the journey on our own. Would you kindly escort us?"

  Maximilian chuckled. "Yes Ma'am. I won't make anyone else go. It's your choice. All your choices." He glanced at Kim, Miles and Davis in turn. He didn't move his gaze until he received a confirmation from each. He had no interest in being a tyrant, not if he could avoid it. From what he could tell the Network wanted monarchs but that didn't mean he had to act like one. "Alright, run it by the rest of your people. You all don't have access to a Network Station so we will have to walk. I should be able to keep you safe. You all will have to choose what you want to bring with you." They asked a few more questions mainly about where they were going and what they would have access to. He had expected the group to be more upset about the spartan living conditions but he understood. They were all beyond creature comforts and safety was worth its weight in gold. Even for him. With that decided he left the groups on their own to get ready. There was something he needed and wanted to take care of.

  He leaped into the canopy of the most central tree he could find. The location wasn't the important, instead he wanted to make sure he could be seen and that he could see everyone. The groups seemed cordial but one had been trying to rob the other. He wasn't about to let his future citizens get divided by violence while he was here. He waited a few minutes to be sure before he closed his eyes and focused on his Dao. The Lesser Dao of Rain was ready to advance he needed to put the last bits on it. When it came to Static he had focused on the physical part of electricity. Its scientific properties but now that he had a bit more experience, he didn't think that was right. Rather the Dao wasn't Science. From what little he could recall from his Eastern Religion class it was a mix between philosophy and faith. Which meant he shouldn't view it through only one lens. He had already decided he wanted his water-based Dao to focus on healing which meant he should focus on the purifying aspect. The part of rain that would wash away the dirt of the day.

  Now that he had firmly picked a direction for the Dao he ran into a slight problem. So far, he had only used it for fighting. His insights if he could call them that were focused on that direction. He was forced to alter his intent slightly. He focused more on the physical act of washing away. The part that could be defined by him blasting things with water. A high pressurized water hose or cleaning gravel or even the shower washing away dirt and grime. His efforts brought to mind dozens of similar images. At first they were from movies and his life before the Network but it wasn't long before that changed. Before he was remembering his fights. He felt himself pass an invisible and intangible barrier but he decided not to stop. He now knew that he had been being inefficient before. That he needed to get the direction first and then explore it in the wild. Fortunately that part was done. He focused on the mental aspect of rain. The part could wash away your sadness. That could wash the stresses of the day down the drain. It felt like he had just started to fill a bucket when he was forced to stop. The demands of the world needed him. He opened his eyes and cocked his head at the various eyes staring at him. He had vaguely felt them while he was lost in his meditation but now it was creepy. He decided not to address them yet. Mostly because he needed to see what had changed on his status screen.

  Lesser Dao of Rain - Comprehension: Middle. Attributes: Constitution +15, Endurance +10, Intelligence +10, Strength +5

  He let out a low whistle when he saw his improved stats. It wasn't exactly a major jump, but he couldn't help but love his Intelligence. At 195 he was doing alright. He was pretty sure he wasn't any smarter though. He wasn't sure how it defined "smarter' he could make connections that he might've missed before, but it was like comparing apples and oranges. Either way he didn't care that much. He was advancing and that was almost addicting. He got to his feet and breathed out. As the air escaped his chest he released his Dao into his aura. He kept to an area about ten feet away as not to hurt anyone, but he had to see if it had changed. Sure, enough a gentle rain fell around him. It was surreal to see rain without clouds in the sky, as if reality had glitched but it was enough. He was worried that he had reduced his offensive output now and he was right. He unleashed a blast of water a tree behind him or at least he tried to. What came out was clearer than before and had maybe half the pressure. He took a few minutes to experiment with it before he was satisfied. He could fight with it if he needed to it wasn't efficient. It was hard to quantify his mental energy, but he figured he would exhaust himself as fast trying to blast something with the water. Not that it couldn't be useful. Blinding someone with rain would be great regardless of the actual power he could use with it.

  "What the fuck was that?!" The leader of the former bandits asked. His question brought Maximilian back to the world around him. Maximilian could tell that everyone else had wanted to ask him that while the man was the only one willing to do it.

  "Dao, I am not sure if it's the same thing as what Buddhist believed though I lean toward yes. I imagine if they survived the initial change they are doing rather well right now. Anyway its a power source or magic I am not sure which. You can get control over it through meditation." Maximilian offered though he had to admit that he couldn't say any of that was true for sure. He couldn't claim to have "control" over his new abilities. It felt more like playing with a loaded gun than anything else, but he could tell he was getting it. He was getting somewhere.

  "I know that. I mean how the fuck do you have it already? I asked that tutorial dwarf and she said it would take me forever to get it. Yet you are throwing it around like it's nothing."

  Maximilian nodded his head and added that to his mental library. He could confirm that the man hadn't been in his tutorial. His dwarves weren't women. At least he didn't think they were women, he also could confirm that everyone got dwarves as instructors or at least some of the other groups did. He was much more curious about the timeline on the Dao. That seemed like it would be too slow. Unless the intent was that everyone would rely on skills for the early part. Skills and weapons. It was possible that the Dao was something that you would get with your class but none of that explained why he had it so easy. His only theory was that it was his affinities. Which filled him with a complicate feeling. A feeling that he pushed deep inside himself. When he had gotten over the melancholy he clapped his hands together and smiled. It was time to get on the road.