Zark'thul stared at the holographic screen in the command room, displaying the system's new directives. As expected, the next set had been added shortly after he completed the second one. This time, though, a common thread connected many of these tasks.
[Directive 3-1] Patrol for Dark Spirits (repeatable)
[Objective] Successfully patrol for signs of dark spirits corrupting the environment, then engage in combat and eradicate the enemy. Eliminate five creatures to clear the objective.
[Directive 3-2] Investigate Corrupted Fauna
[Objective] Successfully investigate the source of local corruption affecting wildlife in the area, and identify potential threats that have arisen from the contamination. Secure at least one living specimen for analysis to fulfill the task.
[Directive 3-3] Hunt Corrupted Beasts (repeatable)
[Objective] Track down and successfully hunt at least six corrupted beasts infesting the surrounding wilderness.
[Directive 3-4] Investigate the Missing Dryads
[Objective] Investigate the sudden disappearance of the resident dryads in the nearby forest and discover the reason behind their absence.
[Directive 3-5] Disrupt Ritual Site
[Objective] Successfully disrupt a ritual site operated by the Fleshbound Choir in the nearby woods, dismantling their operations in the area.
Of the five objectives, four directly involved the cult he had encountered previously. Zark'thul wasn't surprised. Eliminating a single branch didn't uproot the entire organization; they would continue their operations elsewhere. And indeed, it seemed their presence had grown in the surrounding area.
No, maybe that wasn't the case.
He sifted through the documents strewn across his desk, uncovering a map of the surrounding territories. Athebury lay in the southern region, close to an expansive forest's edge. Did the forest have a name?
Yes. Gloomshroud Forest.
Something about the forest seemed to attract the cult. Perhaps another ley line network existed there. Yes, that was most likely the explanation. The ley lines in Athebury point northward through the forest, if that map from the hideout was correct. The question was, where exactly would that nexus point be located?
He traced his finger northward. Outside of a few more towns and villages, only one landmark stood out—the capital of the region, Andurth.
That's it.
The ley line nexus point had to be at the city's heart. That had to be where the cult's base of operations was located.
According to Catarina's memories, the chrysalis of the Qliphoth, Nai'hum, was buried beneath that city. Now the cultists were spreading their corruption in the nearby lands to accelerate its awakening.
How amusing.
No matter what realm, or what dimension, these cultists all behaved the same. No, not just cultists. Any mortal, even those unaffiliated with the 'Fleshbound Choir,' were all like this. To willingly worship and bring about the downfall of their own civilizations and realms, just so they could bask in the twisted love of their 'gods.'
Yet, at the same time, he found himself relating to the actions of those humans in a strange way. The beings they worshiped were beings like himself—the Eldritch and the Qliphoth, cosmic entities that held a mirror to the very essence of the universe itself, reflecting both its vastness and its terrifying majesty.
An existence beyond their mortal comprehension.
And while Zark'thul still considered it a folly to willingly throw your planet and its people into the maw of oblivion, he could appreciate the allure of the unknown that compelled them to such desperate measures. The hunger to push the boundaries, to break free from the mundane, and to experience the unimaginable.
Perhaps, at the core, they were motivated by a similar desire.
Or maybe he simply understood the power in aligning oneself with beings like him. Lesser lifeforms submitting to their betters was a natural thing.
No. It was unlikely to be that simple. Something within their nature drew them to such extremity. After all, it wasn't only mortals from one realm who displayed this behavior. Mortals from other realms had done the same thing throughout the stars.
Nonetheless, he found it humorous. Whether these humans understood it or not, they had brought their doom upon themselves.
But as for the fate of their world...
Well, he couldn't let it all go to waste, could he?
Xashai had just established a trading partner for them in this very region, and the Tower itself had established an identity for him in the Northmen Traders Guild. Already, resources from this realm have become a steady source of revenue for his company and the Tower. Abandoning that would be a pointless waste of time and resources.
He was not the kind of man—eldritch being, in this case—to squander potential sources of profit.
This made the third set of directives straightforward. Their purpose was to keep the cult's influence in check. At least, for now, until the eventuality of Zark'thul confronting them within Andurth came to pass.
He stared at the list of directives again. None of them seemed interesting enough to claim his full attention. Simple tasks. Business as usual.
His current squads of Agents, even the new ones, were perfectly equipped to handle these directives without his guidance. He had summoned a new squad of goblinoids after returning to the Tower. Now he had four squads to run the repeatable directives concurrently. Efficient.
Now that he had to divide his attention between completing the directives and managing his business, his ability to observe every expedition in detail had diminished. By necessity, he'd become more selective, focusing only on critical or suspicious situations.
Delegation was key—as Elspeth continues to remind him.
Speaking of his right hand, the android stepped into the command room, her presence signaled by the soft click of the opening door.
"Sir, the shipment of Sathonic crystals has arrived," Elspeth said as she approached his desk.
He grunted. "Gerald can handle it. Give him the approval."
"He already has, but the budget notification requires your consent as well," she replied.
"Done," he stated, initiating the transfer of the funds from his console. After a brief moment, the system alerted him of a completed transaction. "Was there anything else?"
"Have you thought about what department to establish on the third floor?"
Zark'thul had been thinking about that for a few days now. He wasn't short of options, but the cost to establish the ones that interested him the most was steep, upwards of 75,000 to 100,000 credits. While he wasn't exactly poor at the moment, he still hadn't amassed that much capital yet.
Not to mention he would need to allocate more money for the upkeep and operations. An upfront investment like that was risky.
An R&D department would be a logical next step, yet it was beyond his current budget. So were the resource harvesting and production departments. That was out of the question.
Security and law enforcement, perhaps? A necessary precaution, yet not immediately critical. It was still on the table, at least.
No, what he needed was a department that would contribute to his bottom line and wasn't prohibitively expensive. Two departments caught his eye: Marketing and Public Relations.
While both departments dealt with external interactions, their approaches differed. The marketing department focused on promotion and brand building, while PR handled the Tower's reputation, maintaining a positive image in the city.
Both seemed crucial for his plans, but which one should take priority?
"Elspeth, what method are we using to sell the resources collected from the directives?"
"We're currently relying on our website," she answered, bringing up the website on a nearby display. "We post offers online and manage sales orders and deliveries digitally. The Logistics department handles the fulfillment."
Zark'thul studied the interface. It was rudimentary, showcasing images of available resources and their corresponding descriptions and prices. A list of orders awaited fulfillment in a side menu. However, the site felt incomplete, lacking any distinct branding or personality. Just a few pages cobbled together.
"Shoddy," he remarked, dismissing the display with a wave of his hand. "What do you think?"
"I agree. While functional, it does not reflect the professional image of a well-established company." Elspeth looked at him. "Shall we create the marketing department?"
"Yes," Zark'thul replied, his finger hovering over the console's holographic display. He selected the marketing department and finalized his decision. "How soon can we assemble a team?"
Elspeth nodded. "As soon as I complete the review of the candidate files."
"Then let us begin."
[HIRING REPORT]
Marketing Director: Alice Blankenship (Human)
Role: Directs and oversees all marketing activities and strategies.
Team of 4 Marketers: Thomas Gray (Human), Patricia Orbach (Human), Jeremy Wolfe (Half-elf), and Moira Summers (Gnome).
Graphic Designer: Jae Park (Human)
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Role: Creates visual content for advertising campaigns and branding materials.
Web Developer: Mark Shultz (Human)
Role: Maintains and develops the Tower's website and other digital platforms.
Visual Designer: Debbie Miller (Human)
Role: Develops creative assets and designs for marketing materials.
Copywriter: Olivia Byrde (Human)
Role: Writes compelling copy and content for marketing materials.
Data Analyst: Zachary Manning (Human)
Role: Analyzes market trends, customer data, and campaign results to inform marketing decisions.
Social Media Specialist: Aisha Rahman (Half-elf)
Role: Manages the Tower's social media channels and engages with customers online.
Advertising Sales Rep: Robert Arden (Human)
Role: Negotiates and secures advertising opportunities with media outlets and partners.
Zark'thul reviewed the finalized hiring report once again.
Alice, the marketing director, had impressed him with her results from her previous employer. In the span of three years, the small advertising firm she was employed in had grown its revenue from a few hundred thousand credits a year to a few million.
The woman had even brought a portfolio of some of their best projects, along with tangible statistics related to the marketing impact. Conversion rates. Revenue streams. Consumer feedback. Engagement metrics.
It was one of the few meetings where Zark'thul did not feel his time was being wasted. Even the new candidates she'd referred had proven to be good matches, based on his own evaluation.
Satisfied, Zark'thul shifted his attention back to the day-to-day operations of his growing enterprise.
Time had started to blend, his days filled with the interplay between running directives and managing the new departments. The steady trickle of experience and resources continued, a comforting rhythm beneath the layers of administrative work. It was a far cry from the exhilaration of his past conquests, but it was progress nonetheless.
The marketing department soon fell into a rhythm. He left them to their work; they knew their business best. Besides, their plans, brimming with jargon and intricate details, were a minefield of confusion to him.
Not that he wouldn't be able to learn them. Nothing was truly beyond his grasp—he'd consume knowledge, synthesize it, make it his own. It was simply a question of priorities.
Even so, Elspeth briefed him on their intentions.
They would develop new ads for the company. Out-of-home (OOH) ads, print ads, and social media campaigns were among the tactics they proposed. Each channel would feature different advertising campaigns, tailored to the interests of their target audience.
The wares they sold through their website were appealing to different types of clientele. While mostly reagents, components, and rare resources for alchemy and crafting, they could be also employed in more mundane industrial processes—like Siltstone Cores. The applications were many. One customer was working with a batch of them as an energy source for a heating system he was devising.
Zark'thul didn't particularly care how their customers chose to employ the goods they purchased. What mattered was that these resources from the realms generated revenue.
After only a week of operation, his new marketing department was starting to show promise. A steadily increasing number of visitors to their web store was apparent, along with a clear increase in sales. Online orders were picking up. New contacts were calling to purchase materials in bulk.
The bottleneck now was the frequency at which he could obtain new resources to sell. On that note...
Zark'thul tapped a holographic button on his command console, opening a communications channel. "All squads, report to the command room for briefing."
Back at the command room, all of his Agents were present. Twenty in total, divided into four squads of five. Everyone had reported, with their squads lined up side by side, almost taking up the room's space.
Zark'thul didn't feel intimidated by their presence. Quite the opposite.
For the first time since being confined to his human form, he felt his power growing, even if gradually. These creatures were just tools to serve his purpose, and one day, they would witness the full scale of his power.
Yet, as he studied the room, the gathering of all his Agents did offer him a fresh perspective. His forces had grown.
"Watcha need, boss?" Vraza inquired, leaning casually on her weapon. Her twin brother Rakk, much to Zark'thul's chagrin, was mimicking her posture.
"You've all been doing satisfactory work fulfilling the directives," he began. A murmur rippled through the room, the Agents exchanging brief glances of surprise at the unexpected praise. "However, from now on, I require more aggressive exploration and action. Your time-to-kill for the extermination missions is adequate, but you're taking too long tracking and discovering them in the first place."
"Sir," Clare raised a hand. "Can we go into more detail on that?"
"Yeah, whatchu mean?" Rakk interjected, sounding annoyed.
"Exactly what I said." Zark'thul pointed to the nearest monitor, displaying an overview of a completed directive's timeline in the top-right corner. It showed a name and a small, round circular chart, next to each squad member's status. "You're spending most of your time with—how did you call it, scouting and securing the perimeter?"
"Um... yeah," Warren interjected. "I suppose so. It's essential, isn't it? Especially considering the terrain. It makes our work safer."
A huff of agreement came from Byron, while Geneve chimed in, "Not to mention the randomness of the summoning point. We never know exactly where or when we'll end up. I think it's a good precaution."
"Yeah, yeah! Good precaution," Rakk echoed, nodding vigorously.
"Hrmm," Zark'thul grunted, acknowledging their input.
They had valid points; caution wasn't inherently wrong. Yet, Zark'thul also recognized the importance of expediency. They all were high enough levels and geared to handle whatever random threats they might encounter in these early floors. An equal measure of prudence and aggression would be needed to balance their pace with their safety.
But in the end, only one could dictate policy: him.
"I agree," he conceded, to the apparent surprise of several Agents. "But the expenditure of time is an issue. Give me some suggestions on you can improve your speed in that area."
He leaned back in his chair, watching their reactions closely. Some furrowed their brows, others tapped their chin thoughtfully, and a few whispered among themselves.
To his surprise, it was the twins who responded first.
"Worgs!" they declared in unison.
Worgs? Zark'thul's curiosity was piqued. He gestured for the siblings to elaborate.
"Y'see," Vraza took the lead, "worgs're a type o' big wolf-like beastie. Real smart and hardy."
"Yah," Rakk added. "Grows big as us. Good listeners, and they got a great sniffer."
"Trained worgs can help wit' patrollin' and huntin', what not?"
"Yah. Sniff out them enemies real quick."
Filu cleared her throat. "The twins aren't wrong. Worgs are common mounts and beasts of war in the realms. I've ridden one a few times before. While they're not as versatile as horses, they are certainly more aggressive, resilient, and have an excellent sense of smell. Not to mention they can tear out someone's throat pretty easily if given the chance."
"Super worgs!" Rakk added with a grin. Vraza nodded vigorously.
"Alright," Zark'thul cut in. "If I understand correctly, you want to use worgs to assist you in locating the beasts you hunt?"
Urgan rumbled an affirmative. "They would greatly assist us in scouting and tracking. But I don't think these humans," he gestured to the REDLINEs, "could handle such mounts."
"We could... try," Lyssa ventured cautiously, her eyes darting between Urgan and the floor.
Geneve voiced her doubts, "I mean, even the horses we practiced riding on when we were in that town were a bit of a struggle."
"No!" Rakk's response was quick and adamant. "Ride worgs, not horses!"
The idea had merit. If the worgs could sniff out their quarry, then the squads could be more efficient and save precious time during their scouting and engagement phases.
"I'll find a way to acquire worgs," Zark'thul said finally, and the goblins broke into a flurry of chatter amongst themselves. Even Filu and Urgan looked more interested.
Zark'thul held up a hand, instantly quieting the group. "But that's not the only issue. You're also not acquiring resources from your missions at an optimal rate."
"Mining those Siltstone Cores are a pain," Geneve admitted.
"Why is it taking you so long?" he pressed.
Byron rubbed the back of his head. "Well, it's not like we have the specialized equipment for mining or anything. All we're working with are a few regular tools."
True, he'd had them fumbling around with improvised methods. They had no practical alternatives for mining, especially considering the lack of magic in most of their ranks. An easy oversight on his part; he'd been so focused on combat efficacy that he hadn't thought of their need for diverse capabilities. Clearly, the synergy between his squads and the directives needed to be improved.
"Fine," Zark'thul conceded. "I'll grant you more suitable equipment. Is there anything else holding you back?"
The room was silent for a moment.
"Um, we don't really know what is worth bringing back and what's not," Lyssa tentatively ventured. "Maybe some kind of field identification system would help?"
Identification, eh? That wasn't a bad idea either. Considering that their mission directives didn't always provide sufficient detail or specificity, an in-field identification system could be a valuable tool.
Zark'thul leaned back in his chair, fingers steepled under his chin. "Alright. I'll figure something out for both issues."
With a dismissive wave of his hand, he shooed them away. "You're all dismissed. Continue your directives as usual until the items arrive."
The Agents filed out, some quietly discussing the unexpected gifts-to-come, while others were lost in their thoughts. The door hissed shut behind the last departing figure, leaving Zark'thul alone in the room.
Elspeth appeared, seemingly from nowhere. Her impeccable timing and discreet presence always astounded him. She must have been listening the whole time, concealed. As always, he was impressed by her efficiency. If only all of his employees could be so diligent.
"Sir, the worgs will cost approximately 10,000 credits per specimen. Shall we proceed with the order?" she inquired, her fingers poised over her tablet.
"Ten thousand?" he echoed, taken aback by the price.
"Worgs are powerful and intelligent beasts, which explains their high price. Also, the size the goblins suggested falls under the warbeast category, so there's that too."
Zark'thul winced. 10,000 credits was a steep price, not including the costs of feeding, caring, and training. Could he justify the expenditure?
"I'm not paying that much for a damn mutt," he grumbled, turning to face Elspeth. "Surely, we can find some and tame them in that realm. There must be some."
A thoughtful expression crossed Elspeth's face as she consulted her tablet. After a few moments, she nodded. "The eastern part of the Gloomshroud Forest has a few goblinoid tribes that use them. We might be able to acquire some there."
That's right. The abductions in Athebury were originally linked to the goblinoids in that forest. In the end, they had been a ruse by the cultists to pin their crimes on them.
He checked the directives list again. The one with the longest time limit was 'Investigate the Missing Dryads.'
[Directive 3-4] Investigate the Missing Dryads
[Objective] Investigate the sudden disappearance of the resident dryads in the nearby forest and discover the reason behind their absence. Once discovered, deal with the problem.
[Time Limit] 4 days, 15 hours
Four days. Perhaps there was an opportunity there...
In the meantime, the issue of the inefficient extraction of resources during the missions was easier to resolve.
He typed away at his console, scrolling through a website selling an array of industrial mining equipment, with various attachments and modules available. Each unit could be customized, its capabilities determined by the modules one could attach to it. Quite a flexible design.
"This is promising," he muttered as he glanced at the pricing information. A basic model was only about 1,000 credits. However, adding all the bells and whistles easily tripled the cost.
Now this was a worthwhile investment. He could afford it, especially with the recent uptick in profits. After making a final check, he completed the purchase for five.
The downside?
Estimated delivery in forty-eight hours.
Damn. Another wait. Fine.
The last issue was about identifying what was worth gathering. There wasn't a straightforward solution. Sending Agents who knew the lore and characteristics of whatever they were searching for was the best alternative. However, every realm had its own unique flora and fauna, not to mention minerals, ores, crystals, and more. A single individual simply couldn't know everything.
For now, he was stuck with the resources his Agents already knew and were familiar with. That will need to be a gradual fix.