I Hate Systems

"Please…spare us! If it's money you want, I can give you more." A middle-aged man begged desperately when a packet slammed into his face, knocking him unconscious.

"Take him captive," Fenn's cold voice resounded as the group of men behind him took action, binding up the middle-aged man and the rest of his unconscious comrades.

They were part of a caravan that was passing through this forest region when they were jumped by a group of natives, caught into a series of traps that rendered them exhausted.

It made the job easier for the natives who managed to capture them all without suffering a single wound. And the one that lead them was Fenn, one who became a Superior Invoker now.

The over forty people among the caravan were captured and taken to their village, same for all the goods too.

The village Fenn had decided to turn into his base was one located deep in the mountains, a semi-tribal populace that had minimal contact with the people of the outside.

There were around ten thousand of them in total, self-sufficient as they lived on forest produce and grazed animals. The people there had minimal contact with Invokers. Only a few among them had ever seen an Invoker, much less interact with them.

So, it made it easier for Fenn to come here and take charge of the place. And for any resistance the natives offered, he culled them up through sheer power. His eagle had grown mighty by now, able to casually shrug off their arrows, forcing them to submit to his rule.

Following that, he trained them for the past month before which he led them on hunts, capturing merchant caravans and travellers that moved either close or through the forest region. Today's hunt was their fourth success in the past week alone.

The group brought in their haul, returning to their village as Fenn observed the expression of fear in the eyes of most. They were terrified of him, shying away from making eye contact with him.

In response to this, all Fenn did was smile subtly before his eyes shot to the mountain beside, staring at its peak, 'That's how I'll live my life out.'

Even though the people here were too conservative as compared to what he was used to in Wakttark City, they were also easy to manipulate, which worked the best for him. After all, he wished to make a Clan of his own here.

"Welcome back, Lord!" A group of women announced aloud at his arrival, standing at the entrance to the biggest house in the village. This house was made from the highest-grade wood sourced from the forest, ornate with a variety of animal fur that turned it into a luxurious dwelling.

There were eight women in total, subservient in their addressal as they awaited his return.

'This is indeed fun.' Fenn smiled as he accompanied them into the house. He had taken them all as his wives and already tamed them in the course of the past month. They were the most loyal to him in the village.

While he was having fun with them, the villagers locked up all the captives in a cell before returning to their respective tasks. Fenn had given tasks to everyone, treating them as free labourers. He was pretty much a tyrant.

Unfortunately for them, he was too strong to resist. After all, Fenn wasn't the same as he was in Wakttark City. He had grown by leaps and bounds.

"Come with me, Larna." In the evening, Fenn exited his house, accompanied by a woman who seemed a couple of years older than him. She was the most loyal to him and also talented in a variety of crafts. And hence, he had taken her in as his first wife.

She was also the most pleasing to him, for she quickly adapted to the changes and was also smart enough to keep up with him on a variety of matters.

"Are you finally showing me what you've been preparing all along?" Larna blinked with curiosity, a tad excited as Fenn lead her into the cell.

Her excitement was a bit dampened upon seeing the gazes of fear directed at Fenn by the villagers and expression of scorn at her.

"Relax, I'm here." Fenn noticed the subtle changes in her expression, wrapping his hand around her shoulder to console her, seeing her brighten up in response.

Fenn then stood before a captive man, taking out a knife to slit his throat, watching him die without a change in emotion. He absorbed his Mental Fragments, nodding after a while, "Alright, it's ready."

"I thought you could only absorb Mental Fragments from Eagles? Isn't that what you said before?" Larna tilted her in confusion, taking a step back to avoid the pool of blood on the ground.

"Yep, you're right about that. But, thanks to a treasure, I've changed mine." Fenn smiled, "I can absorb Mental Fragments from humans now."

"So, you have a Human Invoked Spirit now?" She asked, still feeling confused.

"I'll explain it in detail later," Fenn said as he snapped his finger, causing a massive creature to appear behind him, sporting the head of an eagle but the body of a human.

Its entire body was covered with eagle fur with the important parts on the chest, back, thigh and forearms covered with a material resembling its beak, tough to withstand even spears.

On its back was a pair of wings, expansive in nature, with a single flap riling up strong winds in the cell. Spanning a height of four metres, it was a hulking entity.

Using the Spirit Morph Crystal, Fenn transformed his eagle into a more humanoid form, causing it to also gain the traits that all Human Invoked Spirits possessed. But in truth, it wasn't a Human Invoked Spirit but a hybrid between a human and an eagle.

Best of all, it can absorb Mental Fragments from both humans and eagles.

Larna stared at the imposing Invoked Spirit, "Why…is it so different as compared to before?"

"I've been working on it nonstop." Fenn said, 'And if not for the Spirit Morph Crystal, this wouldn't have been possible.'

The wings of the Invoked Spirit fluttered all of a sudden as it shuddered, coughing out an egg that Fenn took and pointed at Larna, "Place a drop of your blood on this. It'll be bonded to you after that."