Ruthless: Path of Conquest

James led his new followers across the vast landscape that separated the old law office building from the Fisher Kingdom. He led them through the latter part of the day and after the darkness faded into night.

Unlike the trip to the firm office, which had been relaxed, almost like a hot air balloon ride, James wanted this one to be quick. He was a little apprehensive about the growth of the territories he remembered traveling near. He couldn’t help worrying that something might poke its head into his territory and threaten his family or his people.

“I really hope that things work out for Dean,” he said quietly. “I know it probably didn’t look that way…”

“Because you led a lot of his people away,” Alan finished.

“Yeah,” James agreed.

“I’m certainly glad we decided to go with you,” Mitzi said, half-shrugging. Her mobility was slightly limited by the Skin Balloon that gripped her around the arms and torso.

“We’re all adults here,” Alan agreed. “I was a little surprised you decided to let him come along.” He tilted his head to indicate Olivar, who rode on the back of a Mole Person. Most of the small band of humans James had brought with him were doing the same now that it was dark outside. “But probably a good decision.” The last sentence ended on a slight upward inflection, so James recognized there was some question in Alan’s mind. Some uncertainty that needed clearing up.

“I questioned him about what he was in prison for,” James said. “I have ways of knowing when people are lying, and he was honest. It was domestic violence, which isn’t great. But it was what I expected. I recognized the guy from when I was a prosecutor. His wife finally left him and testified against him in court, so that’s how the office got a conviction. Anyway, he promised he’s learned to keep his temper in check. He was telling the truth, to the best of his knowledge. And I decided that I can’t just exclude anyone who admits they’ve been a criminal in the past. Maybe if he was a serial killer or something, but not for any crime less than murder. I have to be pragmatic.”

Alan nodded slowly. “I suppose that’s for the best.” He did not sound entirely comfortable with the decision.

Mitzi was looking down at the man with pursed lips, as if wishing she could look inside Olivar’s brain and read his future plans.

James moved the conversation onto other matters.

“You two spent more time with our new guests than I did. Learn anything interesting about them?” he asked.

There was a general exchange about the new potential Fisher Kingdom citizens, followed by some back and forth about the possible survival of James, Alan, and Mitzi’s family members. Then another subject change when it became obvious to James that Alan and Mitzi still hadn’t fully resolved how they felt about that.

Finally, they settled on talking about future plans for the country they were traveling home to. Alan was interested in discussing a legal system for the new nation, while Mitzi was more absorbed in figuring out how they would build a sense of community. James speculated on how much Mina would have organized the Kingdom while he was gone. Alan guessed that she would probably have focused mainly on physical infrastructure as an engineer, while Mitzi thought Mina would have tried to work mainly in areas where James had not done much before he left.

The discussion carried on for over an hour before it gradually lapsed into a general silence, punctuated only by occasional remarks. They went from pragmatic to idealistic, from excitement at the idea of building a new nation to fear because the world they were living in had never been more dangerous. The Fisher Kingdom seemed like a subject the three of them would never fully exhaust, and James was glad to observe both Alan and Mitzi seemed invested.

The journey back from the law office was quicker than the journey there, and largely uneventful. Even though it should have been more difficult to navigate through the dark, the Mole People did not need vision to navigate, and the Goblins had those strange goggles that magnified the usefulness of ambient light. James enjoyed an intuitive sense of which way his own territory was, and he also employed his ability to sense foreign, potentially hostile, auras to guide his new allies. None of the nonhumans complained about needing to stop, and the small number of humans benefited from Mole People willingly carrying them on their backs.

So the journey continued well into the night, until the final moment when the primitive structures of the Fisher Kingdom came into view. All of the travelers seemed to spring to life at that point. Even the people who were half-asleep sitting on Mole People’s backs rose to their feet and almost sprinted the rest of the way.

“Try to move quietly!” James stage whispered to the eager people below him. “It’s pretty late.”

If he was to go by how late it felt, the time was a little after midnight. But it was worthwhile to get back a little earlier than he’d told Mina to expect.

Much better early than late.

Then a blue screen appeared in front of James’s face. By the staggering and tripping of several people below him, James guessed they saw the screen in their field of vision too.

[Congratulations once more to all of Earth’s inhabitants, old and new! Congratulations on surviving the first great threat to this world’s life forms.]

Shit. What do they have in mind for us now?

[We firmly believe that all of you who survived are deserving of your success. Do not take this as a matter of luck, but as the well deserved verdict of fate. All who survived the System’s initiation have been baptized by fire.]

Yes, yes, get to it…

[This announcement is to give everyone hearing it time to prepare for the next great System-sponsored events.]

Oh. I think I know what the System is telling us about, actually. They gave me advance warning.

[In five months and twenty three days, as reckoned by your method of measuring time, those with a Ruler Title will be permitted to attend the upcoming World Leaders’ Summit. Although attendance is optional, this will be an opportunity to meet with fellow Rulers, make agreements, forge alliances, engage in cultural exchange, and assess the state of the international community. There will also be complimentary room and board.]

James wanted to figure out what the System’s angle was in having an event like this. It seemed to be a genuinely helpful idea with the potential to assist humanity in restoring a semblance of normalcy. But in his experience with the System so far, it always seemed to have its own plans. Normalcy wasn’t a part of them.

[The Summit will be held in a neutral location in which the use of aggressive magic, mental manipulation abilities, and physical violence are neither permitted nor possible. Each Ruler will be permitted to bring along up to five guests, who must be in physical contact with the sponsoring Ruler at the moment of transportation.]

So, I’ll take Mina, maybe Alan and Mitzi, and who else? The former Goblin King, so my new followers don’t feel left out? Someone from the Rodriguez family? Mina had informed him that they had arrived while he was gone.

[Following the conclusion of the World Leaders’ Summit, the Rulers and their guests will proceed to the Victors Tournament, a fighting competition for those the System deems to be among the strongest two hundred life forms on Earth. Those Rulers and guests who are not participating will be treated as honored spectators to the battles.]

That’s a nice way to sweeten the sting of not being included among the world’s strongest warriors. He thought there was a good chance that any Rulers who were not in the Victors Tournament would be taken less seriously than the others. Then again, there might be some Rulers who are Healers.

[Those who remain behind in each Ruler’s territory will be provided viewing devices so that they may also observe. Those who place well in the Victors Tournament will win spectacular prizes!]

Of course they will. Otherwise, why would they fight?

[Take the remaining time to make your careful preparations for both events. Those who are not currently Rulers or ranked within the world’s strongest life forms still have five months and twenty days before the System locks the participant lists.]

Nothing singling me out this time, James noted. I can’t tell if that’s a good or a bad thing. Did they stop expecting great things from me? Or maybe they feel that I already lived up to their expectations. Either of those could work. Is it possible there’s someone else out there who the System expects more from now?

James imagined the System sending a personalized message to some other person. Perhaps someone on the other side of the world. Alternatively, someone just a few counties away. Maybe even a monster.

You’re destined for great things, Soul Eater Roscuro! he thought to himself. And hell, maybe the System really did say something like that to him. Roscuro was a rather special kind of monster. A former human warrior, transformed into a creature involuntarily by a witch’s magic.

On some level, James knew that there was “always someone better,” as the common saying went. But the idea that there might be someone out there who was above him in the new world’s hierarchy in the System’s view did not sit well with him.

Ultimately, he just shook his head and ordered his Skin Balloon to drop him off outside of his apartment. They were so close to home now that it only took a few seconds to glide the rest of the way. He was far less interested in spending more time picking apart the meaning of the System’s announcement than in reuniting with the people most important to him.

As he landed, he heard a rustle of movement from inside. Then the unmistakable sound of someone rushing down the stairs. Then Mina was in his arms.

“You aren’t leaving me alone here again!” she whispered fiercely in his ear.

“Wasn’t planning to,” he replied breathlessly. The smell of his wife’s hair filled his nostrils, and he sighed. He was really home again. “I don’t want to leave again.”

“That’s good. You have lots of decisions to make, and you’re not pushing any more of them off on m—” Mina stopped mid-sentence, and James pulled back from her. She was staring behind him.

He looked back and saw the horde of Goblins and Mole People. The small number of humans who had followed him here were almost completely lost in the visual spectacle of the army of creatures.

“I made some new friends,” James said quietly. “They’ll be your friends too.”

“You had mentioned new friends,” Mina said, “and I remember your message mentioned that many of them were not human. But you never gave me an idea of how many. These are hundreds. Perhaps over a thousand. How will we house them? Feed them?”

“They’re not children,” James replied gently. “They can mostly fend for themselves. I’m mostly concerned with just making sure we keep the peace between our kind and them. Ideally we’ll get along well and both respect each other’s space.”

“And how much space will they need?” Mina asked, arching an eyebrow.

From among the horde, two Goblins stepped forward and approached the ruling couple. James recognized them instantly. Duncan and his wife. The former Goblin King and Queen, now Overlord and Lady.

Mina stopped talking and watched them approach. Then she began frantically whispering in James’s ear. “What are they expecting? Who are they? What do I need to know?”

“Former King and Queen coming to pay their respects,” James replied succinctly. “They’re eager to make a good impression on you. Nothing to stress about.”

Then the Goblins were within earshot, so neither of them said anything for a few seconds. James and Mina separated slightly so that Duncan and Sarah would know they could approach without interrupting a tender moment.

The two Goblins got close to James and Mina, and both fell to their knees.

“Umm.” Mina was instantly at a loss as to what to say.

For a moment, James wondered if he would need to lead the interaction to keep things from turning awkward. Then the Goblins started talking.

“Thank you very much for your hospitality, Your Majesty,” Duncan said. “Your husband, the King, has told us much about your warmth and kindness. We will work until our fingers bleed to contribute to your kingdom.”

James had to keep his facial expression under control. He had barely said anything about Mina when he was discussing the Goblins’ future with Duncan earlier. At least, hardly anything compared with how much he might have said when speaking with someone he knew better.

“Consider us your humble servants,” Sarah agreed. The former Goblin Queen produced a bouquet of flowers from within her magic satchel and presented them to Mina. “For Your Majesty.”

Mina took them but looked slightly uncomfortable. “Please, please get up,” she said awkwardly. “You were royalty before. I would rather not make you kneel, especially not when the other Goblins are watching. And we should see about getting you all someplace to sleep.” She helped Sarah to her feet, and James reached down and did the same for Duncan.

“We really don’t need much,” Duncan said. “We like dark, quiet places. His Majesty could tell you that we were living underground when he found us. The Mole People will undoubtedly want to burrow and create a new underground warren. Unless you have something else in mind, we would be happy to simply bed down with them.”

“That seems reasonable to me,” James said, nodding.

“Once we are settled, we look forward to showing off our prowess as creators of useful objects,” Duncan said, directing the remark to Mina. “I understand that you are an inventor.”

“Engineer,” James corrected. I think that’s one of three things I said about Mina.

Mole Lord Magnar interrupted the conversation at that point. He approached on all fours, touched his front knees to the ground, and began introducing himself in his thick, deep voice.

“I am the leader of the Mole People appointed by His Majesty,” Magnar said. “We will strive to be worthy of the King’s faith in us. Thank you for accepting us into the Fisher Kingdom. We pledge our undying loyalty to the King and Queen. Long may they reign!”

“Hear, hear!” Duncan echoed.

Sarah seemed to have read the situation and recognized that Mina was uncomfortable being the center of so much attention. She remained quiet and simply smiled up at the Queen.

Finally, the leaders of the newly allied Races separated, and James sent them some telepathic orders about where they could burrow and where they could safely sleep while they rested during the construction process. There wasn’t enough housing for over a thousand new residents, but the Community Center had enough room for the short Goblins to squeeze together if they slept in shifts.

The next order of business would be announcing to everyone else that they had some new citizens. That ought to wait for the morning, though, he thought.

The System’s agents might be comfortable with making proclamations while people were sleeping, but James knew it would not be received well if he started waking his citizens up in the middle of the night just to make introductions.

“They know they only have to kiss up to you, right?” Mina asked quietly once she and James were in the apartment again.

“Oh no,” he said. “I’m pretty sure I told them that you’re the most important person in the Kingdom. Or did I say most important to me?” He shrugged. “Details, right?”

“Details.” Mina tried to twist her face into a scowl, but she was still too happy to see him to manage it.

“Did anything interesting happen while I was gone?” James asked. “I know you worked hard. Hopefully other people missed me, too, though I’m guessing everyone’s asleep.”

Mina nodded.

“Maybe I should specify, anything I need to know about before we go to bed?” he asked.

Mina frowned. “Unfortunately, yes,” she said. “We have two neighbors we might need to go to war with.”