The Systemic Lands

Chapter 47: Day 112 (2) – Idiots Galore

“Now, we wait. Since you joined me, I wouldn’t spend hours running around the city to regenerate energy. Just need about an hour. Grab a chair and join me at the window.” Ruth did as I said and grabbed a chair. We went to the reinforced window. I could hear banging on the door below.

“Any ladders in the store? I forgot to check,” I asked.

“No. That was…”

“Horrible and mostly pointless, yes.” This was all so stupid. But I had power and privilege and other people wanted to drag me down. I wasn’t about to let people I had never met drag me down in this place. If they wanted to get me, then they could come and get me.

“So, we just sit here?” she asked.

“Only for a little bit. I killed ten people, out of the fifty or so they had. An hour and a half from now, I will kill another ten people. Keep repeating that, until they give up and then storm their building, killing anyone inside.”

“That…might actually work.”

“You joined me and didn’t think I would win?” Ruth looked away. Even as dense as I was, I could pick up on that.

“It was a spur of the moment decision. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

“Fair enough.” There was shouting outside. “Seems like some people are unhappy.”

“You think?” She let out a sigh, a woman after my own heart. “You couldn’t talk with Carlos first to settle things?”

“I had 150,000 points worth of crystals. I wasn’t about to let that much sit around.”

“Figured, and when he came to you?”

“He wasn’t willing to fight to uphold the deal he made. He feared the Guild more than he feared me. That was the wrong choice.”

“You escalated too quickly!”

“If I let him go, he would hide and send out all of Red Dawn. The violence would be a lot worse. I already thought through how I would go about depopulating a city, just in case I needed to or to think what other people might do when I ran into them.”

“Running around as a terrorist?”

“I am a nation unto myself. The nation of Michael. Therefore, the correct term is enemy combatant and insurgency against an occupying force. I was here first after all.”

“I…you…ah!” She threw up her hands in frustration.

“Well time for me to take a peek and stir the pot. Stand to the side, in case of arrows.” I unlatched the reinforced shutters and slowly pushed them out to make a crack I could look out of. I kept my head to the side, a good thing since I suddenly felt several arrow impacts on the reinforced shutter.

“Wait, wait you idiots!” I heard as I quickly pushed a shutter open.

“Acid Shot.” I targeted one of the people hacking at the door below. They let out a horrific scream as the top of their head melted and part of their brain splashed out on the cobblestone ground. I shut the shutters again. The noise outside quickly stopped.

“You scared them off,” Ruth said.

“That was the point. While they were barely doing any damage to my door, it was still damage. Those things were expensive, and I don’t want to pay a lot to repair them. So, Council, talk to me.”

“Well, you killed Carlos. Tyrese is on it as well. As is Underboss Roger from Red Dawn.” I didn’t say anything, since I didn’t know what I would do to Roger. “You killed one of the Council members from the Guild already. That was the first person you melted.”

“Oh him.”

“There is the salon owner, but she was only roped into the thing, since she is the most popular businessperson in Purgatory. She abstained from votes about you. There is one person left. That was the person who ran off when you were talking to Roger and then organized things. Council member The Gasp.”

“Death’s Hand, right?”

“Yes, he is the leader of the front-line group for the Guild. Killed a few monsters from the outer regions, or at least the rumors say.”

“What did I do to piss him off?” I muttered not expecting an answer.

“Actually…”

“What?” I asked.

“He might be from the first arrival like you if rumors are to be believed.”

“Wait.” I really thought on his face, but I couldn’t recall it and shook my head. “I thought I was the only one.”

“Guess you were wrong. Heard he has a deep grudge against you.”

“I actually didn’t go after people in the first arrival. Some people went after me, and I wiped them out. A lot harder than it was now…maybe one of those people.” I had no idea. He would die regardless. If he was from the first arrival his luck had finally run out.

“Maybe, or he was upset about you not helping him.”

“What about me being upset about people not helping me? So stupid.” I shook my head at that.

“Didn’t say it made sense, but that is all I know. The Council has only been around since the last upgrade.”

“Carlos just caved… like that?”

“You think everyone is okay with murdering people like you?” Ruth turned to stare at me.

“Not murder, killed in battle. They were enemy combatants.”

“Skinning people alive and salting them?” I looked away.

“Well, I kind of got carried away.”

“You think?”

“Why do you think I don’t want to run things? I would escalate at the slightest offense.”

“Well how has that worked out, hmmm?”

“You don’t have the right to criticize me and my decisions.”

“Then what does?” Ruth asked while staring at me.

“Going out into the unknown, discovering things I don’t know and killing people here in Purgatory to keep things running smoothly.” I rubbed my face. “I don’t like politics or any of that. That was why I put Carlos in charge, so I didn’t have to deal with this bullshit.”

“Well, that isn’t working out.”

“Well since you like hard questions, why didn’t it work out?” I asked and looked at Ruth. She looked back at me. As long as I was alive, I could try something different. I was willing to take constructive criticism, even more so when the situation had deteriorated so much so quickly.

“The simple matter is that Carlos and his men aren’t fighters. All those types of people joined the Guild. At best you have bully boys. Why do you think they didn’t go after you, once you killed Carlos?”

“Fear, fear kept them in line.”

“Yes. People too crazy and adventurous die out there. But the people who are careful and not afraid to fight, well they joined the Guild. While Carlos had twice as many people… the captains weren’t ready for a fight. You can’t order people to death. It was a question of will power. They aren’t military or people accustomed to fighting. At best you have small time criminals.”

“Then all the hard knock people didn’t sign up.”

“Exactly. Now you are shattering the Guild. This place is going to be screwed over completely. You just tossed a big rock into a tiny pond. Any semblance of order will be hard to keep together.”

“Any ideas?”

Ruth let out another sigh. “Not really. You took something that was kind of working and lit it on fire since you didn’t like it. Now the entire place is burning.”

“Well, this place is named Purgatory, one step removed from heaven and hell.” Ruth gave me a look like I was crazy.

“That name…you should have given this place a name like Hope or Unity.”

“You know my idea of PR.”

“Skinning and salting people.”

“You aren’t going to let it go, are you?”

“Maybe, no, yes. I don’t know. Well, I threw in my lot with you to get out of this place before it explodes.” I had to admit, I liked her mindset. She had that stubborn teacher look going as well.

“You think it is exploding?”

“I have no doubt that when the horror of what you did sets in, the Guild will fold. Then there will be a scramble for skills. Which the Red Dawn won’t be able to control. Not after this.”

“Really?”

“Maybe, but you just killed Carlos and took a giant shit on Red Dawn’s authority. You are the de facto boss now. Since you aren’t around that much, it will all fall apart once you leave Purgatory.”

“That is unfortunate. How much tax do you think people can tolerate? Also, what is the daily crystal flow from the outside?” I asked.

“Realistically, ten percent. Twenty to twenty-five would be pushing it. The flow is about three to five thousand a day.”

“Hmmm.” I considered my options and what I would be willing to give up.

“Alright, once I finish off the Guild. I have a few ideas. I think someone is shouting for you?” She was right. I cracked open the shutter once more, careful of arrows.

“What is it? Ready for round two?” I called out.

“The Guild wants to resolve things. Death match between you and the Gasp.”

“Nope. I go out there and I will be ambushed. I think my offer is better. Capture him and bring him to me or kill him. Do that and I won’t kill the rest of you.” I called back. I looked at Ruth and shrugged. She just rolled her eyes back at me.

There was a long stretch of silence. “Michael, this is Underboss Roger. I will vouch for the safety of the match. The Gasp won’t surrender, and it will be a blood bath otherwise.”

“Are you getting involved and supporting the Guild’s position?” I asked very slowly. There was a long stretch of silence, and I could hear some fierce whispering going on, but not what was said.

“No. You can claim your 5,000 crystals whenever you want.”

“Probably later today once I kill off any of the Guild remaining. Once I force them from the plaza will you ban their members from the store?” I asked.

“Yes. If they can’t kill you and you kill them. You win and it won’t be a problem.”

“If you agree to that, we will fight you,” I heard someone else speak up.

“You are outnumbered three to one. If you want a fight, bring it,” Underboss Roger said.

“You are more afraid of him?”

“Yes. He killed elven of you, three of mine, and Boss Carlos.”

“That is just with his skill. Have your people with skills take him on.”

“What is in it for me?” Underboss Roger asked. There was a long stretch of silence. “You started this, you finish it. Like I thought. My men won’t fight him, not after today. If you can’t kill him, then I don’t want him as an enemy. You win, then it doesn’t matter. I just have to stay out of this until one of you is forced from the plaza, the Guild or the Sicario.”

“You are afraid?!”

“Of course, you are too. That man is crazy and will kill anyone in his way. Boss Carlos forgot that and let his fear of fighting you override his fear of that man. He paid the price. I won’t make the same mistake.”

“You allowed this to happen, you supported it!”

“I supported a council. I was not in favor of taxing him until a discussion was held first and an agreement reached. Maybe you don’t remember that argument, but I didn’t want to piss the one person crazy enough to kill people like he does.”

“Fine, whatever, just you wait!”

“Good luck to both of you,” Underboss Roger said. I peeked out and he left the area.

“Well, that was interesting. He is probably trying to consolidate his position and hoping you back him,” Ruth said.

“You angling for the big chair?” I asked.

“You offering?”

“Yes.” Ruth didn’t say anything for about a minute, and I let her think as I took my seat.

“No. This place is a death trap. No matter how tempting it is, a death trap. Better I die out there, than here stabbed in the back. Like Survivor, but less pretty, more acid, blood, and brains.” I could only sadly agree with that.

“Well people melting alive is quite terrible. It…well it is terrible,” I muttered. The problem was, when your only skill is acid, it is impossible to avoid people melting to death.

“How much longer?” Ruth asked and I checked my watches.

“Another hour. We haven’t been sitting here that long.”

“What is it like out there?” Ruth asked.

“To steal a quote, 99% boredom and 1% sheer terror.”

“What was the original quote?”

“Invention is 99% perspiration and 1% inspiration. I think Edison said it. The man who invented the light bulb.”

“I know who Edison was,” Ruth said.

“Well not many people learn their history. Oh, that reminds me, good news.”

“Really what?”

“Don’t sound skeptical, it actually is good news. The day and night are both shortening, bringing the day in line with Earth time of 24 hours. So most likely no eternal night. Yeah!”

“…”

“What, say something.”

“That is good news. I had been tracking it as well but didn’t reach that conclusion.”

“What conclusion, did you reach?”

“That you were mistaken all along.” I didn’t know what to say to that. I didn’t think I had been off, but either way it wasn’t an issue anymore.

“Really?”

“Yes. Your measurements must be off.”

“Maybe, well that is disappointing, but always good to have my assumptions checked.” Now I felt incredibly stupid. I blushed and looked off to the side. How embarrassing.

Ruth just looked at me, not getting into that at the moment. Urg, feelings. I needed to think things through once I had won and there was no more fighting. We sat in silence there for a while before I spoke up again.

“So, you want to go into the wilderness with me. To fight monsters?” I asked.

“Yes,” she said. I rubbed my face and thought over the issue. Stupid beard and facial hair.

“How many upgrades?” I asked.

“Fifty, ten each in Body, Mind, Spirit, Perception, and Regeneration.” That was… that was horribly low. I didn’t want to say she wasn’t qualified, but she wasn’t qualified. Did I really want another teammate?

“What? You aren’t saying anything. You have what, two hundred? I can catch up.”

“More like three hundred,” I said. She paused at that for a bit before speaking up.

“Is… how worried should I be?”

“As you are, with no skills and your weak combat ability, you probably would die against higher strength monsters. I don’t lie or sugarcoat things, so you need to know the dangers. The scorpions would be a death sentence without Acid Shot. With their armor and multi-pronged attack. That isn’t even the worst.”

I let out a small sigh. “I have encountered teleporting monsters. They teleport behind you. Not super dangerous, but that ability alone, makes them quite tricky to deal with. The best I can do is give you a small cut and to pull the cart if you come along.”

“Really, pull the cart?”

“We can cover a lot more ground. I really want to explore the next time I go out. If you want to fight, you can fight, but I can’t be responsible for your safety.”

“Can’t or won’t?”

“Can’t. There are reasons people die out there, a lot of people. If you can’t adapt to a monster you will die, if you can’t escape. There are no do overs or second chances.”

“Trying to scare me off?”

“That is for you to decide, but I won’t pretty things up just to drag you along, even if I would really like the company. The dangers here in Purgatory are of the human nature. Out there, there is no reasoning. It is kill or be killed. Think on it.”

“I will.”