Camilla Lund sat, thoughtful, upon her mushroom cap seat. ‘The Chancellor’s cap’, as it was jokingly called by the first citizens of her new republic. Well, calling their small encampment of one-hundred and thirty-seven a republic may have been slightly ironic, both due to their small size and due to the fact that she would, if all went well, never leave the office, or rather, cap, of the Chancellor. Not that she had any difficulties with that at the moment, seeing as their numbers made almost all agree that a senate would not be required for now. So, for now, all the people demanded of her in exchange for agreeing to let her lead them was minimal competence, a requirement she could far exceed, and that she, when the time came, kept her word and allowed the people to participate in the fate of the republic.
Which was wholly acceptable to her, seeing as she would have honestly preferred a democracy, should the infrastructure have allowed it. But for now, a republic was the most they could accomplish, while also leaving room for other activities such as hunting, or breathing. It had been pretty simple to take command of the camp, seeing as she was both the only one capable of magic, and, more importantly, of sharing magic. And when combined with both being one of only two humans, and competent? Well, it was honestly unfair.
It had, of course, required that she do away with Oliver, which, while sad, was an acceptable price for the greater good. Not on a permanent basis, of course. No, Oliver was by far too brilliant for that to be a worthy sacrifice. But when she happened to run into one Orelnor Ailnal outside of camp, a veiled elf with a lizard’s tail, and heard his determined message of spider people capturing his friends, it was too perfect an opportunity to let escape.
Soon enough, after the quick disposal of Orelnor, not through execution, of course, as that would be disastrous for her reputation should it come out, and far too likely to do just that. She instead asked that he search for other population centres to warn them of the Arachnoid's presence, requesting that he should not be too harsh, seeing as they had only attempted to capture instead of maim, and were far too useful to risk alienation. And through a short ‘confrontation’ with Oliver, where she both got the chance to verify that he truly saw her as an equal and friend, which was both good and bad, and where she took the opportunity to assure him that, while they were different, he could ‘convince’ her to take his side when it ‘mattered’. It was also the perfect test.
It was perfect, really, since any result Oliver achieved would benefit her goals in some way. At least any of the five predictable ones. Should he be captured failing, it would be slightly useful, as when he did not return, she could share with the people the news of his attempt at rescue. Camilla could then use the positive association from being friends and presumed co-orchestrator with the attempted hero, though she would never claim to plan with him out loud, as that would be too easy to disprove once Oliver returned, to garner positive traction for her race to leadership.
If he died failing, she could turn him into a martyr, which, while not ideal, seeing as the arachnoid's webs were far too useful to not acquire, she could both use to show her care for the people when she chose to prioritize their needs over her need for vengeance, and once again when she made peace with them even through their past enmity. It would still not be good, seeing as Oliver had a clever mind which she would prefer to make further use of, but should he fail to such a degree, then the troubles of his stringent ethical code would outweigh the appeal of his mind.
But while both of those outcomes would be fine, the rest would be great. Because if Oliver succeeded completely, then while he would immediately spread knowledge of mana as far and wide as he could, it would be outweighed by his charisma and wholehearted support for her, as he would be the hero who saved a twentieth of their population.
Then came the possibility of Oliver dying to save the others, where she could further lean into him as a martyr, and use her status as the grieving friend, possibly even lover, should the atmosphere be right for it, to gain traction as a leader for the people. And then once again when she eventually made peace with the arachnoids to acquire their webs, even though they killed her close friend and- or lover.
And yet, Oliver picked not only the single best option where he was captured but went even further and became captured due to self-sacrifice, of all perfect things. He immediately became a symbol of good enduring even in the darkest times, which was fair, seeing as that was exactly what he was, but also gave her the chance to show herself as a leader for the people. More than that, she was also known as being close friends with the hero, who also happened to be captured, allowing her to keep her monopoly on magical knowledge, without losing a brilliant mind.
Combined with being one of only two humans other than Oliver ‘the hero’ Antonova, which would ensure minimal risks of racial favouritism, and her plan for a government where the people held sway, a plan not many of her competitors had even considered, and before long she firmly held the seat of Chancellor.
And beyond all of that, her friend had, as far as she knew, even survived with minimal injuries, which, while unimportant in the grand scheme of things, and something she would willingly sacrifice should it prove necessary for the greater good of her people, was a thought which made her happy.
“Chancellor? A new group has arrived, bringing news of a predator of some kind with aerial mobility. We assume it to be of the second tier, perhaps third, and I assumed you would like news of both.” A voice ripped her from her thoughts before she turned to see Talal, one of the people Oliver rescued, standing at the root of her mushroom cap.
Talal was clearly feeling immense guilt over something, though for what she could not be certain, and to some extent, she wanted to investigate. But on the other hand, he had proved himself a perfect subordinate while also being rather charming after she convinced him that following her was the path to redemption for whatever dark deed he had committed.
She was half convinced that it had something to do with Oliver, though she did not know what. For now, though, it ultimately mattered little, seeing as he was too racked with guilt to go against her, a feeling which would hopefully be cemented once Oliver returned and immediately forgave him.
“Of course, Talal, good that you brought this to me so swiftly, now if you would show me to them?” She said, while giving him the smile of dignified acknowledgement she had practised.
She rose from her cap and took a glance around the empty mushroom top she called her own, seeing nothing but the usual carpet of fallen leaves before she followed Talal. As she did so, she took a quick glance at the atrium of jutting mushrooms which made up the centre of the republic, and the few children or adults seated on their individual caps. The lack of personal space was, at the very onset, alarming to some, especially the need for others to climb through the little space you had to call yours, but soon enough people adapted.
Eventually, they reached the group, consisting of five people, two Dwarves, one Octoid, a Veiled-Elf and an Avesoid, also known as Birdfolk.
She smiled once again, maintaining perfect posture as she did so to counterbalance her outfit of sweatpants, a t-shirt and sneakers which she had worn as she worked out before the initiation. “Welcome to the fallen republic,” she caught the bewildered look that flashed on their faces for a moment, adjusting her speech slightly to adapt.
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“Now, before you speak to relay to us the idiosyncratic nature of our name, as many have done before and many will come to do, I would like to explain why we named ourselves so. It is somewhere between a reminder of what once was, and what will come. Because while we may be fallen now, we will, with the system, magic, and each other, continue to rise and progress, walking towards what once was, and further, so far as we are able.” Camilla gestured for them to follow, before turning and walking ahead of them, in a planned attempt to synchronise her actions with her words and make them associate her with living up to her words.
She was not completely sure which of her improved stats were the cause, or if it was related to the skill or new craft she picked at evolution, but something or other allowed her to judge the exact moment just a hairs breath before they asked the inevitable question everyone asked. “And yes,” she glanced back with a knowing smile, “I was quite serious when I mentioned magic. Another, well, not exactly a citizen of the republic, given that he was captured beforehand, so I suppose he was simply...” she paused, studying their facial expressions in her peripheral vision closely as she looked to where Oliver was held, and speaking just after they registered that something bad had happened, but before they realized that she said captured, rather than dead to optimize their empathy.
“... A close friend, named Oliver. But I digress. He discovered magic only two weeks into the new world, then thought me what he had learnt, before he went on a mission to save five of our citizens from another camp whose leaders were less inclined for peace.” of course, that was not the exact truth, however, the people of the republic could not be at fault or Oliver would not be quite the martyr, and the arachnoid people could not be at fault as it would hurt the integration process, so the arachnoid leaders had to take the blame for the moment.
“Now, would you like a tour of the humble encampment of one hundred and thirty-seven we dare call a republic? See the smithy where the hearty, and most importantly, heat resistant, dwarves work on the scraps of metal we have managed to gather? The hunter-gatherer station where some of our bravest venture to supply us with food? Perhaps you want to see the beginnings of our mushroom farms?” As she spoke, Camilla kept a careful eye on when the limits of their interest were reached, so she could offer them rest when her incitements held no further value, and sleep was all they wished for “Or maybe you, above all else, wish to see the bathing area and sleeping hall so you can make your decisions on your allegiance with a sharp mind?”
The clearly interested and impressed soon-to-be citizens of the republic sagged with relief before they answered gratefully. “Thank you, but I honestly think we would rather make our way to the sleeping hall before all else, if that is no trouble.” The octoid said, the gurgle in his voice still slightly strange to her ears, not that she would ever show that. “but, before we take you up on your offer, who are you, if I may ask?
“Of course, my apologies for the transgression, I would be the Chancellor of the fallen republic, Camilla Lund.” She said, beginning to turn towards them.
Of course, before she could do so a voice she recognised rang out from above where she stood. “That is certainly a far more grand and gloriously impressive title than you had when we last met, Camilla, although I honestly found it quite enjoyable when you were the prestigious co-owner of shroom end.”
Camilla registered the voice as Oliver quickly, given the three weeks they had spent as roommates, and swiftly decided, with the extra processing speed her mental stats granted her, to spin in a hopeful yet guarded position so that her new citizens still held the desired opinion. It would not do, after all, if they were to think that she could be overwhelmed by emotions.
When she did see Oliver, where he hung from two ropes of spider’s silk, her first thought was that he did not look anywhere close to well, and that she should consider doing whatever happened to him to the guilty party. She then admonished herself, firmly denying herself the freedom to do anything of the sort unless she knew it would not threaten the people, and then denying herself even that possibility as what she would theoretically do could come out, which would inadvertently hurt her people by them denying her the right to lead them.
But Oliver truly did not look well, or even sickly, a state which was presumably preferable to the clear starvation he had experienced. His cheekbones, sharp even before were no longer handsome and defined, but gaunt and hollow, sunken until they were barely more than the bare minimum flaps of skin required to keep what little he ate inside his mouth. The pair of her old shorts he wore did nothing to cover the effects upon his body, as they clearly displayed what his formerly lean and thin physique had become. Where he could formerly be called ‘stick-thin’ in a joking manner, it would be far too true for humour now, seeing as there were most assuredly branches thicker than his limbs. His ribs, visible more as one collective entity under his lightly muscled torso before, were now more akin to a hilly field, with noticeable groves between them. Yet even so, as his eyes sat in sunken pits, a happy and optimistic light shined within them, if weary.
“Oliver! Hurry down before you faint, we have cooked meat gathered, and something akin to honey meant for hunger victims, a category you clearly belong to” Camilla briskly stepped beneath him, waiting for him to drop to her. She knew at was not as bad as it appeared, with the system empowerment, two-thirds of his strength was presumably unaffected, as they had proven that the enhancement from points in strength was not dependent on muscle mass. But, should people see her do any less for her supposed dear friend, her reputation would suffer unacceptable losses, and as such it only made sense for her to carry him.
It was quite nice when her wants and what needed to be aligned.
“Oh, no need to worry, this is, after all, the second time the system has claimed that I look as though I should be dead, and yet you saw how my last such experience resolved itself. Well, no need to worry for me that is, for there are most definitely things to truly worry about, one such circumstance I bring news of.” Oliver said with a smile, before the ropes wound once around his hand contracted and released from their grips above, allowing him to flip in the air and land on his feet with agility and grace.
“Now,” Oliver said as he clapped his hands, even as his ropes wound around his arms, “while I may look like a corpse, I still have things to share. First of all, I figured out how to control multiple steams of mana at once. It was not exactly a difficult process to invent when it comes to gaining the skill, in fact, I would recommend nothing more than simple practice for now. Secondly, I managed to stumble upon the method surrounding how to expedite the growth of plants, not quite the essential news I promised, I know, but important nonetheless, especially given the upcoming exodus. Thirdly, I happened across the power in the written word, I'll be more exacting later, but suffice to say that what you write will now, with the help of mana, become true.” Oliver said, smiling his usual brilliant smile as he revealed two tools that would revolutionise warfare in the coming times, as well as other key aspects of the world.
Oliver then held his hands up reassuringly and smiled even more brightly. Camilla could already feel the newcomers be drawn to the charismatic, humble and optimistic genius who had seemingly been imprisoned and escaped only after discovering amazing ways to help the world. “And fourthly, I seem to have discovered that the cause for the unusual wind is a grand inferno in the direction the wind is heading. Mind you, I am not precisely sure how large the flames are, when exactly they are coming, nor how far up the spire we would need to travel to escape them, but, trust me when I say, we will all be fine."
And then he came bearing news of a ‘catastrophe’ which would offer her the perfect chance to cement herself as the greatest leader the Fallen Republic could wish for. A truly useful friend to keep indeed, one far outweighing the difficulties his eccentricities may bring.
"I just realized something," Oliver said with a happy smile even as Camilla kept a careful expression of consideration and focus. "Beyond the sheer fact that this will be a grand sight to see from the safety of the spire's top, you have to admit that it is slightly funny how even after the system initialized, we cannot escape climate change."
Everyone turned to stare at Oliver as horror settled within them.
"Well I suppose that isn't completely accurate," Oliver said thoughtfully "Considering that climate change was our fault, whereas now we're the ones to be forced to move because of gigantic ecological and climate changes, we have not caused, so I suppose we're actually more akin to developing countries, which is really just more poetically ironic.”
He smiled once again.