Once they were out of sight, Ronin let out a sigh of relief. He wasn’t built for these situations and found himself longing for the years he spent alone. Wandering around a hostile earth searching for anything that could earn him a few credits.

“Split up into teams and search the surrounding buildings.” He said, turning to his people. “We want books, computers, tablets, weapons… anything that might jumpstart our people’s technological rise.” He then had to take a few minutes to explain what computers and tablets were, but soon enough his people broke up to hunt. Turning to Elyria he asked, “I’m not going to have any problems from you on this am I?” Her impassive face took on a slight sneer, and she all but turned her nose up at him.

“I find your grave robbing to be distasteful, but it isn’t harming anyone. Don’t worry ‘my lord’ if you get close to any lines, I will be sure to let you know.” Ronin let out an exasperated breath, looking the elf over. She was a mess. it looked, and smelled, like she hadn’t eaten or bathed in days. her armor had only been partially on when they’d met, after Ronin smashed her chest plate it looked even worse. She looked like a woman who was drowning in despair, her hatred of him just the life raft she chose to cling to. Looking around, he spotted Guts and the food corps just heading down into the parking garage.

“Guts,” he called out before he could go too far. The goblin towered over his kin, the distance making his five feet and some change look intimidating next to a standard goblins four feet of height.

“What’s up boss?” he asked eagerly, as he jogged back over. The other members of the food corps following in his wake. Ronin grinned at the goblin, who was always so upbeat. He moved forward to meet the goblin halfway, he also wanted to create some distance between themselves and Elyria.

“Could you guys take Elyria inside? Give her a basin of hot water, soap, and a towel, along with some privacy. Check the cargo containers for a set of spare clothes and give her one of the human soldier's spare armor sets too. While she’s getting cleaned up and changed, I’d like the food corps to whip her up the best meal you can put together with what we have on hand… also, let her take whatever she wants from the weapons cache.”

“You got it boss, but… are you sure you want to arm her?” Guts asked in a whisper, giving the scowling woman a sideways glance.

“We’re in enemy territory, she should be armed. Besides, if we are stuck with her anyway, we’ll have to trust her at some point.” Ronin replied in a whisper of his own. He just hoped his regeneration was up to the task, should she try for his life again. Moving back toward the elf; Ronin did his best to smile, despite her glare.

“Guts here is going to…” he was cut off before he got any farther.

“I heard you.” She snapped out in a cold tone. “Elves have excellent hearing,” she added, flicking her gaze towards Owl five. Ronin expected her gaze to hold scorn or derision, but it just looked thoughtful. “Very well, but don’t think you can escape me with this tactic White flame. I’ll find you shortly.” With those parting words she turned her back on him and walked into the ship.

Ronin watched her go with annoyance. He was doing his best to keep the bridge open with the elves because of the locust threat. Yet, this elf was just too much. He looked down at his armor and his annoyance grew. “Why did I let Owl two talk me into this awful color scheme?” he thought. He’d cleaned the armor as best he could on the hours long trip to this place, but the surface damage was considerable. The queen might not have been able to penetrate or crush his armor, but her hard exoskeleton and sharp claws had done a number on the enamel covering its surface. He could still make out the patterns that made up the shadowlike flames. Yet it was marred with scratches, and bare metal poked through in several places.

“The prince got into fights constantly, yet his armor was always shinny and new.” He grumbled to himself in disgust.

“What was that?” Owl five asked from where she was impatiently waiting to go exploring.

“Nothing,” Ronin said quickly. “Let’s go. I want to collect as much as we can quickly. We don’t have much time to waste.” Picking up the loot bag he’d grabbed from the ship he moved down the garage. It was a shame everyone here had died, but he intended to make the best of it.

* * *

“Lord Ronin, I think you might want to see this.” Sam’s voice said over the ship’s coms. Ronin looked up from the operator’s manual he’d been reading. It had been weeks since he’d had the opportunity to read anything, so when he found the manual in the glove box of the vehicle he was currently sitting in, he couldn’t resist. Marking his page with a small string, Ronin laid the book on the dash and climbed out of the vehicle.

Before he left the cargo compartment, he stopped to look back over his haul. They’d grabbed several kinds of firearms, ammunition, clothing samples, an entire crate full of books and another of tablets and mobile computers. Plus, several other odds and ends. The crown jewel of the haul however, in Ronin’s opinion anyway, was a six wheeled combat truck, Hunter had found. It was in perfect condition too, they’d found it empty with the door open. Best guess was that they abandoned the vehicle when it ran out of energy.

Ronin ran his eyes over the sleek lines of the mottled black and green armored truck. It had enough room in the enclosed space to seat six, with a massive gun built into the roof. It reminded Ronin of the huge barrels mounted on top of tanks. They’d even found a few rounds of unspent ammunition in the weapon. dragging his gaze away from his new toy, Ronin inched his way around it towards the door. The truck was huge, too big really for the cargo compartment of the drop ship. He’d made room by moving everything they could into the troop transport section, and not bringing any other vehicles along… any vehicles apart from Brie’s red motorcycle. Still, it was worth it in Ronin’s eyes. Besides, it wasn’t like the rest of the cars were going anywhere. They could always go back for more later.

“What do you have for me?” he asked Sam as he slipped into the copilot’s seat Owl five had just vacated. They’d left the seaside city a few days ago, back tracking to the Mountain’s Embrace kingdom’s wall before turning around and heading back the same way. They wanted to get a good feel for how far the locusts could spread. So far, they’d followed the cliff wall all the way to the sea, passed the dead city where the queen was still gorging herself, and on until the sea ended at another cliff wall. they hadn’t seen any area’s the locusts could escape from. Only miles and miles of intermittent locust drones, swarming over a barren landscape, completely devoid of even the smallest plant or animal.

Looking out the window, Ronin noticed that there were more drones around than there had been. There were swarms of them, climbing all over each other with the occasional queen thrown in near the wall. Out from the populated area however, there were a lot fewer of them. They’d discussed it at length during the flight and decided they were likely congregating around the food. The fact that there were more of them here, as well as two queens must mean…

“There’s another city ahead.” Sam said, confirming his thoughts. “Based on my readings, we are heading back towards the wall. So, unless we find another opening somewhere, the sea is the only way out of this continent sized valley.” Ronin nodded at her assumptions. He’d actually set up this whole area himself before he dropped. Dividing this giant mountain island into three, land or water, locked kingdoms. He’d had to scoop large chunks of the mountain away to get the shape he wanted. His memories calling up a manual for a game called EarthCraft or something similar.

His goal had been to start off in a relatively safe place and be able to move on to more and more difficult challenges. However, after the Kaldarr dropped in and ruined his plans, he’d stopped being so confident about everything else. After all, he’d had no idea about the underground city that lay right below his valley. So, what else didn’t he know about? Still, he hadn’t expected to find a way out of this area, besides that sea.

“Understood,” he said. “Plus, by the way their swarming again I have a feeling there might actually be some people alive here.” He was excited at the thought yet dreaded it at the same time. if there were people out here, there wasn’t really anything he could do for them. At least not right now. they came upon the city while he was fretting, and his worries fled at the sight of the city.

It was a city built into the side of the mountain itself. Everything was made from steel reenforced stone and looked like it could withstand nearly anything. The longer he looked, the more details he picked out. It started to remind him of a honeycomb, built up the side of the mountain. Each section protected by a giant wall. Ronin wasn’t well versed in architecture, but it looked like, as they cut the stone away from the cliff to form roads and houses, they repurposed it into those massive walls.

“Would you look at that.” He said, shock written all over his face. “Sam, do a fly over so we can see what we’re dealing with and back off some. I’ll need to discuss it with everyone before I decide what to do.” She only nodded at his words, before cruising low over the walls. They took it all in, getting a feel for what was behind that wall. before moving away again.

“…So, what do you think?” Ronin finished after giving his team the rundown on what they’d seen.

“You said they’re called ‘bugbears’?” Guts asked, squinting at the unfamiliar word.

“That’s right,” Ronin said with a nod. “They’re Kaldarr sized, muscular humanoids with thickly muscled bodies, pointed ears and covered in fur. From what I know, they love fighting, working with stone and metal… and fighting.” The Bugbears weren’t one of the races he’d placed in space when he had set up the world. Instead, they were one of the randomly dropped, filler races. When he’d set up this second area to explore, he’d set it to drop three randomly generated cities down equidistant from each other. The seaside city was home to some sci-fi influenced twist on pre-invasion earth, this mountain city was filled with bugbears. They hadn’t passed another city, but odds were good it was in the middle of the landmass somewhere, odds were also good it was now a ghost town.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

“Do we want to make contact?” Owl five asked next. Raising an important question. “We could make a few strafing runs across the locusts front lines. Emptying a few drums into their enemies would probably help give them a favorable impression of us.” that got several nods of agreement. They passed a few more ideas back and forth, but in the end decided to go with that one.

Wanting to get in on the action this time, ronin found himself lying face down on the deck, front half hanging out a gun port. He was using a modified Kaldarr rifle, they all had been, wanting to save their limited railgun rounds for a situation that really called for the powerful, yet limited, weapons. It was still more than enough to put down the common locust drones however, and as Sam flew across the front of the stone wall, Ronin along with everyone else, emptied magazine after magazine into the swarm below.

They had decided to empty the ship’s machinegun drums twice each. At twelve hundred rounds per drum, which was nearly five thousand bullets that chewed a ragged line into the enemy. They swarmed so thickly that it was a rare round that didn’t find a target. Not only that, but the few hundred rounds everyone fired from their rifles added another thousand or more casualties to the locust’s death toll. By the time they’d fired all the rounds that had been allotted to them, the drones had temporarily given up the attack on the wall to gather their own dead.

“Where should we drop?” Sam asked, once Ronin had moved back up front and they were hovering over the wall again. Ronin furrowed his brow as he checked out the wall again. It looked like the city was split up into twenty distinct districts, what he’d thought of before as the honeycomb. Each separated from each other by the thick stone walls. Two of the lowest districts had already been overrun by drones, and a third looked like it wasn’t far behind.

They’d discussed this during the planning session; Hunter, Guts and Owl five were all for going to the section about to fall, K3 and Karr on the other hand wanted to go higher up first. They didn’t want to risk themselves before getting an accurate assessment of the situation. Ronin had heard out both sides but hadn’t decided at the time, not wanting to deal with the conflict. Now though…

“Land in the bottom district that looks closest to collapse.” The swarm was preoccupied, so it was really the best time to land near the bottom. Plus, he could tell they’d been fighting hand to talon down there. He wanted a chance to engage the locusts while still in relative safety. Why not do that while helping the neighbors?

“Yes sir,” she said moving the boxy ship forwards towards the high wall. the bottom section of districts was essentially on the ground, the buildings cut from the rock of the mountain. The wall itself was a half-circle that butted up to the mountain on either side and rose some hundred feet into the air. Ronin thought it was almost too coincidental that both the kingdom and this surviving city had walls too high for the locusts to fly over. Since it didn’t really matter to the current situation however, he discarded the thought.

Ronin looked at the many times repaired gate that passed through the walls center at ground level. It was liberally smeared with gore, so thickly that it had stained the ground and the stone all around. It looked like the locusts had been throwing themselves at that opening, only to be repelled, for months. Still, there were no bodies. As they flew over the wall, Ronin noted its thickness. thirty feet tall at the top, just like the kingdoms wall. “Why are all the walls so huge?” he wondered again. The thoughts quickly forgotten when he saw the inside of the district gate. There was just as much blood and gore around this side as the other, only there were bodies piled up here.

There were hundreds of them, a mix of bugbears, human, locust and elves. Ronin noted these, they were elves, but not moon elves. Their skin was darker, and they were shorter. “These are likely wood elves.” he thought, as Sam set them down near the gate. He watched the square filling up with people as he unbuckled. Nodding to Sam, he headed back through the cargo compartment and into the troop transport section of the ship. The place was starting to get pretty crowded, and Ronin resolved to make the rest of the trip faster.

“Alright people,” he said as they gathered around. “We dropped into a hot zone, so Karr, K1, K2 you guys head to that gate and secure it. Hunter, you and the scouts fan out and keep an eye on the crowd gathering out there. These people have had it rough, so don’t let your guard down…” he gave a few more orders before nodding to K2 who was manning the door controls. He waited behind his guards as the ramp lowered and his people rushed out.

Once he was given the all clear, K3 allowed Ronin to descend the ramp. He had gotten a little paranoid about Ronin’s safety since the Kaldarr ambush and was always on guard these days. Owl five was nearby, watching his back while Guts and the food corps were hiding in the cargo area. Elyria was somewhere behind him, but he didn’t bother with her. She would do whatever she wanted anyway so why bother?

“I’ll have to ask you to call your people back from that gate stranger.” Called out a gruff voice from the head of the crowd. “Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate you thinning the herd, but we don’t know you. I can’t risk you opening that gate and letting those buggers in.” Ronin stopped looking at the gore and focused on the speaker.

It was a grizzled old bugbear, armed with an arbalest that was as long as he was tall. He was missing an ear and an eye on his left side and was covered in so much blood and filth that Ronin couldn’t tell what color his fur was. The giant crossbow wasn’t aimed directly at Ronin, but it wouldn’t take much to change that, and he didn’t know if even his armor could stop a bolt with that much power behind it.

“Understood.” Ronin said with a nod, Motioning Karr and the others away from the gate. At the same time, he motioned Owl five and K3 to stand down. it looked like either of them, or both, was a heartbeat away from action.

“We didn’t come here to cause trouble.” He continued, raising his hand in the universal symbol for being unarmed. “My people and I are working our way around the infested zone. Trying to find the extent of the locusts spread. You’re the first people we’ve found alive, so I decided to set down and see how you were fairing.”

“I see.” The bugbear said. His single eye noting Karr’s team with Kaldarr support backing off, and how close to violence Ronin’s guards were. It looked like he decided to be diplomatic, because he handed the arbalest to a younger, but still bloody bugbear. “I’m Harken,” he said stepping forward. “And I’m afraid the answer is that we’re not doing very good. the food situation is getting tough and…”

“Hold.” The word split the silent square like a whip crack. “Harken, you old goat, you no longer speak for our clan. I, Halican, lead the clan now. Get back to your post at once.” Ronin turned around at the voice. To see a young and strong looking bugbear running down the stairs from the district’s wall. his fur was a rich brown and he was armored in full plate mail and carried a flanged mace, similar to Ronin’s own. He was accompanied by a dozen bugbears of similar age and disposition.

“Listen, lad I…” Harken started, only to be cut off by a slap across the face from the young Halican.

“I told you to get back to your post, you senile old goat.” Roared the young bugbear. Ronin compared the two, now that they stood so close together. Harken was thickly muscled, but it was starting to go slack with age. Yet, here he was at the gate where the fighting was thickest. Wearing battered armor, covered in blood from head to toe. Halican was much younger, a bugbear in his prime. His armor was of much higher quality as well, but he was up on the wall away from the direct fighting.

“Understood… Patriarch.” Harken said with defeat in his voice, before turning towards the wall. The mixture of bugbears, humans and wood elves looked angry, but they obeyed as well. When they’d started moving, the clan leader turned his attention on Ronin.

“You… little runt.” He said, distain dripping from every word he spoke. “Your ship belongs to me now. Along with the weapons, your people and all the food you brought with you.” he said it as if just by speaking the words, he had made it so. Ronin again had to motion K3 and Owl five back, but unlike Harken, the young clan patriarch didn’t seem to notice.

“Greetings, clan patriarch Halican.” Ronin decided to try negotiating before doing anything else. “I am lord Ronin the White flame, and…” He’d used the stupid title the elves had given him, just to make himself sound more important. It didn’t matter at all though, he barely started talking before the young bugbear walked right up to him. he stood over seven feet tall, and towered over Ronin who only stood around six. The crack of his palm against Ronin’s face shocking everyone.

“Silence,” Halican screamed down at him. “This is my clan, my city. Mine. Won in fair combat. So, learn you’re place runt.”

“Stop.” Ronin yelled as the pompous fool was winding down his speech. After the palm landed all his people had begun to move. Even the food corps, who had been supposed to be hiding were rushing down the ramp with spears in hand. Owl five already had her gun to her shoulder, and K3 had his hammer drawn back for a blow that could crack queen locust armor. turning to Harken, who seemed more like a leader than this spoiled brat, Ronin said.

“Does this fool really speak for you?” he asked the old bugbear. He was half tempted to leave, but a bigger temptation wanted him to just slaughter these people. still, Harken had been reasonable, he couldn’t judge them all from one man.

“I told you to learn your…” Halican started, raising his hand for another blow. He was stopped dead however, when K3 stepped forward and grabbed him by the neck. Without so much as a grunt of effort, he lifted the well-muscled, fully armored beast man from his feet. where he dangled, trying desperately to free himself.

“Harken,” Ronin tried again ignoring the struggling fool behind him. “Does. This. fool. Really. Speak. For. You?” he asked again, slowly, punctuating every word. Halican’s followers rushed forward but were stopped when K1 and K2 moved to block their way. they were as big and well armored as K3, and these young bugbears didn’t seem to want to try their luck.

“He… well, he killed our last clan patriarch… my son, in personal combat. Plus, he has the support of a majority of the family heads, so… yes. I suppose he does.” He finally answered, Ronin thought he could detect shame and rage in his voice, but it was well hidden so he couldn’t be sure.

“I understand.” Ronin said, finally remembering what he’d read about bugbears. They were family oriented by nature and much of their life and honor was devoted to their clans. He even understood why the city was split up into these honeycomb districts now, and why no one higher up was helping keep this district from falling. This whole section was a clan… with a healthy number of refugees thrown in, it looked like.

“K3, put him down please.” he said, turning around and drawing his mace and shield. He had to ask again before K3 complied, and when he did, he simply released the fool, so he fell to the ground in a clatter of armor. Ronin waited for the clan patriarch to climb to his feet before saying.

“Halican, clan patriarch of the…” he turned to Harken and cocked a brow.

“The White mane clan.” The old timer supplied, seeming to have caught on to what Ronin intended.

“Patriarch of the White mane clan.” Ronin continued, “I, lord Ronin the white flame, challenge you to a trial by combat for clan leadership.” He honestly had no idea why he was doing this. it was stupid and unnecessary, but he was pissed off. he’d been pushed around and mistreated by every group he’d met since he’d landed here.

The people of Valley’s pass had used him. the fat lord Charles had tried to rob him. the troglodytes had tried to eat him. the elves mistrusted him. not one time since he landed was he able to get any respect without spilling blood for it. so, fine. He would spill blood. Besides, a duel to the death was definitely something the prince would do in this situation.

“Y... you can’t challenge him.” shouted one of the young hangers on who’d followed Halican down from the wall. “Not without the branch family head’s approval… and I refuse.” Ronin didn’t even look at him.

“Owl five” was all he had to say. Owl five’s railgun didn’t make a noise when she fired, but the young branch head found himself without one, in a spray of blood and bone. She’d shot the loud mouth right between the eyes, the powerful round driving through his skull and continuing on to imbed itself into the wall, in a puff of stone dust.