“Here you go,” Nathym handed a device over to Drim down in the secret lab the morning after the trip to the Central Peace. “If Hower sends out any sort of message or signal regarding his doomsday agenda, you’ll know instantly.”
“Thanks,” the king fiddled with the device in his hand for a moment before asking, “So you’re really not going?”
“No, I’ve had enough adventurers for a while,” The Engineer rapped a hand against his waist which produced a metallic clang. “While meeting some demigod could produce inspiration for new inventions, my hands are tied with our current one. It’s better if I stay here and work on the project. The launch day will be soon upon us, assuming Rathe doesn’t wipe us out for heresy first.”
“You know, it’s weird. In a way, her distaste for it makes me think we’re headed in the right direction,” Nathym couldn’t help but smirk. “We’ve created something that even a god would fear. If it wouldn’t be a problem to her, then why would she care? I can get her not wanting us to modify her creations, that’s just artistic integrity. But at the same time, wouldn’t our alleged creator be proud of us for how far we’ve come? It’s too confusing for me to think about now.”
“Besides, if it comes down to a fight, there’s not much I could do anyways. The weapons I can make are better in the hands of anyone else with actual training. And it’s not like I could build something useful on the spot without proper resources and tools. However, I did load up both Roque and Rishaki with all the best weapons I could make in case there’s need of spares.”
“And I do have a few prototypes I could offer some of you that might help with defense. But if she’s as powerful as we speculate, I don’t know how useful they’d be. Plus, I won’t say it’s impossible, but it’d be extremely difficult and likely painful to swap them out with the real thing later. It’s also likely that Rathe will see it as an act of defiance against her if we use them. So as the person who made them, I think it’s best to leave them to the wayside and trust in the strength you all already have. Sorry I couldn’t offer more.”
“Well I’m going!” Ahvra burst into the conversation, toting a full surgery kit with her as a travel bag. “If one of our many fools pisses off this demigod, then you’ll need me to bring them back when they get smited. And if we kill her and she leaves a corpse, I call first dissection dibs!”
“At least she’s in good spirits,” Drim murmured as they watched the small girl patter away with a rare eager grin on her face. “Today’s going to be a rough one, for so many reasons.”
“Yeah, I shouldn’t keep you waiting,” the scientist turned to look at his clock. “And the polls are about to open, so you should make sure you get yours in. I’ll do mine later after the crowd, but it’d be awfully embarrassing if one of the two on the ballot didn’t even bother to vote.”
“I suppose it’s time to get going,” the king stood up. “I’ll see you on the other side Nathym. Either we come back with all obstacles removed and the project moves forward, or odds are we don’t come back at all.”
“Don’t say that,” his friend shot him a dirty look. “I have faith in all of you. We’ll see this through and make our dreams a reality. You could say it is an ending, though. The end of this world and the start of a brand new one. I’ll be waiting for your return.” The two men then shared a deep hug and Drim headed topside.
Up on the surface was oddly abuzz with commotion for a standard weekday morning, but it was to be expected, the king supposed. Only a few of the residents would be heading to their regular jobs that day. Even those who weren’t joining the Fiends on their mission would be too worried about their safety to focus on anything else. So like Nathym, like so many others, they’d be waiting for their safe return.
Quite a few members were running around still, making last minute preparations. Drim found himself stopping every few feet to help where he could. And even when there was no one left to assist, it was slow progress—constantly blocked by others wanting to wish him well on what was to come.
It was nice to see their concern, but it really was starting to feel like goodbye, as if Drim wouldn’t make it back to this place, back home. He shook his head, dismissing the thoughts. If even he started thinking like that, then what reason would anyone else have to believe in their success?
The king finally made it to the Headquarters Building where he found a staggeringly long line for the polls yet to open. Most of them were those who had already queued up were those that had pledged themselves to the Rathe mission, wanting to get their votes in before going off and facing a demigod. Even when facing death, they still wanted to participate in democracy, to have their voices be heard.
Since the start time was getting close, a pre-planned message echoed in everyone’s heads from The Kitschy Kingmaker. To all citizens of the world. Today is an important day isn’t it? Could there be something you’re forgetting to do, or possibly plan to ignore? Wouldn’t you feel guilty if the outcome is one you don’t like but you did nothing to try and change it? Do what you need to in order to make time. Get out and vote before it’s too late.
And do your best to ignore all the propaganda you’ve seen, lies you’ve been told, dispose of any feelings of commitment or unwarranted loyalty to past allegiances. Think only of one thing. Who do you genuinely believe would be best to lead the world that you want to live in? Cling to that idea above all others and let it guide you as you make your choice. The future of this world, of your lives, of those you love is in your hands.
When Drim’s presence was noticed after the message ended, practically everyone stood aside to try and usher him to the front. But the man outright refused, taking the spot at the very back where he stood firm until the queue reformed itself. And from then on, the line of multicolored hair was surprisingly orderly, everyone waiting patiently even after the voting machines kicked on and the polls opened.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
It probably helped that there wasn’t much to vote for, so the line moved quickly. Unlike many other nations, there wasn’t much in the way of other local elections in Fiendish. They had no government positions to vote for, nor Rep spots for the Central Peace. Maybe they would in the future when one of those already installed left their position for any reason.
Their country had only been a member nation for a day, but Drim had been half expecting to wake up to see that Phon had resigned out of frustration or boredom. They’d really only joined up to witness Callum’s speech in person without protest, but those who’d taken the job were allowed to keep it for as long as they liked—ignoring the standard term-limit rules for now—so they could delve deep into actual political careers if they so desired.
Perhaps his sister would find some sort of joy or purpose in that line of work. Though it was more likely she’d lean into her sadist side to make every other politician dread every day of their existence. Or she might just keep her seat so she could visit any of the CP restaurants as she pleased and entirely ignore any of her actual duties.
But besides voting for President of Rathe, there were actually two more issues on the ballot. The first was the changes to the assigned parking spots that had been proposed by a few residents some time ago. While the two that had brought it to the king’s attention had agreed on a solution, it still affected more than them, so they decided to put it to a vote. Though it was suspected to pass nearly unanimously.
And the second was about changing the hours of the Valen Express. Currently, Valen worked a steady shift throughout the day, but the proposal would have her work two smaller shifts instead, one in the early morning and one in the evening with a break in between. This would mean people could leave earlier and come back later, allowing more flexibility in their schedules. It would also free Valen up more for her second job working in the science department—another vote that was expected to pass.
When it came time for Drim’s turn in one of the polling booths, he quickly cast his vote for the two minor issues, not even really needing to think about him. But when it came time for the presidential choice, his hand froze. Naturally, he was going to vote for himself, but for some reason his finger started to drift down to Hower’s name, struggling against him as he tried to properly pick his choice.
What do you think you’re doing? The man mentally groaned, unamused by his mother’s antics.
“I’m casting my vote, of course!” Eleen’s spirit snickered as she left her son’s body, releasing her control. “After all, I’m a citizen of this nation too, aren’t I? It’s my land that you built it on at the very least. And why wouldn’t I vote for Hower? It’s a choice between the man who murdered me in cold blood and the man who wanted to further bolster my conquest. Quite the easy choice at face value.”
“That actually was quite the surprising revelation. I never knew that Hower was involved. Hell, I’d never even heard his name back then. We’d been delivered a message that someone from Horage wanted to meet with us to discuss surrender. Of course, that just immediately raises flags as a trap, so we sent our scouts to investigate.”
“But I never heard back from them, because, well, y’know, I was dead and all. They were supposed to deliver the report the following morning. So that leads us to a cruel irony. If you had waited just one more day to kill me, I could have told you about Hower’s treasonous ways years ago. The impatient recklessness of youth strikes again.”
Believe me, I couldn’t have suffered your existence one more day, her son spat the harsh truth, crueler words than he’d said to her for quite some time. Had I known the truth of your conquest back then, maybe I could have waited, so even more irony for you.
“Yes, secrets have hurt us plenty,” the dead dictator agreed. “Speaking of suffering existences, I’m still not satisfied with your plan. I’ve waited long for the chance to face Rathe again, but I’m beholden to your whims. I’ll cry for years if that woman is not slain today. But I’m nothing if not patient. It’s been decades already, so I can wait a few more. One way or another, I’ll have my revenge.”
If you say so, Drim just let the woman rant to her heart’s content. But I’m still holding onto hope that things will end peacefully. And I’m sad to say, but the dead don’t get a vote. Before the ghost could play more tricks, the king finalized his ballot and exited the booth, taking far longer than anyone else, and feeling a little bad for holding up the line.
And at last, it was finally time to prepare for departure. The Slayer didn’t rush making his way to The Salvation, since he still had a bit before the assigned time, so he slowly meandered his way, speaking with a few more residents as a method of stalling. And before he approached the ship, which was currently moored near the front gate of the compound, he took one last good glance at the small nation, a reminder of what he was fighting for.
The majority of the members were already onboard, getting settled on the deck, but there were a few stragglers close to missing the boat due to a bad night’s sleep for obvious reasons. Phon finally gave the last call for everyone to get onto the flying aircraft, and yet, Drim’s feet remained firmly on the ground.
“Wait, you’re not coming?!” Kada called to the king from up above.
“Sorry,” the man looked away slightly, finding it hard to face them. It was he who insisted that he’d be going after all, he who they’d expected to rally behind when facing the biggest threat they’d ever known. “But this is how it has to be.”
“It’s up to me to stop Hower. The only way we can be certain that he won’t trigger his scheme is if we use my mother’s power to force him into compliance. So it has to be me. But I have faith in you all. Show Rathe that we’re serious, make her understand our resolve, and then come back home. I’ll meet you here.”
“Wait, then I’m coming with you!” Jaid hopped off the ship, jumping straight down from the deck, but leaving a clone behind with the others. “You shouldn’t have to do this alone. And I’m your knight. It’s my duty to protect you.”
“You can go, Jaid,” Phon called from on-high, giving her permission as acting captain of the ship and new leader of the mission. “But take your clones with you. If I’m going to truly trust you to keep him safe, then you need to be at full attention and energy. I don’t want anything splitting your focus. And if anything happens to him, you’ll answer to me.”
The Paladin nodded, dismissing the straggler and standing strong by her king’s side.
“Alright everyone, wave your king goodbye with a smile on your faces!” The Vixen rallied the troops around her. “We wouldn’t want him to worry about us!” She then turned back to her brother. “Okay, Drim, you’re going first. I know he’s no real threat, but also don’t drop your guard. And one last thing. Make that bastard pay!”
Before Drim could say anything in return, the world shifted around him, and he and Jaid were instantly teleported across the world, roughly a block away from Hower’s skyscraper. But what he wasn’t expecting was the small crowd of familiar faces sitting nearby, waiting for their arrival.