There was no warning before it came; Silas only knew it had happened once it was over. One second, he had been digging into lunch, a giant Peking duck with plenty of greens to match, and the next second he was back in the starting area: the baby blue sky, the gentle wind, the swaying grass for as far as the eye could see. He still had a fork and knife in his hands and a thin film of grease around his lips. Looking about, it was clear he wasn’t the only one caught unawares as several others were visibly flustered after being taken out of their moment.

What had started as 41 Sovereigns were now only 32, most of them additionally separated into four groups. There was Lucian’s faction, Kuraim’s faction, the drakkar, and finally the Meritocracy faction. While many in Riverside thought Silas or even Elise indirectly controlled this last faction - and while Silas certainly was a central cog - this thought massively simplified the power structure amongst the allied Sovereigns. This faction had no leaders, such a point best demonstrated by the fact that even if any of them died, it wouldn’t cause chaos in the faction in the same way it would cause if, for example, Lucian or Kuraim died. There were now only five people not associated with these groups: Fiona D’Alaesa, Shamu, Azhtha-M’egnis, Zitu, and Fayiure.

Your previously chosen methods of ruling will appear over your heads. If you have changed your mind over this, select your new choice instead. Once again, take note that none of you can proceed until all of you decide on one method of ruling.

Shortly following the System’s announcement, several messages started appearing in front of the assembled Sovereigns.

Meritocracy - Ferer Greencare (mycelia)

Autocracy - Lucian Grimes for autocrat - Astor (stingtail)

Meritocracy - Dlyo (stingtail)

Autocracy - Lucian Grimes for autocrat - Sandip Mand (human)

Autocracy - Lucian Grimes for autocrat - Stefan Sommer (human)

Autocracy - Kuraim Jaffer for autocrat - Dahlia Howe (human)

Ajit gave a stern look to Bobby and Hokul and sped up their decision making.

Meritocracy - Hokul Ironboot (dwarf)

Meritocracy - Bobby (pygmy troll)

Meanwhile, Azhtha-M’egnis was still trying to wrap around Shamu, clearly not having learnt from before that none of the Sovereigns could touch each other here. As before, Shamu initially panicked from being beached, however at least it quickly remembered that no harm would happen and that all this would soon be over.

Demarchy - Shamu (blue whale)

Demarchy - Azhtha-M’egnis (kraken)

Shamu glared at Azhtha-M’egnis with its grape-fruit-sized eye and made a deep wailing noise. The kraken responded by stabbing tentacles into the whale, their flesh superimposing like holograms.

Aristocracy - Shamu (blue whale)

Aristocracy - Azhtha-M’egnis (kraken)

Electocracy - Shamu (blue whale)

Electocracy - Azhtha-M’egnis (kraken)

Meritocracy - Shamu (blue whale)

Meritocracy - Aztha-M’egnis (kraken)

Simultaneously, Elisha had gone over to the drakkar, once again attempting to convince them. Their responses were far more chaotic than the straight refusal last time, and they frequently switched between talking to her and glowering at Lucian. On his part, the Warlord took their gazes coolly, his confident smile almost taunting them into launching a futile attack here.

As before, Zitu and Fayiure had grouped up to fly over the Sovereigns, but this time Ajit and the prophet nodded to each other before levitating up to them too. Unfortunately, the eyeborn and phoenix saw this as a game as they were soon zipping around the place with the human and mycelia giving chase, trying to get a word in.

Silas, Aengus, and Emmanuel headed for Fiona, who watched them like they were insects to be crushed. She had Aristocracy proudly displayed above her head. “What do you want?” the ebony-purple shaerd asked them.

“Why, we want to tell you to join our cause,” Emmanuel answered with a professional smile.

“Not interested,” she said, shifting her gaze away as if she imagined this would cause the humans to leave. It didn’t.

“Aye, lassie, listen. Ye’ll either join us, or we’ll kill ye, alright?” Aengus helpfully added.

“You?” Fiona asked with a sneer. She was as tall as Aengus with a matching physique.

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“Yes, just like we had to do with the other shaerd. If you want to join Alair in the afterlife, that’s up to you,” Silas said.

This visibly angered Fiona, who growled viciously at them. “Don’t mention us in the same sentence as him! Do you think we will fall like that cracked did?” Unlike Amara, Fiona said cracked like it was a curse, and considering their treatment in shaerd society, it likely was.

While this was happening, Hou Yu, the Artificer, walked away from Zhang and Kuraim’s faction. Under curious stares, he made for Katerina. He was reed-thin and had a sickly face, his skin unnaturally sallow and distinct bags under his eyes. “Greetings. I’m here to ask a favour of you.”

The dark-clad assassin raised an eyebrow but did not speak.

“Dispose of Zhang and help me take control of Jinzhou. Should you succeed, I shall rally behind your cause, but fail and those most gracious fellows there will have mecha suits and laser weapons to take you on,” he said, turning his waist so that he pointed at Kuraim, Zafeera, Dahlia, and Zhang.

“You dog whelp,” Zhang roared, immediately coming after him, seething. “I’ll fuck you and your ancestors. I’ll chop you so finely and force your daughter to drink the slurry.”

Vivienne watched this scene from beside Katerina with amusement. “He’s the mayor of your settlement, right? How are we supposed to help you when he can just block us from teleporting in?”

“You need not worry over that,” Hou said, his expression one of quiet fury. “He is currently away from Jinzhou and out of range to change the settings. He cares not for managing the town, and so has set others to do it in his stead. I have brought them over to my side, so as long as you act before he returns to the town, you will be allowed to teleport in.”

From the sidelines, Silas contemplated the situation. Considering how reserved a reaction Kuraim was showing to one of his supporters turning coat, Silas would have initially thought this a trap. Perhaps the Meritocracy Sovereigns would arrive at Jinzhou, only for the teleporter to cut their path backwards and strand them in the middle of enemies. However, Zhang’s livid response seemed so genuine and ugly that Silas struggled to know for certain.

Before any more developments could occur, the System interrupted.

You have not all chosen the same method of ruling. For this, you will be briefly teleported back to planet 7042-189-D. Take note that none of you can proceed until you all decide on one method of ruling.

****

When Silas returned to Riverside, he immediately put down his fork and knife and ditched the meal, confusing Mia, Ethan, Chloe, and Bandit. His first destination was the council building to talk to Elise, but before he even arrived, he was forwarded a message by her which she had received from Léonois’s envoy.

Send this to Silas Wycliffe and Elise LeBeau

I’m going to Jinzhou to deal with Zhang. Assuming they don’t have a massive teleporter, chances are you won’t be able to come, but I doubt we’ll need that much firepower, anyway. I’ve invited Katerina to join me, though. I think you should work on dealing with the other lone Sovereigns in that time, since, let’s be real, it won’t be much longer before either Kuraim or Lucian makes a move.

Reading through the message twice over, Silas nodded at Vivienne’s assessment. He continued on his way and explained the situation to Elise there, detailing all that had happened in the most recent Sovereign congregation. It wasn’t long before another meeting was set into action, attended by most of the allied Sovereigns, namely Silas, Aengus, Ajit, Emmanuel, Bobby, Hokul, the prophet, and Elisha.

“Currently Zitu and Fayiure are flying rather low, quite near a settlement I have troops in,” the prophet said. “It would be a good idea to catch them there, either to convince them if they can be spoken to or to kill them otherwise.”

“This is more important,” Elisha said. “The drakkar have requested for an immediate meeting, and it’ll definitely be about the fact that Lucian killed those two Svobald and Miurl.”

“Are they only against him or humans in general?” Silas asked, recalling how Lyfort had turned against Riverside after Dahlia had killed Foltrus.

“Good shout,” Aengus said. “Could just be a trap to wipe some of us out there.”

“Well, I would usually say we have to prioritise, but in this case I figure we can just allocate ourselves better,” Ajit said. “Bobby, I know you can fly, so why don’t you and Hokul go with the prophet to speak with Zitu and Fayiure. Meanwhile, the rest of us can go meet the drakkar with enough numbers to resist an ambush, and at the same time Vivienne can deal with Zhang.”

After a brief discussion, the Sovereigns and Elise agreed on Ajit’s plan, although Bobby and Hokul did so more because they had no choice on the matter.

“What about Fiona then?” Silas said once the other matters were decided.

“What about her?” Aengus asked.

“Well, what do we do? She’s in a castle far away from any allied settlements, so it would take us time to get an army there to sort her out. And it’s obvious she won’t join us, so we’ll need to kill her eventually.”

“How about I send Amara there?” Elise suggested. “She’s also a shaerd princess, so there’s a chance her word will be enough to convince Fiona too. We can see her response then, and if it’s still antagonistic, we can decide on how to deal with her. But it might be the case we have to ignore her for a while even if she’s against us as, like Vivienne said, Lucian and Kuraim will be looking to attack us very soon.”

****

Shamu could feel it: the bother was almost here. Every time she went to that curious place with the other Sovereigns, of which she only recognised the humans, the pest would always pounce on her and try to eat her. Couldn’t it understand how stupid it was being? It was even worse when it copied her picks like a parasite which wouldn’t get off.

Wailing deep, the sound waves resonating through the sea, Shamu could tell that the nuisance was close. Her eyes weren’t good enough to see it, but she knew it was out there in the blur. She swam slowly, calmly, until finally, she saw a flash of orange break through the sweeping blue. It was heading towards her and fast, its tentacles blooming and contracting so that it moved like a jellyfish.

Using her other senses to keep track of it, Shamu circled about until she was looking away from the bother, waiting patiently until it came close enough. She felt when the moment came as jagged tentacles dug into her flukes, drawing rich blood into the deep blue. However, before the nuisance could constrict around her tail, Shamu flung it up with explosive force, her tail launching the pest high from the deep blue into the well-lit sea.

Shamu put on a burst of speed and chased after it, swimming as fast as she could before the pest broke out of its daze. By the time she arrived, it was already moving again, but it was too late as she yawned, her maw opening wider and wider until it encompassed the bother’s entire body.

Eating it, she closed her mouth before it could escape. Even still, it was trying to cut a painful path outwards, but it was futile as Shamu flushed her mouth with acid. Its struggles died out slowly but die they did, until finally Shamu swallowed, content with both the meal and the fact that the nuisance was finally gone. Good riddance.

Shamu (blue whale) has killed Azhtha-M’egnis (kraken)

31 Sovereigns remaining.