“You’ll heal from that eventually, won’t you?” Samuel asked, breathing heavily.

There was an unmistakable air of triumph about him now that he had swallowed James’s arm, though the monstrous alligator was clearly tiring while James maintained a high level of both Stamina and Mana.

If the struggle continued, it was clear James’s aura would overtake Samuel’s to dominate the space in which they fought.

“Naturally,” James said through gritted teeth. Even with high level Pain Resistance, it was hard to endure having a limb torn off. His left shoulder bone was visible now, white and jutting through the area where that arm used to be. To the audience, it must have looked a bit like a white flag of surrender. The mood in the crowd was palpable. James took it in through peripheral vision without looking away from his opponent.

Triumph from the alligators. Bitter resignation from the humans and wolves. Even Duncan and a few Mole People were observing the fight with defeated postures.

James’s shoulder region gushed a gradually slowing fountain of red. James had ordered his body to diminish the flow of blood to that region, so he knew that soon the blood loss would stop completely.

“Good,” the reptile said, looking relieved. “I would hate to think I’ve crippled you.”

“I hope you don’t think you’ve won.”

Samuel’s narrow reptilian eyes widened. “Isn’t it over? You wouldn’t fight on with one arm, would you?” As James just stared at him with grim determination, the monster laughed. “Are you sure you’re human? I feel like you’re one of us!”

There was a smattering of laughter from his alligators.

James finally had to grin himself. “I blur the line sometimes. But the fact is, I’m far from giving up. I can absolutely still win this. In fact, it’s almost over.” His eyes took on a faraway look for a split second. “Yep. You’ve already lost.”

“Wow. That’s quite a spirit.” Samuel shook his head and stepped forward, toward James. “When I conquer this continent, you will be my champion. I love this determination. I—” His jaw dropped in an alarmed expression, and his right forelimb clutched at his chest. “What have you done?” Samuel’s voice came out as a painful rasp. Blood began trickling down the corners of his mouth.

“It’s something you ate,” James said darkly. “You see, I have an ability that allows me to turn my biological material into monsters that share my abilities.” He ordered his visible shoulder bone to bend so that Samuel could see one of those abilities in action.

“What ability is that?” The monster spoke through gritted teeth, as if he hoped that might help keep some of the blood inside him, where it belonged. But the trickle intensified.

“Full Body Control,” James replied. “Right now, my creature is moving around inside your digestive tract, perforating vital organs. Please give up, so that I can stop this.” For the first moment in the fight, his tone and body language became conciliatory. He knew that if Samuel did not give up now, this would become a battle to the death whether they wanted it to be or not.

“You, urk, win.” The words came out as a painful croak, but they were loud enough for everyone around to hear nevertheless. The woods had gone as still and quiet as a cemetery.

Then Samuel’s legs collapsed out from under him, and he slumped to the ground.

James immediately began receiving alerts, but he ignored them. First, he ordered his monster to stop killing Samuel. Then he approached the monster and began using Laying On Hands.

“Alan!” he called without looking up. “I need your help, please!”

The old man rushed over, breaking the paralysis that had fallen over the spectators.

Some mixed cheers broke out from James’s side, and the wolves began to howl. But James focused his gaze entirely on the fallen Ruler.

“I can see now why you sent for me and not your little sister-in-law,” Alan muttered as he arrived.

James nodded without looking up. “We try to spare her from seeing things like this.”

Alan began applying Laying On Hands to James’s shoulder, but James shook his head. “I don’t really need it. I mean, my arm wants healing, but he needs it more. My arm would grow back eventually on its own.”

“You’re certainly something,” Alan said. Then he joined James in healing the deadly internal injuries the former Alligator Monarch had suffered. During their whole interaction, James never looked away from the monster he was healing. The enemy who he intended to make one of his strongest champions.

We really aren’t so different, you and I, James thought about Samuel. But even as he used part of his brain to think about Samuel, the main part of his intelligence was already far away, contemplating the next enemy.

The Ruler in the forest would surely be a trickier opponent. James had hoped that Samuel and the other Ruler would have had some tie, perhaps a tacit alliance of some sort, so that he could question the Alligator Monarch about the other Ruler after this fight was over.

But now that he had spoken and negotiated and fought with Samuel, James thought that was highly unlikely. The extremely direct approach that the Alligator Monarch brought to their interaction was refreshing and pleasantly surprising in contrast to how the forest Ruler had behaved thus far.

At least I have a swamp now. When Samuel surrendered to him, James felt an instant change with his Fisher King senses. A doubling of the area of his sovereignty. Though James’s aura did not extend over all the land yet, he could still feel his ownership of everything that had belonged to his opponent.

For comparison, when he reached out to touch items in his own Dominion, he felt them, almost as if he was simply paying attention to ants crawling on his skin. When he sensed things in the territory that had belonged to Samuel right now, it was a bit like touching things with an artificial limb. He could vaguely tell what was there, but the sensation was indirect. A distant awareness.

Samuel, it seemed, had been busy before James defeated him. James imagined he had probably killed another Ruler before to attain his high level and acquire so much territory.

Would the Ruler of the forest be similar in that respect? Bloated with raw power from previous conquests? James doubted that. The reason for the strange apparitions of the dead was probably to lure in the unwary. Which suggested that the Ruler preferred to lie in wait for prey rather than go invading others’ territory.

“I think we managed it,” Alan said.

“Hm?” James had lost himself in thought about the next battle.

“I think we’ve saved him,” Alan said. “I can pour more Mana in, but I don’t think it’s doing anything anymore.”

James realized that Samuel’s breathing had changed—from the frantic, labored breathing of the dying to the more regular respiration of the merely unconscious.

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“Well done, Alan,” James said, giving him an appreciative smile.

“Let me see about your arm, then,” Alan replied. He instantly turned his glowing hands on James's injury, though the shoulder stump had already grown an inch or two of flesh in the time they had been working on the alligator.

James did not resist. Instead, he reached out for the first time to the new population he had just become the Ruler of.

Can you hear me, Mutant Sewer Alligators? James sent. As with the wolves, his Usurper Title had granted him instant access to a telepathic group chat with his new allies. He wondered, as he sent the message, if he was going to encounter Mutant Sewer Turtles later, but did not have time to entertain the absurd thought.

We hear you—uh, new Ruler, sent one of the larger Mutant Sewer Alligators immediately. Would you mind telling us, um, will former Monarch Samuel be all right?

He should recover, James replied. Could a group of you gather around here and prepare to carry Samuel back within what was formerly your territory? I suspect he will recover better in the swamp, which is still bathed in his aura, than outside it. He and I will talk further once he wakes up.

There were multiple affirmative answers, and James detected a tone of relief. Even though he and Samuel had each promised to spare the other’s people, he suspected that might not have been the alligators’ actual expectation from him.

He remained pragmatic as always, though. And James thought that an alligator unit within his army would be much more useful than a bunch of alligator meat for the Fisher Kingdom.

—

The world went dark for Samuel.

It stayed that way for long hours. He had no concept of time while he was unconscious, but as he came to himself, his strong internal clock reasserted itself. He instantly remembered what had happened. He knew he had been beaten.

And badly, I would wager. Samuel reached out experimentally, trying to activate Dominion, but as he expected, the Skill was no longer there. So it really wasn’t a bad dream. I got my tail kicked.

The thought was less depressing than he had expected it to be. There was always someone better, after all. This reality, of being someone else’s subject rather than the master of his fate and hundreds of others’, was one that he knew he would grow accustomed to gradually. He would prove himself useful to this Fisher King—and perhaps rise in his esteem. Eventually be trusted. Be allowed the role of leadership over his own kind.

Samuel began taking a diagnostic of his own body, eyes still closed. Tail was still there. All four legs. Both eyes. Armor over his whole body was intact. He had lost a few teeth in the process of ripping his opponent’s arm off as brutally as he did. And of course his insides were messed up.

Not as messed up as I remember them being, he dimly realized. The pain should be sharper, fresher. This isn’t exactly agony. It’s a dull ache. An injury that’s further along in healing than it should be.

There was the very quiet sound of swimming near him, and his mind was pulled away from the condition of his own body. Samuel still had not opened his eyes, and he did not do so now. He had no need to look to know who was approaching.

“How are my children doing?” the former Ruler asked.

“See, I knew he was awake!” crowed Helga, Samuel’s older daughter.

“I said so, too!” whined Rowena.

“Girls, could you please ask him if he’s okay?” Samuel recognized the voice of Salazar, his boy, from further away.

“If you wanted to check on him, you could’ve come over yourself!” Rowena called back.

“Children, please stop quarreling,” Samuel said evenly.

“You all right, Pop?” Salazar asked.

“I won’t say that I’ve been worse, because that would be a lie,” Samuel replied. “I can tell that I’ll recover, though. I really wasn’t sure about that when I passed out. I guess your old man’s still tough as an old boot, huh?”

“Well, the humans did heal you,” Helga said quietly.

“Huh. So I guess the Healer the Fisher King sent for came in handy after all.”

“The Fisher guy also helped heal you himself,” Rowena said.

“Fisher King,” Helga corrected.

Samuel wanted to stop them from arguing, but he found himself flabbergasted. “What, really?! After I ripped his arm off? How was he in any kind of condition to heal anybody but himself?”

“You said he didn’t seem human, Dad,” Salazar said.

“Yes, son. That I did.” Samuel thought about trying to fall back asleep, but the kids were talking again.

“The Fisher King said he was going to get in touch with you later, after you wake up,” Rowena said.

“Oh, yeah?” Samuel said. “Well, perhaps he will later. I’m sure he is busy with many concerns. He had wolves and some other kind of non-human creature with yellowish skin working with him. Running a country with such a diverse population must be challeng—”

A voice rang out in Samuel’s head. I’m glad you survived that beating, Samuel.

All right, Samuel replied instantly. Fair.

Yeah, the Fisher King’s voice continued. I enjoy gloating, but I will admit, you gave me a great fight. I’ve got to give you that. I think if I’d killed you, that hide of yours would have made some excellent new armor. Is it magic resistant?

Samuel found himself nodding, then remembered that this conversation was telepathic. Yes, it is! And you are the winner. You’re the Ruler of the Sewage Swamp now. So, I guess, if you want my hide, it’s yours to take.

Not at all, the voice replied. I want you on my council. I just wanted to wish you a speedy recovery and say that, if you’re well enough, I’d like to invite you to a meeting of my governing council the day after tomorrow.

Your council?

Yes. I want you to advise me. If you’re not interested, we can revisit that idea of me wearing your skin as armor, though. There are many ways you could contribute to the growth of the Fisher Kingdom.

Samuel snorted with laughter. I’ll be there, he replied. I heal pretty quickly, even without help. Thanks for your effort there, though. Meeting in your terri—er, your preexisting territory, I assume?

Yes. An image of a human building appeared in Samuel’s mind. We’ll be meeting there. I’ll warn people to expect a scary giant reptile to walk up. If you don’t mind, I would appreciate you leaving the other alligators behind for this visit. People are taking baby steps toward getting used to a world with talking monsters and intelligent animals.

I’m still getting used to humans being able to talk myself, Samuel sent.

He felt slightly nervous about the idea of treading onto the Fisher King’s territory alone, but he pushed the feeling away. This was all his territory now. If he meant to ambush and kill his new subject—well, couldn’t he have finished him off in the ring already?

Anything else you wanted to ask me before I go to bed? The Fisher King’s message carried a slight note of weariness for the first time.

What was your name again?

A moment of silence. Then, in an amused tone: James.

King James, one piece of advice before we go. You’re a jack of all trades sort of fighter, aren’t you? You have magic and physical might. Your Strength is on par with mine, and you’re fast too. The trouble with that is that other people will tend to outpace your progress in key areas. You’re liable to fall behind. Before you know it, you’ve lost your edge.

Is that advice? Or a prediction of the future?

That was my post-fight analysis, Samuel replied. My advice is this: never stop fighting. That’s the best way—no, maybe the only way—you can stay ahead.

I appreciate the wise words, James sent. Rest well until our in-person meeting.

Then the connection was broken.