CHAPTER 106: What a Leputi Wants

“I’m sorry for how your tribe is treated, but how does that come to you joining us?” asked Abbey.

“Thank you for your sympathies, great healer. While we were researching this world and the races that occupied it prior to the planetary merging, we found a native network of information. A great amount of this information focused on teaching and demonstrating the mating process,” explained the Leputi chief.

“You spent your time before the invasion watching…?” gasped Tom.

“It was quite enlightening, and it filled our hearts with joy to find another race as focused on making offspring as our own.” An almost tearful gleam entered the chief’s eye as he looked to something far off. Clearly an emotional moment for him. Several of the Leputi nearby murmured and nodded in agreement, looking hopeful.

“Actually, chiefy,” started Tom, before Alissa slapped a hand over his mouth.

“Don’t you dare spoil it for them,” she whispered. “No need to make our race look even dumber.” Tom nodded in acceptance before she removed her hand.

“Then what? You want us to do it with you guys?” asked Tom.

“If it isn’t beyond your people to join with us in mating, then that would be another boon that you could provide to us.”

“Is it even possible for us to have kids with you?” asked Alissa. “What about DNA and genetics?”

“I do not understand dee enn ay, great mistress,” the chief said with confusion.

“Don’t worry about it for now. I’ll find you a book on it. She means cats can’t have kids with dogs. You guys are Leputi and we’re humans. How would we have offspring,” said Tom.

“I understand your question, Lord Tom. Normally that isn’t possible, however using the Leputi’s special racial qualities, we are able to meld both races into offspring. When our men sire offspring with females of other races they always belong to the other race. When the offspring are born to our females, they might be Leputi, the siring race, or a new race that combines the qualities of the two. For reasons unknown, the [System] encourages this type of species melding and has even declared it blasphemy to kill a Leputi with the Breeder class.”

“Is that why all the kneeling people have that class?” asked Abbey.

“That is correct, great healer. Traditionally when we are hunted and taken by other races, they kill any who are not of the Breeder class and take those who are. To ensure as many of our tribe can survive as possible, we evolve to the class before we are conquered. In this case we have almost 450 of the breeder class, 50 of the midwife class that helps facilitate the gestation and birth periods while ensuring health. Most of the remaining 100 are those who volunteered to keep their classes as they wanted to protect the rest, even knowing their deaths will come at the end.”

“You can evolve to this breeder class whenever?” asked Alissa.

“Yes, great mistress. It is a racial class and only requires a single level to evolve to it. It becomes available to us as soon as we reach a fertile age. Even if we evolve away from it we do not lose it as an evolution option,” answered the chief.

“It also hides your strength since it doesn’t indicate your stats, skills, or what level you had before,” commented Tom. “How devious.”

“That is not our intent, Lord Tom. Simply happenstance, though it has kept many of our people safe.”

“Ok. Let me get this straight, you want to come work for us and you want us to pay you in mating. We won’t even have to take responsibility for the babies since you want them?” asked Tom with an evil smirk.

“You would leave the babies with us?” the chief asked in shock. “That is unheard of.”

Alissa punched Tom in his armored back. “I wouldn’t mind having a cute little bunny baby running around.”

“Yeah, alright. Some of our men would be fine leaving the ankle biters. I can’t speak for everyone though. That would be up to each person,” admitted Tom.

“That would be more than we could have dreamed,” responded the chief with glee. “Most races keep the babies that look like them, then only return full Leputi to us to be raised as future breeders for their race. Those with mixed species traits are forced to become warriors that we do not see again. To be able to keep and grow our tribe is our greatest joy.”

“Yeah, well, there was a mansion on earth dedicated to dressing humans like bunnies,” Tom said slimily, gaining him another punch that almost dented his armor from Alissa.

“Pervert,” she spat at him.

“You don’t know the half of it,” he leered at her. “Ain’t that right, boss?”

Adam stood there, looking at the fake sky, with intense concentration on his face. Instead of his arms crossed, he was now gripping the knife and sword at his belt.

“How are you holding up, Adam,” asked Abbey as she cast another heal into him.

“Poorly,” he said through clenched teeth. “Hurry.”

“You can go outside and I’ll handle this for you, boss,” offered Tom.

“Tried. Can’t. Get it done!”

The chief startled when he looked at Adam.

“Are the discussions not to his Excellencies likings?” asked the chief with concern.

“That’s not it, but let’s figure this out quicker,” hurried Tom. “So, you want to join the Sentinel Army and increase your numbers in safety. What else?”

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“We would prefer being given a place to live within your planetary merged Rift so that we are not threatened by the Bobomon. Since I will be giving my life to allow this, I would also beg that his Excellency take my daughter as an exclusive mate to sire a new chief for our tribe.”

“No way!” snapped Alissa. “No having kids with Adam if I can’t!”

“Apologies, great mistress. I did not realize that you were already a chosen mate. The exclusive part is that my daughter cannot mate with another male, to ensure that the mighty one’s strength is passed on the child. As for taking him from you, it is not widely known that our midwives overlap alchemists and can brew a medicine that will improve the chances of two powerful individuals conceiving.”

“It’s a political marriage, Allie,” Tom said to Alissa, getting him a punch for the shortened name. “Fine. Alissa. You’ll get something from it too.”

“Oh, alright,” sulked Alissa after looking over at Adam and seeing the difficulty he was having in restraining his desire to end the invaders.

“Alright. We take in the tribe, allow them to increase their numbers with the help of our people, and your daughter joins the general’s wives club. What do we get?” continued Tom.

“We can offer very little. You will be able to take this base once you have killed me. I’m not sure what other value we bring,” admitted the chief.

“Wait, why do we have to kill you?” asked Tom.

“There is a [System] contract in place. All the Leputi are bound to me, and I am bound to the mighty Scyrric.”

“That suddenly makes things more complicated. We don’t know anything about these contracts,” said Tom. “Can you explain to me how they work?”

“These [System] contracts are rare and can be used to bind people to each other with severe consequences. In my case I was tasked with protecting this Dimensional Convergence Rift and following the orders of the Scyrric overseer to whom I was bound to. In addition, all those belonging to my tribe must follow me in this or be executed by my own hands.”

“Harsh,” said Tom with a frown. “Then this contract can be ended if we kill you?”

“Yes, though to kill me, the other Leputi will be forced to fight as well since they must follow my commands to protect this base should you try to take it. I request that you subdue as many as possible and only kill them if necessary. As long as a few survive then our tribe will live on, fulfilling our desire.”

“Bleak,” muttered Tom. “We have one more glaring problem.”

“What’s that?” asked Abbey.

“Cancelling their contract doesn’t stop them from being invaders. The boss will still want to kill them.”

“What can we do about that?” asked Abbey.

“Chiefy, is there a way for me to see this [System] contract you’re under?”

The chief did some things through his control of the Rift Menu and a screen appeared in a language that Tom didn’t understand.

“Uh…I can’t read this. Can it be translated?” asked Tom.

“You can’t read [System Standard]?” the chief asked curiously.

“Didn’t even know that was a thing,” said Tom proudly, reveling in a convenient excuse for his ignorance.

“I never knew natives couldn’t. Most race’s offspring are born with the ability to learn it quickly. I have heard that beasts or lower intelligent races don’t learn it automatically, probably due to how they evolve,” explained the chief.

“Is there a way to teach me before the boss murders you all?” asked Tom, hoping to find a shortcut. The chief looked worriedly at Adam.

“Yes, Lord Tom. Give me but a moment.”

The chief once more operated his Rift Menu, and then reality shifted and a crystal about the size of a human pinky appeared in his hand.

“I bought this from the Rift Shop. It doesn’t cost much, and it is there for individuals and races that need to learn [System Standard]. Put this crystal into your mouth and consume it.”

The chief handed the crystal to Tom. He inspected it from all directions, even holding it up to the light created from the rift sky.

“Are you sure it’s wise to…” Alissa began before Tom tossed the crystal into his mouth. He licked it, sucked on it, and then began chomping as it became taffy like. After a minute of moving it around, suddenly it dissolved.

“Oh! OOOOOOOOOH!” Tom screamed. “Now this is how school should be!”

Turning back to the display with the contract, Tom now understood not just the symbols and language in front of him, but also the nuance and meaning behind the phrases. It was like he had been using the language his whole life. He was even sure he would be able to write out curse words and vulgar phrases, the most important parts of learning any second language.

“Hmm…” he said as he finished reading the contract and started again from the beginning.

“Hmm…” Tom thought out loud.

“Huh. Then, hmm…” said Tom with confidence.

Alissa punched him again. A dent was definitely forming in his armor.

“Chiefy, can you open a secure private communication line to our own Rift base? Oh, and I need two more of those language crystals.”

“Yes, Lord Tom.” The chief manipulated the Rift Menu and two more of those crystals appeared on his hand in a wave of altered reality. Then he did some more things they couldn’t see. “Who are you directing the communication to?”

“Jordan Lane. He’s in charge of the center.”

“Yes, he is listed as a possible controller,” said the chief. Then a new window appeared with Jordan’s face.

“Tom? Where are you? How are you calling me from outside of the base? Is that a rabbit man?!”

“Oh, Jordan, Jordan, Jordan. This is not a rabbit man. My pal here is a bunny man.”

“Isn’t that the same thing?” asked Jordan suspiciously.

“Of course not. Anyway. I got something I know you want,” teased Tom as he held up one of the crystals. Jordan’s suspicion grew.

“What is that, Tom?”

“The entire language the Rift Menu is built on. Sucking down this crystal will let you understand everything we couldn’t before, including all the alien communications.”

“No way! That can’t be possible!” exclaimed Jordan.

“It’s true. I already used one,” nodded Tom. Jordan eyed him through the display.

“What do you want for it, Tom?” asked Jordan suspiciously, his face scrunching in disgust.

“Well, let’s see. I would like…” Tom was about to rattle off a list when Alissa hit him one more time.

“Give him the crystal, Tom!” she threatened.

“Fiiiine,” Tom said to Alissa before turning back to the display.

“Let’s say you owe me one,” said Tom to Jordan. Then he addressed the chief. “Can you send this through to him?”

“As long as he accepts to receive it,” said the chief, not really sure of what was happening.

One crystal disappeared from Tom’s hand and Jordan turned to do something to the side of the display they were using. Then he held up the crystal, inspecting it like Tom had before shrugging and placing it into his mouth. After a moment of trying to chew it, he screamed in victory, hands in the air and excitement all over his face.

“Now I can…I can’t wait to…this will solve so many…I wonder what they even say…”

“Jordan, before that. I need you to connect me with my dad. Also, send him the second crystal.”

Tom nodded to the chief and he once more sent a crystal through to Jordan. Jordan did more Rift Menu stuff and then a third display appeared featuring Mr. Rhodes, who looked like he had just gotten home from a hunt. He was sweaty and in bloody clothes, with Darren and Philip in the room behind him.

“What do you need, Tom?” asked his dad. In the background Darren exclaimed, “Is that a rabbit man?!”

“It’s a bunny man, damnit. Can’t you tell them apart, Gimli?” muttered Tom with a disappointed head shake.

“Anyway, dad,” Tom address Mr. Rhodes. “I have a contract I want your opinion on.”

“A contract? There is no way to enforce contracts. You might not have noticed but civilization collapsed,” said Mr. Rhodes sarcastically.

“Yeah, dad. A [System] contract. Something new.”

“Oh! Let me see!”

“Eat the crystal that Jordan sent you first.”

Surprisingly, Mr. Rhodes put the crystal in his mouth without a question, even though it had been sent by Tom. It dissolved into knowledge.

“Wow! That’s amazing, Tom,” exclaimed Mr. Rhodes.

“Beats school,” said Tom.

“Now, Tom,” lectured Mr. Rhodes. “School teaches you more than just knowledge. It teaches you how to think and problem solve…”

The sound of a sword sliding halfway out of its sheath echoed behind Tom, then it was forcible shoved back down.

“That’s great, dad. Not the time for a lecture. We need to problem solve this contract. Quickly, before the boss goes murder happy on the bunnies.”