Benjamin – Delta Zone #3 Level 80 – 99

As one of me flicked the black blood and viscera off my hand, another me looked along the sandy shore and noted that it now had a couple of new miniature ponds, which the salty brine of the sea was busy in its effort to erode.

Becalmed for a time as I collectively took to watching the sea go about its work to the soothing sound of its lapping waves. The many me’s just…were…like we had not been ever since the establishment of our flawless memory.

However one of me eventually broke the spell when it wondered what monsters now lurked beneath the salty waves. But more importantly; what did they taste like?

Acknowledging the yearning to walk into the sea and not resurface for a few years, I elected to grudgingly shelve the juvenile want, because although I’d tried to avoid it, I now had responsibilities to people under my protection.

One of me fascinated on that internalized statement for a while, while another me grumbled at having to go back and talk to some doubtless annoyed teenagers and some random party. After which I no doubt had to likely have another annoying conversation with some merchant guy who probably just wanted to fleece me.

The last me still trying to hold the meditative state we had found, relinquished it and dourly went back to danger watch as another me huffed and summoned [Lesser Dimensional Portal]. As a me walked into the glowing circular tear in reality, I got the universal sense a Deja-vu from when I had just started working for the first time and I was late coming back from my lunch break, as I braced for what was likely to be a most harrowing encounter:

You have entered Citadel #1 ‘Keep Out!’

Exiting the sense warping portal, all of me found the shop front of the delinquents, much to my disappointment, to be in a tense state of a standoff I had expected it to be. One of me’s pointed out that I could just have sent them to an Alpha Zone somewhere and not had to worry, like the traitorous hindsight gifted shit that they were, and the other two of me told the smug twat he was on danger watch for the rest of the day.

Looking to the glaring and well equipped, but obviously worse for wear party I had rescued, then to the angry teenagers a me offers.

“Guys! Meet the random group of people I just saved, Random group of people meet my rude but reliable employees!”

Both parties glared at me before one of the six new arrivals that had his bow drawn taught, swiveled it to me and yells.

“WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU AND WHERE THE FUCK ARE WE?”

I opened my mouth to speak when Toni stepped forward and demands.

“I already told ya, ya dickead! Ur in our headquarters an if ya keep waving those weapons about, ya aint gonna be able to wave em much longer!”

The archer was clearly unsatisfied with this response as he swiveled the weapon back to Toni when the burly member of their team added evenly.

“Forgive our rude friend but he has a point, why have we been moved to a ‘Citadel’ and who are you people?”

Toni looked like she was about to snap something when two of me moved me to stand in front of her as another me kept my arms raised and added to the weapon wielding individuals that scrambled to track me.

“Easy now guys… The only thing that is going to happen if you try to attack me or my people is that you’ll get teleported out of here. Immediately.”

After the initially shock of having to find my new location had worn off and Toni had finished grumbling something about how she had the situation under control. The burly guy lowered his sword and shield and a staff wielding woman and mace wielding guy followed his lead.

However the irate bow wielder along with a spear pointing man and a staff wielding man looked at their teammates with a mixture of betrayal and annoyance.

Collectively figuring this was probably the best I was going to get from them for now a me furthers.

“My name is Ben, and I moved you to the Citadel so you wouldn’t die when I activated some skills to kill the Manacraven. Sorry I didn’t get your consent before moving you here…but it looked like you guys were out of gas anyway so…”

A round of silent communication went around the party and a me quirked an eyebrow as it noted some hand signals being used. Letting the conversation play out I elected to wait patiently until the bowman shrugged and eased the tension behind the knocked arrow before lowering it as the other two hold outs followed his lead.

Then to my surprise the large, inscribed metallic shield bearing man stepped forward and cupped his hands in front of his chest and states gravely.

“My party and I thank you for saving us, please forgive our hostile actions.”

Hardly familiar with genuine gratitude, a me immediately waved him off whilst uncomfortably adding.

“No worries mate, I did what anyone would do.”

Coming up from his bow he eyed me from beneath black and bushy eyebrows, as he hesitantly counters.

“I’m not so sure of that friend…regardless… Please receive our heartfelt condolences for the loss of your Party members.”

Blinking confusedly, before one of me pointed out that a Party of delinquents might have gone and done something stupid in my short absence, leading a me to ask with a universal sense of rising dread.

“Uh w-what Party members?”

It was his turn to look confused as his friends eyed me with suspicion and outright hostility as he furthers.

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“The ones who went with you into the siphon?”

Letting out a sigh that was biologically surplus to requirements a me answered as collective relief colored my voice.

“Oh, you had me worried there…I was there alone, so nothing to condole mate!”

The burly Asian guy looked slightly alarmed as the irritable archer to his side spits.

“See! He’s full of shit Kai! I told you he wasn’t to be trusted!”

Mostly ignoring the impingement of my honor as the need to compensate them for their role as bate dwindles into nothingness, a me shrugs and offers.

“Anyway… you guys are free to stay in the Citadel as long as you want, just don’t try and brainwash or extort the other residents and you’re free to come and go as you please.”

The silken black haired oriental woman with the ornate looking metal staff thumped it on the ground and whilst her black robe ruffled, as she demands.

“And who are you to tell us what we can and can’t do! So what if you saved us, we will not be somebodies slaves!”

Groaning as one of me fought the urge to send them back to where I had first met them, in a voice of forced calm a me supplies.

“Because lady…If you are going to stay in the place that I own, I expect you to abide by my laws...”

The me that had just made the statement starts going full Judge Dredd in my head, whilst another me less caught up in the budding megalomania observes the attractive woman’s features working through a series of emotions before Kai, who I now collectively, if tentatively dub as their leader, puts a halting hand in front of the others as he queries.

“When you said your name is Ben…Is that a nickname?”

Looking to the big Korean looking man, a me counters cautiously.

“Ben is short for Benjamin…Why do you ask?”

Their number shared a series of raised eyebrows before Kai furthers.

“You wouldn’t you happen to be the Benjamin that was mentioned in the global announcement, would you?”

The triumvirate sees no reason to hide the fact, leading to a me to ask cautiously.

“Yes, why should that make any difference?”

As the six looked at me in incredulously, Kai counters.

“You don’t know why your name was announced to the world as the leader of earth’s first faction matters?”

A me shakes my head ruefully, while one of me points out that this conversation was going to lead to more pointless platitudes and probably just all around be a waste of time. Given this it strongly recommended I should bid the nosey ungrateful six farewell and get to being annoyed by another arduous conversation that we would be just as equally unproductive in.

The me on danger watch concurs and with a path of action clear, a me offers.

“Look I wasn’t doing it to start conversations like this if that’s what your getting at. Now if you’ll excuse me I have a meeting to get to.”

Looking at me like I just told them I didn’t think very much of their mothers, a me shrugs in collective indifference and turns to a scowling Toni, and prompts.

“So are you gonna point me to this merchant guy or do I have to find him myself?”

Huffing she replies whilst starting to stomp off.

“Ya can be a real rude bugger, ya know that Benji… Besides, pissing people off all the time isn’t the way to go about making friends, in case you were wondering…”

Smiling collegiately at my nonplussed minion the triumvirate decides it isn’t worth the hassle of pointing out that I have in fact been exceedingly polite. Instead we elect to follow in her wake whilst a me counters glibly.

“It’s a good thing that my happiness isn’t contingent on other peoples happiness then isn’t it?”

My smile grows as she grumbles some truly hurtful things about me while we continued the rest of our journey through the bustling central ring. It was after we had passed a few buildings she said in a neutral tone.

“I wanna apologize on behalf of us for whateva Olivia said to ya.”

Caught off guard by the clear sincerity in the deadpan delivery many me’s flounder for a moment before a me rejoins in an equally neutral tone.

“What exactly did she say she said?”

Turning a sideways eye in my direction, as my's poker face bears her silent inquisition, it feels like we were the only two people in a cone of dead silence amongst the throng of people as they moved this way and that.

The moment held for what seemed like an eternity for the me’s, when the triumvirate wondered in near synchronicity, just what mess and misunderstanding I had gotten into. And further still, would it ruin what little standing I had barely managed to accrue with our minions thus far?

Then the world begins to turn again as Toni states.

“She didn’t say anythin, but it don’t take a genius ta figure out wat she stayed behind fer...The way she kept lookin at ya afta ya lost ya clothes was jus plain disturbin…Plus, when she came through tha portal she looked like thins didn’t go how she wanted, and when ya didn’t come back…”

She gave me a side eye again as we weaved through the thoroughfare, before carrying on.

“Anyway…sorry for whateva she did or said, an if ya could leave her disciplining ta me an Yerg we would consider it a personal fava….”

Feeling collectively distinctly disquieted by the conversation and the OH&S issues that might arise in the future from it on account of an employee having been angered by having their sexual advances rebuffed. One of me points out that she shouldn’t be disciplined, while another me points out that I could free myself from the favor I owed her with acquiescence to her absurd request.

The inside of my head devolved into a lengthy internal debate about freedom of expression, necessary boundaries, workplace relationships and if I wanted to be a feared or a respected employer.

The triumvirate became lost in the toing and froing of the existential crisis for far too long, before the voice that was its inception asks nervously.

“S-so whadya say b-boss?”

Having come to a loose consensus I walked to the side of the self-absorbed passers by and waited for her to follow, before a me supplies.

“No can do kiddo.”

Annoyance and frustration plagued her features as she opened her mouth to protest, but the me cut her off as it continued.

“I don’t want anyone being disciplined or fired just because they made me uncomfortable…Don’t get me wrong, I will actively avoid her in the future, but that’s as far as I’m prepared to go. So keep your favor, and don’t go wasting it on something as tragic as my sex life…And if we can never speak of this again, I would consider it the second favor I owe you…”

A me intently watched her as the other me spoke, the story her facial expressions told was enough of an indication that we had at least in part made the right call.

And if the report from my often inept body language interpretations were not enough of an indicator, a smile tugged at her lips before she coughed awkwardly and added.

“Well If ya put it like that…I hav ta agree now don’t I…”

Nodding and gladly changing the subject, a me demands light heartedly.

“Now that’s dealt with, where’s this damn merchant?”

Chuckling, Toni pointed back the way we had just come as she replies somewhat sheepishly.

“Sorry boss, we kinda passed it already… I jus thought it was betta ta sort that stuff before I sent ya inta negotiatin angry…”

Scowling at the duplicitous, if wise minion, the others me’s mostly paid no head to one of me’s suggestion of sending her to the toasty Gamma Zone #23, to solitarily contemplate the error of her ways. As it was a fleeting revocation of the recently ratified employee non-torture act, the me settled on giving the now unrepentant girl the evil eye for the exceedingly short journey to a storefront in the merchant area.

While we traveled in silence among the fragile passersby's I was universally reminded how alone I still was, and after reviewing my recent interactions with the teens under my employ, I found that while I still cared for them they had sadly proven untrustworthy.

It wasn’t simply that their opinions differed from my own, but rather that they also sought to actively subvert my will despite having already made my stance on matters clear. And though their actions may be well meaning and ineffectual, they only reinforced the fact that they couldn’t be put in charge of any administrative systems whatsoever.

Coming to a halt in front of the storefront, Toni made a sweeping gesture at the white facade that had a golden plaque with black, cursive writing etched into its surface. Shooing away the delinquents protesting leader, with a ‘thank you for your service and that will be all for today’ speech, the me’s stood for a few minutes to watch the comings and goings from the clearly in demand store.