Benjamin – Alpha Zone #7934 Level 1 – 20
Stepping free of the warping sensation of our [Lesser Dimensional Portal]’s transition effect, we collectively stood where days before one of me had deposited the lone survivor come messenger of our quite reasonable demands.
Scanning the shanty town outskirts of the City we'd previously scouted, before my's botched attempt at negotiations, a me noted the stark absence of people in its decidedly ramshackle architecture:
You have entered Alpha Zone #7934 Level 1 – 20.
Willing away the notification of my obvious location a couple of me marvel that for all its haphazard makeup, the place thankfully didn’t suffer from the abhorrent lack of hygiene, like that of its old Earth counterparts.
Following the unexpected lack of heraldic fanfare our arrival generated we continue to casually roam its confines, in the hope of finding a willing guide yet try as any of me might, we find not a single soul to aid in hastening our quest.
And so as our collective unease continues to grow at the lack of populace in the once bustling and poorly planned streets, we head to the City’s prominent and formidable looking walls, skirting them till one of me finds an entrance.
Walking slowly up to the black ramp that meets the none-to-welcoming gate, so as not to alarm the armored headed figures bobbing up and down like Meerkat’s to furtively inspect us. All of me make it about halfway to the fortifications base when someone none of us can see demands in an authoritative shout.
“HALT STRANGER!...STATE YOUR NAME AND PURPOSE!?!”
Shrugging as the three of me see no point in hiding our purpose a me replies just loud enough so as not to make them bleed.
“BENJAMIN, I CO-!”
But my's words cease to matter as our physical trappings are disintegrated whilst the world around us erupts.
Unilaterally we're flung away as a result of the all encompassing explosion and as one of me registers our swift passage through the frail shanty town and into a cliff face. Another me is thankful that no one else was around to be caught in the egregious blast radius that we'd all witnessed during said flight.
A third me points out that given that the sprawling suburbia was already vacant, it was kind of a dead giveaway that this was almost certainly their plan from the outset.
Once more we reminded our-selves of our naiveté in things such as war, and mock my's universal hubris at how having played thousands of hours of strategy games had earned the me's some kind of expertise in such endeavors.
Putting the multiplicative self recrimination aside, one of me gets to assessing the state of our body while another me ponders the nature and origin of the herculean explosion that punted us so.
Circling back round to our hubris, all of me had simply assumed that with the institution of the system, it’s progenitors had near completely managed to strip humanity of our pre-magic artifice and ingenuity.
Whilst one of me confirms that my red health bar is full and all my physical bits are where their supposed to be it then cooperates with another me to swiftly extricate our-selves from the cliff side crater we ended up in.
The me that is still contemplating my assumptive shortcomings re-scans the medium sized mushroom cloud and adjacent crater that sits in front of the city.
As it confirms that humanity clearly has not lost all of its previous advancements in this new world as we'd assumed, the me wonders just which form of explosives they have exhumed from our races workings in chemistry.
Landing with a *Thud* on the rocky ground at the cliffs base, the triumvirate concludes that the exact substance is of little consequence on account of the fact that it did nothing short of make all of me guilty of public indecency.
An odd sense of relief floods through me’s as the collective realization dawns that we no longer have to try and reason with the faction known as The Shakti. Only slightly irked at being perennially locked out of peaceful resolutions for the foreseeable future the many me’s turn our skills and monstrous body, to the violently homicidal task of forcefully abolishing The Shakti’s center of power:
Congratulations Elevant!
You and or your army has successfully Conquered this Outpost, Please select one of the following:
>Claim – Become the Administrator or Administrators of ‘New New Delhi’ City #2, requires an initial investment of 3,731,256 Manamotes to repair damage done to its structures and Defensive grid.
>Raze – Disintegrate ‘New New Delhi’ City #2 and receive remuneration equal to 1,268,744 Manamotes + Total sum of Manamotes invested by the previous inhabitants.
Collectively contemplating as a me looked down the corridor of terminals in the City’s HUB where we now stood, to the framed view of its encircling fiery remains. The air reverberates with the echoing screams of those now all too keenly aware of their folly in trying to end us.
The me could just make out where it had cleaved our way past the wall and its ineffectual defenders, and internally debated on what to do with the remains of old New New Delhi.
Doubtless there were still people who would try to rise up and take back the city by any means at their disposal. And given the means they had already deployed, I had no doubt that the next time they tried to pull something of that this nature, they would likely use methods far less germane to do so.
Sighing at the decision the many me’s came to, a me selected ‘Raze’ and took a moment to appreciate the sensation of the three million plus manamotes adding to our already impressive personal stash of magical cash, whilst a bluish white light subsumed the building where we stood.
When the light faded and all that the system had constructed was no more, all that was left was a massive flat clearing with tens of thousands of armed individuals sporting shocked expressions. Unfortunately, their features didn’t stay as such, by way of morphing into something akin to how one might look after you have just destroyed their home.
As chance would have it that was indeed the case and the triumvirate started to feel a wee bit guilty right up until they started shooting at us...again...
With hostilities refreshed and our prospective targets free from cover, we set about stripping their future choices from them, owing in no small part to the fact that they had already proven they could not be trusted to make the correct ones.
Especially where the safety of those under my protection was concerned:
You have slain Initiate Spearman level 76, no experience gained due to level disparity.
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You have slain Initiate Bow Adept level 81, no experience gained due to level disparity.
..
You have slain Initiate Knight level 80, no experience gained due to level disparity.
…
You have slain Initiate Mage level 78, no experience gained due to level disparity.
….
You have slain Initiate Cleric level 72, no experience gained due to level disparity.
…..
You have slain Initiate Archer level 83, no experience gained due to level disparity.
……
You have slain Initiate Dagger Sworn level 84, no experience gained due to level disparity.
…….
You have slain Initiate Sword Adept level 82, no experience gained due to level disparity.
……..
You have slain Initiate Man At Arms level 75, no experience gained due to level disparity.
………
You have slain Initiate Beastmaster level 83, no experience gained due to level disparity.
……….
You have slain Initiate Shaman level 85, no experience gained due to level disparity.
………..
You have slain Initiate Alchemist level 89, no experience gained due to level disparity.
After a certain point, like with how the me’s cleared the blockade around my Citadel, we found little vindictive joy in completion of the task.
There was no challenge to the methodical slaughter of my fellow man and woman as they couldn’t even manage to flee in an effective manner. Thus, the best any of me could do for them was make their ends as swift and painless as possible.
When the discordant shouts and screams had ceased, and none of me could sense any motion from recently vacated space in the base of the red rocked bowl that had once been so uniformly level.
No longer preoccupied with the most efficient way to snuff out lives, the triumvirate made space for our regret and gnawing existential doubt to recommence in full.
Unsure of how long we stood upon the upturned ground and pondered the necessity of our actions that had so deftly extinguished so many lives. We only knew that our ash painted and naked form, began to shake and tremble in revolt at the death each and every one of us had created this foul day.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
When the tears began to flow, we feared that we would be in this moment that somehow eclipsed all our previous maleficent memories for the rest of our now sleepless years.
But reality as it so often had in the past, corrected our universal self-indulgent sophistry and doubt, by way of something *thunk*ing into the side of our head.
Whatever had struck my's cranium, while sufficient to wake us from our torturous indolence, failed to make our preposterously enhanced neck even twitch.
Slowly turning to face the sound of approaching, staggered footsteps, a small smile crept onto our mouth as a me discovered the familiarly livid visage of the ‘General’ whom we'd sent before us to try and help impart visceral knowledge of our level of real world power to his comrades.
As the clearly incensed and wounded man rushed toward me's with a spear in his only working and unbloodied arm, all of me decided that seeing as he had survived the obliteration of his forces.
Twice no less.
He had earned the right for his thoroughly misguided plight to be heard anew.
With the power of jolly cooperation the me's cut short his ungainly journey and incapacitated his other arm whilst disintegrating his weapon in the process.
Attack having failed, he collapsed to the ground leading to us collectively and diligently waiting for his scream of fresh agony to echo around the still smoking killing field as it bounced off the oppressive red rocked cliffs at its edge.
Eventually silence fell and all of me felt that the understanding of his current predicament was sufficient to attempt polite conversation.
“So Rajiv?...Why the hell did your people try and blow me up instead of trying to find a peaceful solution this time?”
Face contorting in rage he tried to spit at us, leading a me to dodge his viscous and bloody projectile.
He huffed a few more ragged breaths and one of me posited that we might have to ask again before his horse voice replied.
“W-we are children of mother India! We w-will never surrender to be ruled again! NOT EVEN BY THE LIKES OF YOU, MONSTER!”
Despite the pointless waste of life we unilaterally found respect at the way he stuck to his guns, in spite of his obvious and imminent demise. But we also felt it was inherently cruel to make the man suffer any further, especially if it was only because we just wanted a conversation partner.
So a me lifted him by his neck with our ashen hand till he managed to use his feet correctly and asked.
“Any final words mate?”
His face lost its surety for a moment as he began.
“I-if you see a lady in w-white robes call-“
But an authoritative shout that carried across the bowl unfortunately cut short Rajiv's final plea.
“SPARE HIM ABOMINATION!”
Focusing on the direction the proclamation had come from, we see two figures at the cliff’s edge.
One, a bearded Indian man, gripping a shield and curved sword whilst also sporting a suit of shining red and orange chainmail.
The other, a grey haired and elderly Indian woman in pristine white robes, gripping nothing but a gnarled wooden staff.
Unanimously intrigued, the me released the broken Rajiv before it teamed up with another me to split air and stone, causing the macabre scenery to blur as we’re brought next to the two figures, whilst the cliff top cracks upon my arrival.
One of me relinquishes it's increased perceptive speed causing the abrupt loss of our inappropriate joy at their slow motion and terror wracked reactions.
Leading a me to inquire of the back peddling duo.
“And why the hell should I do that?”
To my surprise the elderly white haired woman took point, marshaling herself enough to respond in a voice that spoke of comfort and assurance.
“Because all life is precious young man.”
Multitudinously thrown for a loop by the juxtaposition of the company she keeps and her philosophical leanings, one of me can’t help but ask.
“Ok…So…What is your stance on say…I don’t know…killing people who are trying to flee?”
Her now serene gaze doesn’t falter as she assured me warmly.
“That would be wrong.”
Not sure how serious grandma zen was, another me asks of her armed and stern faced companion in a sufficiently sideways and conspiratorial manner.
“She knows that you guys have been invading other peoples settlements and murdering those who resist and stuff, right?”
The man’s features took on an even stonier quality as he confirms.
“Initiate Peacemaker Padma is aware of the realities of The Shakti’s efforts to secure our peoples continued existence.”
Looking askance at the man’s urbane description of his faction’s invasive efforts. One of me labels the old lady as somehow more dangerous and cunning than any foe we have yet faced.
Another of us endeavors to remain constructive as it renews our questioning of his provocative demand.
“So why did ‘you’ ask me to spare Rajiv and not anyone else?”
Fixing me with a steely glare for a moment he rejoins.
“Because we only just arrived and discovered what you had…done…As for Rajiv? He was merely following my orders. Now what is it you want monster?”
Blinking at the man who seems effectively ok with throwing away a hundred thousand plus of his subordinates lives to only capitulate in the very next moment.
Another me takes the verbal reigns as it probes incredulously.
“Entrapping my citizens and trying to blow me up didn’t work out, so now you’re just going to try and make fucking nice?!”
His scowl deepens while also growling menacingly at us before grandma serenity puts a boney hand on his sword wielding forearm, causing him to release a long breath before grinding out.
“Name your price fiend…”
Collectively shaking our head, one of me marvels at the sheer testicular fortitude the guy possesses, whilst another counters.
“Careful Uncle Beardo…A more sensitive guy might take offense to such crass name calling…I also doubt you guys have anything that would interest me.
Aside from self-interest, there’s the little problem of having just defeated your armies and leaving you to go off and raise another…”
He lets out grim bass laughter for a moment before adding.
“You think I am the sum of the great Shakti?! It won’t change a hair on Vishnu’s pretty head if I die here today boy! There are millions of my people just waiting to finish what I have begun!”
Looking at the guy, all of me can tell he believes his words, and what’s more depressing, the becalmed face of the elderly lady tells me she’s been dipped in the same crazy Fool-Aid right up to her fucking neck as well.
After the triumvirate convenes and the decision is reached, one of me makes one last ditch attempt.
“You sure you can’t just go back and tell your guys that this one people against the world thing is just a big mistake?”
The zealot laughs like he’s won before exulting.
“You see how pointless it is now don’t you boy?! All of us would rather die th-“
My bloodied fist unanimously grants his wish as his heads constituent parts dis-coperate behind where his headless body now teeters:
You have slain Initiate Bulwark Level 83, no experience gained due to level disparity.
509,661 Manamotes acquired from Initiate Bulwark.
Parasitic Mutator trait activated, do you wish to absorb the Lesser Commanding Presence trait y/n? 4 minutes 59 seconds remaining.
One of me mentally intones ‘no’ to the trait absorption as it will likely have a negligible impact thanks to the now damnable and ever present 'Abyss Scarred' debuff,
Meanwhile another me asks of the blood splattered and wide eyed older woman.
“Ok lets make it quick shall we...Any last words love?”
She lets out a few shaky breaths while she watches the rest of Uncle Beardo’s body crumple to the ground.
The scraping of his now defunct shield and sword upon the freshly red coated chainmail, the only sound on our windswept cliff top and one of me starts to feel that maybe this was all a mistake.
Which is when grandma zen’s face hardens and she levels a stern gaze at us as her voice resolutely intones.
“You will now spend the rest of your days in unquestioning service to The Shakti!”
You have resisted the skill Lesser Forced Recruitment.
I grin at the old cunning fox as she drops her wooden cane and clutches her head in apparent agony, whilst blood trickles down her nose to drop and mingle with the rest of her ex-compatriots viscus remains on her once pristine white robes.
All of me feel kinda relieved at having the moral weight of ending her existence somewhat eased as one of me enquire’s whilst jabbing a thumb at the un-moving body.
“Is that how you got him into your cult of peace, love and carnage?”
Her countenance cracks as she stammers.
“Y-you are n-not HUMAN!”
Slightly hurt at all this not entirely unwarranted name calling that’s been going on, a me gives her another chance to leave this world on a better note.
“So those are your final words?”
Shakily, she wipes the blood from her nose and straightens herself up to meet my's gaze with defiant and bloodshot eyes before croaking.
“Tell Rajiv that I will be waiting for him in the next life with Lakshmi at my side.”
This leads us to pause for a moment to stand in awe of her ability to face the end with such dignity...Then our misgivings on there actually being an afterlife rear their spectery head. This in turn leads one of me to point out that it would be honorable to let the pair of them go at least go to nowhere together.
The Triumvirate concurs on the grounds that, 'what use are my superhuman abilities if they do not enable us to create moments of compassion'.
Even for our unreasonable and sneakily underhanded zealot like foes...
One of me looks to where we left the disarmed and wounded Rajiv to discover that while he has moved a wee bit, in the time it has taken us to conduct our unique brand of diplomacy he only managed to stumble a couple of hundred meters towards us.
Shrugging a me instructs the still unyielding and feisty old bird.
“Hold that thought.”
Then it opens a [Lesser Dimensional Portal] under her with its destination set next to her soon to be co-traveler. Her eyes go wide as she lets out a half scream whilst disappearing into the tear in reality beneath her and a me looks to confirm that she’s arrived mostly un-scuffed before canceling the skill.
Then utilizing the far more exhilarating power of jolly cooperation, we are brought next to the pair of startled and condemned individuals.
Their reactions to our arrival however are far less gratifying this time on account of how they were likely expecting it. Yet even in this, the way they try to pointlessly shield their faces from the rush of wind and chips of stone has its merits.
Not wanting to create more deathbed drama then is strickly necessary, a me offers.
“So this is it guys, say what you gotta say to each other then its lights out.”
They both scowl at me for a beat, then turn to each other and embrace with such fervent need that our eyes go a tiny bit blurry for some reason.
Our armor clanks and rasps as a me walks slowly over the uneven ground to give them a sliver of privacy while all of me studiously inspect the recently renovated cliffs that encircle the freshly created graves of so many thousands of murdery and power hungry brainwashed cultists.
Its only a minute or so until the voice of the old lady announces in echoing defiance to the graveyard at large.
“We are ready monster.”
Great Flying Spaghetti monster sauce it!
All of me seem to be finding it harder and harder to hate this old bat as a we robotically trudge back over to the condemned. An internal fracture breaks out as the question is raised of if we really have to follow through with my's threat.
One of me wants to spare them as long as they swear fealty. Another me wants to remain true to our word and not half arse the eradication of threats to our minions, whilst just as importantly protecting our new launching pad for the Revengening of Maxy.
Meanwhile a third me wonders if it isn’t better to just call the whole thing off and let grandma Zen and the Shakti have their way by being the new powerhouse humanity deserves.
And so internal mass-debation is waged once more, over the key point of whether or not revenge for the one true dog is worth all the pain, loss and suffering.
Huffing to our-selves as the chorused 'YES!' within us nearly quashes all my multitudinous misgivings.
Unfortunately, all of me fail not to feel rebellious tears begin to trickle down our ash covered face as we take in the bloody and beaten pair gripping each other tightly as they kneel on the upturned ground.
A me fixes each of them with our best pissed off face as it laments.
“I wish it d-didn’t have to be like this…Why c-couldn’t you j-just…”
Then the me that's about to cry takes a mental breather as another less affected me clears our throat to remove the lump the other me left as a glimmer of hope takes root in the old lady’s eyes.
Obviously looking to capitalize our moment ow weakness she offers warmly.
“You could always join us and renounce your monstrous ways Benjamin?”
Rajiv looks aghast at his fellow embrace’e for a moment, and I elect to put the guys fears to rest before he goes, by countering.
“No can do love...Maxy would never let me hear the end of it.”
And as confusion flares on her features and resolution retakes Rajiv’s own, a me casts [Lesser Dimensional Absence] on them and their entirety is erased from reality itself:
You have slain Initiate Peacemaker level 85, no experience gained due to level disparity.
You have slain Initiate Lancer level 81, no experience gained due to level disparity.
Hateful task complete, many me’s turned our minds and body to the task of removing the rest of The Shakti from control of their many Settlements and far fewer City’s.
It was an odd thing to be a lone conqueror of our fellow man, especially considering that all of me were, based off of previous evidence, not cut out to be a genocidal battle maniac.
In the stories we used to digest, the main characters had always seemed to posses a clarity of conscience and unwavering focus.
Me's however?
Well we were just some guy who began with a few less marbles than most with atrocious people skills, stripped of what little we cared for and got permanently cursed in our bonus round.
It seemed that no matter how enhanced we might be. The only thing any of me was good for was the fundamental breaking of things.
So break we did.
Slaying all who attempted to forcefully oppose our offers of non-aggression, reaping their lives as mechanically as a harvester would a crop of wheat.
Yet despite our macabre threat removal, the me's were able to take some solace in the fact that we managed to spare several settlements. This been largely due to them apparently receiving word through the terminals of our obliteration of their two main forces.
Sadly though, many simply refused to believe our claims till they themselves inevitably met the same regrettable fate.
And as the monotony of the one man preemptive peace keeping operation wore on, It wasn’t until we'd entered Alpha Zone #3,901. Reaching the eighty third such Settlement affiliated with the Shakti, that all of me encountered something of both a vexing and slightly more edifying nature...