Benjamin – Alpha Zone #3,901 Level 1 – 20

The midday sun glinted down on the meadow like zone and its sparse smattering of oaken trees to reveal that me and mine were not the only ones that cult of The Shakti’s and their violent expansionist ways had angered.

At a kilometers remove from Settlement #173 listed a force of about half the strength of the one the me’s had most recently crushed, numbering some twenty thousand strong if any of me were to hazard a guess. More perplexing, our perfect memory hadn't encountered any all red colored armored human troops this apocalypse leading our collective need to know more intensifying.

The triumvirate opted for a slow approach to the unidentified forces bivouacked position so as not to startle them when we made our presence known, and in doing so our efforts might hopefully be rewarded with a new and reasonable ally in turn.

Our expectations however, were curtailed when a me waved and smiled at the bow wielding sentry resulting in an immediately summoned and loosed arrow our way as he sounding the alarm.

Batting aside the near harmless bit of magically generated steel tipped wood, the thing burst into even more innocuous splinters before several more of its kind along with an impressive rainbow of spells headed our way.

Sighing as the power of jolly cooperation brought us to the edge of their camps perimeter and held up our hands in universal surrender. Before an elected me endeavored to warn them just loudly enough so as not to make their precious life blood leak out.

“STOP! I WISH TO SPEAK TO WHOEVER IS IN CHARGE!”

Mercifully they only winced at my's demand, before they regained themselves and re-leveled their weapons and spells in menace at my unexpectedly new position.

Tense moments passed as all of me got the sense that they were but a hair’s breadth away from attacking again.

However we took solace in the fact that the spear wielding guy with a yellow epaulet on his shoulder looked to be immediate command around here. Largely owing to the fact that everyone elses eyes kept flicking to him and he'd also surreptitiously dispatched someone toward the center of the camp with the whispered command of.

“Tell Commander Kai there is a strong white haired warrior at the south eastern perimeter.”

One of me hedged that based on our luck to date, the name might be mere coincidence. Meanwhile another me was intrigued that everyone present seemed to be of Asian descent whilst the third me posited that there was no such thing as coincidences.

Internal debate continued as the silence passed unbroken in the wider new and magically enhanced world.

By the time a reedy set man and a more familiar bulky figure came running up, the triumvirate was ninety nine percent positive that this was the Asian Union. And with the appearance of the burly Kai, that last hold out of a percent quietly joined the rest in unanimous agreement.

Relaxing slightly and giving the frowning, heavy set guy a toothy grin and a wave. Yet despite the friendly greeting all of me were not so secretly expecting, the man in question subverted our collective hopes with a fraught.

“Oh god's, it's you…”

Collectively feigning minor injury, a me countered.

“What? No how're you going mate? How can I help you buddy? Just straight up disappointment?!”

Unanimously chuckling as Kai let out a groan, the reedy man with an angular and clean shaven face, queried in officious annoyance.

“Commander Kai, who is this…man?”

Many me’s had to suppress a snigger as the poor guy was obviously reluctant to share the specifics on how we had met, eventually landing on.

“This individual is the one referred to as 'Benjamin'…please refrain from offending him Councilor Yen, it would be…unwise…”

Scoffing at his oddly instructive introduction, the recently dubbed Councilor Yen snapped back.

“Preposterous! That monster was last reported in Alpha Zone a hundred and ninety three, around his infernal Citadel!...And that was barely three days ago!”

Kai looked like he was about to assuage the mans doubts when a me elected to verify my own whereabouts for my-selves by way of adding.

“What can I say, I’m a fast guy.”

Kai began to rub his forehead and the reedy fellow shot me a withering yet dismissive glare before turning his attention back to Kai and demanding.

“We don’t have time for this deceitful donkey’s ass! Kill him so that we may return to the meeting with the division captains, ‘Commander’, or I shall be forced to report your lapse in reasoning to General Zhang!...And given the recent nature of your appointment, I think we can both agree that it would certainly spell the end of such an illustrious position! ”

All of me took a kind of sadistic pleasure and a good helping of relief, watching the color in ‘Commander Kai’s’ face drain. Many of us even set to chuckling at the unfortunate man who now shared but a portion of our bewilderment towards our fellow man’s suicidal tendencies.

The now set upon man tried to remedy the situation by fixing a deathly stare on Yen before repudiating.

“I’m afraid you will have to tell General Zhang just that Councilor…I owe this man a life debt and even if I did not, I would not try to assault him for all the manamotes you have managed to skim…”

Yen sputtered incredulously at his words before threatening.

“I don’t know where you heard such a vile rumor Kai...But you would be wise to forget you ever did…”

Kai merely responded to his threat with a deadpan expression, which led the other man to cough awkwardly, then turn his weasel like gaze upon me's and probe.

“Baseless slander aside…Stranger…Do you have any proof you are who you claim to be?”

Quirking an unanimous eyebrow of the people at the annoying waif of a man, a me turned to get Kai’s opinion, to which my silent answer was a mere half shrug.

A me elected to return his gesture as it was free and responded to the now scowling Councilor.

“I was about to give the settlement fair warning to leave the Shakti or follow its fate... But then I saw you lot here, and figured you guys probably aren’t their biggest fans either, so I decided to come to try and make nice, and you know, maybe set up a nonaggression treaty or something?”

The mans eyes narrowed further as he shot back.

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“We have no need of any outside help and we fully intend to claim this settlement in the name of the Asian Union when we overrun their defenses!

Feeling a wave of relief at not having to kill more people than any of me had to, I offered.

“Ok…Well make sure to relay to your bosses that the Citadel is off limits...I’d really prefer not to have to wipe out a bunch of people again…”

The reedy man’s face worked through several emotions before settling for outrage as he spat.

“The Asian Union will not be intimidated by some lone lunatic! SOLDIERS OF THE UNION LET HIM FEEL OUR MIGHT!”

The three of me began mentally fortifying ourselves for yet more slaughter as the soon to be dead sycophants readied their weapons and spells.

However before anyone had a chance to obey, Kai instructed.

“DO NOT ATTACK HIM, YOU HERE ME! I REPEAT! ANY MAN OR WOMAN WHO FOLLOWS COUNCILOR YEN’S ORDERS WILL BE MET WITH MY MACE IN THEIR HEAD!”

Silence reigned and none of me were in any way clearer on the matter of if we would be forced to impart first hand knowledge of the difference between our levels of power, when he continued in a placating tone.

“I will personally relay the message if you wish Benjamin..."

Giving the only intelligent person in the field and smiling nod, he finished his big gulp and furthered.

"A-Also…if it isn’t too much trouble, could you please tell me how many of the Shakti’s Settlements you have dealt with, before we p-part ways?”

Councilor Yen looked to be having a seizure of some kind and my's universal outlook brightened a little at the chance to have a conversation with words instead of stronk rocks and fists.

One of me points out that our social habits really haven’t changed that much despite the end of the world as the me who isn’t on danger watch supplied.

“Oh no problems mate! So If we're counting New New Delhi…such a strange name…Anyway…So far I’ve razed or ousted eighty two settlements from them…Oh yeah I’ve been meaning to ask, how many do they actually have?”

Dead silence descends on the gathered troops, broken only by Yen and his decidedly unhealthy choking noises. Whilst the me focusing on my conversation partner got the impression that the me had said something wrong by way of him looking at us like we told him we ate all the Spring Rolls...

He managed to re-school his expression after a few more confusing moments, and offered in a somewhat shaky voice.

“A h-hundred and five…”

Beaming at my new possible allies, I’m about to thank him for his information when Councilor Yen seems to have been able to liberate his airway enough to scream.

“THAT IS CLASSIFIED INFORMATION COMMANDER KA-“

And the three of me finally lose patients with the annoying robe donning twit and open a [Lesser Dimensional Portal] directly under his feet, with its destination set to about two meters above the barely interred and mangled remains of hundreds of thousands of like minded fools.

As he does an admirable impression of a cartoon cat wondering why there is no ground where there had been but a second ago, Yen yelps whilst blessedly disappearing from our view. When the me finished canceling the skill, a majority of his allies predictably don’t share my elation at being out of earshot of the suicidally officious twat.

Shouts of alarm go up and weapons and spells are re-leved and re-armed in a banal attempt to get me to reappear their not so beloved Councilor.

Thankfully Kai is there to once more stall their looming decimation by way of commanding.

“SILENCE!”

Aside from a few mutters of descent they acquiesced to his reverberating demand, before he carried on in a strained voice.

“Benjamin...W-where exactly did you send the Councilor?”

Collectively grinning at the man a me supplied.

“Relax mate, I just gave him the evidence he was asking for, besides…Why are your guys are so worked up about getting him back? The guys a total dick! ”

Whilst one of me pointed out that this probably wasn’t the best way to try and make new friends, Kai queried through gritted teeth.

“Ok…But where did you send him?”

Waving dismissively a me offered.

“Oh that, I just sent him to where that New New Delhi place used to be…”

Many me’s were starting to feel a tinge of regret as the recently promoted Commander let out a strange sort of sound that was a cross between a groan and a hysterical shriek, before he imparted with a fraught gaze.

“I know he’s a inflamed monkeys asshole but you can’t just…Just…send people away like that!”

Sighing a me rejoined.

“Dunno why your all so worried…I leveled the place and the army as well, he’s perfectly safe…

Then a me pointed out that we could have potentially missed one or two who were playing dead, leading the me to tentatively add.

"Well maybe…He has a combat class right?”

He stared at me in a horrified manner for a moment before adding more quietly.

“C-can you at least fucking bring him back?!”

Shrugging a me rejoined, mildly nonplussed.

“I’ll open the portal but you or someone else has to retrieve the idiot, I really would prefer to not have to personally deal with that bag of dicks again unless we absolutely have to...”

He nodded in enthusiastic reply, resulting in a me opening a perpendicular portal with its exit set a couple of meters from where it had made the first one. The main reason for which was the mild consideration and hope that I wouldn’t accidentally startle the Councilor into tripping onto one of the many pointy but mangled weapons that the Shakti had been so sure would save them...

Whilst Kai hastily disappeared into the tear in reality, another me thought that given our previous track record that might be indeed what had happened.

It was only a scant minute and a half until the me’s and the tense soldiers were reunited with the irritant that was Yen and the more amenable Kai. And we were once again conflicted by the outcome of my actions.

On the one hand the visibly subdued Yen refused to meet our eyes and only sent a nod by way of greeting. On the other hand the once animated Kai had undergone a similar transformation as he too also refused to meet our gaze after returning through the portal.

Figuring the median of silent deference was slightly better than the open hostility many me’s had been previously experiencing, the triumvirate elected to quit while we were ahead and offered.

“Well its been fun guys. I suppose you guys are intent on the rest of their Settlements?”

Receiving shaky nods of agreement, we endeavored to hide our collective relief whilst one of us continued.

“Don’t forget to mention the nonaggression business to your bosses and if you want to reach me just leave word at the citadel. Oh and if you decide to try what the Shakti did…Well, please don’t. I think that covers it unless you guys need any immediate help?”

Vigorous shaking of heads to the negative was all the pair offered me's, leading us to huff in dejection at another lost potential friendship, no doubt due to their recent onset of painfully abundant fear.

Opening a [Lesser Dimensional Portal] to the Citadel’s HQ, we waved to the mixture of confused and deferential men and women before stepping through:

You have entered Citadel #1 ‘Keep Out!’

All but ignoring the now all too familiar transitive sensation and willing away the notification, one of me wondered how best to utilize a certain Frenchman’s offer of service. Meanwhile another me thought of how best to streamline the completion of the Phase conveyance quest, in spite of potential obstacles.

However a more conscience driven third me took it upon themselves to commence a review of the death and destruction we'd just finished doling out on behalf of our dead and under threat citizen's.

It did not take long for the rest of me to join in the unenviable task of weighing our morals against our actions. Crystal clear visions of faces unfortunate enough to survive our initial onslaught contorted in pain and rage seemed to be a common theme as the liquid and dirt spattered visages vied for karmic relevance amongst the now weeping me's. Their stereophonic screaming pleas and bellowed expletives potent enough to make the most seasoned of sailors wince came shortly after.

Our round robin of triplicate justification began within us at first;

'It was them or more innocents'

'There is was reasoning with them'

'They we're trying to take what was ours'

'They killed our delinquents!"

Before the internal self surety entered the exterior world.

It wasn't until our reverberating reasoning's shattered the pane of our maladjusted reflection in the command centers viewing glass that we realized the sheer decibelic level our recursive denials had reached. Balling our fists with pent up rage at what we'd been forced to do, the me's near instantly elected that it wasn't at all safe for us to be around our fragile minions let alone less enhanced individuals our species.

Thus the Triumvirate agreed to put off completing the slaughter based quest chain for unlocking our rotund French follower to step through a self generated portal to a familiar Delta Zone. Where we could hopefully locate a readily accessible Siphon in our ill conceived attempt to at least increase the invading alien's body count.

If only to balance the suffering for all species intent on claiming what is ours.