Chapter 177: South

It was year five after Viv had been unleashed upon Nyil, the spring after the golem recovery, and New Harrak remained blessedly unfucked with. This was extremely suspicious and made Viv nervous as hell. Rather than waiting for trouble to come to her, as it inevitably would, she decided to go look for it instead, and her next destination was already decided.

 

It was time to see if there was anything left alive of the old empire. And maybe, if Solfis’ information was correct, recover a few ships as well.

 

There was just the question of legitimacy but she was confident they would find an arrangement.

 

But before that, she would look around her empire one last time and make sure everything was going well. It would be a pain in the ass to recall the expedition before the next calamity hit the empire mid trip.

 

She nodded to herself and stood up in her study, ready to track the slightest hint of impending doom. Nothing would stop her. She valiantly grabbed her door’s handle, and it, of course, broke under her fingers.

 

“Nous dammit.”

 

***

 

Deep inside the forest near Kazar hid a series of camps dedicated to training. Busy parents sent their children there for outdoor practice but mostly to get them out of their hair without having to pay for food. Those camps had become a necessity because the increasing number of twerps meant the Kazaran outskirts were picked clean of anything edible in days, and also because the children had achieved what many kingdoms believed to be utterly impossible.

 

They had hunted beastlings to extinction. New extermination grounds had to be sought.

 

“How many is it now?” Viv asked Zero-Five.

 

The axe-wielding Hadal shrugged, the movement only a ripple underneath his black armor. A mask covered his face except for the eyes, so it was even harder than usual to guess his reactions.

 

“Item thirty-seven,” he finally rumbled.

 

“Alrighty then. Add item, ugh, I can’t believe I have to do this. Add item thirty-eight: though the use of fire wasps is permitted, it is forbidden to shove an entire live beastling inside a fire wasp hive to, and I quote, ‘see what would happen’.”

 

She watched the charred remnant of an entire section of forest. It had not fully regrown yet, which showed how absolutely devastating the blaze had been. The earth was baked, cracked and solid. Completely dry. Even the roots underneath were charcoal by then.

 

“I mean, I’m not mad, right? It is quite obvious what would happen?”

 

The tall Hadal kept his peace. Only the yellow iris of his eyes peeked from behind the mask. He whispered his answer with cold detachment.

 

“Of course.”

 

And this was the moment Viv finally realized what was missing.

 

“You know what I really need, what every evil empire has? A yes-man. Someone who follows me everywhere muttering ‘yes your munificence’ and ‘your intellect is a light in the darkness of this world’ and ‘they are not fit to clean the soles of your stylish and fashionable moccasins, milady’ and so on. I am spending my days wrangling hyper-competent egotistical assholes expecting some form of validation while all they want is for me to solve their shit and then get out of the way. That’s it. I need a minion.”

 

Zero-Five considered her in silence for a few seconds, then he extended both hands and closed them to form small tubes pointed towards her — the Enorian symbol of approbation.

 

“Good job.”

 

“Aw. Thanks, Zero-Five, you are a dear. Now, shall we attend to the wounded?”

 

“Burn scar tissue.”

 

“Yes, that. They’d better have magical biomass and gags prepared because I’m out of patience.”

 

The pair returned to the children’s encampment, where most of the little menaces were learning about herbs and whatnot. The burnt ones were learning first hand.

 

“Wait. Why didn’t you Hadals stop it. Your guards must have seen it, right?” Viv asked, suddenly suspicious.

 

“We were curious. We thought it would be funny.”

 

“Fuck you.”

 

***

 

Cool and quiet defined the insides of the Golden Scale bank. Cool from the stone, for there were no windows and the blue light came from candelabras shining with supernatural intensity. Quiet for the reverence and professionalism which the mistress’ minions displayed in the hallowed presence of their visitor, the empress, and also the boss’ mom. Sandaled feet shuffled, feathers scratched paper, and the susurrus of conversation was kept to a minimum. Viv made her way at a leisurely pace to let her daughter finish what she was doing — no one entered without her being aware of it anyway. At the end of a large room filled with desks lay the entrance to the office of ‘She-Who-Feasts-on-many-and-collects-much’. To the right, and visible from the waiting room, hung a panel of simple make inscribed with Harrak’s squarish alphabet. It was a warning.

 

‘Contract compliance enforced by dragonfire.’

 

And below:

 

‘Dragonfire count: 3’

 

And, again, below:

 

“Don’t be number 4.”

 

It was rather blunt. There were no guards here since, on Nyil, they were tasked with defense and not stopping people from killing themselves. She still knocked because it was important to respect boundaries, especially with teenagers. Or so she believed.

 

Come in.

 

Viv pushed the door open onto a well-lit grotto. The rock roof above rose to form a natural cave, well-lit with various enchantments. There were no decorations. Instead, Arthur had carved the walls with complex patterns that caught the eye briefly before they seemed to disappear. The mistress of the place currently reclined behind a massive desk matching her proportions, small bells hanging from her horns clinking delicately as she moved. The light chime came with the gurgle of water from a corner fountain that kept the room cool. Arthur lifted a clawed finger and her book, the current object of her attention, moved by itself, flipping a few pages before resting again. Her crimson eyes found Viv’s own.

 

Third default this month.

 

All within expected parameters.

 

Crops from faraway places that do not take.

 

“We should make a list of stuff that doesn’t work.”

 

Difficult.

 

Highly reliant on laborer expertise and preparation.

 

I will offer warnings.

 

Sparring time?

 

“Tonight. First I wanted to talk a bit about how you’re doing since I’ll be leaving for a while. Any impending doom I should be aware of?”

 

All is well.

 

Arthur reached for her neck, where the wallet Viv had made for her waited on a leather necklace. It was… larger than she remembered. Weird that she’d made an artifact like that but… she wasn’t displeased.

 

There is none.

 

“That’s just weird. Nobody has anything special to report.”

 

The dragon placed a small pile of silver talents on a nearby plate, then she reached for a bell and, once again, made it ring without touching it. A feather flew through the air before dipping in ink. It wrote on a note with speed, and then, a flourish. Arthur was showing off.

 

“Great control on that Telekinesis.”

 

I need more items to match my size.

 

My only concern is what you called sunk cost fallacy.

 

It appears I am a victim of it as well.

 

I have forced myself to calculate project viability again instead of giving more funds and help to failing businesses.

 

I suspect I simply hate losing.

 

“Understandable. You seem to have done well so far anyway.”

 

An armed man entered the room. He bowed a bit rigidly once he spotted Viv, then picked the plate of money with some ceremony.

 

I am done for now.

 

I would be willing to spar immediately.

 

“You just want to unwind with a good fight, don’t you?”

 

Yes.

 

“Then sure. Let’s go.”

 

***

 

Above the skies of New Harrak, two figures flew in a deadly dance. Spells flew as they chased each other. Short range teleportation made the fight absolutely confusing from the ground as spells chased shadows or surged through the air, impacting a shield as the target appeared. The two shapes flew north for a little while, then closer to the ground until the earth itself answered the dragon’s call.

 

I AM THE WILL OF THE WORLD.

 

“You’re not going to intimidate me easily.”

 

THEN FACE THE FIRE OF THE DRAGON.

 

Viv dodged to the side and smirked, then she fed more mana to her new harness and accelerated after her daughter.

 

***

 

Abenezigel’s voice was gentle and kind. Patient. It made the experience even worse because Viv could feel how genuine he was. She couldn’t possibly be an ass about the whole experience.

 

“The greatest test of justice comes not from corruption, or mistakes, or from emotional judgment. Those are failures of the individual. Failures of the individual must be expected, for we cannot be perfect, and we cannot always agree on what is fair. What is just. As long as we all agree that Justice is an ideal to strive forward, then I am content. No, the greatest test of justice comes from the sovereign.”

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

 

The laborers listened with rapt attention. Their early fear evaporated before the ex-lich’s impressive eloquence, an ability that was much more effective because he truly believed in his own words. Viv felt the fire of his conviction brush against her skin. She wasn’t sure how justice related to Enttiku — she suspected it was more of a personal passion — but the goddess kept him alive and he hunted the undead with ferocity so… whatever.

 

“The most dangerous, challenging test from the one in command, the one whose words carry such weight that they can do away with justice entirely. Whether they intend it or not, they decide the purpose of the justice system. They decide what our justice is for, and they have two paths.”

 

Abe extended his arms in a grand gesture.

 

“They can take the easy one, the imperial highway paved with all the power and stability in the world. It is a comfortable way and one they know. It consists in treating Justice as a tool of rulership. Name allies as judges, make sure your allies are satisfied with rulings, and your land will prosper. It will prosper because the ruler’s power is secure. That is a lie, an illusion and a barrier on the path to greatness. The road will collapse at the first hint of revolt because no one will go to the judges for justice. They will take matters into their own hands.”

 

A few people nodded, though Viv wasn’t actually sure they’d gotten all that.

 

“But instead of taking control of Justice, the ruler can instead let it go. They can take the high path. It is harder, steeper, and fraught with frustration. It is a difficult path that sets them on equal footing with the people, and that is dangerous in itself. But if they do that, then they have placed Justice above their own interest. Justice is no longer a tool of domination in the hands of the ruler. In that moment, the ruler has placed the state above themselves. The empire above themselves. In that moment, we serve ideals instead of people. We are united in one purpose with the certainty that, no matter what, we can give everything to Harrak because Harrak will give everything to us. For Harrak!”

 

“For Harrak!”

 

“But we need proof from the ruler. Viv, if you please?”

 

Viv sighed and removed her purse from a chest pocket. She counted two gold talents, a little bit more than what was needed.

 

The peasant on whose land they were now standing waited at a distance, their expression a mask of shock and terror. He bowed deeply when it became clear Viv was making her way to him, her feet lifting ashy dust with every step. She stopped and addressed him in a voice that showed she wasn’t sore about it or anything.

 

“Due to the destruction of your field by dragon fire following a training session, the crown acknowledges that you deserve compensation and accepts responsibility in this incident. As such, I award you the sum of two gold talents, the value of a full harvest and some in compensation for the… fear experienced. It should be enough to get you started before next year, and I will be staying a little while to make sure there are no lingering embers hidden under the ash.”

 

The empress looked south, where her daughter had conveniently escaped.

 

“You just fucking wait.”

 

***

A complex was emerging around Efestar’s statue. It was a large endeavor and one that would take a long time to finish. In full view of the walls of Sinur’s Gate, the complex nonetheless kept its secrets with high walls hiding many buildings, barracks, and small zen gardens that were richer in strange stone than in actual greenery. Viv didn’t know where the newly made clergy of Efestar, God of Redemption, Retribution, and Second Chances, had found so many volcanic rocks and she wasn’t exactly eager to ask. The place was secretive enough as it was.

 

It turned out that there was a price to redeeming oneself. Efestar asked of its new followers both isolation and dedication, cutting off their old lives while they repented and worked on themselves. There were no bishops yet, but the priests still whispered in hushed tones of life-changing revelations, meditation and harrowing experiences facing the weight of their sins.

 

Viv was giving all of this the benefit of the doubt. A god’s mantle couldn’t be a lie, so she just let them find their paths. Some of the stuff she’d heard reminded her of indoctrination and mind-control but perhaps it was necessary for some people? She wasn’t sure. All she knew was that none of the addicts and career criminals who had willingly gone in had left yet, and that they were at the very least still alive.

 

She found Lorn standing at the gate. Neriad’s servant was clearly acting as a guard in full regalia, his counterpart a mousy woman with a crossbow and a guarded expression, carrying the symbol of Efestar: a hand grasping upward.

 

“I didn’t expect to see you here,” Viv said in lieu of greetings.

 

“Some people in town were looking for revenge. Abenezigel has decided to talk to them, but I am here in case some of them choose the path of violence instead.”

 

“Not what I meant. More…”

 

“The fact that I am protecting some of the worst humanity has to offer?”

 

The crossbow woman flinched, but she didn’t object.

 

“Oh don’t be like that Sahey. You know what I meant,” Lorn half chided, half apologized. “And, well, it relates… to Farren.”

 

Viv waited to see if he wanted to continue. He did.

 

“He was right in the end. A bit too early and we lost him for it but… he was right.”