Ogre Tyrant

Ogre Tyrant: Chapter 67 - Cultivating the future - Part One

Absently rubbing my forehead, I shuddered as I recalled the pain the Divine Patriarch's final desperation-fueled attack had inflicted. As acclimated as I had become to pain, the slash through my frontal lobe had been something entirely beyond the scope of my existing experiences.

The only possible explanation I could think of that explained why the Divine Patriarch’s attack had been deflected, was that it had struck the Artefact, Pyrrhic Will, which lodged in my brain.

The Drain Life Spell had presumably restored any damage the attack had caused, given that it had knit the bone, veins and flesh together without leaving so much as a single scar.

Stripping my armour, I did my best to ignore the host of obnoxious notifications obstructing my vision. The overwhelming majority of the notifications were errors of one kind or another, and they were steadily growing in number with each passing moment.

Taking several deep breaths of fresh air, I waited for the errors to resolve themselves.

Having no means of addressing the problem on my own, or knowing what the source of the problem to begin with, there was nothing else I could do besides wait.

The sudden disappearance of the error notifications and restoration of my vision caught me off guard.

I wasn’t sure exactly how much time had passed, but the rising sun in the distance led me to believe that at least two hours had passed since my return. I could have used my authority to confirm the exact amount of time that had passed, but I didn’t see the point.

Staring at my right hand, I expected to feel revulsion and disgust in response to what I had done.

I felt nothing.

He was a threat and needed to be eliminated...

Despite the mess of notifications obstructing my vision, the notification announcing the Divine Patriarch’s death had taken a position of prominence in the centre of my vision. As if the Labyrinths had wanted to make sure I knew the fate of my enemy.

No matter how many times I blinked, the notification remained. It wasn’t until I exercised my authority to actively dismiss the notification that it disappeared.

As I looked down to dismiss my armour back to the treasury, I was momentarily taken aback upon discovering the two bodies of the Divine Patriarch’s subordinates and their assorted equipment. Further investigation revealed several other items as well.

As best I could tell, it appeared that everything that had not been on the Divine Patriarch’s person had returned alongside me as some form of reward. Not just limited to the possessions of the enemy, I found scraps of Sebet’s ruined armour and the weapons we had brought as well.

Feeling a sudden surge of panic, I used my authority to search for Gric and Sebet. Between the notifications and fear of permanent brain damage, they had both somehow managed to slip my mind. I hadn’t received death notifications during the challenge, but that was no guarantee of their wellbeing.

As my mind raced and prepared to go into overdrive, my authority cut it off at the knees. They were both fine. Whatever the Divine Patriarch had done to them, it had left no lingering effects.

A fact I would have realised sooner if I checked my group status in my lower peripheral vision.

After taking some time to reflect on the aftermath of the battle, I was forced to admit that things could have gone considerably worse for us. The Banishment Spell had been powerful enough to kill the Bleak-Fang’s guardian Spirit and dealt the killing blow to an Awakened in the Hurst Labyrinth. Sebet and Gric being forcibly returned home seemed utterly tame by comparison.

No doubt reacting in response to my use of authority, Gric and Sebet both appeared a few moments later.

“You are victorious!” Sebet cheered elatedly, flapping her leathery wings fiercely and rising a few feet off the ground before landing once more.

“Of course!” Gric interjected confidently, “Our Tyrant would never fall to such a weakling!”

Gric’s words rang somewhat hollow given how close the Divine Patriarch had come to inflicting catastrophic brain damage. “Are you both alright?” I already knew that they were, but I still couldn’t help myself from worrying.

“I was just checking to make sure everything was in the right place when I felt your return, Great One,” Sebet admitted sheepishly, “But it’s nothing serious. I would have felt if something was wrong by now. Organs are finicky like that.”

“Organs?” It took me a moment to identify what Sebet was referring to. “I was talking about the Banishment,” I clarified earnestly.

“We are in prime condition, my Tyrant,” Gric replied stoically. “Such Spells cannot harm us. We are beyond them.”

Sebet grinned and nodded. “Our titles aren’t just for show. We are immune to death from Banishment and similar effects!”

“However, we will be unable to leave your domain for quite some time...” Gric added with extreme distaste. “This is our home, it binds us and protects us. But that protection has its price.”

“We won’t be bound long though,” Sebet interjected cheerily, “Whatever Spell was contained within those strange scrolls was incredibly weak. If there hadn’t been so many of them, we may have been able to resist the Banishment entirely.”

“Does this mean you can’t die? Or that you specifically can’t be killed by being Banished?” I pressed anxiously, not quite ready to leave the matter be.

“For me?” Sebet qualified, “It is both, mostly, sort of...It’s complicated,” she shrugged helplessly, “I have insurance, and the title and personal domain you provided me with insurance for that insurance.”

“A mortal blow would diminish me considerably,” Gric admitted candidly, “However, so long as I am in your favour, my Tyrant, death will not claim me and Banishment will pose only an inconvenience.” His absolute confidence, bordering on conceit, was profoundly reassuring.

“That’s a load off of my mind...” I released a deep sigh and massaged my temples to try and alleviate some of the accumulated stress. “I’m glad that you are both fine, but I think I need to be alone for a while.”

“As you command,” Gric growled obediently but procrastinated a few moments before disappearing.

Sebet frowned and I felt her looking through my surface thoughts. “Hrm...A recommendation for your well being, Great One?”

I motioned for her to elaborate.

“You need to get laid,” Sebet insisted with deadpan conviction and sincerity. “Holding onto all that stress will negatively impact your health...” Sebet then stared me down until she felt confident that I was taking her seriously. With a self congratulatory nod, she disappeared.

After sending the spoils of war to Sanctuary’s treasury, Ieft Tartarus behind and used my authority to transport myself into the mana-enriched lake of The Grove.

Almost immediately, I felt the built-up tension bleed away.

Sinking to the bottom of the lake, I closed my eyes and allowed my conscious mind to drift.

My earlier indifference worried me. Before the battle, before every battle, my biggest fear was that something inside of me would snap and leave me forever changed. Leaving me unable to trust myself around Lash and our children.

My thoughts turned to the other Awakened. The Fairy.

As best I could tell, he was, had been, a soldier.

On my order, Sebet had imprisoned him intending to prevent him from harming himself or others.

The way I saw it now, it was a matter of when and not if I would one day find myself in a similar position. So it was in my best interests to see if the PTSD and other psychiatric ailments of the Awakened could be successfully treated, and preferably reversed outright.

Lacking a Doctorate in Psychiatry, Pharmacology, or anything else that would have been conventionally useful, I was inclined to think of alternatives outside of the toolkits available to conventional medicine. Specifically, I was curious to know if Sebet’s power of suggestion and hypnosis could be used to affect permanent and constructive change.

I issued Sebet a quest to that effect, but I doubted she would have much success in the short term. Therapy was a long-term process of gradual growth and healing. Mind Reading, hypnosis and domination might provide shortcuts, but only time would tell if the changes they wrought would be permanent.

Crossing the lake, walking rather than swimming, I was thoroughly impressed by Hana’s efforts in terraforming the lakebed. Exotic plants of all shapes and sizes had claimed what spaces they could and brought a new sense of life to the lake.

Cresting the surface amidst a cluster of giant lily pads, I decided to indulge in a childhood habit and pretended I was some sort of ancient sea monster. It wasn’t lost on me that it was a lateral form of acting at best, given I was quite literally a Lake monster.

“Tim?!” Toofy’s cry of surprise caught me entirely off guard. She was standing on one of the lily pads and appeared to have been in the process of harvesting the large flower when my head suddenly crested the surface.

Mid-gurgling-growl, I felt a rush of embarrassment and tried to think of how best I could explain myself.

“You’re back!” Toofy exclaimed excitedly, barely able to contain her excitement.

“Y-Yeah...I’m back,” I replied somewhat awkwardly, realising that Toofy wouldn’t understand any half-baked explanation I could provide for my behaviour anyway.

“TIM’S BACK!” Toofy howled, cupping her hands and directing her voice toward my home. “Toofy was waiting! Waiting to tell others!” She declared proudly.

“You have been waiting this whole time?” I was taken aback and quite touched.

Toofy cackled and shook her head. “Toofy not waiting long.” Given Toofy had yet to adopt standard units of measurement, of any kind, there was no way of knowing how long she had been waiting.

“Daddy?!” Suzy had come running out of the cave and begun scanning the area intently. It only took her a few moments to spot my head floating amidst the lily pads. “DADDY!” Suzy shrieked with excitement and began running toward the lakeshore as fast as her legs could carry her. She made it four steps before tripping over her own feet and tumbling face-first into the mud.

A surge of fear jolted through my limbs and had me moving before I realised what had happened.

Spirits not dampened in the least, Suzy raced down the mild yet thoroughly muddy slope like a bizarre swamp-dwelling penguin.

Despite my confusion, paternal instincts continued driving me forward. Just because the initial fall hadn’t hurt her, it didn’t mean rocks hidden in the shallows wouldn’t. Especially given her drastically increased momentum.

Suzy still managed to reach the shallows before I could. Thankfully, she quickly proved to be unharmed, gliding through the water and circling me twice over before scrambling up my chest and breaching the surface. “Daddy!” Suzy wrapped her arms around my neck and squeezed hard, rubbing her chubby cheeks and teeth against my collarbone.

While gently and, due to our size disparity, rather awkwardly hugging Suzy back, I saw new movement at the mouth of the cave.

“Daddy!” Pete cheered and jumped into the muddy trench left behind by Suzy. The confidence with which he slid down the muddy embankment made me realise that the twins had most likely been using it as a natural Slip and Slide for quite some time and that Suzy had never been in any real danger.

Just like Suzy, Pete swam through the water with a seal-like grace before clawing up my chest and giving me a tight hug.

Between the combined attention of the twins, I didn’t see Lash approach until she was charging through the shallows. Unlike the twins, Lash wasn’t shy about bringing her full strength to bear and jostling for her share of my attention and affections.

All the while, Toofy hopped about with ever-increasing excitement, nearly falling off her lilypad a dozen times in as many seconds.

Five days passed in a blur as I spent some much-needed time with my family and friends. Now that I had returned, I felt an extreme reluctance to leave or do much of anything outside of their company.

Unfortunately, I had responsibilities that I couldn’t afford to ignore.

Faced with the requirement to engage in a challenge against another Awakened Monarch every fifty days, I decided that at least four hours of each day would need to be set aside for combat training of some form or another.

Then there was the matter of the new subjects and territories I had been awarded for pressing the Divine Patriarch to Forfeit.

Instead of the six territories I had wagered initially, the Forfeit had awarded one hundred and seven territories, and one hundred and fifty-seven thousand people.

While I had been spending time with my family, Gric had been investigating the new arrivals and searching for a reliable central authority that I could speak with. Unfortunately, that did not appear to be possible.

The people that had accompanied the territories taken from the Divine Patriarch all belonged to relatively small rural communities.

By Gric’s estimation, roughly a quarter of the adult population were farmers and tended fields year-round while another third of the adult population served as general labour or alternated jobs regularly. The majority of the remaining adults worked more niche professions such as forestry, carpentry or the like.

A near-infinitesimal segment of the population served as soldiers, and Gric had not been pleased by those he had encountered. Little more than state-appointed brigands, the soldiers were a blight on the communities they were assigned to protect.

Gric had wasted no time in sending the guilty to Acheron and Tartarus, but the issue of selecting a central authority still remained.

Preferring to resolve the issue sooner rather than later, I refurbished the stone throne room I had used for my first official meeting with the Semenovian King and Queen. Once everything was to my liking, I had Gric use his limited authority to gather representatives from each of the rural communities and assemble them in the newly formed antechamber.

Just the same as the official induction of the Semenovians, I Summoned a projection of Lash so she could sit beside me and participate without drawing her away from our children or putting her in danger.

Gric had made changes to the throne room as well. Possessing a far greater understanding of material stress tolerances, he provided the building with a vaulted ceiling and decorated it similarly to the apartments.

Recessed lights provided illumination and provided a low-key atmosphere of intimidation to the room. It wasn’t strictly necessary, but I had decided it wouldn’t hurt either.

At the appointed hour, a procession of elderly men in plain but well-kept robes entered the throne room a dozen or so paces behind Gric.

When Gric stopped roughly a dozen feet from my throne, the procession of village elders quietly and solemnly fanned out into five equally spaced columns that filled the central space of the throne room. With near-perfect synchronicity, each row knelt and bowed so low that their foreheads were pressed against the cold stone floor.

“WE GREET THE HONOURED PATRIARCH!!!” The elders shouted in unison, their voices laden with terror.

“Well, that needs to change,” I muttered quietly, earning an approving nod of agreement from Lash.

“They are not warriors, and are infirm with age,” Lash commented disapprovingly, “Give them pillows!” Lash ordered. Old Variants were exceptionally rare and held venerated status in their communities due to the exceptional perseverance surviving to such an age in the Labyrinths required.

“As you command, my Tyrantess,” Gric acknowledged, bowing his head in deference. With a wave of his hand, Gric conjured a moss-filled pillow behind each of the elders. “You will be seated!” Gric commanded, the cold steel in his voice making it clear that he was to be obeyed, and promptly.

The host of elders nervously shuffled backward onto their respective pillows, still bent over and cowering for fear of meeting my gaze.

Given the height disparity, there was little chance of that happening by accident.

“I defeated your previous Monarch,” I stated matter of factly. “But I am not like him. When you address me or my representatives, you may raise your voice to be heard but no more unless strictly necessary. Similarly, a formal and respectful bowing at the waist is more than sufficient to demonstrate respect both to me and my representatives. Am I understood?”

“Yes, Patriarch!” The elders cried in reply. Kneeling on the provided pillows and leaning forward at a hard ninety-degree angle.

No longer shouting in terror, I took that as a marked sign of improvement.

Examining the elders in silence, I was surprised to find that they were all human. Or rather, that they all ‘looked’ human. To a man, they all belonged to the Human Taoist SubSpecies which provided an exclusive progression of Chi in the stead of all other stats.

While Chi appeared to be interchangeable with mana, the Racial Ability Eternal Tao directly linked to the individual’s total Chi. Eternal Tao claimed to increase natural life expectancy depending upon rank and the total Chi the individual possessed. However, it provided no specifics on what that ratio may be.

None of the Elders possessed a Class, and I suspected it was most likely a means to keep the rural masses subservient to the central authority. Even the Soldiers assigned to maintain order were incredibly Spearmen and Swordsmen. However, they also appeared to be several evolutionary steps beyond the elders and a quick inspection revealed that their Classes were different from those I was already familiar with.

Both Classes existed outside of the Tiered structure I was familiar with and appeared to have no means of exponential progression. Instead, both Classes had a Martial Mastery Class Ability named after their respective weapon that provided an accelerated ‘Enlightenment’ for related Techniques.

As best as I could tell, the second Class Ability both Classes possessed, Path of Enlightenment, functioned somewhat similarly to my Grimoire Ability. Techniques, which appeared to be something in between Class Abilities and Spells, could be learned and then individually ranked up through ‘Enlightenment’. As best I could tell, even with the assistance of my authority, the Enlightenment was another form of hybridisation. Consisting of real combat experience, observation and active reflection.

The more Techniques the Spearmen and Swordsmen learned, the more difficult it became to progress their Enlightenment overall. Which made sense if dividing their focus was intended reasoning.

It was strange that the system I was familiar with up until this point had awarded Exp, Experience, for completing quests and killing monsters, but nothing else. Meanwhile, a more ‘realistic’ representation of growth and progression existed in parallel.

It was stranger still to consider that I had been pitted against someone who used this other system. While it was absurd to think that the Labyrinths would encourage anything close to a fair fight, it still made me uneasy to learn that what I had learned up until this point could not be trusted or relied upon.

What if there were other systems?

“I have gathered you all as representatives of your respective communities to make you aware of your obligations and to facilitate a painless transition into the realm of your new peers.” While I didn’t want to intimidate them unduly, I wanted to make their position clear. “As representatives of your communities, you will be expected to select a primary representative who will have the responsibility of representing your collective interests within the Faction Council as well as ensuring that every citizen within your communities learns and upholds my laws.”

None of the elders made noticeable signs of movement, most were sneaking glances at those beside them.

“Every citizen is required to swear oaths of fealty, to obey my authority and laws. No one is above my laws! From the poorest widow to the wealthiest Lords, all will face equal judgement under my laws.” I paused to allow the weight of my words to sink in. “No doubt, upon your return, you will notice the absence of the bandits in your midst. The men who had masqueraded as soldiers for your protection.” I fought hard to keep the worst of my anger down. “They have been removed and will face the severest punishments under my laws for their crimes!”

Muted gasps echoed through the ranks of the elders but quickly fell to silence as the elders recognised their breach of protocol and courtly etiquette.

Dismissing the elders back into the antechamber, I left matters in Gric’s capable hands.

After swearing their oaths, the elders would be allowed the remainder of the day to choose a temporary head representative. Provided the temporary head representative was capable of securing and maintaining a majority of support, and proved an able administrator, I would award them a Faction leader title. Until then, they would all technically fall under Gric’s governance.

After returning to Sanctuary, I spent some more time with my family before beginning my daily combat training.

In direct contrast to the training I had engaged in before the Divine Patriarch’s challenge, I made a point of training while in my true form. It was significantly more dangerous for my sparring partners, but there was no shortage of volunteers.

In the late evening, I made another attempt at opening the Spatial Ring the Divine patriarch had left behind. Unfortunately, I was no more fortunate than I had been the last time.

Having similarly failed at activating the flying sword, I strongly suspected that the magic items required magic from the other system to function. If true, it made a strange sort of sense and gave me a small measure of reassurance.

If items were not cross-compatible, then it would limit the potential scope of one on one confrontations.

Of course, I was also assuming that I was right about there being two systems in the first place.

There was still a great deal I didn’t know about the world and the Labyrinths. There was every possibility that the Divine Patriarch had come from another world entirely.

Unsettled by the implications, I decided that claiming an entire Labyrinth outright was going to take a much higher priority.

The Labyrinth I had created for public use was seeing high levels of traffic and had proven that the most dedicated groups were capable of fighting monsters up to the equivalent of the sixtieth floor. Teamwork, magic items, Synergies, stats from Class and Species progression, and Class and Racial Abilities, all provided an incredible advantage.

The high-tier monsters were still not to be taken lightly. Sebet’s Contracts saw regular use from groups that overestimated themselves or let down their guard. It was a shame that Sebet couldn’t create Contracts that would provide insurance within the real Labyrinths. If she could, I did not doubt that we would be able to claim an entire Labyrinth in under a handful of months.

There were advantages to delaying a concentrated push. The chief advantage was that each floor added to my Labyrinth provided five floors worth of experience, levels, and magic items. Which allowed the forces that would be claiming the Labyrinth that much more prepared for the dangers ahead.

However, there was no justifiable reason I couldn’t have it both ways.

Once the Daemons had finished plundering what they could from the Semenovians’ former capital, I would redirect them toward Hurst instead. Only this time I would provide them with a significantly larger force. An army that could hold the portal site outside of the Labyrinth indefinitely while the Daemons and an elite force worked their way through the Labyrinth.

With my plans for the Hurst Labyrinth decided, I reapplied myself to my training and spent quality time with my family.

I was sitting with Lash by the lake, watching Toofy play with Pete and Suzy in the shallows when Sebet appeared surprised.

Visibly agitated, it was obvious that Sebet was not bearing good news. “Great One, there has been a complication regarding our efforts in the Aldmeri Dominion...” Her lips curled with distaste and she flicked her forked tongue with dissatisfaction. “The local Slave traders have categorically refused to break their contracts and sell their stocks of Ogres. The owners of the mines and quarries are too politically connected to risk crossing so openly, and of course, they won’t sell their Ogres either!”

“I assume these attempts have only been made through conventional means?” I asked warily.

Sebet nodded and grew even more agitated. “Access is heavily restricted and the meetings were always well guarded and had many witnesses...” She twitched her clawed fingers irritably and lashed her tail. “Using our Abilities would be ill-advised...That is, assuming subtlety is still preferred?” Sebet’s eyes flashed eagerly in anticipation.

“It’s too soon to move openly,” I replied, fighting back the foul taste that the words had left in my mouth.

“Tch...” Sebet clicked her tongue and hissed with irritation. “What about a false flag? Are we allowed to instigate conflict to loosen their supply lines? Or perhaps, predate upon their supply lines through a third party?” She asked with renewed optimism.

“Assuming you can get away with it?” I qualified.

“Of course!” Sebet replied eagerly, seizing on the opportunity with unsettling ferocity. “We can take control over one of the bandit troupes from the neighbouring kingdoms!”

“I don’t want any innocents caught in the crossfire,” I warned, immensely uncomfortable with sanctioning murder but conflicted given the targets would be Slavers.

“Of course!” Sebet repeated, her words thrumming with three profoundly similar yet slightly different voices. “I will see it done, Great One!” She bowed and disappeared as suddenly as she had arrived.

“You believe Suzy and Pete need others like them, like you, to be happy?” Lash asked quietly, all the while watching the twins clumsily chase after Toofy along the lakeshore.

“I don’t think they need other Ogre children to be happy...” I replied hesitantly, trying to order my thoughts. “But I also think that having other children to play with, children their size will be good for them.”

“They have one another,” Lash countered curiously, “Isn’t that enough?”

She had a point and I couldn’t immediately explain my complicated feelings toward freeing the Ogres. There was an unexplainable urge on the fringe of my consciousness that insisted itself upon my mind, insisting that I free those who shared my blood.

“We could always make more...” Lash purred, leaning in close and tickling my ear with her warm breath. “More brothers and sisters for them to play with...” She rose to her feet and draped her arms over my chest, dragging her claws over my skin. “So we must practise!” Lash growled, biting at my ear before retreating toward our cave.

Returning to the lakeside with a clearer head sometime later, I made my way over to my private training grounds and began some warm-up exercises.

Fesk and Nadine were signing intensely to one another as I approached and suspiciously stopped once I had arrived.

#Ready?# Fesk signed somewhat awkwardly, the movements of his fingers impaired by his protective gauntlets.

#Is something wrong?# I signed back, feeling incredibly uncomfortable prying into someone else's relationship.

Fesk looked pointedly at Nadine and she nodded. #We want a child.# Fesk signed stiffly, his pale red eyes staring up at me determinedly.

“That...Was not what I had been expecting...” I admitted awkwardly.

#We want a child.# Fesk repeated, refusing to blink or look away.

#Can I ask why?# I signed back.

Fesk looked confused and hesitated. #We want a child. To have children.# Fesk signed slowly, his confused expression making it clear that there was some key piece of information that was not being communicated. He turned to Nadine. #Help?#

#Okay.# Nadine signed back and began making her way into the sparring grounds. “We, herm, we aren’t the only ones you know...” Nadine commented defensively, her cheeks reddening slightly. “Loads of people have been asking when you will, you know...”

“Set the Human Mothers Moon, right...” It had slipped my mind quite some time ago and I may not have remembered on my own.

“So?” Nadine pressed, forcing herself to look me in the eye, “When are you going to do it?”

Already quite off balance, I tried to buy a little time to get my thoughts together. “Why the rush?” I asked, somewhat confused by her urgency.

Nadine was somewhat taken aback. “I just...I feel like it’s time...” She replied lamely before rapidly regaining her nerve. “Why does it matter?” Nadine demanded defensively.

“I don’t know...” I admitted. “It just seems...sudden?” I shrugged helplessly.

“Tim...You got Lash pregnant within a fortnight...” Nadine commented flatly, making it clear that she did not approve of the double standard.

“That’s fair...” I sighed, “It’s just...I don’t know, I just wanted to make sure you aren’t just running into all this for...well...not the wrong reasons...but without thinking it through? Ugh, this is all so messy...” I groaned irritably. “It’s not that I disapprove, because I don’t. It’s just that I care about you and want to make sure this is something you want...”

“Oh...” Nadine’s anger and indignation quickly gave way to embarrassment. “You mean that?” Nadine asked.

“I do,” I replied sincerely. “You are one of the closest friends I have ever had, but all of this is new and confusing...I just really don’t know what to say.”

#You can say yes?# Fesk signed boldly, earning a smile and a playful shove from Nadine.

“I can’t ‘just’ say yes,” I countered in good humour. “There are too many people to have the Mothers Moon and then so many expecting mothers all at once.” I sighed and rubbed at my temples, ignoring the mild pain caused by the hard steel plates of my gauntlets. “It’s not so much a security issue anymore, but it definitely remains a logistics issue...”

“Right...” Nadine frowned and furrowed her brow in thought. “Well, you can change the day, can’t you?” She asked, already knowing the answer but wanting confirmation.

I nodded.

“Can you split it up in any way?” Nadine pressed.

I gave the matter some thought and made sure to use my authority. I nodded again.

“So, just divide it by the months we were born then,” Nadine insisted excitedly, “Or even by the day of the week.”

“Let me guess, your birthday is coming up soon?” I guessed with a smirk.

“Ah, maybe?” Nadine replied evasively.

“That will have to do...” I decided after making sure that my authority was capable of retroactively determining someone’s birthday.

After sending Faine to formally inform the Semenovian and Asrusian authorities of the intended change, I began the arduous but far less stressful task of trying to smack Fesk with a padded club.

Knocking about Fesk, and later Randle, made me feel considerably better. The focus required when fighting had a way of clearing my mind that was borderline impossible to accomplish through meditation.

After the first set of spars, I decided to make things considerably more difficult for myself by sparring against an Orc and Human opponent at the same time.

Fighting while not using my Spells put me at a considerable disadvantage, but I found that I enjoyed the challenge.

The absence of true mortal danger and the relatively fleeting duration of the pain I sustained while sparring made it easier to seek out and suggest more aggressive sparring scenarios for my training. With Lash and our children watching, I had an additional incentive to give it my all and avoid embarrassing myself.

For their part, Lash seemed to quite enjoy my manhandling of the Orc warriors and was reasonably confident I understood why. It had a great deal to do with Orc culture and the warrior hierarchy. Orcs followed the strongest warriors and challenged one another for a place amongst them. Demonstrating that even the largest Orc warriors were a non-threat, placed me impossibly high in their hierarchy and entitled me to a commensurately high degree of prestige. The prestige that Lash shared as my mate.

Suzy just seemed to enjoy the violence and excitement of the spectacle. Lash had her work cut out for her stopping Suzy from leaping into the fray. I was just glad that she showed no violent tendencies toward Pete or any of their other playmates. It was one of the oddities I couldn’t help but notice in the twins' psychological development. Without being told, they seemed to understand that there was a time and a place for certain activities.

Of course, not all of my training was conducted as straightforward sparring. Randle, Jayne and Faine took turns teaching Asrusian military doctrine and tactics.

Given my painful degree of ignorance in battlefield tactics and command, I tried to give their lessons the same energy and focus as my sparring.

Pete was enthralled by the visual aids that supported the discussions on Asrusian military tactics and doctrines.

After my training concluded, I made a stone chess set and was surprised when I discovered Pete and Suzy already knew the rules. Suzy didn’t seem to like the game all that much, but Pete was over the moon. It made me wonder what other board games he would enjoy.

I wasn’t particularly good at chess and had never given it much interest, but I couldn't help but feel an immense degree of pride watching Pete take carefully calculated moves across the board. By Earth's standards, his current degree of comprehension would have marked him as a prodigy in the making.

But things were not so simple.

Imprinted knowledge was something I felt like I would never grow used to. Especially since I had no real way of knowing how much Earth-related knowledge the twins possessed.

I spent most of the remaining hours of the day playing chess and checkers with Pete while Suzy and Lash skipped rocks across the lake.

Before settling down for the evening, I decided to see what Gric and the new arrivals had been up to.

More or less in line with my expectations, Gric insisted upon and fabricated a large town to serve as a default capital for the newcomers. Generally fitting a traditional Chinese aesthetic, at least so far as I could tell, the central building vaguely resembles pictures I had seen of the imperial palace within the forbidden city.

Considering Gric may have pulled inspiration from my mind, the resemblance wasn’t particularly surprising. What was interesting was the use of different types of stone in the core architecture of the building. All of Gric’s prior projects had been monotone affairs, so it was impressive to see he was branching out and trying new things.

Homing in on Gric himself, I found him within what I could only assume was the throne room of the palace. Although it was mostly unfurnished, Gric had made noticeable efforts to transform the larger blank surfaces into a canvas for a range of visually striking engravings.

“Do you find them suitable?” Gric asked with the barest hint of anxiousness in his voice.

“I think they are amazing!” I exclaimed in approval. Even through my thick skin, I could feel the depth of detail in the branches and leaves of the willow tree engraved into the rear wall. “You have a real talent for this!”

Already possessing perfect posture, Gric still somehow managed to stand a little taller. “I am glad it pleases you, my Tyrant,” he replied happily. “Acting Chief Administrator Zhu Wen suggested that additional decoration would encourage a suitable level of awe from those attending court.”

I nodded but looked pointedly toward the pair of large jade thrones. “I’m sure the sheer size of my throne will contribute in that particular regard as well,” I chuckled.

“That was my thoughts as well,” Gric agreed seriously. “It is an important reminder of your authority and the respect you are due as Tyrant.”

I continued nodding but my attention had shifted toward the second throne. Only ever so slightly smaller than my own, the throne had additional embellishments that padded out its size to put it roughly on the same scale as my own.

“I knew you had concerns regarding the height of the previous iterations...” Gric explained with a faint trace of nervousness. “I believe the creative use of perspective will make it difficult to make such assumptions through casual observation...”

Carefully considering the height of each seat, I was inclined to agree. Lash would still be smaller than I was, but the difference would be far less pronounced than it would have been otherwise. “You have done well, I’m proud of you Gric,” I rested my hand on his shoulder and gave it a light squeeze.

I could practically hear Gric’s spine popping as he strove to stand a little taller.

Gric’s mentioning of the Chief Administrator reminded me of my theories regarding the Divine Patriarch’s treasures. “Can this Zhu Wen be trusted?” I asked, knowing full well that Gric could already divine my true meaning through passively reading my surface thoughts.

“He has sworn the oaths...” Gric replied, hesitating slightly.

“There is something wrong?” I asked, concerned by Gric’s lack of confidence.

Gric nodded slightly and appeared to be somewhat annoyed. “The acting Chief Administrator, in addition to several others, had mistakenly attempted swearing oaths upon their Path of Enlightenment, although they had called it the supreme Tao at the time.” He shifted uncomfortably. “They had not expected the oaths of fealty to be binding otherwise. Of course, they were quickly proven wrong after I made sure they do as instructed...But they were all so surprised...I do not think their former master was capable of extracting such oaths.”

I understood why it made Gric nervous. “Did you test to make sure the oaths were binding?” I asked bluntly.

Not offended in the least, Gric nodded again. “Exhaustively,” he replied. “The oaths hold, but Sebet was unable to replicate their oath of supreme Tao with any prisoners besides the bandits I delivered shortly after integration.”

“That’s...Incredibly strange...” I agreed with mounting concern. “Those bandits, were either of you able to find out whether the Divine Patriarch had Slave Bonds? So far as I can tell, none of the subjects I gained through his Forfeit were Slaves. Given what I experienced of his personality, it seems strange that he wouldn’t have at least permitted the practice.”

“We found no such references,” Gric replied while slowly shaking his head. “However, the extreme disparity in combat capabilities made such practice largely unnecessary. Those who are not chosen to be warriors are incredibly weak and utterly incapable of defending themselves from the warriors.” He scowled with contempt and revulsion, “Warriors of their Patriarch would often kill the citizenry over the most minor infractions or imagined insults. Not one of the representatives was aware of a single instance of a warrior being held to account for their crimes.”

“That would explain the mixed reactions...” I muttered. “I wouldn’t have much faith in such claims if I had lived through something like that either.”

Gric’s expression lightened. “On that account, the removal of the bandits has gone a long way proving your intentions, my Tyrant. Some are afraid that others will simply replace them under your banner, but I have made it clear that they shall largely be responsible for governing themselves.”

“I’m sure they didn’t believe that either,” I sighed and could tell by the look in Gric’s eyes that I was correct. “That does raise another issue though. Have they put any thought into what they will call themselves? It’s rather difficult keeping my thoughts straight without a collective identity I can refer to besides the ‘new arrivals, and that will only become even more confusing over time...”

Gric nodded but seemed hesitant. “The most popular choice is the Nongmin Alliance...”

For whatever reason, the name wasn't translated by the system, but my authority still made me aware of its meaning. “Well...It’s better than nothing...”

If they wanted to call themselves the Farmers Alliance, I wasn’t going to stop them.

***** Zhu Wen ~ Imperial Province / Tim’s Demi-Plane *****

Hurriedly straightening and smoothing his robes one final time, Zhu Wen took several deep calming breaths to settle his nerves.

Reaching the massive jade doors of the audience chamber, Wen couldn’t help but fret as he witnessed how violently his hands were shaking.

Despite having been elected by his peers, Wen still found the prospect of being summoned by the Imperial Patriarch to be an immensely stressful proposition. Arbitrating the disputes of his neighbours had not prepared him for such a prominent role and Wen was terrified that he might say or do something that would bring the Imperial Patriarch's ire down upon them all.

Zhu Wen jumped in fright, convinced he would never grow used to the remote message technique of the Imperial Patriarch’s Imperial Governor. Fighting down his fear as best he could manage, Wen pushed on the doors.

The huge Jade swung open with a near weightless ease, allowing Wen despite his advanced age to proceed into the audience chamber without assistance.

Eyes cast downward to show respect and avoid tripping over the hem of his robe, Wen didn’t notice the presence of the imperial Patriarch until it was too late.

“The Tyrant has a task that requires your attention and discretion,” the Imperial Governor stated coldly.

Wen hurriedly bowed, catching himself just in time to bow low at the waist instead of prostrating himself and performing a full kowtow. “I am honoured to serve the imperial Patriarch!” Wen replied fervently, hoping his earnestness would cover his near-crippling anxiety.

The Imperial Governor grunted in approval before approaching Zhu Wen directly. “The Tyrant wants you to circulate your internal energy through this ring,” he held out a ring expectantly in the palm of his jade-coloured palm.

“Ah, at once!” Wen agreed and gathered the embarrassingly weak Chi from his Dantian before projecting it toward the ring. To Wen’s immense surprise, the ring suddenly leapt from the Governor’s hand and onto Wen’s left index finger. “Ah! A thousand apologies! It was not my intention to-”

“Very interesting,” the Imperial Patriarch’s rumbling growl stole the voice from Wen’s lungs. “Tell me, acting Chief Administrator Zhu Wen, can you access the items inside of the ring?”

Too afraid to even speak, Wen probed the ring with his internal energy. “...!!!” What he found within made his heart come to a complete stop inside of his chest.

A veritable mountain of treasures lay before him. Elixirs, medicinal pills, Technique manuals, weapons, armour and much much more.

“It is as you suspected, my Tyrant,” the Imperial Governor commented with due deference. “Acting Chief Administrator, you will now withdraw the contents of the ring for the Tyrant’s inspection.”

Still unable to speak and feeling incredibly faint, it was all Zhu Wen could manage to nod weakly in reply.

Not entirely sure how to withdraw items stored within the ring, it took Wen a few moments to discover the trick of it and begin drawing out the priceless cultivator treasures contained within.

As the pile began to grow, Wen could feel his long-stagnated internal energies begin to stir. The simple act of standing near the Elixirs was progressing his cultivation further in a matter of seconds than he had experienced in years of earnest meditation.

The Imperial Governor casually picked up one of the Elixirs and inspected it with his reptilian eyes before holding it out to Zhu Wen. “Consume it,” he ordered.

Wen wasn’t sure how much more his heart would take. “I-I, erm, esteemed Imperial Governor, I couldn’t possibly...Such a treasure would be wasted on one such as-”

The Imperial Governor’s eyes narrowed dangerously.

“I...Uh...A-As you say...” Zhu Wen broke out into a flop sweat and shuddered uncontrollably as he accepted the Elixir. All but collapsing to the ground as he sat down in preparation for circulating his internal energy, Wen was painfully aware that he was under intense scrutiny.

Ideally, circulating internal energy required a clear mind and heart to sense the ambient energies in the vicinity and attempt to draw them into the Dantian. Wen now found that there was so much energy that he had to fight it to prevent it from flooding into his meridians and killing him outright.

“Interesting...” The Imperial Governor sounded incredibly far away and Wen was not entirely certain he had spoken at all.

Zhu Wen’s meridians throbbed painfully as built-up impurities were torn free by the unstoppable tide of internal energy. Having barely taken in a tenth of the Elixir’s energy and already doubled his internal energy capacity, Wen could take no pleasure in the achievement.

It was too much. There was simply too much energy, and Wen’s efforts to guide it through his meridians had as much success as a leaf controlling the winds of a great storm.

Then, quite suddenly, Wen became aware of a change within his meridians and the paths between them. The damage inflicted by the elixir was being reversed. More than that, the pathways and meridians were being strengthened and better adapted to taking in larger amounts of energy. All the while, the impurities were being forcibly driven from Wen’s body.

Caught in a combination of intense euphoria and unimaginable pain, Wen could only stay the course as his cultivation of the Tao continued climbing to heights he had never dared to dream of.