The Systemic Lands (Dark Progressive LITRPG)

As I returned to the Crystal Vortex for the day, I saw another airship, or airboat as I liked the call the small airships, in the distance that had come to a stop. I landed on the deck of my airship and after a quick check by the soldiers I made my way to the bridge.

"Status?" I asked. Since there wasn't a battle going on there clearly was something important happening.

"There is a golem on the airship as well as a bound prisoner. They want to make a trade," Captain Francis said.

"A trade?" I asked with a frown. I could only imagine what kind of nonsense they were asking for.

"Ten billion points for the hostage," Captain Francis said. I waved my hand for him to get on with it. "Your mother." Those words struck my heart heavily. I could feel the cracks already forming.

That was not a small amount. It was stupidly oversized. Even for Clarissa I would have said no and let her die. But my enemy was clearly going to use her as leverage to make themselves stronger. It was a well-played move I hadn't considered.

And even if I paid for her, there could be hidden curse damage or triggers buried inside of her. Then I would have spent ten billion points for nothing. That was more than I had robbed the Divine Empress of. It really was an insane amount and far too greedy.

"They have her in the airboat?" I asked and Captain Francis nodded.

"As far as we can confirm. They showed a person with her face, but beyond that I can't say anything. Michelle is confident it is a person and not a monster in disguise based on the lack of stats. But you would need to confirm," Captain Francis explained.

I warred with myself. I knew what I wanted to say but refused to say it. I found myself opening my mouth and then closing it. There was something off. "How aren't they being attacked by sky monsters if there is a person on board?" I asked.

Captain Francis shook his head and I looked at Michelle who had her eyes closed and was seated. "No idea," she said quietly, most of her focus was on her summons, covering the surrounding airspace.

I let out a long breath as I considered my options. It was clearly a trap. It was so obvious that is there wasn't some kind of trap, I would be beyond shocked. The real question was what kind of trap? Hidden curse damage and possibly triggers. Using high level of energy manipulation and curse damage to disguise another person or monster as my mother. I could easily see Jacob trying to copy over memories in some way.

They would never give up my mother alive. That was their strongest source of leverage to get me to do anything. She was already dead. I couldn't allow myself to believe differently. The best option was to blow the enemy airboat out of the sky without listening to anything they had to say. That would just be more wasted resources on their part and if my mother was aboard, it would be a quick death.

Even though I knew it was the logical decision I couldn't bring myself to give it and cursed my weakness internally. This was exactly what I wanted to avoid and why I was so mad at Clarissa for allowing it to happen. While I had forgiven her, it was incredibly frustrating that was hard to put into words.

No one dared to say anything while I thought over the situation. "I chose the path of power and blood shed," I quietly whispered to myself. It wasn't convincing enough since I still kept hesitating trying to think of an alternative move, I could make. Nothing was coming to mind.

I was clinging to hope that my mother could be saved. It was foolish to the extreme, but I still held out hope that it was possible. I would never give up ten billion points. She was worth an infinite number of points in my mind. There was no price I could put on her life. To do so meant that I was defeated.

"Does anyone have any suggestions that isn't blowing up the enemy airboat that is productive?" I asked.

"You could make a counteroffer, or decline, and see what the response is?" Captain Francis suggested. I shook my head at that.

"There is a large risk of emotionally compromising myself. Unless you are suggesting a rescue operation?" I asked.

"Better to try. You could go over, pretend to negotiate, assess the situation. We can move the Crystal Vortex in closer to provide support while moving our airboat behind the airship. Anyone you bring off could be brought there like planned to not compromise our safety," he replied.

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It was a good idea, but it would create a lot of risk for me personally. I didn't know if I had it in me to cast my mother away to her death when she was right in front of me. Putting myself in such a situation was stupid, but I was the only one that had a chance of rescuing her successfully.

If she had been turned into a bomb of some kind, that could easily lead to me being crippled, something I couldn't afford. That was one thing I hated and was very aware of. Being put into compromising situations.

It was like waking up in a hotel room with police barging in and there were hookers and drugs lying all over the place. The problem wasn't the police barging in, it was the series of decisions that led to that happening in the first place. I was aware enough that I wanted to prevent myself from being put into a compromising situation no matter what.

One bad decision would lead into another, creating a pit of bad decisions that it was hard to get out of. That was why I had left my Empire behind to burn. To escape the cycle of bad decisions. Now they were being shoved right into my face and I didn't want to say no. I opened my hands and looked down at them and then squeezed them shut.

There was so much blood on them, figuratively speaking. Now that I desperately wanted to save a single person, I was incapable of doing so. I was so good at killing and running away that those were my preferred solutions to any problem. Both of them were not what I wanted in this case.

Nothing from history to draw upon either. Movies suggested that the hero would think of a clever solution to save the hostage while countering their enemy. I wished that was the case, but reality and the Systemic Lands in particular had crushed any optimism I had long ago. Hope was the rarest of resources, and I had very little of it at the moment.

"The airspace and surroundings are clear?" I asked Michelle.

"As far as I can tell. But I haven't deployed my full strength and the other summoners are ready in reserve. Nothing close by, but if they are hidden from energy and sight, they could be in beam and cannon range," she replied, and I nodded at this.

"How did they communicate before?" I asked.

"Flying monster that came over and spoke. It then dusted after delivering its demands," Captain Francis said.

"No tether or anything that I could spot," Michelle added. More confirmation that their energy skills were second to none.

"Did it land or dust in the air?" I asked.

"The second and it didn't drop anything," Captain Francis replied.

"Well, I won't be paying ten billion points no matter what. Ten million, maybe, but ten billion is impossible. That will never happen. I can either go over and negotiate and attempt a high risk hostage rescue. Or blow them out of the sky. Waiting isn't an option," I replied.

"We could leave," the soldier at the helm said. We all turned to look at him and he looked worried. "Sorry Emperor Michael if I was out of line, you just asked for input from everyone," the soldier said.

"No, it is fine, and a good idea. I like it actually. A hostage rescue is doomed to failure, but blowing up that airboat is…I would prefer not to. Staying just invites more trouble. But leaving would force them to use up points to follow us. Also, they have probably moved their operations close by." It would be a shame to give up on the nearby zones for grinding purposes, but the more I thought about leaving, the more the idea appealed to me.

The enemy wouldn't kill my mother out of hand. That would just be a waste. They would save her for maximum shock value or throw her in my path at a critical moment to make me hesitate. Just torturing and killing her wouldn't accomplish or gain them anything.

The enemy I was facing was clever. Very clever and skilled. Running away seemed predictable since I had already done it, but it was a good strategy. Since it was very hard to respond to. One thing I had learned over the years was that chasing an opponent was incredibly annoying. Stright up fights ended far quicker and were far less headache.

But running away would make anyone trying to kill me pull out their hair. If my position was reversed with my opponents, I would be screaming in frustration. It was how I defeated the Divine Empress after all, running away. Well, I weakened her like that and enraged her. Time to do the same again.

"Set our heading for West across the void and then Northwest. We can keep going along the edge of the Systemic Land until we find another level 7 zone, preferably two," I said.

"Helmsman, set course West," Captain Francis said.

"Aye sir, setting course West," he replied as the Crystal Vortex turned and left. I glanced at the airboat in the distance and wiped my eyes. The cracks in my heart grew wider and threatened to tear me apart. So close and yet so far. But attempting anything right now would only play into the hands of my enemy. We would head West, then Northwest, before turning Northeast to the other end of the Rift, that split the middle of the Systemic Lands.

There were several level 7 zones in that direction and I didn't want to slow down my grinding. Based on the zone layouts, we would approach those level 7 zones from the West side instead of the East. Since airboats couldn't travel over the void, it would mean a lot more traveling for the enemy.

Let them burn up crystals they couldn't afford. While moving the Crystal Vortex was more expensive, my earning potential was much higher, along with the people on board. Flying away really was the best option.

If they came after me and tried to make a deal again, it would reek of desperation. "Can you track the airboat?" I asked Michelle.

"No. Once we get too far away, I can't keep up the tethers. Whomever is on the other end, their range is insane. They have to be using a new kind of technique," she replied, and I nodded at this. "I do have a guess."

"Oh?" I asked.

"The ambient energy. They are using it somehow. System energy," she replied, and I nodded slowly at that. That made sense from what I saw of the golems. Almighty System, you were really failing me right now, even after I saved your ass from the sphere. I just couldn't catch a break from the God of this place.