Ruthless: Path of Conquest

“Welcome to the Fisher Kingdom,” James said, keeping his expression and tone of voice friendly. “I am the Fisher King, James Robard.”

The man who stood across from him seemed to relax slightly.

“Thank you for the welcome,” he said, his voice rich and deep. “My name is Cyrus Berberian. My flock and I are relieved to have, um, stumbled upon a friendly human leader. We have walked far, across dangerous lands, to get here.” Cyrus’s eyes kept darting to the monsters behind James as he spoke.

James did not detect any deception coming from the man so far, though the Ring of Truth and the Ring of Lies sat comfortably in their usual positions.

Maybe he’s not going to turn out so bad, James thought. This could just be a normal pastor and his congregation.

James extended his hand, and the two men shook.

I don’t think he cares much for us nonhumans, sent Ysabel as the two were shaking hands.

Really? James sent back. You sure? You guys are here to intimidate, so I understand being afraid. James thought it was probably true that Cyrus was concerned about the monsters, but he understood that himself. The experience of the average human up until now had been that monsters liked eating human flesh. James still felt a little odd about having instantly judged the group of newcomers based on them having been kneeling when he walked up.

I’m pretty sure, Ysabel sent back quickly. It’s not just fear. There’s also hostility mixed in. I have highly developed senses. I am a squirrel, and I’ve invested heavily into Perception and Agility, so I can identify threats and get my siblings away from them!

James was left slightly dumbfounded by how Ysabel had managed to put a good face on her specialization in running away.

How did she become a Ruler? he wondered to himself

I appreciate your insights, Ysabel, James sent back. I will investigate.

“I’m always glad to meet new people with peaceful intentions,” James said. “Here our mission is to rebuild civilization and ensure that it can never fall again.”

He observed that some of Cyrus’s followers looked quite relieved to hear him say that, while others tried to remain impassive.

Interesting. Divisions within the group? Or do some just have much better control over their emotions than others.

“What exactly are your intentions here, um, Reverend?” James continued. “Are you and your flock aiming at settling down in the Fisher Kingdom? Looking for a peaceful place to recover your strength? Or just passing through?”

“Why don’t the two of us take a step away and discuss this privately?” Cyrus suggested.

Interesting that he wants to take a step away from his group. I’m guessing whatever secrets their group has, he doesn’t trust that one of them won’t open their mouth and spill the beans at the first opportune moment. Good. Whatever hold he has over them is pretty weak. Not a cult. Not Rostov.

James and Cyrus stepped away from the members of the preacher’s flock. They moved parallel to the small army James had brought so that the leaders grew more distant from both with each stride. James felt this was advantageous to him, because he could communicate telepathically. If Cyrus turned out to be hostile, the situation would unfold terribly for him and his people, unless Cyrus had a similar power.

James finally stopped walking around a hundred feet from Cyrus’s group.

“So, what couldn’t you say in front of them?” James asked.

“It’s not so much something specific that I couldn’t say in front of them, as that I want us to have a very frank conversation,” Cyrus said, smiling thinly.

The man looked a little too much like a snake when he smiled for James’s liking.

“Well, go ahead, then,” James said.

“My top priority is to find a safe place for my people to live,” Cyrus said.

James’s Ring of Truth gave him a funny feeling. It wasn’t the hot, uncomfortable sensation he associated with detecting a lie. More of a lukewarm, mildly unpleasant feeling.

So, what he just said is not exactly true, but not completely opposite to the truth, James interpreted. This ring is very useful. Thanks Anansi!

“I assume you have, um, those creatures under some kind of control,” Cyrus continued. “But—”

“I don’t,” James interrupted.

“I’m sorry?” Cyrus said.

“I don’t actually have any method for controlling them. I defeated each of the leaders of those species in a duel, and as a condition of victory, I agreed to take them into my kingdom, and they agreed to serve me. They aren’t under mind control or something like that.”

And I kind of despise that sort of thing, even though it is technically part of my arsenal.

“Oh.” Cyrus’s eyes darted quickly back and forth between James, the army in the distance behind James, and Cyrus’s own people, as if he was worried that at any moment, the monsters might break loose and go on a rampage. “Well, if they’re not giving you much trouble, that’s very impressive on your end no matter how you achieved it. Hopefully it’s sustainable.”

The Ring of Truth gave James that lukewarm, mildly unpleasant feeling again. Cyrus wasn’t exactly lying here, but more finessing the truth.

This seems to be a habit with him. Are all religious leaders this way? Is he thinking that we eventually betray the creatures that loyally fought alongside us?

Having to speculate about Cyrus’s hidden motives and prejudices rubbed James the wrong way. He had to remind himself again that he had wiped out two species of monster completely himself, and he had not fully realized how intelligent and cooperative they could be until near the end of Orientation. Cyrus did not have the benefit of his experience.

“I’m going to be as direct as I can be, here, Reverend,” James said. “I just want us to be honest with each other. Is it a dealbreaker for you and your people to live alongside monsters? It’s okay if it is—” Cyrus looked relieved for a moment, until James continued—“naturally you don’t have to stay here. You can rest and recuperate from your journey, and you can move on. Though of course, I also don’t have a problem with some people staying and some people going, if some are willing to be part of what I’m trying to do here and some aren’t. I try to live and let live.”

Or live and let die, when that doesn’t work.

Cyrus spoke slowly. “About that label—Reverend—I should tell you I am not actually a minister or anything like that.”

“Oh?” Now we’re getting somewhere interesting. “But these are your flock, you said?”

“Yes. That is, I am a sort of modern-day religious leader, but without any formal training. I’m a Prophet. It’s a Job I received.”

Alarm bells blared in James’s mind, but he remained externally cool.

“For which god?” James asked.

Cyrus looked slightly confused. “What do you mean? The one and only God. Muslims say ‘Allah,’ Jews use ‘Yahweh,’ but it’s all the same thing.”

Oh shit.

Hester echoed the curse quietly in James’s ear.

Cyrus looked around as if wondering where the sound had come from.

“There’s not just one god,” James said. “That’s not to say I have any problem with your religion, per se. Your branch of Christianity—or Islam—or Judaism?”

“It’s a big tent,” Cyrus said, shrugging. “We don’t have a name for it yet. People of all three of those faiths have joined my little group. God doesn’t want us to fight each other. He wants us to work together.”

That’s half the Earth’s population, James thought, carefully keeping the alarm from his face. This group—and connected groups, I’m guessing—could be the ones who were responsible for Mina’s murder. If Sister Strange’s visions were accurate.

A part of him was immediately tempted to murder the Prophet. He’d had enough unpleasant experiences with someone else wearing that label that he did not want to chance letting this man live and perhaps perform similar atrocities.

And his body grew hot and tense at the thought that this man might be one of those involved with his wife’s future murder.

I could kill him right now, and maybe none of that would happen…

The only thing that stayed his hand was uncertainty. He did not know if Sister Strange’s visions were real. Even assuming the visions were real, he could not be certain which religious leaders were involved in Mina’s killing.

It is possible to find death on the road you take to avoid it. If I kill him, do I also have to kill his followers? Some of them might hold a grudge if I don’t. At the very least, it would be insane to leave witnesses who would think I killed their Prophet. And even if I murder every last one of them in cold blood, that doesn’t mean there aren’t others like them. Any one of the members of this new fusion religion might reasonably want to murder me—no, to bring me to justice for what would seem to them a completely unprovoked crime.

James could see death on that path.

His passion cooled. I have to keep a close eye on these people, whether within my kingdom or outside of it. They’re too dangerous to be left to their own devices.

“Very interesting,” James said. “Well, you can tell me more about your religion another time, perhaps. But I feel the need to come back to my original question. What exactly are your intentions here? Are you and your flock trying to settle in the Fisher Kingdom? Or should I expect that your—” James was tempted to say “pilgrims,” but he resisted—“group members will be moving along?”

“Of course, I cannot speak for anyone but myself,” Cyrus said.

The Ring of Truth gave James the feeling he associated with a half-truth again.

James simply nodded and waited.

“But we do need someone to advocate on behalf of the group,” Cyrus continued. “I know our worth is considerable. We all survived Orientation and have some degree of fighting ability and coordination. I did envision us settling in a country that would prioritize safety for humans, though. Do you think you’re providing that here?”

Well, no deception detected there. James felt a combination of dark amusement—I’m getting job interview flashbacks from the way this conversation is going, but I’m not sure which one of us is supposed to be in which chair—and guilt.

Cyrus’s words had reminded James that the bulk of his human army had been hard hit by the battle in the Haunted Forest. Only a relatively small number had been killed, and he hoped that the rest would recover in time.

Until they did, however…

I need to try and keep as many people around as I can. The half of my human population that went into the forest were the best and most willing fighters. I trust my nonhuman allies, but I’d rather that they’re not the entire population of the Kingdom. If I was the leader of one of the nonhuman factions, I’d see that as an opportunity to make a power play.

“Do I think I’m providing a safe environment for humans?” James repeated.

Cyrus nodded.

“It’s a fair question. I have to be honest with you. I don’t think that there’s a single safe place on Earth right now. That’s the foremost goal of my kingdom, though. Build a place where all those who put their faith in me can live safely.” Cyrus seemed to wince at the use of the word faith, but James ignored it. “We’re slowly advancing toward that. If you’ve been wandering Florida with this group, I’m sure you know what things are like out there. It’s a war of all against all right now.”

Until I become powerful enough to fix that forever.

“That’s undeniable,” Cyrus said. “Some measures are necessary for security.” He lowered his voice confidentially. “So this situation is temporary, then?”

James allowed a flicker of his displeasure to show on his face. “No. These nonhumans are my citizens just like the humans who live here. That is not temporary.”

“Of course,” Cyrus said awkwardly.

Silence settled between the two men for a short time, as Cyrus did not seem to know what to say to mollify James, and James chose to allow Cyrus to remain uncomfortable.

Finally, James asked, “Do you think your people will be staying here? You don’t have to answer now. We can put them in temporary housing. But I am curious as to where you’re leaning, knowing the compromises you might have to make on what you might have envisioned for their living situation.”

A part of James wanted Cyrus to refuse to stay. It was presumptuous for the new arrival to begin making suggestions about which of James’s people ought to leave—ought to be driven out or worse.

But the more rational side of him knew that Cyrus’s people would probably be useful. The Prophet hadn’t been lying when he said that his people knew how to fight.

James disliked how the Prophet had instantly judged his allies for being monsters, but he didn’t want to make a similar snap judgment of the Prophet’s followers, based on their leader’s impolitic words.

“It would be hard for me to say,” Cyrus admitted. To James’s surprise, this statement registered as true.

“What makes it difficult?” he asked. “The conditions here are pretty straightforward.”

“We still need to establish if certain requirements are met. You know we’re bound together by religious convictions. We need to establish if that is compatible with your governance.”

Does this man ever just say directly what he means? I know a politician is always lying and being lied to. But I’ve never experienced so much difficulty getting the truth out of someone since I acquired the Ring of Truth as I have in talking with Cyrus!

“Well, I don’t hang Christians, Muslims, or Jews for their religious beliefs, if that’s what you’re wondering,” James said in a sardonic tone.

Cyrus gave him a forced smile. “That’s good,” he said.

So he’s humorless, then. Jesus! There’s no way he was actually around anyone who wanted to hang Christians for being Christians. There’s no way that was legitimately offensive to him. We live in the fucking United States of America. Or what used to be America, anyway. He suppressed a sigh. However long this visit lasts, it’s going to feel twice as long. Next thing I know, they’ll want to ban dancing.

James used his Fisher King powers to send an announcement to the leader of the Construction Commission only, requesting that new housing be built slightly apart from the other complexes, for new arrivals who might only be staying temporarily.

“We’ll set up housing for you and your flock, Prophet,” James said. “I don’t make policy changes in order to get new people to stay, but if you and your people hang around here for a little while, you should be able to make a better informed decision whether you would like to become my people.”

The words came out more harshly than he had intended, but it was hard to feel bad about it.

I just can’t imagine the two of us ever getting along. I could easily see this so-called Prophet trying to run the Kingdom behind my back, or even attempting to make me into some sort of puppet king. I will have to watch them closely, but especially this man. I wonder how his group would be different if some accident were to befall Cyrus…