“The gnolls still claim Plymouth, Newport, New Bedford, and Provincetown. Gnolls which, for some fucking reason, we haven’t even seen yet! Then we gotta take out Quincy and finally smash all the fuckers readying for their final push into Boston, if we’re going to free the northeast of those cackling shits once and for all, and give Elonia’s girlfriend, Princess Brittany Summers, the happy ending she’s desperate for. But as it stands… we’re definitely in the danger zone, Fearless Leader.”

  Eric flashed a bleak smile. “Fuck if I don’t know that.”

  His familiar gave him a curious look. “Eric, isn’t there a way for you to just, well, give up the territory, giving it your blessings without absorbing anything from it…”

  Eric chuckled bitterly. “It seems that my flawless progression isn’t quite as perfect as I had thought. I’ve um…” His cheeks flushed. “It’s like I’ve been mainlining some serious hardcore shit. My soul...psyche? Can’t even sense weaker currents anymore.”

  He flashed a bemused smile. “I mean, look at Providence. Fucking beautiful with the blessing combo I’ve been giving all these territories with, as if infusing it with so much life, fecundity, magic and spiritual energy might also catch my sorry ass at the end of it all…”

  Lilly dipped her ears. “It’s beautiful, Eric. It feels like a perfect woodland glade in faerie, filled with fruit-laden bushes, vines, and trees. With nectar so sweet you know it’s just as invigorating as a juicy steak dinner.”

  Eric nodded. “I know. And the thing is, once that final fucking merc was dead and the former Shadow Queen fled, I didn’t…” He blinked away dazed tears. “I didn’t even have a chance to select any System option for a clean surrender.” He swallowed. “Or even just leave, without claiming anything at all.”

  He chuckled ruefully. “Nope! My Soul greedily drank down all its sweet potency, my muscles tingling with delicious fresh Strength and Vitality, the moment the light left the final soldier’s eyes.”

  Bunbun gazed solemnly at Eric for long moments. “Boy, is it a good thing you never took those ravager options.”

  Eric nodded. “Yup. It really is.” He rubbed his eyes, smiling at the bucolic wonder all around him as a distant train happily whistled its departure… thankfully far from the absolute slaughter that was central Providence. “I’m going to pretend I’m not a bloodthirsty savage and that I actually did more good than harm today.”

  This earned a snort. “Eric, how many people were wearing collars that actually worked, here? How many girls were crying in those shacks that half of these mercs popped out from? Honestly, I think your slaughter was a bit more righteous than you give yourself credit for, and the fact that your territory evolutions now give everyone the option to wake up from their past without any injuries or scars and with little more than a dreamlike recollection is a blessing that a heck of a lot of people are probably very, very grateful for. Especially once they lean back on the comfortable padded leather first-class seats in your trains and go to sleep half buried in glossy brochures, and their nightmare pasts truly do slip away like bad dreams.”

  “Except for any children and loved ones they have which they will remember with all the love in their hearts, no matter how brutal their original background stories,” Eric said, raising a cautionary finger. “No way in hell am I going to fill the world with scores of lonely children aching for a mother who abandoned them.”

  Bunbun snorted. “And you think you aren’t a bloody hero. Even if a bit bloodier than most.”

  His familiar gently patted his cheek. “It’s going to work itself out, Eric. Don’t worry.”

  Eric sighed. “Yup. Just as soon as I allow myself to ascend, even if that means giving up on hitting that 3rd Tier Core Saturation I was looking forward to.”

  This earned a bemused snort. “Yeah. When no one else even completes a single saturation tier to 100%… you’re trying to get a triple strike before you hit Bronze. Greedy, much?”

  Eric sighed, leaning back against a gently rustling tree. “It would be nice to give all my future descendants the option to ascend all the way to Mid-Gold… and never have to sacrifice a single planet to get there. The other thing is… Mistridge.”

  “Yeah. Like having a free ticket to ascend all the way to Low Gold as a blazing Phoenix isn’t enough of a gift for Natasha or Rosy’s future bebes, assuming you were shooting bullseyes.”

  Eric groaned, rubbing his cheeks. “Wait, you don’t think they’re already…”

  Bunbun’s eyes widened. “Oh, that’s right! Mistridge! That arcane college promising so many sweet secrets that endless bullshit keeps pulling us away from. Like our enemies just fucking know how scary you’ll be when you unlock whatever secrets are there… even if that means a temporary reset to level 1.”

  Eric nodded. “And I think Wyrmwood made it pretty clear that the only hard limit was…”

  “We don’t hit Bronze before school starts. I know.” Bunbun sighed. “I think it’s official, Fearless Leader. With the way you go through territories and with so many opposing Contenders valuing Spiritual Energy about as much as they do common sense… we’re pretty much fucked.”

  Eric laughed, feeling a weight off his shoulders with his familiar’s ever comforting snark, no matter how painful or spot-on her observations were. “You’re not wrong, Bunz.” He sighed, cracking his neck, frowning as at the fifteen fallen bodies at his feet, before turning to stare at the distant crimson rift he could just barely make out. “It seems like such a fucking waste, not bringing these guys back.”

  “So do it,” Bun counseled. “That irritating eye-sore’s almost two hundred miles away, and you raised those boat constructs and all their crews just fine. Personally, I don’t think anything you do is going to make a damn bit of difference against that interdimensonal eyesore which I think is healing up? Slowly? But you do you.”

  Eric slowly dipped his head at his familiar’s suggestion. As much to clean away the guilt and gore as anything else, he whispered the words that transformed over a dozen foes that had died quite horrifically into twelve Bronze-tier revenants gazing at him with blazing green eyes filled with gratitude and reverence for a second chance at sweet, sweet life, no matter the silly folly of their recently surrendered dreaming selves, a handful of high level 90s savoring a shocking boost of power they never would have gained in the living realm.

  The final trio of corpses disintegrated utterly, their souls far preferring the endless howling winds of purgatory than ever having to face the horrific monster that had so utterly savaged them again, while the dozen that had chosen to serve belted out the words that would bind their souls to Eric for all time.

  “Ave Imperator Abedimus!”

  Eric dipped his head at the dozen powerfully built sarissophoroi that had crashed to their knees before him. Truly they were his cavalry, flight, and phalanx, all rolled into one.

  He clapped the most powerful one on the shoulder, savoring the blazing heat of the runes of Fire, Wrath, and Resilience crackling upon their retinas and their flesh as well.

  “Rise and serve,” Eric commanded.

  And they did.

  “So, what now, fearless leader? Bunbun asked from the prow of Shippy as they gazed down upon the gnoll faction held territory below, the sharp demarcation between fields full of walnut trees and winter wheat and lifeless trees blowing brittle branches besides barren fields was unmistakable from up high.

  Eric chuckled. “Now I gotta figure out how I can stretch 56 points while somehow limiting myself exclusively to battles intense enough to level up my Cultivation class and thus give me some much needed Spiritual Energy, without flooding me with territory potency or Contender juice.”

  Lilly snorted. “Contender juice. I like that. Some super fucking steroid cocktail right there, mister 3100 Strength!”

  Eric chuckled. “I know, right?” He gave a satisfied sigh. “Yeah, as much as I hate feeling my options narrow, having to finally face the fact that nope, not gonna have a perfect run, so I might as well get over it, I can’t deny that I’ve profited like a madman this past year, and I’m fucking grateful for it.”

  “You should be. But let’s call a spade a spade. You’re not really cultivating.”

  Eric quirked a grin. “No?”

  Lilly, deadly serious, slowly shook her head. “Nope. It’s more like you’re evolving by tiny increments. Like a Gold-tier goddess decided to award you with an evolutionary push forward every time you met and overcome a possible extinction event, meaning a Contender or any other foe that had the potential to actually kill you or at least, seriously inconvenience you.”

  “Even though those fights don’t actually have to be to the death?”

  Bunbun snorted. “Yeah, don’t kid yourself. If those bastards bested you, your life would definitely be in their hands and they might not be able to resist the sweet breakthrough burst of power you represent, ending a tale so powerful, even if they’re basically limited as fuck with roadblocks everywhere. I’ll bet a lot of those so-called ‘roadblocks’ would disappear when they take your head and your wild and wonderful potency becomes their own.”

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  Eric winced. “Ooh, I always hate shifting protags in novels. So… yeah. I’d rather not do that.”

  “Agreed.” She patted his head. “So, look on the bright side!”

  “And that would be?”

  “You’re not really cultivating! I mean… the Spiritual Energy boost is fucking awesome and nice, but your Spiritual Energy attacks are pretty much tied to your badass class. You know that and I know that.”

  “Okay… point taken.” Eric sighed. “So, I’m even more limited than I thought. What’s the upside?”

  “The upside, fearless leader, is that if we could somehow gain access to an actual cultivation teacher and learn actual techniques… maybe we could actually handle our Spiritual Energy problem?”

  Eric blinked. “But I already have a cultivation—”

  Bunbun put fuzzy paw to his lips. “Evolution, Class, Eric. And who the fuck says you can’t have another?”

  Eric smirked at this. “You mean in addition to Golden Phoenix, Death’s Disciple, and Master Necromancer?”

  “Absolutely!” Bunbun flashed a mischievous smile. “All those are System titles, Eric. And you could argue that Death’s Disciple applies to everything, even your favorite bunny, that evolves through struggle and bringing down prey. And remember, Cultivators don’t give a crap for System titles. So, what does that mean?”

  Eric blinked, suddenly getting it. “We hit up the one Bronze-Tier cultivator that we actually know who’s totally living the slice-of-life fairytale existence and who actually seems to like me!” He frowned. “You sure he’s still in New Arcadia?”

  Bunbun grinned. “You just know our good buddy Richard Li is living the dream with the beautiful badass Yuki in his arms and your twin sister, Elonia: Sylvan queen, Contender, and Duchess of the Entire state of New York needing friends she can trust to delegate some of the political bullshit to. And she’s too smart to let such a powerful asset go. A Contender who’s actually kindhearted and won’t stab her in the back? Hell yes, he’s staying! He’ll be valued, loved, appreciated, basically living the fairy tale isekai hero life you both crave!”

  Lilly gave Eric a pointed look. “And since fate isn’t poking at him until he’s constantly leaping into the flame… where the fuck else would he be?”

  Eric blinked at this, suppressing the tiny quiver of jealousy he felt and dipping his head. “You know what? Fuck it. Even feeling how fate wants to shape me to somehow be his big brother sidekick… if that same fate will let me avoid getting totally fucked over… I’ll let him play beloved mentor and teach me how to actually, well…”

  “Cultivate and ascend to Bronze core… or energy storage? Or whatever the fuck it is that they do after cleaning their pipes, and not the way Rosy did?”

  Eric chuckled. “Exactly.” He smiled in the waning afternoon light. “So, Bunz, what do you say about heading over to chill with our new sensei?”

  Lilly snorted. “Sure, hero. A little humility will do you some good. Let’s go cultivate!”

  Eric’s relieved smile as what felt like the weight of the world suddenly lifting off his chest with the promise of salvation just a simple warm welcome away transformed to a sudden horrified look of dismay.

  Bunbun whipped around, soft amber eyes widening with alarm. “Eric? Oh no.”

  “Eric! Please! They’re going to kill her!”

  “Elonia! Are you okay? Who’s in trouble? Talk to me!”

  He was struck numb by the panic in his sister’s voice. “It was a massacre, Eric! Lord Hencely’s forces wiped out Boston’s entire regiment in just a handful of hours! They’ve just seized the palace and now they’re going to execute Brittany before the entire city!”

  Battletime aside, it still took Eric a full second to process just how fucked up things had become, so damned quickly. “Wait what? Just now? I didn’t get a single System message…or any warning whatsoever! Fuck! No wonder enemy forces were so light!”

  “Of course not, Eric. You’re in this for the thrills, not conquest. A raider, not a ruler! You’re not part of the inner—Fuck, Eric, we’re out of time! Oh no, oh no, oh no… they’re dragging her whole family to the chopping block right now! Eric, please!”

  Eric’s froze in momentary horror as his thoughts screamed.

  “Now, Eric!” Bunbun helpfully pointed her paw toward the east. “We go there right now and we FUCK THEM UP!”

  Before his familiar had even finished saying the words aloud they and their airborne ghost ships had vanished, racing at speeds no other force on Earth could match.

  Eric prayed it would be fast enough.

  ***

  “Elonia? They’re coming.”

  Elonia dipped her head Yuki’s way, her dear friend clenching the hilt of her naginata, a weapon with which she had brought down scores of Bronze-Tier insectoid abominations on the worst night of their lives.

  A weapon Elonia feared wouldn’t do any much good at all, against their latest opponent.

  She took a steadying breath, still getting used to the sheer wonder of a body saturated with the potency of such a powerful Bronze Tier class, and one that didn’t demand every last point in her Arcane Reserves, no matter how incredibly powerful a ritualist that had transformed her into.

  “Don’t worry, we got this,” assured Richard, daring to give her a wink as he stood to the right of her dais.

  Elonia forced a regal smile of her own, for all that she knew their victory or even survival was anything but assured as she took another quick glance up at the spectacular vaulted ceiling now gracing her palace with a mural so vivid with color, drama, and pathos that it almost seemed alive. And of course it starred none other than her brother, depicted as exactly who he was.

  Autumn’s child. Harvester of Nature’s wondrous bounty.

  The lastborn fruit of their mother’s tree.

  Destined to fall before a queen’s sacrifice, but not before forging an Eden like no other.

  Ashland Province. The Towers of Yor. An eternal Silver-Tier Spirit Peach Grove.

  New Arcadia, the seat of Faerie on Earth.

  Winterblossom Sanctuary and the revival of an entire race of lost elves.

  And now the five Golden Keys that granted Elonia the uncontested boon of New York state in it’s entirety. All its lost secrets now her own.

  Tied forevermore to her soul.

  Or until her enemies could tear it away.

  The first true System recognized Barony upon all of Terra, decreed by the System itself.

  Now so infused with blessings and potency that Elonia had woken up with a cry that had panicked her entire staff.

  Before every last soul tied to the thrum and pulse of her realm kowtowed before her, reality itself allowing it.

  Demanding it.

  Honoring their queen, now radiating the power of a Deep Bronze, so great was her ascension, for all that she was just on the cusp of Bronze Rank 50 with one final evolution she had yet to choose… no matter the perfect dozen Bronze Tier rituals that New Arcadia itself had fused to her soul.

  As if to prepare her for what was to come.

  Including the one spell she hated above all others.

  The one she would never cast.

  The Ritual of Harrowing.

  To claim upon seizing Earth’s throne…

  And ascending to Silver upon the sacrifice of her twin.

  Two bodies.

  One shared soul.

  Combined only with the ascension of their world.

  As her mother had planned, so long ago.

  It was a ritual Elonia would never complete.

  “My lady, they are here!”

  Elonia forced herself to acknowledge the cold-eyed woman radiating the deadly power of a Silver that was now entering her throne room, dressed like one of her mother’s power-suit wearing lawyers of a lifetime ago.

  Thoughts racing, she knew this was just a single prong of an attack that could see them all perish.

  Her lover was just moments away from being butchered, and here she was, doing all she could to hold back her screams, knowing that not even her insanely loyal and utterly savage brother—who had just thrown another half dozen shockingly potent and precious territories her way like it was nothing to him—would be able to get there in time to pull off a miracle.

  Yet she didn’t dare show her coolly approaching foe a single shred of weakness.

  Not one damned tear was allowed to slip down her cheek, no matter how much she wanted to howl at the entire corrupt Northeast Counsel that existed only because her brother had fucking stood up to an abomination that NONE of them were equipped to face.

  The naked looks of gratitude that Elonia had sensed from so many Administrators the night Eric had saved them all clearly meant absolutely nothing. For she sensed as well the terrible wound throbbing over New York City proper…

  And the Gold tier threat even now descending from above.

  It was all she could do not to scream as she felt the steel teeth of a bear trap slowly encircle her neck.

  The clack of sleek boot heels abruptly stopped just a handful of polished marble feet away from Elonia’s throne as the representative screaming corporate lawyer before them favored Elonia, know the System-recognized Baroness of the entire state, the tiniest of smiles.

  “Elonia Silver, regent of New York. A pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

  “It’s Queen Silver to you!” Yuki hissed, eyes flashing with a furious heat, the ground itself seeming to tremble.

  The Silver-tier monster before them curled a single lip, revealing a dragon’s tooth between rosebud lips. How that even worked… Elonia shuddered, recalling her brother’s dark path all too well.

  “Not for long, child.”

  The elegantly coiffed woman dismissed Yuki utterly with a sniff, her fiery gold eyes locking with Elonia’s own as she popped open a briefcase before pulling out a collection of legal documents with a proper snap of her wrist.

  She smirked as the air rang with the roar of no less than a hundred dragons now surrounding Elonia’s palace.

  “You may refer to me as Princess Irene Drachen, heir to the Silverscale throne. I am here to negotiate the terms of your surrender.”