Ruthless: Path of Conquest

“You returned,” the System Homunculus said dully.

“Was there ever any doubt?” James replied. He was very pleased to be back. Not primarily because he got to see Sisco again.

Looking down at his hand, he confirmed what he’d felt on his arrival: it was fully healed.

“I suppose not,” Sisco replied. He sounded distinctly unenthusiastic. When James had first appeared in the pure white room, he couldn’t read the System Homunculus’s emotions well, because its face was non-expressive, and its voice nearly monotone. Now, however, he detected a richness of expression in the artificial life form’s tone of voice that had escaped him before. Between that and the creature’s body language, a clear picture emerged.

There, there, Sisco, James thought. There, there. I know you’re not happy to see me again, but I’ll be gone soon enough.

“Congratulations on your success in Orientation,” the Homunculus said. “Are you ready to take an inventory of the rewards you earned?”

The words were just pro forma, James recognized. Sisco’s mouth was already half-open, ready to list out the aforementioned rewards.

“Actually, I would like to go through Job Evolution first,” James said. If his experience with Class Evolution and Race Evolution was any indicator, that would come with a significant power boost. And he didn’t want to give the System Homunculus any chance to return him to Earth, to face who knew how many threats, before he’d done it.

Then he reminded himself of what he’d learned about the System Homunculi from his conversation with Mina. It seemed they had some control over how much time their guests got to spend in the white space. Like DMV employees, or other petty government bureaucrats. So it was incumbent upon him to play nice. “Is that alright with you, though?” James added.

From his body language, Sisco looked a bit taken aback to be asked at all. “Do you actually care?” he finally said.

James manipulated his face into a sheepish, contrite expression. “Well, yeah, I do,” he said. “Sorry for my inconsiderate behavior when we last met. I disregarded what your traditions were and just did my own thing.”

“Well, these rewards aren’t going to take too long,” the Homunculus said, “even though you received more than anyone else in your Orientation, and you’re one of the top few hundred humans on Earth. You might as well figure out your next Job. Go ahead!”

It’s weird. I feel like, after having a bit of friction with him earlier, then making up with him now, I got at a bit more of Sisco’s humanity—though that’s probably the wrong word. But I have another little piece of what it is that makes him tick.

“Alright,” he said aloud. “I’m going for it!”

James called up the prompt that had appeared before him for Job Evolution before, and he selected Y. As with the Class Evolution, a list of options populated. He found himself pleased with the contents.

[Strategos]

[Crimson King]

[Spider King]

[Fisher King]

[Story King]

I like how many of them include the word “King.” But I’ll start with Strategos. Sounds Greek. He was actually fairly certain he’d heard the word before. If he had seen it in context, he was sure he’d know the definition.

Strategos: An evolved Job. A civil and military leader who rules by the consent of the governed. Proficient in persuasion, strategy, and all the competencies of battle. This Job receives experience when forces under the Strategos’s command defeat an enemy or the Strategos obtains another sentient life form’s allegiance. With each level, gain +2 Agility, +2 Strength, +1 Stamina, +2 Dexterity, +3 Perception, +3 Will, +3 Intelligence, +6 Charisma.

Very nice, he thought. Maybe a little unbalanced in favor of Charisma, but James was planning to emphasize getting others to do his fighting for him going forward. There was just one problem.

“Rules by the consent of the governed,” huh? Those words raised an instant flag.

Pre-System, James had probably believed in the value of a people’s self-rule as much as anyone. But he’d been convinced from day one of the System’s arrival that democracy was basically over. There were no elections in the apocalypse. Not realistically. Who would count the votes? Why would the strongest people let the weakest have a real voice? A spirit of charity?

Now that James thought about it, he was pretty sure he remembered that there had been multiple Strategoi in Ancient Athens, and they decided strategy by majority vote. And what kind of garbage is that? Sounds like a really shitty command structure. No wonder they lost to Sparta in the end. He also vaguely remembered something about the Athenians putting their less successful Strategoi to death after at least one battle. Nope.

He put a mental asterisk by the option, to indicate that it was somewhat intriguing, but unrealistic. Then he moved on.

Crimson King: An evolved Job. A brutal autocratic leader who rules through fear, manipulation, and might. Proficient in intimidation, espionage, and slaughter. This Job receives experience when the Crimson King causes conflict and destruction, whether to enemies or to allies. With each level, gain +3 Agility, +4 Strength, +3 Stamina, +2 Dexterity, +2 Perception, +3 Will, +2 Intelligence, +3 Charisma, +2 Stealth.

Well, that doesn’t suit me at all! As much as I’ve been enjoying fighting, I certainly don’t go out of my way to create conflict or cause destruction. In particular, the idea of getting experience from his own allies’ suffering rubbed James the wrong way. If anything, I’ve been a force for order in the world and unity among humanity ever since the nature of reality got flipped on its head. Next!

Spider King: An evolved Job. A plotting, scheming leader who rules by relying on wits over force and remaining one step ahead of political opponents. Proficient in deception and strategy, with a great capacity for coalition-building. This Job receives experience when the Spider King successfully deceives others, obtains additional political influence, or forges a new alliance. With each level, gain +2 Dexterity, +4 Perception, +4 Will, +4 Intelligence, +6 Charisma, +4 Stealth.

A complete emphasis on non-physical Stats, huh? It was an interesting and very different option, and it fit much more into the role that James imagined for himself in the new world that he expected to see when he returned to Earth.

So, that’s a solid option. It had surprisingly little to do with spiders, considering the name. Given that James already had plenty of connections with spiders in his life, that was a point in its favor. He moved onto the next one.

Fisher King: An evolved Job. A ruler with a profound connection to his territory and its peoples. Capable of exercising a deep influence over others and over the physical environment itself through means both physical and mystical. This Job receives experience when the Fisher King successfully expands or improves upon controlled territory and life forms. With each level, gain +4 Will, +4 Perception, +4 Stamina, +4 Fortitude, +4 Charisma, +4 Stealth.

James felt a gentle tug at his arm as he read that Job description. As if the Job was pulling him in. Then he realized the pull was literal. He looked down at the Soul Eater Orb that had transformed itself into an armband.

You have an opinion? James asked.

I like that one, the equipment replied immediately in its creepy voice. Suits us.

James suppressed a shudder. It was much more off putting to hear the voice of the Soul Eater in his head—now that his adrenaline was back to normal—than it had been earlier.

But he thought that Roscuro was correct. It really does suit us. I can easily imagine a synergy with the Skills I got from the Soul Eater. And the Monster Generation Skill that Anansi was pushing me to make sure I used, for that matter. Expanding or improving upon controlled territory and life forms gives experience, after all.

Still, he would look at the last one. Maybe it would be the best, as Predator in Human Skin had been.

Story King: An evolved Job. A ruler who controls followers through control of information and dissemination of ideas. Capable of exerting influence that cannot be contained by physical borders. A spiritual or philosophical ruler whose hold on others may outlive the Story King’s own body. This Job receives experience when the Story King gains traction in another sentient life form’s mind or reaches a new audience. With each level, gain +3 Dexterity, +6 Perception, +4 Will, +5 Intelligence, +6 Charisma.

“Hm.” James was divided. This last Job seemed like exactly what Anansi would want for him, but he wasn’t sure. It would certainly have suited Anansi himself. But was James really a philosopher-king? I’m not sure I’m that deep, honestly. And compared with sheer power, would a story or an ideology actually be enough to make people follow me? When the world is so dangerous?

“Ah hem,” Hester said quietly from behind his ear.

James had forgotten she was there. Frankly, he was quite surprised that the System had brought her with him.

He looked away from his System screen and realized Sisco was also looking at him curiously. Oh, they both want me to tell them what’s going on! So he explained what his Job options were, in detail, to both Hester and the Homunculus.

Before long, Sisco was nodding along with interest. Then he and Hester began voicing their opinions.

“I have tended to see excellent results from humans who chose the Crimson King option,” the Homunculus offered.

James winced.

“I can understand why you might not like it, though,” Sisco hastened to add. “Some Jobs are really not for everyone. All of the King Job options are extremely powerful and exclusive, so they are all equally worthy of consideration.”

James nodded. He basically ruled out Strategos, then.

“I know that Lord Anansi would be thrilled if you chose either Spider King, or Story King,” Hester said. She was standing on top of James’s head and speaking openly, rather than hiding, for a change. She seemed to be enjoying getting James’s and Sisco’s attention.

“Ah, but he isn’t here,” James said. “What do you think?”

“I think it’s an intensely personal decision,” she said after only a slight pause, “and I hope you won’t pick either one. No, I don’t believe you’ll pick either of those, because you prefer to chart your own course. Naturally, I fully support your decision. Your independent streak is part of what my Lord admires, anyway. You won’t want to lean too hard even into the abilities that you’re developing at his recommendation.”

“That is one consideration,” James admitted. “I don’t like the idea of being under anyone’s thumb. Hester, you already know I like and trust Anansi and don’t mean him any offense.”

“Yes, I do, sir.”

There seemed to be a “but” somewhere near the end of that sentence, from the way she spoke, but James decided not to ask what she was thinking. If she wanted to share, she would.

“My Soul Eater Orb had an opinion,” James said. “He wanted me to choose Fisher King.”

“Not as reliant on Charisma as Strategos, Spider King, or Story King,” Sisco observed. “Certainly not nearly as likely to stir the ire of others as Crimson King, for all that Job’s positives. A well-balanced choice. Ideally suited to conquering and holding land, if that was something important to you.”

So this is the conversation I could have been having with him if I’d been nice last time, James thought. Note to self: even when everyone starts to see me as someone important, it’s important that I remember to be nice.

“Is balance to be desired in a Job choice?” James asked.

“Well, you chose a Class focused on sheer aggression,” the System Homunculus said. “If you wanted to double down on that, the best choice of Job would be Crimson King. If you wanted to go in the opposite direction, more diplomatic, you would choose Spider King or Story King. Strategos and Fisher King are the more balanced options that have synergies with your Class but are not opposed to it by nature.”

“But you haven’t steered him toward the Strategos Job at all,” Hester observed. “Is there a reason why?”

Taking the words right out of my mouth, Hester, James thought.

“Any Job that appears at the first Evolution that lacks the ‘King’ or ‘Queen’ modifier is simply inferior to the Jobs that have those modifiers,” Sisco replied simply. “I cannot recommend choosing an inferior option.”

That makes sense. Coincidentally, it also offers slightly fewer Stat points than the King options, which each offer twenty-four points per level. The same as my Class.

“I think I’ve made my decision,” James said. “Thank you both for your contributions.”

The System Homunculus nodded. “Choose, then, and we can move on to the rewards.”

James selected “Fisher King,” and his eyes widened as knowledge poured into his brain.