"I didn't think things like you were real. Explain to me why you're attacking, and we can work out a deal. You're costing me resources, and I won't have it."

"Costing you resources? I'm not taking anything of yours. Also, I'm not attacking you, you're attacking random people. Did you come from Earth too? I'm guessing somewhere in the twentieth to twenty second century, from one of the world powers?"

The Duke's face showed some humanity finally, and he looked strangely at me.

"What did you just say?"

I just looked at him, and waited for him to process the question again, and maybe give me an answer this time.

"What is that under your arm, and what is in your pocket?"

I showed him the crappy glass jar. He immediately lost interest in it.

I pulled the still-unidentified seed out of my pocket, and showed it to him. He adjusted his glasses.

"I can't read the analysis, but it says '+1' at the end of it. Now, what did you ask me?"

"I can tell you're reincarnated. You're from Earth, too, right? I recognize your placard and business cards. You clearly used to be someone professional."

The guy just stared at me for a bit, but it wasn't antagonistic. "I was an accountant, but then I died on the way to work when I was promoted to Wall Street."

This kind of guy? A lobbyist? Yeah, exactly this was someone I had to make sure never entered this world, but apparently one already had. I'd have to kill him as soon as possible, but I'm sure he wouldn't realize the requirement yet, so I thought I'd get more information out of him. He didn't seem as closed-off as the ones I had heard about but never met.

"Did you meet the unprofessional fat lady at the office window after you died?"

"I don't know what you're going on about. I didn't even realize I died until I was sitting in a white sterile room that looked like one of those police interrogation rooms in the movies, and the record of death was on a well-formatted document. I checked a few boxes here and there, signed it, and then I was given this life, fulfilling each of the parameters I had selected from the paper. How did you become a monster?"

"I'm not a monster, I'm a drider. The word comes from a combination of a type of elf and the word spider, from a role-playing game."

"Ah, so you're one of those nerds. Now, how is it you're not attacking? I've been having to conscript people to continue this fight for years now. The reports I was given said that it was spider people that were attacking, and I thought it was too ridiculous so I dismissed it, but since you're here, I might have to re-evaluate."

"I only came to this world a few months ago, and I stay in my own forest, for the most part with my children."

"Then in that case, why are you bothering to come to me?"

"Because of how your followers are carrying out their orders. You're slaughtering your own people and forcing others to starve to death. Elderly people being beaten to death in the streets, and I don't want to know more in fear it would be even worse."

"Everyone has to do their part in this. If someone doesn't want to obey, then they need to be made an example of. You know how the world works."

"Yes, I do." I moved closer. "Now, you wanted to see this jar. I found it in the ruins of a destroyed carriage. Did you commission it?"

He looked at it again, and I moved closer so I could feign putting it on his desk for closer inspection. As soon as I was close enough, I jumped at him and pierced the back of his neck through his mouth with my leg, and heard a crunch. He hadn't even tried to reach towards the jar, but I didn't think he would have. People like him didn't like accepting things directly; I think it was that they were usually expecting a warrant or something hidden within it.

A moment later, the guy who led me down here came running around the corner, but it was obviously already too late. I turned and dashed at him and kept him from running back out to make any sort of alert. I held my hands over his mouth, and pinned him against the wall so he faced me.

"That man died of a heart attack. It was very unfortunate. But he and I made a deal- you can stop conscripting people from the area to fight against the monsters, and instead pull back here to defend. In the meantime, I'll be the one to defeat the monsters and you won't have to fight anymore. Also, you got promoted. Aren't you happy?" I refused to let go of the man or let him do anything until I knew from the parts of his face I could see that his own greed capitulated him to me.

...

My daughters were happy to see me. Apparently the guards had been rather shifty and they were worried they'd get attacked or something, though it wasn't something they couldn't handle.

As we left, I was pretty glad that douche identified the seed for me, though it wasn't that much of an identification. But a Plus One! Dungeons and Dragons made a +1 something really awesome, and other games gave permanent stat bonuses, such as permanently increased strength or something like it. The seed was too huge to stuff in my mouth for a bonus, and I always thought that statistic increasing seeds in other game series should be planted so even more could be generated, but that wasn't a game mechanic available. It was to me this time.

Along the long road home, I told the girls what kind of deal I had forced the jumi to agree to, though I didn't say how. They didn't seem happy about it, but it was what it was. Somehow I had the feeling Djraine would actually be the one to be unhappy and talkative about it, but only time would tell. What was really informative today though, was that the other reincarnated guy didn't have a crazy afterlife experience. Was he unimaginative and unable to see the truth of how it was? Was he appointed to someone who actually did their job properly? Was mine weird and nonsensical because I was schizophrenic and his wasn't because he wasn't? I had tried identifying the seed a few times, and tried to identify other stuff, but it never worked, but it did work for him. Plus, what was the deal with his attitude? I guess that last part didn't matter since I already killed him.

But more importantly than the other errant thoughts in my head was the question of where the other drider were, and what they were attacking for. Maybe they were just mindless monsters... I'd have to find out. I couldn't do it with my family being this size, though- and luckily I already had a few more recruits stuck just below my armpit.

It would take a couple days to get home, maybe a few, since we couldn't fail to find water and food on the return trip. I already knew spiders didn't have to eat as often as humans did, so I was glad I had that part of my body to keep me stable for the time being. There was that one stream I had found before, so we could get water there, and I might even be able to find some more stuff there this time. Oh, hey! I could try and fix the cart if Sun wouldn't mind helping.