Relationships are all quite distinct from one another. You treat a lover different from a friend, and a friend different to an acquaintance, even enemies come in different forms that deserve tailored responses.

My relationships with my lovers are each slightly different from one to the other. Nel is desperate for proof and confirmation of our relationship, while Eshya is far more laid back, and confident in our bonds. Vii and Adler are more cautious and nervous in their own unique ways, and I feel I need to be a little more careful with each of them. Each of them has different relationships with one another, though based around affection, love, and desperation. Through these different relationships, we stand together.

Tomorrow will always give us new challenges, but that’s life. Even friendships don’t last forever, and without great effort, our relationship will be torn apart little by little. Just like a patchwork blanket, we’ll need to keep sewing up the fraying edges, resolving the issues between us. No relationship is static.

Alliances between nations run upon much the same principles, though it is usually much colder, more calculated than emotionally guided. Enemies become allies when a common threat drifts into the picture, and allies can become bitter enemies when competing for the same land and resources.

Understanding only a small fraction of what makes these complex political relationships work, I sit at the table with dozens of potential allies. Speaking with more passion than experience, I look over the group gathered here for me.

“Everyone gathered here is estranged from true power, threatened by the new Council and the potential cooperation of the republic and the monarchy, you’re here not because you respect me, but because we share common enemies.

“If we remain separate the two parties will crush us, neither wants to see any of us grow to the point where we might be made a threat, so they will conspire to see us crushed,” They all quietly nod, my words unsurprising and only proving my understanding of the basic issues we face. “We must not let that happen.

“If we are to support each other in an alliance, we can prevent the greater powers here from subsuming us. If we stand together, we can protect one another against any attempts to seize our lands by either of the two great factions. Even further than that, if we stand together we can push for our own resolutions within the Grand Council.”

“Too convinced of her own power.”

“An idiot, but what can you do…”

“She’s going to start a war, isn’t she?”

“Is she going to shut up, and let more capable people speak?”

Their thoughts rain down on me, so many of them unimpressed, but I push on. The more I find out about politics, the more I learn that this is normal. They’ll never love me, not as things stand today, and knowing more about them, I’m fine with that.

“We aren’t friends, we won’t be friends. Here at this table are cruel and awful people that I would be hunting for sport if I thought I could get away with it.” My words earn a few chuckles from those who share the sentiment. I look past slavers and murderous cannibals, settling for a moment on one particularly disturbing young man I’ve dubbed ‘King Incest’.

Our willingness to work together is wholly limited by our current weakness, and should the greater threats posed by the republic and the monarchy disappear, I’m sure that any hope of an alliance would be dispersed. Our values are simply too disparate.

“We aren’t going to merge together into some new republic, and I’m not here to proclaim myself as a ruler to stand over you. I’m saving that for later.” A few more chuckles resound, and the pressure within the room eases, the fact that the most disgusting of them have the most positive thoughts about me, which… I’ll bring that up with Gemma later.

“I hope that we can settle on an alliance between us, so for today we must set aside our differences and focus on what issues might bring us together into an alliance.” I bite my tongue before I start slinging sarcastic criticisms of the slave runners, and I don’t directly refer to the murderous cannibals. I can’t help my eyes from wandering over toward the disturbing, young King incest.

The hairy young gorilla-esc King lives in a forest cavern, and thousand years ago their first king murdered and ate anyone who wasn’t part of his direct family. Since then, the cavern has become heavily populated by the one incestuous family that uses magic to keep from dealing with any of the Earthly consequences that would have ended his civilisation countless generations ago.

The young king rules over his tens of thousands of brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, nieces, and nephews, and the ungodly combinations thereof.

Should I genocide them all when I inevitably have power over them? Probably not, but I’m sorely fucking tempted.

“So, I offer you all an alliance under these principles,” I say, speaking over those that are already trying to speak up. “One, we shall not attack other members of this alliance, not with armies, not with sabotage, and not through Grand Council resolutions.” A promise that’s likely to be cheated in one way or another, the part about sabotage is nothing more than platitudes to ensure that members can demand compensation or punishment against other members who are caught in acts of sabotage.

“Second, all members of this alliance will stand with and fight to ensure the sovereignty of all other alliance members in the case of a Grand Council resolution to strip us of our lands.” The core purpose behind this alliance is to ensure that we cannot be crushed by the republic or the monarchy. I’m sure there’s still going to be various bullshit politics undermining this principle, such as offering only complementary efforts in defence of those we aren’t happy with. I know I’d have trouble giving my all fighting in defence of King incest over there.

“Third, trade between caverns will be freely permitted with no more than a 25% tax. Including border taxes, sales taxes, and any other form of taxation.” It’s critical that we develop our own economy to prevent the republic and the monarchy from suffocating us with trade embargoes. This was something that all of my advisors were rather firm in drilling into me. Economic warfare is not merely likely, factions are already making moves and taking action against one another.

“Fourth, we will fight to get shared access to hunting and resource zones. An effort has been made to limit my access to hunting and resource dense caverns through the first Grand Council resolution, and I’m sure that the same tactic will be used against everyone here. We will introduce new resolutions to secure hunting rights within caverns near to all of us, and we will share access to the resources found there.” It would be much too easy to starve our alliance to death if we can’t pass this resolution.

A few alliance members kick up a bother over specific intentions behind the four principles, and with some effort, I manage to keep the conversation on point. Most here with us seem agreeable with the alliance in theory, but there are decent arguments against it.

“We don’t have the forces here to stand against the republic or the monarchy.” A lanky young squid says, raising a limb towards me. “If we can’t manage at least as much, this alliance is nothing more than a target on our backs. We’ll be relentlessly harassed and attacked until we’re disbanded.”

“That’s not going to happen,” I say, standing tall and looking through their numbers. “In the short term, my abilities prove enough of a threat against both factions that we can pressure them into ceding to us on smaller matters. I’m also developing myself to be powerful enough to stand on par with the republic and the monarchy by the time those threats lose their effect.”

“Even assuming that you can manage that, what stops you from taking over as a new tyrant?” A woman asks, the same tree whose cavern I visited before, she and her council were discussing the pros and cons of collaring her own people and turning them into slaves.

“Nothing.” I say, “If you can manage to grow powerful enough, then there’ll be nothing stopping you, either. I can promise to be a kind tyrant, but that’s not very believable, is it?”

“Then what’s the point of this alliance?” The squid asks yet again.

“A limited resistance against the threats of today,” I reply. “If we do nothing, then we’ll be crushed by the republic and the monarchy. This alliance is simply to avoid that fate.”

“So then, wouldn’t it be best for us to form this alliance without this little crazed warlord?” King incest asks. “She admits that she’ll rule over us as a tyrant the moment she has power, we should cut her out now and make this alliance without her.”

“You can try to do this without me if you want, but it will fail. I have some power over the leaders of both the republic and monarchy, either I’m in this alliance, or the alliance is, as the esteemed Mr Squid says, nothing more than a target to be crushed.

“What’s more, do any of you here actually trust anyone else here? If King incest has the power, I’m sure he’ll act quite the mighty tyrant, too, but we’re not here to discuss potential threats that will come. We’re here to find a way to survive when the republic and the monarchy realise that they should work together to crush us first.”

Gradually the discussion breaks down into smaller conversations among groups of the prospective alliance members, but it seems that there is some measure of positivity towards the idea. Even King incest seems happy enough to play along with the idea now that he’s spoken his piece, which was more a political play than an actual complaint.

There’s one thing holding us all back from properly forming this alliance today. I lack evidence that I can personally stand against the two larger factions with any real effect, I know more than anyone just how dangerous the president and the queen can be, and if I can’t keep them from personally coming after us, then this alliance is already dead.

They need proof that I can do what I’ve promised, and for that… for that I need to find some new solution. I need something that can prove my superiority, and I can’t do that through simple war, or a game of who has the biggest club. Under threat of Arduelle’s displeasure, nature’s rules now come second, since the dungeon is officially the one here with the hardest hitting club.

I must prove to them that the republic and the monarchy are willing to compromise for me. Pushing through the reform I’m after for the newly forming Academy will be evidence of my political power, and it might be enough. Even if I can get the leaders of the two factions to abstain from the vote, and the fighting that comes with it, I can consider that enough of a victory to prove the viability of this alliance.

“Gah, it’s so much easier just killing things,” I say, leaning back on my chair as I suck up to Vii who is responsible for recording this and keeping me company. Apparently, that’s becoming a formal role of our harem now since I always find trouble, and Nel is always anxious over us.

“Killing things isn’t going to solve every issue.” Vii replies, “I mean, it sorta can be, but it’s a bad solution. We’re not building a wasteland like the omega beasts leave behind after consuming everything, our goal is something greater, isn’t it?”

“Yep,” I reply, “But I can’t help but feel a little jealous of the omega beasts. All they have to do is eat and grow, and eat and grow, they don’t need to deal with all this stuff. They don’t have to deal with conflicting ideologies, lifestyles, and cultures.”

“And relationships, love, good food, stories, and books. The world would suck without all that.” Vii grumbles.

“It would,” I admit, letting out a long sigh and leaning on the table. “It’s the reason I’m bothering with all this in the first place. I don’t want to live in a world that sucks, it’s just so much effort.”

“You could leave it all to me,” Malea says, smiling coldly from my side. “Just say the word and I’ll deal with everything for you, you can run around smacking the heads of whatever enemies you find, and enjoy the luxuries of a proper society when you return. All you need to do is stop pretending that you’re a leader.”

“I don’t trust you to make a society with actual culture,” I reply, shaking my head. “The reason I’m at odds with the Unified States isn’t because they’re stopping me from running around killing things. It’s because of ideological differences. I want to live in a society with more freedom, not just for me, but for everyone. You, Malea, won’t build a society that I would want to live in, no matter how fancy of a mansion I get to live in.

“I don’t want to explain it again, and again, so from now on, just watch me. See what I build and try to learn from it. I’ll help build something so beautiful that you can’t deny it’s better than your own hands can make. Then, eventually, you’ll willingly help me, rather than constantly talking about taking over.”

The council is slowly scattering around us, the offer has been given, and no one on here is quite ready to put their chips down in favour of my success. We need to give them another push if we want them to trust in me.

“Perhaps. There is always more to learn, and no king or queen is ever perfect.” Malea admits, “I still prefer stability over the chaos that you hope to create, but perhaps you will succeed. We will see.”

She says a quiet goodbye before returning to her own cavern, with the same noble poise that she never seems to lack. Vii leads me out to our own home in the meantime, and the rest of the council members return in their own time.

“What do you think of Malea?” Vii asks, stretching out her wings the moment we return home. My throne is the only guard we need to watch over our teleporter. “How much can we trust her?”

“She’s a strange one,” I say, taking a moment to think on the question. “She’s confident in the answers she has and isn’t afraid of antagonising anyone that gets in her way. She’s brave enough to stand against me, knowing exactly what that could mean, while also provoking her own faction by working with me.

“She’s confident that I’ll be willing to surrender control over this cavern,” I say, thinking through her actions and trying to understand who she is and why she’s acting as she is. “Because I’m too soft, ironically. She’s said before that I’ll suffer because I’m too kind to my people.

“Is she irritating me just to prove that she’s capable of being the heartless sort of person that a leader ‘needs’ to be, according to her logic? Proving to me that she can rule where I can’t? She’s risking offending me, to prove her own competency. Even just now she was trying to express how she was open to new ideas, without sacrificing any confidence in her own conclusions.”

“She’s trying to play you,” Vii says, nodding slowly. “She wants you to give up hope for running a civilisation because of all the difficulties, and all the painful moments. She thinks that you will be forced to be cruel to people you care for, and she’s convinced that it will break you.”

“It hasn’t happened so far, so I don’t think that’s ever going to happen,” I say with a chuckle. “Besides, I’m insane enough only to feel comfortable while I’m in control.”

“Yes, which is why she’s going to flirt with you,” Vii says, spinning on the spot and waving a wing at me.

“Excuse me?”

“She’s going to flirt with you because she noticed that you only trust us, your lovers,” Vii says, sounding rather confident in her conclusion. “Don’t fall for it. She’s a cruel manipulative woman, and she’ll do whatever it takes to seize power.”

“Again, what?” I ask.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Stats and Skills

~Mana Form:

Current mana density: 39,296 / 60,892 units

Current mana volume: 19,536 / 30,271 shards

Mana volume at crystallisation density (Max. mana volume):

Kyra: 30,271 shards

Kyra’s armour: 20,777 shards

Kyra’s throne: 1,109,298 shards

~Forms

Mana Canon

-Annihilation Heart (Adapted)

-Blood Fuel (Adapted)

-Bone Magic Storage (40,000 mana shards)

-Nail Shifters (50,000 mana shards)

Dancer

-Flash Nerves (Adapted)

-Quick Perception Mind (Adapted)

-Burst Reflex Muscles (35,000 mana shards)

-Layered space Muscles (80,000 mana shards)

Turtle

-Rebinding Tissue (Adapted)

-Catalyst Sweat Glands (140,000 mana shards)

-Repulsive Skin (80,000 mana shards)

-Prehensile hair (10,000 mana shards)

-Fatty Tissue Blood Storage (100,000 mana shards)

Investigator

-Wide eyes (Adapted)

-Wide ears (Adapted)

-Sharp nose (Adapted)

Misc.

-Clean bowels (Adapted)

~Favourited Skills:

Magic:

-Annihilation Magic (Customised)

-Fire Magic (Functional)

-Space magic (Broken)

-Force magic (Functional)

-Ice magic (Broken)

-Wind magic (Broken)

Movement:

-Hand-to-hand casting (Functional)

-Mana surge movement (Functional)

-Stealth (Functional)

Senses:

-Eyes of an Empire (Customised)

-Combat Awareness (Functional)

-Watchmen (Functional)

-Hidden bug (Mastered)

-De-tagging (Mastered)

-Anti-stealth sight (Mastered)

Special:

-Spirit Transformation (Broken)

-Conformity (Broken)

-Training mana form (Functional)