Defiance of the Fall

Chapter 121: Thomas Fischer

“Stay here. If they start firing at you, scatter and hide until I’ve incapacitated them. Joanna, Riley, and Tamira with me. Ryan too I guess,” Zac said, not wanting to give the man an opportunity to slink away.

“Um I can keep look-out from over here, no need to bother you,” Ryan said as he nervously looked at the armed soldiers lined up, but after a glare from Zac sighed and followed.

The other three, each a leader of one of the squads, followed Zac expressionlessly. They were the first to sign up to his employ, and among those who had improved the most during the death march back to New Washington.

All of them were around level 20 by now, which was a huge improvement compared to before. While none had gained the one level per day he hoped they weren’t far off. It shouldn’t be more than two weeks until they could get their class as soon as they got back to the island

Zac walked in the front, ready to intercept any nervous soldier with a hair-trigger. There were a few official-looking people in the front, Julia one of them. Another of them clearly was a general from his attire. The final man was in his late forties or early fifties.

He was clean-cut and good looking, looking very much like the politicians of old. He even wore a navy suit with a silk tie. However, intuition born from months of intense battles told Zac that he was no weak mortal, but at least decently strong.

There were a few more of them who hid further in the back with fear on their faces. The whole group held around a hundred people and formed quite a welcome for Zac’s party.

“It is good to see you again Mr. Monk, though I hoped it would have been under better circumstances. We have heard some troubling things from Greenworth,” Julia said.

“Like a barefoot lunatic going on a murder-spree, killing all the strongest warriors of the town, putting all the civilians at risk,” the general gruffly added with a glare.

The three women behind Zac glared at the general, but he only balefully glared back. Zac slowly looked over the group and with a sigh removed the corpse of the mayor and threw it over.

“It was very disappointing seeing the lawlessness your government displayed just one town away from here. I arrive and find this animal has been capturing young women for slaves, filling large mansions equipped with disgusting torture devices. This apparently went on for months, where he was left to his own devices, protected by the army. Yet you stand here looking all self-righteous,” Zac said with a calm face.

Julia frowned and looked at the women behind him, and then to the small army in the distance unsure what to say. However, the general didn’t have the same problem.

“Bah, that’s just your story. And even if it was true, since when was it up to you you to be judge, jury, and executioner? You should have reported it to us and we would have looked into it,” the general angrily retorted.

“The information brokers in New Washington already knew about it, so there’s no way you didn’t. I have 80 victims with me as well that can testify. Of course, you could just ask anyone from Greenworth if you actually gave a shit, since the council’s activities were no secret. There’s a whole park filled with unmarked graves that’s a testament to their wanton slaughter in the town,” Zac spat back with an angry glare.

Memories of the mounds where his father was dumped somewhere came back to him, and his temper started rising. He knew that these people were not to blame since it was the cultivators who did it as soon as they got back from the Tutorial. Still, he had some trouble maintaining his cool.

“Monk wasn’t the one who killed that pig, it was me,” Joanna suddenly interjected from behind.

“Well, there you have it, a confession,” the general said.

“Don’t mind her,” Zac said, and then turned to Joanna. “You, stay quiet for now.”

She looked like she wanted to interject, but she could only close her mouth and step back.

“So, is this why you have a squadron waiting for me outside your gates?” Zac asked.

Finally the clean-cut man opened his mouth.

“A society cannot function without order, and the rule of law is the most basic of protections for the weak against oppression by the strong. These are chaotic times, and unfortunately some chose to look out for themselves instead of the common good,” he said as he looked down on the mutilated corpse of the mayor.

“There will be an investigation regarding your activities in Greenworth, and if it turns out what you say is true, then that’ll be it. If they truly acted as you say, hiding behind the authority of the government while acting like monsters, then they deserve their fates. If we find you are lying, then you and Port Atwood will be listed as terrorists, and barred from this and any future Government towns on threat of death,” he continued.

Zac simply nodded, not really worried about the latter threat. To him it felt like something the government needed to do to save face. They couldn’t just let it go as that would make them look weak. He was even prepared to pay some fine just to smooth things over, but things turned out even better than expected.

“However, I’m more curious about why you have brought an army to our doorsteps. From what I can see the quality of their gear is not trivial. What is your goal?” the man continued.

“I plan on taking these people back to Port Atwood immediately. I have taken the liberty of taking them in as refugees. I was worried about their fate staying here,” Zac said with a shrug of his shoulders.

“Are you not staying for the Auction?” Julia suddenly asked.

“I plan on attending. I’ll go back and report, and then return. I might bring someone back with me,” he answered.

He thought of having Sap Trang act as a village elder so he didn’t have to keep having these conversations, as it was a bit tiring. Mr. Trang was of simple origins, but he was wily, which might just be what was needed to deal with these bureaucrats.

The man in the suit, who clearly was some sort of leader, nodded in response. There was something about the man in front of Zac that felt familiar, but Zac couldn’t place his finger on it.

“By the way, who are you? Why do I recognize your face?” he asked with some doubt.

“I am Thomas Fischer, and I was once the Deputy Secretary of Defense. For now, I’m the leader of New Washington,” Thomas answered with a nod.

Now Zac realized he must have seen the man in some news article or on the television. The guy once was a pretty high-ranked official. It even looked like he was a cultivator judging from his aura. Zac reminded himself to be careful around this man, not letting himself be used as some sort of puppet. If there was one thing that was common among all high ranked politicians, then it would be their ambition, and he had no idea what goals this man had for himself in this new world.

“And the president?” Zac asked. He hadn’t actually thought about it until now, but he wondered where the de-facto leaders ended up.

“President Hughes, vice president Clark, and much of the old executive branch unfortunately have passed away. We recently found out that the part of Old Washington with the Capitol and the White House was randomized to close proximity of a Zhix-hive. We do not expect there to be any survivors,” he said with a sigh.

“However, their sacrifice will be avenged. Any attack on humanity will result in a thunderous response,” he added with a higher volume.

Many of the soldiers nodded in agreement, and Zac even heard a ‘damn right’ from somewhere. Zac was overall pretty impressed with the man in front of him. It looked like the government could be in worse hands. Still, he seemed like a purebred politician, and everything he said and did likely was to maximize benefits and not a testament to what he truly believed.

At least the man seemed intent on working together for now, and swept away his problems with one fell swoop. Zac felt it was nothing odd by now, and it reminded him of the pragmatic mindset of Ogras. There was no benefit in clamoring for justice for some dead rapist, it was much more beneficial to keep a good relationship with a potential powerhouse.

“So, can we go?” Zac said, wanting to get on with it. The scouting missions should be done as well, and Zac was curious to see what his four teams had discovered on the neighboring islands.

“Of course, but understand that your group will need to have an army escort for safety reasons. We can’t just have a hundred armed warriors running rampant inside the town,” Thomas answered.

Zac thought it over for a second before he nodded and turned to his three guards.

“Get the others, we’re heading home,” he said, and in short order the small army of spearmen walked through the town.

They still didn’t give the air of a real army as their ranks were a bit disorganized, but at least the women gave off an intimidating aura. Between the inscribed spears and the high-quality leather gear they looked like real warriors and the various wounds that covered them only heightened that impression.

They were accompanied by soldiers both in front and behind the squad. The soldiers weren’t really hostile, but rather looked a bit curious at the girls, and even a bit jealous at Zac. They were quickly ushered to the teleporter, and Zac stayed behind letting the others enter first.

“Just exit the building and stay there. Oh, and stay calm, they won’t hurt you,” Zac only said, drawing confused glances from both the new recruits and the people of New Washington.

Finally everyone except Zac had passed through, and he turned to the leaders of New Washington.

“Our first meeting was a bit bumpy, but I hope we can work together in the future. We’re well aware that the invaders are our largest threat. As a sign of trust I’ll give you this treasure. It contains much information that will aid humanity in general. My hope is that the content will be made public to any forces that stand against the enemies of our new planet,” Zac said as he threw over the crystal containing the information of the incursions.

It was the very same one Ogras threw at him long ago, and he’d kept it all this while. He knew all the content by heart by now, so he had no problem giving it over to the people here. While some of their motives were suspect he felt their desire to protect humanity was true. Furthermore he had no desire to profit from this information, as his very planet was at stake.

“What’s this?” Julia curiously asked as she snatched the crystal out of the air.

“It is an information package containing quite a bit of information regarding the incursions. It details both the forces of the multi-verse, and many other important facts that will help us anticipate the invader’s composition and strength. It was taken from the body of a high ranking invader,” Zac simply said, drawing surprised glances.

“Is the forces of Port Atwood fighting an Incursion?” Julia quickly asked.

“I’m not at liberty to discuss our situation. See you in three days,” Zac said with a small smile as he entered the teleporter.

The leaders of New Washington seemed to have follow-up questions, but Zac simply winked out of existence, cutting any questioning short.