Kingdom Reboot: Rise Of The Conquest System

Chapter 7: Questions and Power

Dawn light filtered through the trees above them. Birds sang in the branches but their songs couldn't hide the sounds coming from the palace behind them. Dogs barking. Men shouting orders as they rallied and tracked them

"We need shelter," Sir Garrett said. His weathered face showed worry as he scanned the forest around them.

A woman with a water bucket stopped on the path ahead. She took one look at their bloodied clothes and weapons and dropped the bucket with a loud crash. Water splashed everywhere as she ran screaming toward the nearest farmhouse.

"The gods have mercy," Sir William cursed. "Half the kingdom will know we're here by midday."

More people appeared on the forest paths. Farm workers heading to their fields. A merchant with his cart. All of them stared at the group of armed men standing in the grove.

"There," one of them pointed. "That's the king's murderer. The one Victor's hunting."

"Look at all that blood," another whispered.

The merchant turned his cart around and whipped his horses back toward the city. He'd be telling everyone what he'd seen before the sun climbed much higher.

"This way," Seraphina said. She led them deeper into the woods, away from the paths. "I know a place."

They followed her through thick undergrowth. Branches caught at their clothes and thorns scraped their hands. Behind them, the sounds of pursuit grew louder.

The hut sat in a small clearing surrounded by tall oaks. Old and abandoned, with moss growing on the roof and vines covering the walls. But it had four walls and a door that still closed.

"Here," Seraphina said, pushing through the overgrown doorway like she'd done it a hundred times before. "I've been using this place for months."

The inside was cleaner than it should have been for an abandoned hut. Someone had swept the floors recently. A few blankets lay folded in one corner. Clay pots held water near what remained of an old fireplace.

"Woodcutter died last winter," she explained as they stumbled inside. "But it's far enough from the main roads that nobody bothers coming out here. Perfect for someone who needs to disappear."

Sir Garrett looked around with new understanding. "You've really planned well against Victor."

"For five years," Seraphina said simply. "I needed a safe place to train. To store supplies. To hide when things went wrong."

She moved to a loose floorboard and pried it up. Inside was a small cache of weapons, dried food, and a pouch of coins.

"Smart," Sir Edmund said with grudging respect. "Always have an escape plan."

Sir Garrett then posted guards at the windows while the others settled onto the floor. They were all exhausted. The fight in the tunnels and the run through the forest had taken everything out of them.

But at least now they understood why Seraphina moved through the woods like she owned them. This had been her territory long before they'd become fugitives.

"We can't stay long," Sir Edmund said. He was binding a cut on his arm with torn cloth. "Those people will talk. Victor's men will find us."

"Where can we go?" Sir Roland asked. The young knight looked lost. "We don't have horses or supplies or anything."

"We need to get out of the kingdom," Sir Bradley said. "Find somewhere Victor can't reach us."

"But where?" Sir Thomas rubbed his face with both hands. "We can't just wander around hoping for the best."

Sir Garrett nodded slowly. "I know some people in the border towns. Traders and such. They might help us for the right price."

"What people?" Seraphina asked. Her voice was sharp with interest.

"Smugglers mostly," Garrett admitted. "Men who move goods between the kingdoms without asking too many questions."

Sir William looked uncomfortable. "That's... not exactly legal."

Seraphina laughed, but there was no humor in it. "Legal? We're fugitives now. Outlaws. Legal doesn't matter anymore."

"She's right," Sir Philip said quietly. The old knight's voice carried sadness. "I've seen this before. During the Border Wars twenty years back. Good men forced outside the law because of politics."

"What happened to them?" Sir James asked. He was the youngest, barely old enough to understand what they'd lost.

Sir Philip was quiet for a moment. "Some found new lives in other kingdoms. Others turned to banditry. Most just... disappeared."

The words hung in the air like a curse. Is that what they'd become? Bandits hiding in the woods?

"The other dominions won't make this easy," Sir Edmund said. "The Sylphean Dominion won't harbor human fugitives. They have their own problems with the fairy courts."

"What about the eastern borders?" Sir Gareth suggested.

"That's demon territory," Sir Thomas said matter-of-factly. "Surely you can't expect us to go there, that place is sealed behind the great barriers for a reason, even now things still get through. Vampires mostly. Small groups that slip past the wards."

"True, but that might work in our favor," Sir Gareth continued. "Victor's men won't want to patrol too close to the barrier. Its too dangerous."

Sir Garrett nodded. "Everyone knows the demon raids have been getting worse. That's how Victor justified his push for stronger borders."

Sir Roland nodded. "I heard him in council meetings. Always pushing for stronger borders. More aggressive patrols."

"Now I understand," Aurelius said quietly. It was the first time he'd spoken since they'd reached the hut. "He's been building support for months. Making people think the king was weak."

"Makes sense," Seraphina said. "Create a problem, then position yourself as the solution."

"So where does that leave us?" Sir William asked.

Seraphina was quiet for a moment. Then she spoke without looking at any of them. "I know people. Criminals. The kind Victor's been cracking down on."

"Drug dealers?" Sir Bradley asked.

"Among others," she admitted. "Black market traders. People who move things that shouldn't be moved."

The knights looked uncomfortable. These weren't the kind of allies they were used to.

"They hate Victor," Seraphina continued. "He's been disrupting their business. Arresting their people. They'd help us just to spite him."

"Working with criminals," Sir Thomas muttered. "What have we become?"

"Survivors," Seraphina said simply. "That's what we've become."

Aurelius listened to the conversation but his mind kept drifting. Blue words flashed in his vision every few minutes. Always the same message.

[SYSTEM TUTORIAL AVAILABLE]

[ACCESS FULL INTERFACE?]

What did it want? What was this system that had somehow saved his life?

His wounds were strange too. The cuts from the throne room fight should have been bleeding more. Should have hurt worse. But they felt better. Not healed exactly, but... different.

"I need some air," he said. He stood up and walked outside.

The others barely noticed. They were too busy arguing about which criminals to trust and which borders to cross.

Aurelius found a fallen log at the edge of the clearing and sat down. The morning sun felt warm on his face. Everything looked normal. Trees and birds and blue sky. But nothing would ever be normal again.

The blue words appeared again.

[SYSTEM TUTORIAL AVAILABLE]

[ACCESS FULL INTERFACE?]

This time, he didn't ignore them. He focused on the words and tried to think "yes" at them.

Nothing happened.

He tried again. Concentrated harder. Imagined pressing a button or speaking the word.

Still nothing.

Frustration built in his chest. What was he supposed to do? How did this thing work?

"Come on," he whispered. "Show me what you are."

The words pulsed brighter. Like they were reacting to his voice.

"Yes," he said out loud. "I want to see the interface."

The world exploded with blue light.

Screens appeared in front of him, floating in the air like magic. Text and numbers covered them in neat rows and columns.

[CONQUEST SYSTEM - HOST STATUS]

[HOST: AURELIUS MORALES]

[LEVEL: 1]

[ATTRIBUTES]

[STRENGTH: 15/100]

[AGILITY: 18/100]

[INTELLIGENCE: 22/100]

[CHARISMA: 25/100]

[LEADERSHIP: 28/100]

[CORRUPTION: 0/100]

[SKILLS]

[SWORDSMANSHIP: ADEPT]

[TACTICS: EXPERT]

[COMMAND: EXPERT]

[PERSONAL COMBAT: GAINED FROM KILLS]

[TERRITORY]

[CONTROLLED: NONE]

[CONQUEST POINTS: 0]

[PERSONAL KILLS: 11]

[LOYALTY FOLLOWERS: 10]

The information covered everything. His strengths and weaknesses laid out in cold numbers. His kills counted like trophies. His followers tracked like possessions.

More text appeared.

[SYSTEM EXPLANATION]

[YOU HAVE BEEN CHOSEN FOR LEADERSHIP POTENTIAL]

[DESPERATE CIRCUMSTANCES MAKE STRONG LEADERS]

[THIS SYSTEM FEEDS ON CONQUEST AND EXPANSION]

[EVERY TERRITORY CLAIMED INCREASES YOUR POWER]

[EVERY PERSONAL KILL GRANTS NEW ABILITIES]

[EVERY LOYAL FOLLOWER STRENGTHENS YOUR COMMAND]

[WARNING: POWER COMES WITH PRICE]

[CORRUPTION INCREASES WITH DARK CHOICES]

[HUMANITY LOST CANNOT BE RECOVERED EASILY]

[CHOOSE YOUR PATH CAREFULLY]

[CURRENT MISSION: SURVIVE AS OUTLAW]

[LONG TERM GOAL: BUILD DOMINION]

[SUB GOAL: CLAIM TERRITORY]

[SUB GOAL: RECRUIT FOLLOWERS]

[SUB GOAL: ELIMINATE ENEMIES]

The screens kept coming. More information than he could process. Maps showing territories he could claim. Lists of abilities he could unlock. Warnings about the price of power.

It wanted him to become a conqueror. To build an empire through blood and conquest. To gather followers and claim lands and kill anyone who stood in his way.

The system had saved his life, but it wanted something in return. It wanted him to become something he'd never been before.

A ruler. A conqueror. Maybe even a monster.

But looking at the screens, seeing the numbers and options, he felt something he hadn't felt since the king died.

Hope.

This system could make him strong enough to fight Victor. Strong enough to prove the truth. Strong enough to take back everything that had been stolen from him.

The price might be his humanity. But what good was being human if evil men like Victor could destroy everything good in the world?

Aurelius stared at the floating screens. At the numbers that measured his worth. At the missions that would define his future.

For the first time since this whole madness, he actually.......smiled.