Day 6 - Evening

Fort Matthew - Town Hall

The ex-slaves' protest, regarding their treatment by the former masters, was downright ballistic. 

Ba dum tish.

The mayoral residence's revolution lasted for nearly thirty minutes. From outside we could hear swords clashing, guns firing and spells blasting. When grenades started exploding too? The ad hoc town meeting decided to retreat back to the street.

By sound you could follow the battle moving from room to room. A dozen desperate last stands. Screaming and pleading cut short by chops and gunshots.

And then? Finally, silence.

So, now I'm standing in the "garden" between the town hall and the new mayor’s house. Dressed in matte black armor. Sweating my ass off in the August heat. Looking at corpses. Deceased that I, that Louis, once looked up too. Many of them not even recognizable anymore.

Hooray for [Identify].

The setting sun is still high enough to see that some injuries were inflicted "post-mortem." Jesus, there's a lot of anger here. I was only gone for a fucking week! How did it get this bad this fast?

Maybe it was already this bad and Louis just didn't want to see it.

Honestly the ex-slaves aren't in much better shape. All show the telltale bruising left around the neck by slave collars. As accepting a slave contract using the system materializes the oversized choker? So does ending the contract disintegrate it. 

And no, making slavery illegal does not affect the system slaves. Since they are, technically, just contracted employees. 

Most of the revolutionaries are injured. Many badly. All have lash and burn marks. Some new. Some old. Healers are treating them as best they can. Can feel mana spiking as the different spells go off.

Already got a tour of the "residence" from Sassy. At first I thought the style was renaissance. But looking closer? Would more say baroque. Seventeenth century. Got a mini-Versailles vibe to it. At least upstairs. The bondage torture sex dungeon in the basement I could have definitely gone without seeing.

Was enough to get Nina panting. Which is a bad thing in case you're wondering. 

That wasn't the biggest surprise though.

*grrrr*

• [Cono Als Mai | Sheaten | Female Adult | Hunter | Steel ]

Fuck me if that's not a beastkin. A catgirl, no,  catwoman. Growling at me.

Raised pointed fuzzy ears. Human with a hint of animal facial features. A half nose half muzzle with whiskers. Bare pink skinned front and bottom but furry gray and brown back and top. Fuzzy tail. C-cups. Slit eyes, well, eye.

One of her peepers has been burned out, left hand chopped off and she has a ton of cuts and bruises. But the look in that orange orb is still defiant. Ready for more.

Yikes. Maybe she's a masochist?

Over a hundred recently emancipated are crowded behind her. All of them armed and looking at pussy in boots like she's their savior. Spartacette instead of Spartacus? Gender split looks about fifty-fifty. Saw almost a hundred inside, cut up, shot up, blown up, dead. This unnecessary revolution of theirs cost a lot of lives.

Unnecessary? Fuck yeah it was. They could have walked out. Should have walked out.

Between us? Fifty plus bodies are lined up. The mayor, the councilors, their families and guards. [Identify] shows children among them.

Sigh.

<BledWhiteHeart: This cannot be.>

Well life tends to not care what you think. Or want.

<BledWhiteHeart: You do not understand. Champions in phase three are rare, but possible. Migrations? Impossible.>

I would say that she is evidence otherwise.

<BledWhiteHeart: Migrations use the dungeon portals. The system controls them, not gods or monsters.>

Maybe she's just a smart monster?

<BledWhiteHeart: All monsters are of the dungeon. Their cores are different. Even generations later. Her core is not of the dungeon.>

Then maybe she didn't use a portal?

<BledWhiteHeart: … >

The catwoman finally speaks. Her voice is rough, scratchy, but english. Definitely isn't her native tongue. Not using magic or the system for help either.

"Not be slave again." A statement. "Paid free price." Points at the bodies. "Hungry." Rubs stomach.

I nod and turn to Maxwell.

"Guide them to the kitchen, clinic, baths and then a place to sleep. Understood?"

"Yes, Mister the King." The spellblade nods and his Minutemen lead them off. I get kisses from Lez and Ce as they go.

Jet rubs her hips against me. "What's next, Chief?"

"Time to clean up this town." Walk back into town hall and up to the stone tablet. The not elf who's really an elf has disappeared. Probably off somewhere in a gingerbread house. Cooking children in a pot.

Yes, I don't like her. Neither did Louis. One of the very few he could never get along with.

Technically I don't need to be here, here, since the ones who purchased the buildings no longer have any authority or position. But I feel like it.

Pick up my phone. "JJ, you in position?"

"Yeah boss." A voice comes back.

"What's going on over there?"

Laughter. "Complete freaking chaos bossman." Yelling in the background. "Right after that notify about slavery? All hell broke loose."

I had a sidequest for JJ and some other parties to keep an eye on the slave market and jail. Both located by the Bay Gate on the east end. A good thirty minute hike from here.

"Explain."

"Could hear fighting inside but it stopped pretty quickly. Then some freed slaves came running out." More yelling and chanting now too. "Hundreds are surrounding the place. Protesting and trying to break in. It's a madhouse!"

"How about the jail?"

"The jail? It's next door and so surrounded too."

"Get ready. I'm evicting them soon."

"Roger that, bossman."

• [ Purchased Facilities ]
• [ Decommission ]
• [ Jail selected ]
• [ Temple Aione selected ]
• [ Slave Market selected ]

<AllThatGlitters: STOP!>

Was wondering if you would show up.

<AllThatGlitters: You will not touch my temple, worm!>

Wow, arrogant and ignorant. That's not easy to pull off. Congratulations. 

<AllThatGlitters: You are not allowed to remove temples after placing them!>

Watch me.

<AllThatGlitters: I paid the owner to build it!>

No, you paid a manager. Not the owner. And you know it. Money that they used to buy energy weapons to kill me, the rightful owner, with. And a slave market. A fucking slave market in my town? Nope. It's outta here.

<AllThatGlitters: I will not give one chit more. There is a contract between me and the community.>

Good, because I don't give a chit. Nor do I care who you think the contract is with. Your champion is dead and his conspirators are dead.

• [ Decommission ]

<AllThatGlitters: You will regret this.>

Come back anytime, bitch.

<BledWhiteHeart: She's gone. You really don't like goddesses, do you. I'm sorry, but we're not all like that. …What happened?>

Fuck off.

<BledWhiteHeart: Okay…>

<Nina: Sis, it's okay. John's older than he looks. He's lost a lot. And every time he got to the bottom of things? There was another devious demented divine dame pulling the strings.>

<BledWhiteHeart: Oh, I didn't know. Wait, why did you call me sister?>

<Nina:> Grin. <All of master's pussies start thinking of his other snatches as family. We're all, like, sisters-in-law. And since you love him too then->

<BledWhiteHeart: ! >

<Nina: And she's gone, hehe.>

While the voices in my head played. The phone crackled to life. "Bossman?" A roar in the background. And lots of shooting. "Your honor, sir?"

"What is it JJ?"

"Did you know they had monsters in there?"

Screams and more roaring. The roar of a crowd. An enraged mob. Someone's retching.

"No, report, now."

"Looks like the slavers, just let it all out Joey, they were, uh, breeding monsters." A pause. "Using slavegirls, your honor."

"Do you need reinforcements?"

"Wha? Uh, no, your majesty, sir. The building sort of faded away. Leaving bare dirt. And whoever, whatever, was inside was left doing it in the dirt. The riot just sort of surged forward." Pats on the back of someone being sick. "Tore the goblins and slavers to pieces. Actual pieces."

"And the jail?"

"Same thing. No monsters there though. Couple deputies got caught with their pants down." A spit. "They… didn't last long either."

"Try to get their victims to the clinic."

"Yes, your majesty, sir. JJ out."

Well step two is done. Now for step three.

• [ Purchase Facilities ]
• [ Upgrade Power Plant I > II ]
• [ Upgrade Water Treatment I > II ]
• [ Recycler I ]
• [ Smelter I ]
• [ Arsenal I ]

No, everything is not magically powered by mana. Nor does your shit just vanish when you flush. Almost every building needs energy and fluid. And depending on the type of power and liquid. It may need a way back out too.

Fortunately, purchased buildings will automatically connect if the plumbing is nearby enough.

So, like some 3D city game, Louis had placed buildings and laid lines. Thankfully New Amster already had amazing infrastructure. He just needed to slot his in. Which I'm now doing too.

Each building requires a certain amount of power depending on size and what it's used for. And thanks to the council's spending spree? Fort Matthew was already in the red.

Meaning that the power plant had to be upgraded. Thanks to the system's magitech, its generators can use about anything to create almost any kind of power. Many I didn't even recognize. Was relieved when I, he, found electricity among the options.

Just as good, the Water Treatment plant can turn about any fluid, including sewage, into clean, clear drinkable H2O. So all the city sewage and even seawater is piped into it. Had to be upgraded too, thanks to the private baths and additional plumbing the councilors bought for those condos.

Each of these industrial type plots is 110 yards by 220 yards. And I've lined them up on the south side of Cropsey Ave. Louis had declared those few blocks as industrial and told everyone to stay out.

Anyone who didn't listen? The system will dump them into the street. These should add a couple hundred new jobs. And since they can become a lot bigger on the inside? Room for expansion is built in.

Their system slave managers will start sending job postings to town hall within a day or two. Better introduce myself to them also. Especially the arsenal boss. Making magearms and magefires is different so I'll have to do some train the trainer training.

Yeah this will show the system how to make them but I'll just live with it. I've already gotten a report that someone "lost" his. Probably sold it to one of the system slaves or a vendomatic. Anyways, there's a big plus with using the system for this.

A purchased or registered system building lets you buy the raw materials for its system recognized products at a discount. Own a candle shop? Well if you register it with the system you can buy your wax and wicks directly from the store. Sell your finished candles directly to the store too.

No need to go to the vending machine. At least for anything candle related.

Sorry, no consignment selling. And when you see how much the store turns around and resells them for? You will feel robbed.

Yes the materials will absolutely be cheaper locally. But if you don't have them locally? 

True, have a lot of materials in my spatial storage. But for all the magearms I'll be making and an airship? Going to need more than I and all the abandoned cars in New Amster can provide.

Will be building more factories later. Since I'll l absolutely need bigger guns by phase five. A lot bigger. Yeah a Cobra Assault Rifle can hurt a B grade. But it's not gonna do you a lot of good if that Silver is as big as Godzilla.

Couple tweaks and… there. All done. Now to take care of mom and sis's place. Yeah, I'm not Louis. It just feels like the right thing to do. Head for the exit when I get interrupted.

"Where you going, chief?" It's Jet and the Heartbreakers. Why are they still here?

"Quests are done. Rewards have been issued." Dismissively wave. "I'll see you around."

Go back to walking. My boots scratching against the stone floor. But they're not alone.

Sigh.

"Why are you following me?"

Jet steps up and squeezes my ass. "You are the king now, chief." Licks her lips. "And a king should never be without his guard." Assgrabber becomes a cockgrabber. "Ready to attend to his every need."

Run into a couple hundred still loitering outside and give them the good news. No more slaves and yes more jobs. Then start walking west on Matthew Pl.

Time to say goodbye.