The Systemic Lands

Chapter 147: Day 329 (4) – Bad Blood Boiling

“I was unable to corner the Ritualist. I could threaten the store pillars. I could run around the city. But it was impossible to find and kill him,” I said. I wonder if anyone else was looking up at the night sky right now. Looking at all those tiny dots, wishing they were stars instead of pinpricks of light.

“And?” Sam asked. I turned my head slowly to look at him and glared.

“I am speaking with Naran,” I said slowly and went back to looking at the night sky.

“You made peace?” Naran asked. No one muttered or said anything. I didn’t know if I would have preferred it.

“The Ritualist asked for a truce as I was melting my way into his home, which he had escaped or was never inside. He threatened mutually assured destruction, with a slime bomb. I saw an example, it was impressive.” I pulled my pack around and reached into it. I pulled out the Treaty of Heaven and passed over a copy to Naran.

He carefully took it and began to read it. I noted people move behind him to read it as well. I kept looking up at the night sky, not thinking about much right now. I didn’t have the mental energy to think of what if or should have.

“You think it will hold?” Naran asked. What a stupid question. It was like asking, are we going to win the war. It was just a question to make the person asking the question to feel good and that they knew what was going on. When in reality it was a giant shit show.

What I wanted to say was that its only value was to wipe my butt. I didn’t trust the Ritualist and he didn’t trust me. However, I couldn’t say that after signing the document. Unlike the Ritualist people would ask annoying questions and I didn’t want to melt them.

I also couldn’t express confidence, since if it was broken, I would look like an idiot. “It was the only realistic option unfortunately. Hold, don’t hold. I have no idea. The simple fact is I can’t win, but the Ritualist can’t win against me either.”

There was a long stretch of silence. I would just like to sail away in the sea of stars. Go on a vacation. It wasn’t going to happen, but I let myself think about such things. Just leave this mess, leave my failures behind.

“We can find him. We leave the doctor and the cart puller behind, rush the city,” Sam said. Thank you for your oh so brilliant mind. Just go rush in idiot and get hit with mental attacks. It is easy to say such a thing, but making it happen, impossible. Ah, the good doctor was also awake and Naran had passed him the copy of the treaty to look over.

“Champion Michael, we can’t back down! We can take the city, wreck the store and chase down the Ritualist,” Sam said.

“Chase him down,” I tilted my head slightly to look at Sam. He flinched a bit when my eyes glared at him. “So easy to say. I said that exact same thing many times. Just chase him down. Chase. Him. Down. Easy enough. So why didn’t you in the last battle?” I asked.

There was dead silence at that. “There are things that are easy to say, but impossible to accomplish. Killing the Ritualist is impossible. Everything else doesn’t matter. It is impossible to track him down if there is no monster nearby. If we went back, he would hole up and hit us with mental attacks. Then what? Go on, that wasn’t a rhetorical question.”

“We can all learn the doctor’s method for sensing the Ritualist’s location,” Sam said.

“I considered that. Unfortunately, it only works when there are monsters. If the Ritualist just walks out of the city and leaves, what then?”

“I…I don’t know,” Sam finally said.

“Exactly. There is no path to victory. No path to killing the Ritualist. I hate the truce more than anyone. If anyone came up with a surefire one hundred percent way to kill, I would do it right now no hesitation. But there isn’t. Purgatory can’t survive another battle,” I said and just stared at the light dots in the night sky.

The trees got in the way, but I could make out enough. “Peace is never a bad thing,” the good doctor said. I felt irrationally angry at that statement. Peace was terrible! It meant losing. It meant compromise. It meant letting that asshole who melted my feet live one second longer than he should.

I let out a long breath. I knew the doctor meant the fact that people weren’t dying in a war. I knew that, but it still annoyed me.

“Long term, what are you thinking Michael?” Naran asked me.

“Long term? I plan to look at the sky for a bit. Then get some sleep. Then return to Purgatory to sort out the mess there. After that, no idea. Grind more for sure. Maybe some exploration. I will have to think on it.”

“I have an idea,” Sam said. Well let’s hear this brilliant idea. “We wait for the arrival and use the people that show up to help clear the city.” That was the stupidest thing I had heard.

“The Ritualist turns people into monsters. They won’t have any combat ability, stats, or skills. The best thing to do would be to kill them to deny the Ritualist resources.” Everything you are thinking, I had already thought.

“You could learn the doctor’s tracking method and chase him down. Why not do that?” Sam asked. He really wanted to go through every idea. Well, I couldn’t blame him. I would feel the same way.

“It is limited, like I already said. We can’t contain him inside the city and chasing him down is up to random chance. Even if I did have a vector, I wouldn’t have the distance and he can easily change positions. It is impossible to find someone once they get lost in the city or don’t want to be found.”

“It isn’t a loss. We have time to build up our strength in the meantime,” the good doctor said trying to put a positive spin on things.

“My friends died! Champion Michael, can’t you get revenge?” Sam raised his voice. I slowly got up and everyone got up as well and backed away.

“I can’t lose, but I can’t win. I hate this outcome, but there is nothing I can do right now. If you think you can do better, go on.” I gestured in the direction of Heaven. “Just run right into the city and track down the Ritualist and kill him.”

“You just want to keep the war going to get more power,” Sam said. Almighty System give me patience regarding emotional idiots.

“You are crossing a line. I am not yours to order around or make demands of. I know you lost friends. We all lost people we knew. If you think can do better, then become strong enough and go kill the Ritualist yourself. It would save me the headache. Any more complaints?” I asked slowly.

Sam glared back at me for half a minute. Finally, he let out a sigh. “No Champion Michael.” He sat back down. I took my seat on the ground. I could hear several relieved sighs. No matter how much he complained or anyone else complained, I was beating myself up much more.

Several quiet conversations broke out and the good doctor got up and sat next to me. “Some battles can’t be won.”

“Doctor, I appreciate your kind words, but I am tired. Save your moralizing for later,” I said quietly.

“My apologies.” He got back up and went to where he had been originally sitting. The next person to sit next to me was Naran.

“Crystal for your thoughts?” Naran asked.

“I am not trying to think at the moment. I am thought out,” I replied.

“I noted there was no mention of other people,” Naran said quietly.

“Nox is Ruth, the Ritualist confirmed it. She ran way a long time ago. Right after the First Battle of Purgatory,” I said, frustration leaking into my voice. I let my frustration bleed away with a sigh and looked back up at the pinpricks of light that I could see through the trees.

“You seem surprisingly accepting of this,” Naran said.

“I thought about it a lot on the trek here. I can’t win but I can’t lose either. But everyone else can lose. This war has been lost. The next war won’t be. This is just a break until we fight again.”

“You sound absolutely sure about that,” Naran said.

“I am. The Ritualist will die. I don’t know when, but once I have the power to ensure it, I am going to melt him. I swore an oath,” I glanced at Naran out of the corner of my eye, curious how he would react.

“An oath. A blood oath perhaps?”

“Sure, a blood oath of vengeance.”

“No team city leaders? He could be a powerful ally,” Naran suggested. I let out a scoff at that. Ally with the Ritualist?

“Naran. Even if my very soul and life were on the line, I would never trust or ally with that man. The treaty is just posturing before we try to kill each other again.”

“Surprised you aren’t considering the possibilities.”

“Oh, I am. Trust me. Once we get back to Purgatory, I am going to review all the research up to this point. Summoning is too overpowered and the gateway to several other abilities. The ability to scout and attack remotely is unparalleled.”

“If there are tradeoffs like you suspect?”

“Then I will deal with them as they come up. Or let someone else summon monsters for my team.”

“So, looking to build a team besides me? Should I be worried?”

“Maybe. With this place, I am waiting for a dragon to show up any moment and to roast my ass. Seriously, you are fine. I owe you Naran. Really owe you.”

“Now you are getting sappy.”

“Sorry, sorry. Just feeling depressed about losing. I am going to rest, you got the watch rotations and clearing?”

“No problem,” Naran said, and I nodded at him. I looked up at the pinpricks of light. I might even dare to call him a friend. A good friend.

I got up and went to the cart and leaned against the side and closed my eyes. Tomorrow would be another day. Today, the war was over.