Utopian System

The color drained from Lucien's face when he saw the new hostages.

"Ten," Zahyla counted on her fingers like a child. "It's an interesting number, isn't it? And since we have our set of ten..." She turned to the artromus who had executed the first hostage. "I'm afraid the other nine have become... necessary."

With a wave of her hand, all the prisons shattered simultaneously. The executioner artromus opened its jaws, approaching the next hostage.

"Stop!" Lucien's voice thundered.

"Oh, you do care after all?" Zahyla tilted her head. "I suppose we could reconsider."

She gestured and the artromus stopped.

"Although..." Zahyla approached the barrier, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper.

"We could resolve this right now. One final fair battle. I just need to see your true leader." Her eyes gleamed. "Or would you prefer we keep playing this numbers game until there are no soldiers left to count?"

Lucien's laugh resonated with disbelief. "A fair battle? Against a hundred transformed artromus?"

"Oh, no, no," Zahyla waved her hand carelessly. "Just me. One battle, one leader. Rather fair, don't you think?"

"And why should we trust your word?"

Zahyla's smile widened as she pointed to the artromus next to the hostages.

"Because the alternative is so... tedious. You see, when my warrior devours these hostages, there will be two who can cross the barrier. Two hunters we'll set to stalk your soldiers day and night from outside... One slip and bam..."

The artromus opened its jaws, biting hard close to a hostage's neck.

"Then we'll be three, or four," continued Zahyla, her light tone contrasting with the horror of her words.

"Then six, maybe eight thanks to the increase in parasite 'collectors'. Can you imagine it? Your soldiers, constantly watched, eternally hunted. They won't be able to level up anymore, eternal level 10s, because we don't sleep, Lucien. We'll be here, surrounding your miserable first ring, waiting."

Her eyes gleamed with cruel amusement.

"How long do you think they can maintain morale when they can't advance beyond level ten? When every attempt to grow stronger is interrupted by one of us?"

"And you know what's best?"

Zahyla began floating parallel to the barrier, her movements fluid as water.

"Every warrior you invest in strengthening will be a loss for you and a gain for us."

She stopped, turning to face Lucien directly.

"With each new artromus that gains access, your situation will worsen. It's only a matter of time before all hundred..." she gestured toward her warriors, "and I, are capable of confining you all. You won't even have the first ring then. Just your small and suffocating city with its space limit."

Her smile softened, almost maternal.

"But it doesn't have to be this way. Bring me your leader. End this boring lost battle, and I promise you..." she brought a hand to her chest in a theatrical gesture, "that you and a hundred humans of your choice will live full lives until the end of your days. What do you think? Isn't that a generous offer?"

She moved a bit closer to the barrier and whispered before Lucien.

"Although you might not believe it, I know you Lucien, you could say 9,999 times in fact... I know you suffer for the poor citizens... And I also know your horrible leader... So, what will it be? A fair battle? Or would you prefer to watch how your precious city slowly withers under our eternal siege?"

"So you know me so well, and also my leader for some strange reason... For being 9,999 times... It doesn't seem like it."

Lucien's laugh resonated across the battlefield, a sound so unexpected that even the transformed artromus exchanged looks of bewilderment.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Zahyla tilted her head, studying him with renewed interest. This wasn't the reaction she expected from someone cornered.

"Your offer would be truly generous," Lucien smiled, his expression betraying knowledge she didn't possess. He raised his right hand, three fingers extended. "If you weren't such a liar and hadn't made some fundamental errors in your calculations."

"Oh?" Zahyla observed the fingers with childlike curiosity, as if witnessing a fascinating new game. "Enlighten me."

"First," Lucien lowered one finger, his face maintaining a serenity that began to unsettle Zahyla. "I can't bring the leader. In fact, no one can."

"An immovable leader... Fascinating," Zahyla smiled sarcastically, playing along. "Please, continue. I'm dying to know more."

"Second," another finger descended with deliberate slowness, "you took too long to arrive. You can no longer block level 20 for everyone."

Zahyla's smile faltered for the first time. Her eyes narrowed as she processed this information.

"Impossible," she murmured, more to herself than to Lucien. "The risk of dying ten times in ten days, with such long challenges, the time in the first place isn't enough to..." Her eyes suddenly widened in comprehension. "The metamorphosis potions..."

She stepped back from the barrier, her mind working frantically. "But the mana needed would be astronomical. Humans are too selfish to..." She stopped, an idea forming in her mind. "Unless..."

Her eyes gleamed with recognition.

"Like that time's Fathoran? Or perhaps..."

Her expression changed, a new possibility forming.

"Is it another irregular? Or perhaps a known irregular... History has a curious way of repeating itself, doesn't it?"

The smile returned to her face, wilder than before. "Oh, this is unexpected for the final battle. Things won't be so boring if I can't read my enemy as clearly as I thought."

But as quickly as it appeared, her joy began to fade. Her eyes narrowed as she studied Lucien more carefully.

"Although..." Her voice turned thoughtful. "There's something familiar about all this. Maybe it's not the Fathoran I remember, but..."

She approached the barrier again, her curiosity evident.

"Could you at least grant me the name of this leader you protect so much? For the old times… 9,999 old times."

Lucien's smile widened, and for the first time, Zahyla felt a shiver run down her spine.

"That, my liar lady," his last finger began to descend with deliberate slowness, "was precisely the third thing, we can distinguish them so easily but..."

Anticipation charged the air as he continued.

"Your mistake was showing 'Elio' the exact location of the artromus capable of crossing here."

Zahyla's eyes snapped open upon hearing that name.

It was new.

Recognition, understanding, and something else… concern?, crossed her face in rapid succession.

Lucien's finger stopped mid-descent.

The flash of light that exploded from it was blinding. Explore stories at empire

A sound came after, from behind her, a delayed explosion that shook the air itself.

Delayed because everything had ended by the time the sound arrived.

When Zahyla's vision finally cleared through her powerful regeneration, the horror of reality hit her: Zalvek and his newly fed warrior lay split in two perfect halves behind her.

And there, emerging from the mist like a specter, was he.

Elio.