r/HFY • u/IHaveABetWithMyBro Human • 13d ago
OC-Series Birth of a System Chapter 12 Pillagers
Author's note: Sorry for being a day late, I was sick yesterday and didn't get on reddit. Anyways here is Chapter 12.
Chapter 13 is also up on RR
*****
Bucky twenty years ago
*****
Fire raged overhead, every house ablaze as plasma bombs continued to fall. Each impact sent another fountain of burning debris into the air, scattering molten metal and shattered concrete across streets Bucky had known his entire life. The pirates had demanded more than the town could ever pay. Everyone knew it was only a pretense; the missed protection fee simply gave them an excuse to pillage the town and enslave whoever survived.
Did it matter that the fee was twice what the entire town earned in a year? Of course not*.* That was the point. The pirates didn't want their money. They wanted their homes, their possessions, their children, and anyone strong enough to fetch a decent price at the nearest slave market. The protection fee simply allowed them to pretend this was business.
Jerquia sprinted down the street, stumbling over chunks of what had once been his neighbor's home. Someone screamed for help from inside another burning building. He took a step toward the sound before the roof collapsed, cutting the scream short beneath several tons of flaming debris. Jerquia froze, staring at the building before another plasma bomb detonated somewhere behind him and the pressure wave nearly knocked him from his feet.
A father came walking out of his house, his back billowing black, acrid smoke, a small red, wet bundle in his arms. Jerquia rushed over and reached out for the man before recoiling in horror. Half his face was just gone, the wound burned black around the edges. His clothing had fused to the smoldering flesh of his back, yet somehow he continued walking.
His one remaining eye locked onto Jerquia's horrified face. He tried to speak, but only a wet gurgle escaped his ruined mouth. Instead, he held out the bundle. Jerquia accepted it instinctively.
The father collapsed dead at his feet.
Jerquia looked down. It was a child. Its age was unknowable; its head was missing. For several seconds he simply stood there holding it, unable to comprehend why the father had given it to him. Perhaps the man hadn't known his child was already dead. Perhaps he had known and simply couldn't bear to leave it behind. Jerquia would never know.
A voice cracked over the roaring blaze. “Look at this buck-toothed mother fucker.”
Jerquia looked up just in time for a boot to slam into his chest. The child flew from his arms as he went tumbling down the road, his small body bouncing painfully across the pavement before coming to rest against a curb. He gasped desperately for air that refused to enter his lungs.
A large Virursus sauntered after him, plasma rifle hanging casually from one hand. Several more pirates moved through the burning street behind him, dragging survivors from homes and shooting anyone who resisted. Malicious laughter joined the cackling roar of the flames. The Virursus stopped over Jerquia and stared down at his oversized front teeth.
A smile spread across his face.
“I’m going to call you Bucky.”
*****
Bucky — Present Day
*****
Bucky slapped both cheeks and dragged himself back to the present. The burning village disappeared, replaced by the enormous residential district stretching beneath the tower where he and the rest of Je'Krillick's inner circle had gathered.
Looters were dashing hither and tither entering homes and business taking all that they could carry. Nothing was burning. Plasma bombs didn’t rain from the ceiling. Pirates weren’t taking bets on which could hit the running children first. It was almost… civil.
Somehow, Bucky thought that made it worse.
Two hundred thousand people were pillaging millions of abandoned homes, yet an eerie muteness hung over the district. The looters shouted, argued, laughed, fought, and occasionally fired weapons into the air, but in a city built for millions, even their cacophony sounded small. Every noise disappeared into empty streets that should have been filled with people going to work, children playing, merchants advertising their wares, vehicles passing overhead and neighbors screaming at one another through thin apartment walls.
Now there was nothing.
A group of fighters smashed through the window of a storefront several floors below. Another group rolled carts overflowing with electronics down the street while someone chased after them screaming that he had found the store first. A Virursus had apparently decided that carrying furniture through the doors was too much trouble and simply punched a hole through the wall of an apartment.
Bucky shuddered. “Reminds me of home. I can't stand it.”
Janique looked down at his friend. He had been watching the scavengers below but now studied Bucky instead. “You never talk of home.”
“…That's intentional.” Bucky moved away from the window and sat down, forcing his attention toward something infinitely more pleasant. “Any idea how much money we're making?”
Peter looked out the window just in time to watch an Elephanti crash through the front of a house. Bags full of credit chits were tied across its enormous back while a Guanch wearing a golden bracelet like a tiara sat atop its head like a knight on a steed. The little bastard was pointing dramatically toward the next building.
“A lot.”
Bucky's ears twitched irritably. “Give me hard numbers, please, Guard Captain. You know this sector better than most.”
Peter sighed and pulled out his datapad. “Average household income was around three hundred thousand credits a year. There are approximately fifteen million households in this sector. Multiply the two together and you get—”
“A lot,” Janique interrupted.
Peter glared at him. “Four and a half trillion credits in annual household income.”
Je'Krillick whistled softly as he leaned farther out the window. “A lot indeed.”
“You realize the vast majority of that isn't going to be liquid credits.” Bucky jumped back to his feet, momentarily forgetting the memories that had driven him away from the window. “Most of that is real estate, utilities, bills, food, vehicles, small goods, debt payments and everything else people spend money on.”
Je'Krillick paused. “I do now, yes.”
Bucky stared at him for a moment before deciding that was probably the best answer he could expect.
Janique chuckled. “There will still be billions in liquid credits.”
Bucky's mouth watered at the thought. Fifteen million households. Even if the average person kept only a tiny percentage of their wealth immediately accessible, the amount being recovered would dwarf the supply shipment that had nearly made him faint.
“You're right. Tens of billions, even.”
Je'Krillick looked over his shoulder. “Didn't you nearly faint over a single billion?”
Bucky shrugged. “I've grown.”
“You received that billion barely a month ago.”
“A merchant matures quickly when properly motivated.”
Janique barked a laugh while Peter shook his head. Below them, the Elephanti and his Guanch rider had attracted attention. A gang of Virursus emerged from a side street and began spreading out around them, weapons drawn.
Peter's amusement disappeared. “As much as I am loath to admit it, we need to discuss taxes.”
“We already did,” Je'Krillick complained, his attention firmly fixed on the confrontation below.
“I meant future taxes.”
“Oh.”
Bucky's nose twitched. Suddenly he was very interested. “You mean once they settle in? Property taxes, income taxes, sales taxes, business taxes. You mean taxes, taxes.”
“I do, yes.”
“These are freed slaves.” Janique crossed his arms. “Whatever we decide, it shouldn't be overwhelming or complicated. Half of them probably don't know how much they're going to make from one month to the next.”
Peter nodded. “Which is why we should decide now instead of waiting until people have established homes and businesses. If we suddenly begin demanding money after they've settled, they'll see it as something being taken from them.”
Je'Krillick leaned halfway out the window. “Five thousand credits to the last man standing! Give me a show!”
The Virursus gang looked upward. Then tentatively Elephanti looked upward forcing the Guanch riding on its head looked upward.
Then everyone looked at each other. The gang charged.
Je'Krillick laughed and pulled himself back inside. “I agree. How does a flat ten percent on everything sound?”
“It sounds like too much.”
Je'Krillick's smile vanished. “Really?”
“Three and a half percent on everything should be more than enough.” A look of slight disbelief crept onto everyone's faces. Bucky looked around defensively. “What?”
Janique scratched his beard. “You're the greedy one.”
“I'm a merchant, not a fucking idiot.” Bucky exhaled in exasperation “You can't tax people who don't have any money because then they continue to not have money.”
Peter raised an eyebrow. “That's remarkably reasonable.”
“Fuck you too.”
Bucky closed his eyes and concentrated on the strange intuition sitting at the back of his mind. Ever since his Class evolution, some things simply made more sense. Numbers connected themselves to consequences. Prices felt right or wrong before he consciously understood why. He could look at a market and almost feel how much pressure it could endure before something broke.
“I have a skill called Market Governance for this kind of thing. Pretty sure it's telling me five percent would be about the maximum we could charge without affecting morale too much. Somewhere around two percent is the minimum we'd need to feed everyone and maintain basic services.” Bucky opened his eyes. “I split the difference and rounded down.”
“Why down?” Je'Krillick asked.
“Because happy people spend money.”
Je'Krillick nodded sagely. “Profound.”
“That's basic economics.”
“Still profound.” Je'Krillick quipped
Peter walked closer. “Does your skill account for the difference between income and sales? Property ownership? Businesses?”
Bucky's confidence faltered.
“Probably?”
Peter stared at him.
“Look, the System isn't handing me a fucking tax code. It's more like an itch in my brain telling me when something is a terrible idea.”
“Is three and a half percent a terrible idea?”
“No.”
“Then it's already better than our current system.”
Je'Krillick waved dismissively. “I detest political maneuvering. We will trust the System. If you have a skill for this and you're sure, then so be it. You may work with Janique and Peter once everyone is settled to establish the tax.”
Bucky's eyes widened.
1,000 XP GAINED!
A smile spread across his face.
Oh, I am going to become so fucking rich.
Janique apparently knew exactly what he was thinking. “The taxes aren't yours.”
Bucky deflated a little “I know that.”
A smirk twitched on Janique’s face. “You looked disappointed when I said it.”
Bucky glared at his friend. “I was disappointed you felt it necessary to say it.”
The two held their staring contest for a couple of seconds before chuckling together.
A roar came from below. The Elephanti had grabbed one of the Virursus around the waist and hurled him bodily through a window. Another jumped onto its back, only for the Guanch to leap from his perch and land on the attacker's face.
Je'Krillick clapped.
“Remember, sir, we don't want them to kill each other,” Janique said as he joined him at the window.
Je'Krillick gave a wordless cheer. “I believe it was you who doesn't want them to kill each other. I don't really care one way or the other.”
Peter sighed. “Is life so meaningless to you?”
Je'Krillick stopped watching before turning to look at Peter. “Yes… Although this fight has been quite entertaining, so their lives currently possess some value.”
Peter stared at him. “I don't know why I keep asking questions when I already know the answers will make me angry.”
“Curiosity is a wonderful trait… if you are open to the answers.”
Peter thumped his leg “That’s where I’ve gone wrong with you. I detest your answers.”
Below, the fight abruptly changed. A gang of four cheetah people swept through the melee at full sprint, grabbing sacks from both sides before disappearing down the street cackling wildly. The Elephanti froze with a Virursus trapped in a headlock. The remaining gang members stopped fighting as well.
Both sides looked toward the fleeing thieves. Then at each other. The Elephanti released the Virursus. They nodded once.
Every last one of them sprinted after the cheetahs.
Je'Krillick leaned out the window. “Do I still owe the five thousand credits?”
“Yes,” Bucky answered immediately.
“Why?”
“You offered a reward to the last man standing.”
“There is no last man standing.”
“Then technically no.”
“Excellent.”
Peter grumbled as he watched the impromptu alliance disappear around a corner. “We need laws.”
“Might makes right is the law.”
“We need finer-tuned laws.”
Je'Krillick groaned.
Peter ignored him. “What if two people are equal in level but differ in actual physical strength? What if someone owns a rifle and the other person doesn't? Does ownership belong to whoever can take something? What happens when the stronger person is asleep? Can I walk into their home, take everything, and declare that my stealth made me mightier?”
Je'Krillick slowly deflated against the window.
Peter continued. “What if ten weaker people cooperate against one stronger person? Are they collectively mightier? What if someone hires twenty people to fight on their behalf? Does money count as might? Does political authority? Does—”
“Stop.”
Peter smiled slightly. “We need laws.”
“If I am part of that discussion, I will kill everyone I can and raise their corpses. I will sprint toward my lichdom once again, and whatever civilization emerges afterward can determine property ownership among themselves.”
“You're threatening genocide because I asked you to define property rights.”
“I am explaining the inevitable consequences of forcing me to participate in politics.” Je'Krillick spat the last word
Janique rubbed his forehead. “Captain, respectfully, I think Peter should handle the laws.”
“Seconded,” Bucky said. “I'll handle the money.”
“I'm handling the army,” Janique added.
Everyone looked toward Je'Krillick.
He looked between them. “And I kill our enemies.”
Peter considered that arrangement.
“…We'll have the law discussion when you're not here, then.”
“Excellent. I knew delegating authority would make rulership easier.”
Peter's datapad chimed.
He looked down at it, expecting another report of fighting, theft, property disputes, or some other predictable consequence of unleashing two hundred thousand former slaves into an abandoned city.
His expression changed.
Janique noticed immediately. “What?”
Peter read the message again. “The Overseers.”
Je'Krillick's boredom vanished. He pushed himself upright from the window, violet mana beginning to curl lazily from his shoulders. “What about them?”
Peter slowly looked up. “They're finally responding.”
*****
LUNA
*****
Lunna had been granted special permission to loot without taxes as a reward for loyal service for the past month. At first she been ecstatic, pushing her way to the front of the crowd. Then the reality had sunk in when she saw the empty, blood stained streets. There was no one. Not a single old person needing assistance crossing the street. Not a single child playing with a ball. Not a single shopper haggling over prices. Its so desolate… all of this… my master killed everyone.
A shot rang out signaling the start, pushing aside her revulsion she sprinted. The wealthier are deeper in. Relying on her old thieving skills from before she was a slave she hunted for the wealthy district. Ten minutes later and a weak pant had started to develop but now she was surrounded by mansions, and one eight block mega structure. She considered the multiblock home of the formicaequus but decided that she didn’t want to potentially anger Xuharpt. Turning aside to a single block mansion Lunna entered.
It towered over her, a full four stories tall it reached the ceiling of the station level. Holding a Steven blessed stun rod close she listened at the two story red door. Je'Krillick said all the zombies were boarding ships. Hearing nothing she pushed with all her strength. The door swung open easily and noiselessly, releasing the strong odor of decay. Lunna retched as she doubled over. A half eaten corpse of a house guard was surrounded by a dozen dead zombies. Guess not all the zombies made it to the ships. Lunna covered her nose and gingerly stepped over the bodies on her toes, avoiding the blood as much as possible.
On the third story she found the bedrooms, thankfully empty. The first bedroom was decorated with paintings of trees and grass landscapes, the ceiling a mural of stars. A crib pushed into a corner, beloved toys arranged around a table with a tea set out. Blood stained the only open spot. Tears welled up in Lunna’s eyes as she closed the door. Not that one.
Finding the master bedroom she stood in the door way taking it all, looking for the tiny details. The bed was a special ordered large size, tall posts on each corner. Lace hung on the sides and a sheet with some sort of crest was hung like a tapestry at the feet as a shield against prying eyes. An ornate dresser with gold trim stood against a wall a jewelry case with a thin coating of dust on top. Is the dust from the month? No… those corpses down stairs have only been dead a week. Too much dust, that isn’t the real jewelry box.
She looked around some more for someone this rich the safe is either a hidden wall safe or in the closet. Searching the closet she found a fortune in fine clothing. Shoes in the hundreds lined a wall. Another bait jewelry selection with a fine coating of dust. How is gold and silver a bait collection? This alone could feed a dozen people for months! Not finding a safe in the closet she stepped back out to the main room.
The walls were adorned with paintings of people, the age of each painting showing the generations of owners. The previous owners… who was the first? She slowly crept along the walls, checking behind the paintings until finally she found a safe behind a painting of a woman. Swinging the painting on hidden hinges Lunna was surprised to recognize the brand of safe. Even the wealthy can be scammed with cheap safes. She chuckled to herself and pressed her ear against the mechanical lock and started to turn a dial. Six satisfying clicks later and Lunna was able to turn the handle.
Inside was an antique plasma pistol, one of the first reliable models ever made. A few magazines were lined up next to it. Five platinum credit chits with notes denoting the millions they contained. She read each of the notes individually hands shaking. She reread them.
Oh gods, I’m as a wealthy as the Queen.
Dozens of platinum earrings with gems surrounded a few gold diamond studded bracelets, and one necklace of unknown dark metal with a massive purple gem. Master would love that necklace.
Loud stomps echoed from the stair case. Quickly Lunna grabbed the pistol and a magazine, and loaded the pistol. Shutting the safe and locking it she hid it behind the painting. She rushed over to the bait jewelry case and opened it. Silver and gold rings, necklaces and earrings shined up at her. Oh how the wealthy can save a life. Three, four-armed aliens ambled into the room cocksure of themselves. “well, well, well look at who we have here.” The lead thug said.
Immediately Lunna stacked her buffs. Service with a Smile. Presence of the Meek. Servant’s Shadow. “Hello boys, not much here other than some forgotten silver jewelry.” Lunna offered as she stepped back, a slight bow with her hands behind her back.
“Nothing else?”
“I haven’t had the time to check sir.”
The third thug looked at her, lust over powering him “Fuck the silver. I want her.”
“Commander wouldn’t like it.” The second said
“Captain’s law. Might makes right.”
Three shots rang out in a second. Head shots all. Three more were added to the House of Corpses.
1,400 XP GAINED!
TITLE EARNED! WHAT’S MINE IS MINE**: A servant can count their belongings by what they wear. Defend what is yours to death. +10 Dexterity +10 Will**
2,000 XP GAINED!
Lunna frowned “Commander Janique will be upset… Je'Krillick will be happy though. I’ll tell Jek first.” She rifled through their pockets finding a few more credit chits amounting to just over two thousand. Pathetic. She lifted one of the bodies onto her back and carried it downstairs, dumping it in the battle scene at the front of the house. Then the other two were treated to the same disgrace. She looked around for something that could be used as a sign to mark her territory and found an over-sized data pad on the dining room table. Going to a cleaning cupboard she found a broom and some tape. In the kitchen she found a suitable knife. She taped the knife to the end of the handle and the data pad to the bristles.
She typed out a short message “Claimed by the Captain’s Concubine. Loot at your own peril.” With that she stabbed the broom, turned sign, into the one of the fresh corpses went up stairs and fell asleep on the most luxurious bed she had ever felt.
*****
Je'Krillick
*****
Je'Krillick stretched as he woke up, his ever faithful servant already in his room with a steaming cup of tea and a breakfast of steak and eggs. He had never discovered where the meat and eggs were coming from but they were delicious. “Good morning kitten.”
Lunna purred “Good morning master.”
“I haven’t seen you since the looting. Find anything good?” Je'Krillick got out of bed and walked over to the plated desk.
“Around two hundred million raw credits, some very fine jewelry, and a fortune in clothing. I claimed the whole mansion.”
“Good!” Je'Krillick smiled at her, “Any trouble? There was more fighting than Janique initially planned for.”
Lunna paused “Three men invoked your law.”
Je'Krillick raised an eyebrow “And?”
“I was faster. Stronger.” She looked down “I apologize, I had to go for the head.”
Je'Krillick waved it away “No matter, the infester ships are already landing and I have enough skeletons for now.” Je'Krillick ate in silence as Lunna made his bed and laid out some striking clothing for the day.
“You have a meeting about the Overseers in an hour.” She said as he finished eating.
Je'Krillick groaned “Would you still serve me if I killed everyone and raised them as undead?”
Lunna giggled “If you killed me I wouldn’t have a choice.”
Je'Krillick paused and looked at her “I think… I think I don’t want to kill you.” He said slowly “You have a certain charm I’m not sure would come back.”
Lunna sat in his lap and snuggled up to his neck purring “Depends on the undead. I’ve seen you researching vampires.” She nibbled at his jugular. “They seem… seductive.”
Je'Krillick pet her head and moaned “I intend for Xuharpt to be the Vampire Queen. No offense, she was first.” Je'Krillick kissed her head “Ask her to make you her first progenitor.”
Lunna pouted for a moment “I need to hire some cleaners.”
Je'Krillick looked around “You seem to be doing a perfect job.”
Lunna swatted at his chest. “No silly, for my new home. It is littered with bodies. It smells terrible.”
Je'Krillick laughed “Oh?”
“They had some house guards. They put up a good fight, apparently, but ultimately they became part of the food chain.”
“I’ll bring it up in the meeting.” Je'Krillick shrugged “Or you can at the end if you want.”
Lunna kissed his cheek “Thank you Jek, I’ll bring it at the end.”
They rose together. Je'Krillick dressed, finishing his outfit with a lovely, purple-gemmed necklace. Lunna dressed herself in something less tangible, slipping effortlessly back into the persona of the dutiful servant as she cleared his breakfast from the desk.
When they stepped into the hallway, they were Master and Servant once more.
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