Ruthless V5Ch33-Requests and Revelations

[Moishe, I’m glad to see you seem to be all right.]

The words echoed through the air around Moishe as well as appearing in the form of a System-like visual announcement. But the voice was not one of those strange, semi-human sounding System voices. It was James.

I was just about to knock, Moishe thought. But apparently he just knows I’m here. Not creepy at all.

Then the words that James had spoken registered.

“Still alive—and even healthy, courtesy of the Fisher King,” Moishe replied after what felt like an awkward delay.

The door to the apartment swung open in response, and Moishe was only slightly surprised to find there was no one on the other side.

[Up the stairs, take a left, and then a right.]

That same disembodied voice again. But now that I hear it a second time, it’s definitely something I can get used to.

“So, this is how your new Ruler powers work, sir?” Moishe asked as he slowly ascended the stairs. “New” was a relative term here, as Moishe had spent most of his time since the end of Orientation either trapped in a dungeon or deep in a coma.

The Assassin moved slowly both because he was getting his bearings, entering someone else’s home for the first time without that person actually visibly there to escort him, and for the simple reason that his body had not yet fully recovered from his injuries. The burn scars were miraculously fading, thanks to James, but his muscles had atrophied a bit from laying in bed for an unknown length of time, and the damage from the angel’s fire had been more than skin deep.

[That’s right. I can see anything I want within my territory and communicate with those who reside here. Like a PA system.]

“Uh huh.”

Moishe came to the top of the stairs and followed the Fisher King’s directions.

He turned left, saw three doors, and gave the one on the right a tentative knock.

“Come in!” James’s voice called from the other side.

Moishe shook his head. It’s still so weird to be letting myself into rooms in someone else’s house, but at least I know he’s definitely on the other side.

He turned the doorknob and entered the room. In the bed, facing him, lay James. Moishe understood immediately why James had not gone to open the front door for him—or even the bedroom door.

Every bit of tension is out of his body, Moishe assessed. Either he’s super relaxed, to the point of almost being asleep, or he genuinely can’t move. I heard he was injured and staying home for a while, but this is much more significant than I realized. I doubt he can even defend himself physically. Moishe was, of course, aware that James had some power over the space he inhabited, as Moishe gathered was the case for Rulers in general.

But surely, whatever power that was would not be enough to stop a strong and determined killer from taking his life.

“To what do I owe the pleasure, Moishe?” James asked, grinning. “I haven’t had too many visitors in here. Well, the truth is there aren’t many people who I would allow to see me like this. I have to keep the circle of trust tight.”

Moishe felt warmth in his chest.

“I’m glad you trust me, sir,” he said.

“Hm. I won’t complain that you’re calling me sir, since there are some people around here calling me ‘Your Majesty’ now, but you know you don’t have to, right?” James said. “You are a part of the circle of trust, ergo also on a first name basis.”

Moishe shook his head. James was being almost too casual.

“You know, I actually came here mainly to swear my loyalty to you,” Moishe said. “I wanted to do it in person.”

James nodded slightly, which seemed the most motion his body was capable of, if Moishe’s assessment was at all correct.

“I’m happy to accept,” James replied simply, his expression turning serious. “I need people whose loyalty I can count on absolutely.”

He waited for a moment. Then Moishe dropped to one knee and began to speak.

“I swear to support you loyally, to protect you and your family as if you were my own, and to fight your enemies as if I hated them on a personal level. I—I’ll stand by you.” He stopped, shook his head, then rose again.

I wish I had come up with something in advance. Felt kind of on the spot there. Too bad all our technology is gone. I could’ve asked the AI, “Hey, how do you phrase feudal loyalty oaths?”

James gave his slight nod again, frowned and then shifted his expression to a small smile.

“I appreciate those words, Moishe,” he said. “Truly. But now, please tell me why else you’re here. I can tell that wasn’t the only thing you came for, which is fine, of course. Did you have something you wanted to ask me about? For you, I’m an open book.” The Fisher King’s lips curled in a smile that one could read as either sly or benevolent, depending on one’s inclination.

Moishe swallowed, lowered his head, and gritted his teeth.

“The truth is, I wanted to ask you a favor,” he said. “It’s completely shameless and selfish of me to ask you a favor again, when you’ve saved my life over and over and this is right after you healed me from burns that should have left me scarred for life—probably even after all the, um, miracles of the System. Still. I have to request something. I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if I didn’t.”

“Hey, you don’t need to bow your head and speak that way,” James said. “I appreciate the loyalty, but the truth is, I’m not nearly as great as you think I am.” He frowned and looked slightly uncomfortable. “In fact… I should tell you about something that happened back in Orientation. Something I probably should have told you about some time ago, but there was never a good moment. Or there never seemed to be.”

Moishe felt as if he knew what James was going to say.

“You don’t have to tell me—” Moishe began

“I should, though,” James said. “I’m learning a lot about the merits of transparency, at least with people you trust and want to keep close. I wouldn’t want you hearing this from anyone else but me. Just let me explain it, and then ask any questions you have.”

Moishe finally nodded and decided to let James talk. The Ruler seemed like he was going to steamroll Moishe into listening anyway, or the two might have to part ways.

“I killed your sister,” James said, brow furrowing in apparent anguish as he recalled the events. “I tried to save her, but her injuries were too serious for me to heal on the spot, and I couldn’t take her with me when I ran from the cult. I could tell they were torturing her, though, and I wanted to take her away from that however I could. I figured she would die in the morning anyway. So, I did what I thought was best, in the circumstances. I’m sorry. Out of everything I’ve had to do since the System appeared, there’s nothing I regret more.”

A terrible tension filled the air.

Just hearing James’s words, Moishe felt a painful but genuine desire to draw his daggers and plunge them into James’s heart. He had loved her more than anyone else in his life, and he had fought on against the Moloch cult in her memory.

Moishe worked his jaw for a few seconds, as if chewing over the sudden revelation. But the truth was, it did not feel like a piece of new news. The sudden impulse toward violence quickly faded. Even though Moishe was still somewhat angry, nothing he had heard actually registered as surprising.

No, it was as Moishe had imagined, in the back of his mind. Only now, James had decided to trust him with the burden of the truth. And Moishe’s feelings, as he allowed himself a few seconds just to breathe and think about the matter, were complicated.

“I always kind of suspected,” Moishe said finally. “That is, I deliberately avoided asking, but I was pretty sure the cult hadn’t actually directly sacrificed her themselves. I had the opportunity to talk to the small number of people who came over from the cult after that bastard Rostov died. And from their accounts, I figured that maybe someone had mercy killed her. That was what it had looked like to them at the time, at least. Like someone who didn’t want her to suffer anymore put her out of her misery. Either that, or perhaps she had suffered a fatal blow in the chaos of the fighting on the night you raided the camp. Um, how did you do it? If you don’t mind…”

“A single stab wound to the chest,” James said, eyes locked onto Moishe’s—probing for any emotional reaction, Moishe recognized. “The most efficient, least painful way I could think of.”

That’s a relief, Moishe thought. At least she didn’t suffer much. It’s not James’s fault that Izzy died. If I was stronger, she wouldn’t have ever been near the fucking cultists.

“This should go without saying, but it probably needs to be said,” Moishe said. “I don’t blame you for anything. I know you didn’t want to do it. And I’d still trust you with my life. I blame those cultist bastards. I wish they could’ve suffered like they made us suffer. Still feels like they didn’t quite receive their just desserts. And there’s probably some new Prophet out there somewhere, spreading their faith.” He scowled.

“That is one thing I can give you good news about,” James said. “My patron, Anansi, informed me that he and some other gods cornered Moloch and killed him off permanently. Apparently, Rostov’s death was a major factor in weakening him enough to be destroyed. So, in a sense, you and the other Moloch cult victims got justice—or revenge—that should have been out of reach for any of us humans. I’m not going to call it ‘lucky,’ because lucky would have been never running into any of those bastards in the first place. But I hope it’s some consolation. There will never be any more profits. No more sacrifices. No Moloch.”

Moishe nodded firmly as he resisted competing emotional reactions. The grief was welling up in his chest, of course, but there was also a sense of triumph, that the evil god who had caused so much suffering had been destroyed himself. His hands shook. He almost clasped one over his mouth, but he controlled the impulse and kept both of them down at his side instead. Finally, Moishe’s lips settled on a small smile.

“That’s good,” he said, baring his teeth in the slightly vicious smile-that-was-not-quite-a-smile. “That’s all I could ask for, then.”

I mean, if we could also publicly flay and burn the other surviving members of the cult, that would be a fitting punishment… but a god’s life was taken in payment for my sister’s. If she can see us from anywhere, I have to think she and the baby feel they’ve been adequately avenged. Knowing Izzy, she wouldn’t want me to obsess over this for the rest of my life. So I’ll try to move past it.

“Oh, what was it you wanted to ask, Moishe?” James asked.

“I wanted to ask if you would help the other man who your monster rescued, my companion from the dungeon,” Moishe said. “Wolf would be a valuable asset to your young country, and you won’t find a braver or more honorable man, from my limited experience with him. And if you blessed him, I imagine his chances of recovery would substantially improve.”

James looked relieved to hear that this was Moishe’s request.

“Sure,” he said. “I can’t really move yet, so just bring him here, if that’s not a problem. I’d be happy to help if I can.”

“I’ll drag his body over,” Moishe replied. He started to rise, then paused. “Before I go, is there any work you’d like me to do here? I mean, is there something that I could do that would benefit you or the Kingdom? Anything? Just say the word. If you don’t think of anything now, it’s an open-ended offer.”

“I’m pretty sure I can think of something,” James replied instantly. “Remind me, Moishe, what was your Job again?”

The Fisher King’s slightly wry smile following his question gave away that James had probably not forgotten what Moishe’s Job was.