Chương 74: Chapter 66

"I can't believe you made it. You killed that damn lizard." My voice was hoarse from all the shouting, but a couple of water skins had me feeling somewhere close to human again. Major Pain looked like himself, only… less. He looked like he hadn't eaten in the entire time we'd been gone, like his skin was pulled taught across his bones. Yet, there was a fire in his eyes.

"It was that dang Lord o' Freedom. We were all in shock by that charge out there, when ya started killing 'em left and right and them slave bonds started fading. The freedom dude took charge then and there, and we ran to find us some weapons before getting back at 'em."

"Well, I'm not complaining about the timing. Two minutes later, and we'd have been dead." I said. I honestly believed that. The level of power arrayed against us would have been too much. Instead, when our people hit the Kadren from the back, it had been with a ferocity to match the beasts they were up against. They had given no quarter, held nothing back, simply charging with an absolute disregard for their own lives and well-being.

I'd seen people charging with shovels and tools, Kadren torn apart with bare hands, alongside armed people straight up impaling themselves on enemy claws, just to get a hit in. I even saw the goddamn Lord o' Freedom laughing maniacally as fucking stars sprayed from the tip of his flag onto the Kadren. We had been more than happy to be the hard place to their rock. Even in a fully defensive position, where we attempted nothing except holding the line, I'd damn near buckled.

My stamina, once the final Skreeling lay dying at my feet, was below the ten percent mark, and the others weren't looking much fresher. Haddock actually did pass out, as he tried to use his fifth mana coin and it caused a bad reaction of some sort. Major Pain looked behind me, at the corpses of beasts stretching out for hundreds of meters.

"Ain't saying you're wrong, but I wager you'd have pulled through, kiddo. What you lot managed today's gonna change things. I'll even have to find promotions for y'all." I blinked at him, my mind failing to adjust to the change in direction of the conversation.

"You'll what?" All around us, people were encroaching. Those who weren't racing around, trying to take revenge on the few surviving Kadren and earn some easy experience, that was. Some cheered, some smiled, others cradled injured limbs or merely observed, waiting for the other shoe to drop. Yet, the crowd was growing, as people wanted to hear what was happening.

"Y'all are famous now." The Major shrugged.

"It'll be even worse, once news gets back home, and fresh meat starts rushing in through the portal. Can't have y'all run around with the rookies, can we? Nah. Once we get things back up and running, you'll only be sent on the choicest missions we can find for y'all." I snorted in disbelief. Behind me, Steve shook his head softly, while Nix, with Haddock's head resting in her lab, rolled her eyes.

"Really? That's what you think will happen?" I asked. Major Pain straightened and frowned.

"Sure. Why. What's the matter, kid?" I raised an eyebrow and took a deep breath to summon what little energy might remain in me. Then I shouted at the top of my lungs.

"All right. Everybody gather around. Come closer." To those nearby, I added.

"I'm probably passing out after this, and I don't care to repeat it right away." His frown only grew deeper, while people gathered on all sides. As a whole, they looked like absolute crap. They clearly hadn't been fed well, and they were dirty and unkempt as a rule. Also, where their levels had easily surpassed us, now, we'd left them way, way behind. The exception was the Crafters and Collectors who, apparently, had been worked hard.

I Identified one Level 26 Crafter, and a Level 24 Collector nearby as the highest of the bunch. But most of their lot were above Level 15. Every other class was suddenly lagging far, far behind. Eventually, we were surrounded, people continuing to stream closer. The hundreds grew into a thousand, and they kept coming. The Major pestered me to continue, but I didn't. Finally, when the flow was reduced to a trickle, I nodded at Haddock, who'd come to a few minutes earlier.

"Spare the mana for a block or something, I can stand on?" He nodded and woozily waved his hand. A podium appeared. A goddamn square victory podium, a meter tall. Just wide enough for one person. It even had a big number one inscribed on every side. I raised an eyebrow at Haddock, who smirked in return and waved at me to get up there. Shaking my head, I walked over, and leaped onto the platform, looking out across the survivors. So few of them, compared to the masses of humanity we'd seen before the Kadren.

But they were still here. And they were hungry, looking at me like I was a goddamn Big Mac. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

"You've survived." I shouted.

"It's over! You've actually survived, and made it through the worst. Anybody who wants to go back to Earth, will be able to." There were a few weak cheers. But most people were simply listening.

"For those of you who want to stay on Ademia? Things are going to change. Starting today, we're mixing up the factions." That caught their attention. A few people cheered. Others looked troubled. Major Pain didn't. He just got pissed.

"Now, you lot listen here. Y'all made an agreement with the U-Nerds. You can't just come here and piss on it, because you got a few levels."

"We can't?" I let the question hang for a while.

"Spend a moment to think about the fact that you would have been enslaved for eternity if it weren't for us. Or how the entrance from Earth would have been blocked for good!" I nodded slowly, turning in a slow circle around the podium to make it sink in.

"Anybody coming through the portal would be weaponless, Level 0. There would be no help coming, and the Kadren would be waiting right here, napkins around their furry necks." I held up a finger.

"But that part, you already know. How about we focus on everything that you don't know about this world. Out there?" I pointed behind them, where, in the distance, you could see the forces of Last Chance who had, by now, stopped their headlong flight.

"Are countless other races. Sentient races. And every single one of them is stronger than humanity, with levels, talents and skills that leave the lot of us in the lurch." I gestured with my hands in a circle around us all.

"This area? It's not called the Killing Fields, like we humans named it. It's called the Torn Divide. And it's wanted by a lot of different races, because it is low-leveled enough that they will be able to level up through the beginner levels in relative safety. Let that sink in for a second. This is a beginner area." Major Pain paled. Another person emerged from the crowd. This man still wore the soiled uniform of the Asian coalition. In perfect English, he spoke up above the mutters of the crowd.

"Your arguments matter not. Our members all have signed valid contracts."

"Contracts." Nix rolled her eyes, her affable personality momentarily forgotten.

"Please, bitch. Have you seen where you are? Where's the nearest courthouse?" A voice yelled from back in the crowd.

"'S right, bih. Freedom don't care for contracts!" I nodded.

"Let's not beat around the bush here. You leaders of the groups, the HBBVJ coalition, the U-Nerds, those who're still alive, are trying to hang on to power." I met Major Pain's eyes.

"Some of you are likely more benevolent about it than others. But it doesn't matter. We all thought this was a race for riches. A race to see who'd be able to gain the most power. And that's where we went wrong. Because the rules of Earth don't apply here, and we are the underlings! If we don't work together and aim for all of us to grow? It's just a matter of time before we are all killed, or enslaved again." The HBBVJ leader sniffed.

"You merely plan to grasp all power for yourself." I couldn't help it. I laughed. I doubled over, howling with laughter. Eventually, I sighed deeply and looked down to the others. Nix gave me two thumbs up. Haddock smiled. Steve gave me a slow nod. We'd talked about this earlier. Of course we had. About what would happen, should we actually beat the odds and win. What we'd do. What would have to change.

We hadn't meant to go straight into it, but there were a good number of things we knew would have to change, for humanity to persevere. I pointed straight down at the preening Asian guy.

"Oh, thank you man. I really needed that. To answer that ridiculous notion? Fuck no. I'm no pencil pusher. You think I'd want to stick around here and waste my time trying to gather administrative power for myself instead of getting out there to find everything this insane world has to offer us? Ridiculous." I looked him dead in the eye and sneered.

"But I will tell you this much. If Earth wants to survive in this place? Some things will need to change. And I don't mind using force to make my point. So, if you want to test me? By all means, try your best shot." He nearly growled.

"What is it you think should be changed?"" Will be changed. Feel free to test me on this." My eyes locked on his, and I held it until he looked away. Then I addressed the crowd.

"Humanity is starting from behind, this time. Other races out there are stronger than us. Faster than us, more numerous. They have nations going back thousands of years, have been fighting for levels and power for their entire lives. They know how this world works. They have us beat in every single aspect." I raised a single finger.

"Every aspect but one. Starved Growth. For the next four hundred and three days, we will grow faster than them, be able to catch 'em up and overtake them." I pointed at Major Pain and the HBBVJ leader.

"But we'll never manage that, if we try to keep our knowledge to ourselves and form small groups vying for position. If we do that, that damn trait will run out of time, and we'll lose. So. Two changes. That is all. You'll still be able to gang up all you want, group with who you want, monopolize crafters and healers as much as you'd like. But from here on out, nobody gets to bank all the knowledge for themselves. We share knowledge. Unreservedly. On top of that, nobody ever gets to decide for others.

There will be no attempts to coerce others into specific classes, quirks or anything. If I hear about anybody who tries to do otherwise? I will end them."

"Preach!" Nix hollered. My voice softened as I indicated the dead Kadren all around us.

"We have just finished our first bout with slavery on Ademia. Let it be the last. Humanity needs to stand tall, together. If we do that? We will soon be able to make a place for ourselves in this world. A home, rife with wonders, built with the best of what humanity has to offer, that'll make the best of Earth look like cheap slums in comparison! Now, who's with me?" The roars of approval rang in my ears, as humanity's survivors whooped and cheered.

I turned in a slow circle atop the podium, grinning with delight, relishing the fact that the few surviving Kadren would be listening to all of this while they ran, tails between their legs. That was right! The gauntlet had been thrown. Humankind wasn't just going to roll over and take it. We were done with passive. Now? We were going to get aggressive! The end of book 1 in the Passive Aggressive series.