Boris the Conqueror

  Black Claw and Glitch sat near the entrance to the cave speaking with Grove on a nearby tree. They had discussed spreading out of the passage and into human lands. Black Claw was interested in spreading the pack outside of the valley in order to find new hunting grounds and absorbing other wolf packs. Grove was interested in reaching other humans to increase his experience gains. Glitch knew he needed to come in contact with other humans and begin building the foundation of the organizations he needed if he was going to keep humanity from being enslaved when the integration came to an end and aliens invaded.

  In the end, they decided to go ahead and push out tomorrow running straight to the passage in the morning. A group of about one hundred wolves would stealth out a couple hours before sunrise to ensure no major groups of prey or a dangerous predator would slow or endanger the main force on their way out of the valley.

  The main force included twenty wolves working as a dedicated scouting force for Glitch. Another twenty wolves would also work with Glitch through the entire operation. Sixty wolves would separate from Glitch’s group as soon as they cleared the passage and spread out in small groups scouting for Black Claw and reporting any humans or settlements spotted. The entire force was heavy with Lieutenants and Sergeants and included most of the highest level wolves in the clan. Black Claw was remaining in the valley to keep an eye on things and continue developing his younger wolves.

  Glitch, his companions, and the pack emptied the storage of hides, items, credits, and crafting resources. They also loaded up with extra food in case they ran into humans or wolves in need. Glitch’s massive personal inventory was nearly full with acorns and the gallon containers he had filled in the fountains. He had filled extras in case they ran into areas that wouldn’t be conducive to the growth of the trees.

  As the sun came up, Glitch and his group moved out of the grove at a fast jog. The 20 scouts assigned to him had left a few minutes earlier and the rest of the pack assigned to him covered the flanks and rear of his group. The route they took guided them a bit to the east to avoid passing too close to the elephant herd, otherwise it was straight to the pass.

  Working their way around the base of one mountain, they went up a narrow gap between it and another mountain before planting the second acorn of the day. While digging the hole for the containers and acorn, Glitch was glancing around envisioning how he could fortify the pass to stop both human armies and the overpowered monsters that would eventually be integrated into the planet.

  He was approaching tier A with the xp raining in from his companions and the pack, and was satisfied with his ridiculous stats and wide range of skills. However, he felt like he hadn’t done anything yet towards his real goal, ensuring that humans were not killed off or enslaved.

  He feared that humans were dying every day and warlord types were probably beginning to grow in power and enslaving the population before they had a chance to develop. The humans of earth could not afford to waste the next hundred years in a dark age of war and minimal progress. They needed to unify, adapt, and grow stronger both individually and as a species.

  Grove had told him that accelerated integrations used what he called beneficial seedings placing people in locations where they would have a chance to thrive. A settlement with access to ore would have a higher percentage of blacksmiths and miners and a lower percentage of farmers seeded there than a settlement located in a fertile valley with minimal access to ore. What Glitch feared was that the scientists, educators, and such would be wiped from the planet by monsters and war before having an opportunity to contribute to society. What would happen to a city ideally located for trade if everybody suited to be a guard or adventurer fell under the influence of a warmongering leader.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Glitch had no interest in being a king or even a lord, but he understood the only way for him to help people with the skills he had available to him was to unite settlements and cities under his banner. To do this he would need to find people to run these settlements and cities while he focused on growing a guild and an army. Of course, he didn’t really want to run a guild or army. He wanted to get stronger and help others get stronger, but that just wasn’t in the cards for him.

  Shaking his head and refocusing on what was the current mission, Glitch finished burying the acorn and prepared to move out. The scouts had reported that up ahead the narrow gap would turn before opening up into the winding valley that comprised the majority of the passage away from Black Claw valley. They had also reported that the valley contained a very high population of brown and black bears.

  Oddly enough, Boris volunteered to take care of the bear issue while Glitch focused on planting acorns, so the passage went pretty quickly. Apparently taking care of the bear issue meant killing all the adult males while scaring off the young and the females by popping out of stealth near them and roaring like a maniac before disappearing and doing the same thing from another location which was usually enough to send the bears running from the level 87 invisible killing machine.

  The wisdom of the old bear impressed Glitch when five times that day he called for Glitch to open up with a ranged attack on a large bear that Boris felt he might not be able to one shot. By the time the sun was setting, Glitch was very satisfied with the progress they had made. Boris’s tactics and awe inspiring combat power allowed everyone else to keep moving quickly. Glitch found a nice grove near a large stream that he chose to make camp for the night.

  “Hey Bandit, we’re going to make camp for the night here.” Glitch said while building a fire to cook his dinner over before pulling meat out of Leo’s inventory for himself and his companions. “You did good today and every day will be easier as you get stronger and we eat your inventory.” Glitch said when the young lion collapsed into an exhausted heap near Glitch.

  “The rush to the pass was the worst. I picked up some strength and stamina from that and was a little better once we slowed down, but I was already exhausted by then.” Leo mumbled.

  “Awww. Is the little guy tired?” Tonya purred overly sweetly as she came over.

  “I wouldn’t get too cocky, little miss ‘I like to take naps during hide and seek’. He’s nearly caught up to you stat wise.” Sassy said with a gentle slap to Tonya’s backside as she sauntered past to rub against Glitch who rewarded her with a bite of meat before portioning out some for Leo, Bandit, Boris, and Tonya.

  “What is Boris up to?” Glitch asked while checking his map. Seeing that Boris was not too far from the camp, he put Boris’s meat into his inventory in case he wanted it later.

  “Same plan for tomorrow boss?” Boris asked a few hours later when he returned to camp and pulled some meat from his own inventory and began to eat.

  “Yeah, scouts said that we are about three quarters of the way through the valley passage. Outside of the pass they said it’s wooded rolling hills. So we might even find a settlement by tomorrow.”

  “What will we do if we do find one?” Bandit asked.

  “See how they are doing, then make some friends or kill some enemies. Offer them any help we can, if they deserve it” Glitch said.

  A little bit later, Bandit approached Boris and said something to him that Glitch didn’t quite hear prompting Boris to put his dinner away and shuffle off outside of camp.

  “What’s that about Bandit?” Glitch asked.

  “Scouts reported a bear near the camp.” Bandit.

  “So Boris is going to take care of it?” Glitch asked.

  “Huh…you could say that.” Bandit replied with a snicker.

  “What’s so funny?” a confused Glitch asked.

  “Ummm…it’s a female.” Bandit explained with a glance towards Tonya and Leo.

  “So he’s going to scare her off?” Tonya asked.

  “Yeah, I’m sure he’ll be back soon.” Glitch said with a chuckle. I guess that’s one more thing polar bears do in the woods.