Chapter 9: The Early Years – Chapter 8

Moldy bread was everywhere; however, Rex's eyes stared intently at the piece in his hands, that had a light blue mold covering it. This mold had covered most of the bread and covered over half the bread in the room.

 

“I did it...” Rex was fighting back his tears.

 

Two creatures that had been at war since the beginning of time, they were called mold and bacteria. Bacteria created better defenses, and mold made stronger antibiotics. This was the relationship the two organisms shared, because of a scarcity of resources. They needed the same foods, so they fought bitterly.

 

Penicillin wasn't this aggressive though, Rex had first spotted it 2 days ago. What you are looking for is a ring around the mold, called a ring of death. This will show that you have a mold, that is beginning to battle. They are starting to establish a foothold, by killing everything around them.

 

Right now this piece of bread was covered in dead bacteria and even other molds. It was taking everything over, but the bread was unaffected by it.

 

He removed his mask and smelled the mold. Smells like blue cheese, with almost a bit of citrus.

 

“Look, you killed everything else, and so easily. I've never seen a stronger antibiotic.” Rex said as he held it in his hands carefully. “I don't quite have everything I need, to show the world your true power. Soon though, I think everyone will know who you are.”

 

Mold, typically, could only double its mass every 6 hours. This mold had put that statistic into the ground. Once it established itself, it spread violently and aggressively, destroying everything in its way.

 

The production method for penicillin. was fairly straightforward. You create a broth and add the mold spores in. This broth is a sugar-rich mixture, this wasn't hard since we had a coconut imitation. Then you let it sit until all the nutrients are used up. The mold will release antibiotics regularly into the broth, making it rich in antibiotics. Once all the mold has died, you can process the broth.

 

You first filter it, to get the dead mold out. Then use solvents to remove everything but the antibiotics. This would require testing, but this was something that had been achieved in the early 1900s after all. The equipment they used to produce penicillin, wasn't anything amazing to him. It was the number of solvents you needed to purify it.

 

“They only used natural solvents though, everything can be made, some way or another.” Rex set the mold back down.

 

His handgun, which resembled a tonfa was behind him. He had used a black wax on the entire body, it looked like a law-enforcement baton. 12 days ago he had started it, and 4 days ago he finished it. With a real weapon and a defense against the succubi, Rex felt calm for the first time. The relief was truly profound, and he began to feel like he had made it to the other side of the tunnel.

 

“I might be able to finish my antibiotic before the boat arrives. If I could make a few bottles I would be in such a good position when I leave the island.” Rex mumbled.

 

Antibiotics could save his life. He had been careful to stay clean. Now that they had soap, that wasn't a problem anymore. Now that he had an antibiotic he could reduce the number of mold rooms. He had slowly filled over 15 houses with foul-smelling mold. Now, he had what he had been looking for. They grew yeast already, and Kira had found a type of wheat in the marsh. It looked like a type of cattail and grew fairly tall, the water requirement was an issue though.

 

“Bone gelatin, yeast, fruit sugar, some flour made from wheat, salt, water, and coconut milk.” Rex recited as he walked to a large pot.

 

He was making a type of cheese. Bread just didn't store well, so he was making a dry cheese. It was really sweet, almost a dessert cheese. It would go great with crackers, and summer sausage.

 

“It makes me want a cold brew with it.”Rex said.

 

Unfortunately, he was still in the body of an 8-year-old. He was hoping he would hit a growth spurt soon.

 

“I am almost as tall as Kira now.” Rex mumbled sadly.

 

Oddly though, Kira was late back today. Normally she arrived right as he finished the afternoon bread, and she carried it down, still warm. Today it was sitting on the table in a bag made for hauling bread, it was probably going to get cold soon.

 

Rex heard flapping and looked up with a smile on his face, which quickly froze.

 

He could see Kira, flanked by a group of succubi. It was at least 60 of them. Succubi could change their shapes, he had been told this. This was the first time he saw beastmen women, with wings, a tail, and horns. He saw elves and a few other creatures, but the majority had reverted to succubus form.

 

Kira had a beaming smile on, and it was clear she was being fawned on. They all seemed to be looking at her proudly. Rex only had one thought at seeing this.

 

Okay, there are 60 succubi here. I should have only filled 6 of their houses with mold.

 

His thoughts were utterly blasted away here, as he saw another 100 succubi with the mamas. All seemed to be in a fairly grim mood. His calculations were blown away, as he realized he didn't take the mama's into his count.

 

I'm fucked...

 

-

 

And that is how he ended up here. With Rex surrounded by angry succubi, they wanted to kill him. They had lost the port, and the demons had decided to abandon the succubi. The succubi refused to give up their home, something Rex couldn't understand. They all seemed adamant about defending it. They had found smelly houses filled with mold, and all their iron, and silver, was gone.

 

Kira was standing in front of him shakily, crying her eyes out, as she tried to defend him.

 

Rex had never found himself in a situation like this. It happened minutes after they landed, and after they looked around and started taking stock. Then they surrounded the human man angrily.

 

“Why have you harmed the succubus' war efforts. Why are you hiding behind my daughter?” This was a succubus who looked like a dark-skinned elf, with white hair.

 

She had a very voluptuous figure and was staring at him with utter disdain on her face.

 

“He didn't though, he was just listening to me!” Kira yelled out.

 

Rex looked at Kira, she was trying so hard for him. She hadn't moved from in front of him. Even her wings were out as if she was trying to hold them back.

 

I've never been in a situation like this, I need to do something...

 

“The Succubi will need to face the elves and beastmen, to protect our home. We cannot trust having such a creature in our homeland.” The succubus started.

 

Rex saw the little girl looking down, her shoulders shaking harder. It made him feel ashamed of himself, and he wasn't alright with it.

 

“I think you are mistaken, I have acted solely with the succubi in mind!” Rex stepped past Kira, walking right up to the white-haired succubus, with a confident smile and demeanor.

 

He looked like a candidate that was about to step forward, and change your business!

 

“I have already converted all that useless ore into much more valuable tools for the succubi, and we have vastly increased the size of your armory.” Rex started explaining calmly.”We have also begun efforts to research valuable enchantments, to further aid the succubi in battle.

 

Why am I treating this like some goddamn job interview!

 

“Kira and I, have worked tirelessly for the succubi.” Rex explained.

 

“I know that Kira made most of those weapons. You are trying to take credit for my daughter's work” She said as she started approaching Rex.

 

“Over the last month, I have worked to reform the exchange. It was run very poorly, I used this time to develop new weapons for the succubi.” Rex said as he decided to gamble it all.

 

What more can I lose?!

 

Rex reached behind him, pulling the tonfa from his waistband. He pointed it at the approaching dark elven succubus. He grabbed the charging bolt; pulling it back and then pushing it forward, making a loud mechanical click, as the trigger was pushed out of the handle. He and aimed quickly and fired. Missing the succubus, after a roar and explosion pushed the wax cap out.

 

A line of fire went right past her shocked face. 2 loud cracks sounded, one after another. One from the clay wall the ball punched through, and the second with a much smaller hole. She stood in shock for a second, then the area began to fill with the smoke, and smell of gunpowder.

 

She turned and looked at the hole punched through the two walls of the house.

 

“Filling my house with disgusting bread wasn't enough for you? Now you are using a dwarven boomstick to put holes in my walls, right in front of me ?” She looked back at him.

 

He couldn't tell if she was angry or amused. This made him want to scream inside. With how inaccurate smooth-bore is, it was safer to aim at what you didn't want to shoot. There had been instances of two firing squads shooting with smooth-bored rifles, and no one getting hurt.

 

“This is but a toy anyway. Here you go Kira, take care of it.” Rex felt like he had lost.

 

Kira took the gun from him with a curious look on her face. She had not seen this before, and could not help being curious about it.

 

“Why should we think you will help the succubi, we just got betrayed by the demons after all.” Rex immediately picked up her reaction, to Kira.

 

She realized Kira doesn't know how to make guns, now I just need a reason...

 

His mind instantly went blank. Why would he want to be allied with the succubi?

 

“It's because I am in love with Kira!” Rex was shocked at what he just blurted out.

 

What the hell am I saying!?

 

It felt like one of those moments; when you say something, and after hearing it out loud, you realize how dumb it is. But it is already too late to take it back. Rex was frustrated with himself and started to grow red with anger. He looked down while he composed himself shaking slightly.

 

It's all going wrong!

 

The dark elf succubus was laughing, as she walked past him to Kira. The rest of the succubi seemed to be watching quietly. Some were watching angrily, they had also found moldy homes when they returned.

 

“Isn't that great for you, Kira?” The dark elf smiled at her happily.

 

She gave Kira a push, right to Rex who caught her. She still had tears in her eyes and seemed to be afraid. The confident look had never left Rex's face. He seemed like he had everything under his control.

 

It was surprising to see such a well-composed youth. It almost made you want to make him your son, or have him work for you. He seemed to radiate capability and confidence. It made Kira feel like he had something planned.

 

“Well, show us all how much you love her then. Go ahead, and kiss your, so-called bride.” She just smiled at him, as if she issued a death sentence.

 

Rex felt like he had been issued a life-saving straw instead. He wanted to cheer and whoop out loud!

 

I have the plate, you stupid elf!

 

Rex had a look of madness as he smiled at the dark-skinned lady. He pulled Kira into him tightly, she looked shocked, but he gave her no time to react.

 

He pushed his lips right onto hers.

 

-

 

Where am I?

 

It was dark, looking over, he saw a horde of monsters and weapons.

 

I'm on Kira's bed?

 

Rex tried to stand, but quickly found he couldn't. He saw that his limbs now looked like emaciated sticks. Being hit with a wave of lethargy, he immediately had a thought in his mind.

 

I need to escape...

 

Rex rolled off the bed, onto the floor. His limbs felt numb, as he crawled out the door. Feeling something digging into his leg, he stopped. Reaching into his pants, he pulled out the lightly growing plate.

 

He just stared at it for a minute, and his mind could not stop trying to figure out what went wrong.

 

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“Hold on! This was only based on the succubus drain. Meaning this would be able to draw energy out of the chain to protect the wielder, but I don't have a way to use that anyway. The very premise was wrong, to begin with! That chain is nothing like a succubus! That elf was wrong from the start!” Rex mumbled as he finally figured it out.

 

Violently chucking the plate, as hard as he could, he heard it bounce a few times, and splash into something.

 

“I hate the Elves! I'm never listening to them again!” Rex roared hoarsely, however, due to how wasted he was, it barely sounded like a loud whisper.

 

Rex felt well enough to stand, and slowly got to his feet. He was shaking slightly, but could slowly move.

 

“I need to get out of here. I need to leave.” Rex shakily walked to the cliff he had climbed.

 

He realized though, he was too wasted to be able to climb it. All the muscle he had built up, was gone. He was pale, and sweat was glistening on his skin. It felt like he had just gotten over a really bad cold.

 

“I can only dig!” Rex walked over to a hole he had started, it was already knee-deep.

 

He grabbed the pick still in the bottom and began swinging it slowly. He would loosen the dirt, and fall to his knees, scooping the dirt out. This is also how he would give himself a break when his arms were too tired.

 

Am I gonna die here? Like this? Digging a hole to nowhere? Maybe I am digging my grave...

 

Not once had he felt like he was in control. He felt like a pet, who was left to guard the house. The loneliness was crushing, he wanted to find other humans. A fear though had begun to eat at him.

 

“If I find other humans, will they be the humans I am familiar with? Maybe they will try to kill me too?” He mumbled to himself.

 

Could he mentally handle it, if he found other humans, and was rejected? Talking to himself, was to ease his loneliness. It was the only human voice he heard anymore. This wasn't healthy, he could even swear he was hearing voices sometimes when he was all alone. Keeping himself busy like this, was the only way he felt sane.

 

“I want to be in control.” He mumbled.

 

Even if he escaped, it would be with the clothes on his back. Everything he had done was wasted.

 

“I need to start making a series of plans. Only an idiot would think a foolproof plan exists! A, B, C, D, E, and F! Run it all at the same time! I'm fine with bumbling over myself, as long as I can defeat my enemies!” Rex said to himself in madness.

 

Continuing to dig this hole, was all he could do. The sun kept moving in the sky, but the city seemed empty. Or rather even if they were right next to Rex, he probably wouldn't notice. His thoughts were churning madly, as he just continued to rhythmically dig.

 

“If I fall, I'll just get back up somewhere else. I can start again, as many times as I want, as long as I am still alive!” Rex said. “If a little rock can't kill them, then I will just drown them with them.”

 

He only stopped when he realized he couldn't move his arms for some reason. Looking down he saw two white arms that weren't his, clutched around him tightly. Looking beside him he saw the little girl, burying her face in his side as she sobbed.

 

Isn't this the thing that almost killed me?

 

Rex's brain felt like it was slowly being pulled out of the sludge.

 

Looking up, he realized he had a crowd. His pupils instantly constricted!

 

Why are they all here!?

 

They had various expressions, as they looked at the two kids. Some looked touched, some were crying, and some seemed to look ready for war.

 

When did they get here? What is going on?

 

Rex had reverted to his interview face as he looked around proudly.

 

“We didn't know you had already solved our hunger crisis. You built that well for Kira, and we didn't know.” The exchange mama said.

 

What the hell are you talking about!?

 

“Of course, I would do anything for Kira.” Rex responded hoarsely.

 

What's happening, why are you all looking at me like that?

 

“Now that we are at war with both the Elves, and the beastmen, and the demons have abandoned us. We are truly like small pebbles surrounded by enemies on all sides!” This was a succubus who looked like a walking female leopard. “ They have counters to our charm magic, and we have no allies! We can only rely on superior succubus intellect to outsmart our enemies!”

 

Yep, It sounds like you are screwed... wait...

 

“you have proclaimed yourself our ally so strongly! If Kira hadn't pushed you away, you might even have died to prove yourself!” The dark elf succubus said.

 

Rex wanted to walk up and slap this succubus. Did she think he wanted to do that? Looking at his wasted frame, he felt like he was about to faint again. All the exercise he had done, was wasted in one mistake!

 

“I'm so sorry, we doubted you. You and Kira, are truly a perfect match. We can accept that some races come to maturity sooner than others, and once Kira comes of age, we can have a wedding for you two.” The long-haired succubi said, looking at Rex with respect. “I am sure when she comes of age she will begin to truly understand your feelings if she hasn't already.”

 

Rex stopped instantly at her words, as his lie suddenly sank in. Looking at the little girl, a feeling of dread arose. His legs started shaking, and his proud expression froze.

 

“Having you on our side will be great for our war efforts! Now that the succubi are surrounded by enemies on all sides, we will need to accept any ally we can to survive.” The Dark elf succubus continued/

 

“You have nothing to fear. We will easily destroy all the enemies of the succubi.” Rex proclaimed hoarsely and roughly.

 

NO! WHAT AM I SAYING!

 

His breathing was getting rougher, and he was having issues standing. He could see blackness encroaching the edge of his vision.

 

IT'S TOO MUCH!

 

This was like fighting for a ticket on the titanic because the world had sunk. And now they were taking a trip straight to the arctic. The blackness continued to encroach, as his brain spun. Finally, Rex had passed out in Kira's arms. She wouldn't tell him though, she was so shocked at the time, she dropped him on the ground.

 

-

 

Rex was standing in front of a murky pool of water, he could see a shimmering plate at the bottom. This had been what caused the succubi shock. The plate was the one he made to defend against them.

 

“The chain was melted down on this island. All of the dark iron content caused the melting point of the magma to change. It made the melting point too high, and the volcano cooled.” Rex began the speculation he had. “All the life force the chain had absorbed, began to escape and seeped through the ground. This drew all the ocean monsters that surround the island.”

 

The reason this pool of water was special, was the enchanted plate he made. It was drawing energy out of the mountain and pushing it into the water. The succubi could use this as a food source.

 

“That crazy-ass elf decided to bury himself here with his research!? All the materials are in this mountain, he was practically begging for someone to make another one!” Rex had started to hate that shitty elf.

 

He couldn't believe there existed someone so irresponsible. This was like leaving the schematics to make nukes, right next to a pile of refined uranium.

 

“It feels like every time, you have finally seen the bottom of the barrel. The universe just breeds a better idiot!” Rex was shocked the more he thought this through.

 

“He must have loved that damn chain so much, he decided to bury himself next to it!” Rex got angrier the more he looked at it.

 

It was the middle of the night, and he had sneaked out past Kira. He found them sharing her bed.

 

“My lot is now firmly cast with the succubi. I practically shoved it up their ass, with my hand!” Rex felt like he would have died if he couldn't prove his worth.

 

Right now the entire city was quiet, the succubi who had their houses filled with mold, had moved in with others. Every house was in use.

 

“This damn pond can only support about 20 or 30 of them at most. I need to get them off the island.” Rex summed up.

 

The succubi didn't respect him in the least. They only seemed to have more respect for Kira, as if everything he did was all due to her.

 

“I need to start with the exchange and use it to control the island. The prisoners are all past their prime, with none having any skills. They have only been soldiers, some with no other real talents.” Rex summarized.

 

The demons had controlled this region for a long time, it was unlikely enemies would appear soon. The elves had a port already, and the beastmen took over the demon's port.

 

He needed to figure out a way to buy time, and develop the island. Then he needed to find a way to get a ship.

 

I can use it to escape.

 

The situation was much worse than he ever imagined. There were 2 continents around the island, but they had almost no information on the second continent. They had sent people to investigate but they hadn't returned. It had more races on it, but the two didn't interact. They had seen ships come from that continent before near the elves. He took out a sheet of paper that was a partial map.

The island they were on was in red, with the elves port in green, and the newly gained beastmen port was in blue. The elves and beastmen would be fighting in the waters right next to them. The chain, he couldn't imagine being a secret either. They had to know the island was here in their records, and it was only a matter of time till they were discovered.

 

“You know what, we can just surround the island in cannons, and just live here forever.” Rex was beginning to think it was the best option.

 

There were millions of beastmen and millions of elves. There was about 1500 succubi total, with most of them infiltrated into the elves and beastmen. The succubi here were the ones on the front line, they were the first to find out their home was being abandoned. The demons didn't see a reason to hold the port when they were being pinched in the north by a skaarm swarm.

 

They retreated decisively, and right now the beastmen were heading for an unoccupied city. The mamas went out when they heard, and had been gone the whole time. The succubi felt betrayed, but then he found out why.

 

“They have other races who can do the same thing. Their charm is also well known about, and enchanters have had ways to deal with its effect.” Rex had found this out from the dark elf succubus.

 

The dark elf succubus was Kira's Mother. Every time a succubus feeds, she has a small chance of getting pregnant. The baby is more of a clone of the mother than a true offspring. The breeding process was strange, but it is why they needed a place like this. Succubi children can't transform as the adults can, they can't jeopardize themselves to raise them.

 

Looking up at the stars, he saw no familiar constellations. The cool air was nice against his warm skin. Kira, Her mother Kera, and he had talked when he woke up. He discovered the entire situation. The dwarves had guns, but not many of them. They had captured some of them, but the formula for gunpowder was a mystery still.

 

The underground races wouldn't be a problem, as they can't leave the ground for long. A few hours before they start to severely sunburn. The skaarm also wouldn't come here, it was useless to them, there wasn't enough food.

 

“My only saving grace is that the counter charm enchantments are large. They don't have a mathematical system as I do, and it has declined with time.” He said.

 

The issue with the chain created fear of enchanting, they were attributed with evil after that. The profession had the shame of creating a nuclear weapon that nearly destroyed the continent.

 

“Piece of shit elf ruined things for everybody!” Rex cursed.

 

Elves had nearly cost him his life twice. He felt this would be a problem in the future.. for the elves!

 

Turning around, he came face to face with a sleepy Kira. She probably noticed he left and crawled out of bed to find him.

 

I need to make proper shoes, with rubber! The damn things walk too silently!

 

They had burlap shoes on this whole time, they did almost nothing to pad your steps.

 

“What are you working on? I want to help.” Kira had become slightly more subdued after his two-day forced nap.

 

“I am working on going back to sleep.” Rex said as he yawned. “We have a lot to do tomorrow, let's go back to bed.”

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