Left in Capable Hands

<Ah, yes. A name. He does have one. He's General Times. Times Newell Roma. A good man, a loyal servant. There's nothing I could say against him to sully his name, and there's nothing anyone could inform me to lose my trust in him.>

'Well, that's reassuring.'

<Yeah, it's even more reassuring when you learned that the man is unafraid of beheading anyone if the order is given.>

'Uhh... That went dark really, really fast. Shouldn't we be concerned about that?'

<What? No, you fucking idiot. A murderer is a menace, yes. But a person murdering FOR YOU? That is a blessing. Anyone who's willing to go the extra mile just to prove their devotion to you is always a plus. It's only a matter of keeping that high level of faith till he reached the end of his life, which is not a hard thing to achieve in the case of General Times. I had seen liars, betrayers, scammers, and frauds; Times is none of those things, and he's nothing but an appreciative and loyal man who would do anything I say without question! ...unlike someone I know!>

'Well, my circumstances are different from that general. I met you in a time of anger; he... I don't know! He's probably indebted to you enough to murder a man.'

<And burn villages.>

'What the fuck are you making that man do, Dominion?'

<Hey! In my defense, I only made him do it thrice, and that was before his thirties!>

'You're a fucking war criminal, Dominion.'

<And I'm not ashamed to admit it, thank you very much! But well, you do have a point, Aleph. I met you at a time where you would have a hard time trusting anyone. On the other hand, I met Times when he was still a snotty crybaby; I practically raised the damn boy till he grew into a proper man.>

'I didn't think you're capable of raising anyone.'

<I would typically be angry at you for sarcastic comments like that, but you know what, you do have a point this time. I don't know. I guess I just felt sorry for the boy... So I took him under my wings, taught him how to rule, how to lead, and of course, how to kill. And in his time with me, Times learned how to be cruel, to spite, and to hate. But even after all that, he still treats his men with kindness, love, and care. He's one of the few men I am very willing to call a general and the only man in this wretched place I trust enough to lead my people before my inevitable return. And your first day.>

'Hah. You make it sound more special than it really is. The truth is that you neglected your people, and now you're here to clean up the mess.'

<...It's fair of you to say that even if it doesn't bring me joy to accept it. But I didn't second guess my departure from this place because I know I'll leave it in capable hands.>

'But now a war seems to be brewing, and not even a man as spectacular as your son can stop that.'

<Yes. Times is a good man, a very capable leader. But it seems like no man can handle a duty only a god can pull off.>

'So that's the plan then? We just need to somehow meet this Times guy during a very hectic schedule.'

<Precisely. So we need to hurry. Twilight will arrive soon, and we still need to give Miss Gertrude here the healing she requires.>

'Gertrude? You mean this Vyurborne on my back?'

<Yeah... Who else? Aleph, you analyzed this lady earlier; haven't you seen her name?>

'Didn't notice it. I only cared about her stats. Oh, and I guess I also checked if she's still alive. But the rest is too boring for me to care about; some are even downright irrelevant, really. They're mostly unimportant.'

<The others, I understand. But you even think names are irrelevant?>

'Yeah. There's no need for me to know about that; it's just unnecessary space in my head. By the way, how did you learn she's a woman? Is that secret feature in your System?'

<No. It's just a simple observation. Vyurborne men have violet-pointed tails while women have no tails at all. You'll also notice a rather small hole between her legs; that's her reproductive organ.>

'You were checking out her hole? That's quite perverted of you, Dominion.'

<Oh, shut up, human trash. Vyurbornes and most other races in Dead Gardens aren't afraid to talk about their genitals and walk about the world naked because they're proud of the magnificence of their bodies.>

'Doesn't mean you have the right to be checking out an unconscious person's crotch. And hey, give us humans some slack! We need clothes to protect ourselves, you know?'

<Vyurbornes hailed from the harshest climate in Dead Gardens. Their skins are made to last, and they're proud of how strong they are without pesky nuisances like armors. Only humans like you feel the need to wear clothing because your gods shame all of you to hide your ugly and weak bodies. Meanwhile, here we are in Dead Gardens designing our fashion to further showcase the grandeur of our superior naked bodies.>

'I get it. You hate humans.'

<I don't hate your kind. But I despise your insistence on hiding your genitals because you fear the heat and others' gazes. Those gods really fucked with your head, let me tell you that.>

'Haa... Does this increase in the harshness of your tone also an effect of your strength returning or something?'

<Hmm... I do feel a bit rejuvenated, yes. How did you notice?>

'... I wonder. Well, there's also a bit of grass growing around the trees here, so I was sure this is a sign that we're about to reach Skystead Keep.'

<Ah, you're right. But I gotta say, life around here had died down a bit.>

'So it's much livelier here in your time?'

<Precisely. Vyurs often come around this place to hunt boars and gather fruits. But as you can see... This area looks just like the view we've been seeing for hours now, with just a few panes of grass around the side trees.>

'I'm sure this place would be better again once you returned.'

<I hope so. I am the god of this place, after all... Eh? We have company, Aleph! Two people. They're coming from above!>