“We have found it, my Khan!”

Ganbaatar looked up at the sound of a shouting voice, and his warlords went silent when he nodded for his Khansguard to open the flaps of the tent. An Outrunner, dressed in dark leathers and faded combat fatigues, rushed inside and dropped to his knees as he’d been trained. That was good, Ganbaatar thought with a nod; it meant that his lessons on discipline were sticking. All it had taken was a few dozen public executions, and now everyone was incredibly obedient.

“Sector 117 has been identified, as per your commands, Great Khan!”

“Excellent,” Ganbaatar said with a grin. “Very good. Where is it?”

“In what was Michigan, and is now Territory 26. It contains a large Elven city, with what appear to be considerable military forces, too.”

“Michigan, hm? Right next door.” Ganbaatar commented cheerfully while snapping his fingers, and yanking on one of the nearby chains. A woman in sheer silks stood when he did, and came over with a set of maps they’d recovered from the nearby libraries. Milwaukee was still being fought over, but Ganbaatar held the lion’s share of the contested city. Hundreds of thousands lived under his rule now, corralled by the power of his Atomfire Core.

It was remarkably easy to establish control over large swathes of the population in the years following the Incursion, especially thanks to his early adoption of the System’s methods. He’d been lucky to be suffering from Radiation Poisoning during the Incursion; it had created the basis for the Core that even then spread glorious acid-green heat through his veins.

His curse had become his strength, and his unrivaled gift had allowed him to quickly and brutally rise as a factional power within the city following the Incursion’s onset. Over the past five years, he’d slaughtered man and monster both, conquered dungeons, and gained more levels than almost anyone else in Wisconsin. The leader of the Vanguard, former General Marcus Brant, had a comparable level to his own; but the man knew better than to encroach on the Khanate.

Not while Ganbaatar held the threat of Nuclear Apocalypse over his head.

He’d bought that respect in blood, when he’d wiped out the Sons of Washington.

His Warlords had handled the city’s conquest since then, and the Vanguard only offered true resistance when they pushed too far into contested territory.

Which was, Ganbaatar figured, fair enough. He had no desire to wipe out more humans that he needed to: and the Aetherium from the ‘Cataclysm’ would let him finally force Marcus to kneel before him. Once that happened, he’d have an entire army of former United States Marines under his command… and then he could truly begin his conquest of the entire State.

“Your maps, Great Khan,” the woman said demurely, and interrupted his reflections. His warlords made room for her to place them on the table, and then promptly unrolled it for the collective group to look over.

Ganbaatar surveyed it with a nod, and waved the woman away. He had no time for her breasts jiggling in his Warlords’ faces and distracting them, and once again wondered if he’d made a mistake with the silks—or perhaps with her. Was she too attractive? He glanced around at his Warlords, but none of them seemed to be watching her retreating form.

He frowned. He’d deal with it later.

Instead, he motioned for the men around the table to resume their discussion.

“As I was saying, Great Khan,” his First Warlord, Verner Larn, said immediately; “We should consider that you going to deal with this Cataclysm yourself is a risk to the stability of the Khanate. Milwaukee is still being contested by the Liberty Vanguard and the Church forces, and in your absence, they will once again grow bold.”

“If I do not go myself, Verner, then I cannot ensure that I am the one to claim the Aetherium,” Ganbaatar explained with outstanding patience, if he did say so himself. “While your concern is touching, it is pointless. I must be the one to claim the reward. That is my final decision.”

Verner bowed his head when Ganbaatar spoke, and then another of his Warlords chimed in.

“If that is the case, Great Khan; how many Divisions will you take with you?” Trent Marion, his Third Warlord, asked. “At present, one each is engaged with the Vanguard and the Church, and there are three fighting over Chicago to the South. Two are fighting over Madison with Connor—” Ganbaatar sighed at the mention of his Sixth Warlord’s ill-fated expedition south, and its myriad complications “—and the remaining five are either training or rotating between the active divisions to replenish losses. In total, we have close to one hundred and twenty thousand people at fighting strength all included, but…”If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

“Their levels are laughably low,” Ganbaatar finished for his Warlord with a sigh. “I know, Trent. Alas, human nature is what it is; we cannot stop culling those that grow too strong. It will only end in a challenge to our power. If we cannot suspend any thoughts of fomented rebellion with overwhelming force, then the ignorant peasants will revolt against their protectors.”

“If I may, Great Khan?” Kevin Nguyen, his Second Warlord, chimed in quietly.

“Go ahead, Kevin.” Ganbaatar nodded magnanimously.

“You could take Divisions three and nine, giving you the majority of your forces at Second Tier, with the Officers at Third. That, combined with your Khansguard and your own power, will create a mighty force with which to smash whatever resistance you encounter in Sector 117, Elves or no Elves.”

“And the remaining three Divisions stay as reserves?” Ganbaatar asked.

“No, I will take two to the North and invade Green Bay in force.”

Ganbaatar’s eyebrows rose, and all eyes turned to Kevin in surprise.

“Why?” the Khan asked simply. He didn’t want to kill Kevin for stupidity. He liked Kevin. He wasn’t Mongolian, which was a shame, but he was Vietnamese—and that was better than nothing.

“You cannot be the only one that received news about the Cataclysm, Great Khan. Even if we are in the upper echelon of faction power, Green Bay still has the Triumvirate. If we attack them in force, they won’t have anyone to spare to try to beat you to Sector 117.”

Kevin circled Green Bay with his finger, and then traced the most ideal path from Milwaukee, around the city, and toward Michigan. “Additionally, it means they won’t harass your Army while you march overland toward Michigan. We could also go together and smash the Triumvirate once and for all, but that would add at least two months to your journey.”

Ganbaatar let out a low ‘hmm’ of consideration at Kevin’s words, and leaned down to stare more intently at the map. His Warlord had a fair point: Green Bay had been a thorn in his side for the last two years, and with Madison slowly coming into his grip, and the New Republic in Chicago contained by his forces to the South, the time had never been more ripe for him to finally kill the Triumvirate as a threat and cut off their supplies to the Vanguard.

“How confident are you in holding the city with only three Divisions?” Ganbaatar asked while looking back at Verner.

“If you are willing to finally rid us of the Church completely before you go, Great Khan,” the tall bearded German said seriously, “then I believe I can focus on finally pressing the old General. With myself, the other Warlords, and three divisions—we can definitely make headway in seizing control of Milwaukee for good.”

“Can we destroy the Church without resorting to Apocalypse measures?” Ganbaatar asked seriously. He needed the ninety-thousand or so people that the Church held under sway. They would make excellent subjects for his budding Empire, and he needed bodies to throw across the state after he returned victorious. He wasn’t the Humanity Alliance or Unity Coalition, and lacked the millions of citizens each faction boasted.

Of the four hundred million people in the continental United States at the time of Incursion, Ganbaatar estimated less than one hundred million were likely to have survived—but that was still a substantial number, and he would need Legions if he were to truly bring mankind under the aegis of his nuclear deterrent.

“I am not certain,” Verner admitted candidly. “The Bishop’s Light Affinity is very strong, and his barriers have held us at bay for months without wavering. I cannot say for certain whether or not we could truly overcome them without your Ultimate power.”

Ganbaatar grimaced at that, but didn’t hold it against the man. His first Warlord was in the position for a reason, and Verner had proven his worth time and time again during their efforts to bring humanity back from the brink of extinction. He’d have to die eventually, of course, to ensure he wasn’t a threat to Ganbaatar’s future Empire; but that could come after the Warlord helped him establish that Dominion.

“Very well,” Ganbaatar said after consideration. “I will lead five full Divisions, including the one currently fighting them, against the Church. We will finally end the threat it poses to us from the West, and be able to focus our efforts on what matters thereafter.”

“We can be ready to attack in three days,” Verner said immediately.

“Good,” Ganbaatar said with a nod. “In the mean time, Kevin; you should prepare for our march to Green Bay and use the remaining Division to set up a forward position. I liked your suggestion, and I think it will pay dividends.”

“Yes, Great Khan,” the Warlord said simply.

“Good man,” Ganbaatar said with a hearty laugh. He was glad he hadn’t killed Kevin, after all. “With that settled, you are all dismissed! I will see you all for the morning meeting.”

The Warlords thumped their fists to their hearts, bowed, and departed immediately after he spoke. Once they did, Ganbaatar turned to the chained slaves in the corner of his tent. Many of them had been politicians, judges, or other such officials prior to the Incursion. He’d taken his time breaking them, but they served as excellent examples of compliance for the people.

His eyes fell onto the dark-skinned woman from before, and he eyed her thoughtfully while she kept her eyes to the floor of the tent. He needed a distraction after the meeting, and the former Mayor would do fine. If she pleased him, he might even let her keep her beauty, or become his latest bride! If she didn’t…

Well, at least she’d no longer be a distraction during meetings.

Mother Earth had made him Her champion, and Ganbaatar would not disappoint. Humanity would be united, the Cataclysm would be claimed, and his sons would bring the world to heel in the decades that followed. He would have the greatest Empire since Genghis himself.

Ganbaatar smiled, and basked in the inevitable glory of both his coming conquests.

In moments like these, he reflected, it truly was good to be the Khan.