I Call To No One

4.

So, me, Socket and our new comrade Susie decided to team up. Talking to her more, we learned that she hadn't seen Alexander in years, A.K.A ever since they were children. Despite the lack of information we got from her, she offered to help us look for him since 3 is better than 2.

I was hesitant to let her come with us- our friendship with Alex was a bit more personal- but Socket was confident she could help, considering she was stronger and quicker than us. I trusted his judgement, and... now we were here.

"Come on you two, stop being distracted!"

I shouted, trying to pull away Susie and Socket from the dessert shop they were staring at.

"Awh, but they look so delicious! Especially the blueberry muffins!" Susie huffed, still trying to go for the store stubbornly.

"You two are gonna be the death of me..."

"We're gonna kill you? I'm not gonna murder ya."

"Not literally, dimwit!" Socket berated her.

"Don't call me a dimwit, you snowflake!"

I facepalmed as I watched them bicker. My head was beginning to hurt at that point.

Those two had to calm down somehow. The two had barely known each other and they were already bickering and insulting each other like siblings (which, honestly, that was impressive). Although it wasn't good to give into their words...

. . .

"Mmm, thanks for the dessert, Exlander!" Susie thanked me, stuffing her face with the muffin she wanted earlier.

"This stuff is delicious..." Socket muffled, seeming really happy.

It seemed both him and Susie really like desserts. They reminded me of my two sisters back home. Now that I think about it, I hadn't even told my family I'm out on this adventure. I can only hope my sisters informed them about the situation if they asked about me.

"Mm, what now? Where do we go?" Susie asked, looking around the empire before pointing to a nearby campsite. "I wanna go there! To those little triangle... ah, triangle houses?"

"You mean a tent?" I corrected.

She sounded rather funny to me that day.

"It's called camping, maybe when we find Alexander we can do so."

"Yeah, the four of us, outside in nature! With the bugs... and... darkness...." Socket's face scrunched, clearly seeming disgusted by the thought of insects and wilderness.

He was always a bit dramatic, but I don't blame him. I HATED being dirty. I'd wash my hands over and over to get dirt off of them, to the point they'd be hurt.

"Me and my bud Alex always used to go camping." Susie mentioned, taking another bite out of her muffin. "He'd say, 'Once I become Emperor, I'll bring you to the biggest campsite I can find!'."

I stopped, Socket did too. Susie stopped at well and looked back at us confused.

Once I become Emperor?

Alexander mentioned it before when we were really young. He always used to play the one with authority and power in our games, and he did say he was going to be an emperor when he was older, but... I didn't think he was genuinely aiming for it.

"Emperor? What did he mean by that?"

Susie began to walk again, shrugging her shoulders and lazily continuing to eat her dessert. She didn't seem too interested in the whore ordeal, as if we were talking about something as casual as the weather.

"Oh, yeah, he always used to mention how he'd be in charge of this place. Kinda sad he didn't get chosen, huh?" She paused. "I mean- I believed in him n' all, I thought he was gonna be a cool ruler 'cause of how his parents raised 'em."

None of us had ever heard Alexander say such things outside of games. Unless it wasn't even a game? Usually emperors were chosen by Medina Gurthius' family. When he died, his son would take the throne, so on and so forth.

Though, that changed recently. The people were protesting and they wanted to have better control, to be able to choose who ruled over them. The protests did work; that was why I managed to be chosen as Emperor recently.

Was Alexander was related to the first emperor of this place? I knew his family was royalty, but he lived somewhere else for a while so I assumed his family were from another country.

"...Susie..." Socket spoke up, throwing his trash away. "Alex used to say he couldn't tell us his last name because of family stuff. Do you...?"

She nodded. "Somethin' fancy. Alexander... Gurthius... the 2nd? No, no- the 3rd. Something like that."

Alexander Gurthius the 3rd.

That fiery passion for authority. The odd rules he had followed. It all made so much sense. Alexander was supposed to be the next ruler of the Empire.

It was stupid to get this information now. Me and Socket used to always pester him with questions, and he always used to give a vague answer about not being allowed to answer.

Now what to do with this information?

"Right, thank you Susie."

I nodded my head. I took the trash from Susie's hands subconsciously and I threw it away. In the distance, I spotted a small café where my mom often gets her coffee. I turned to Socket and Susie.

"You two want to get a break from walking?"

The two of them immediately perked up. Socket nodded his head in silence, while Susie muttered a quiet "uh-huh". Well, to the café we go.

I figured it would be a good idea to go. I wasn't sure why. It was familiar and it would be a good idea for the three of us to stop walking.

"Hey," Socket suddenly interrupted my thoughts, "You're Emperor, right?"

I turned to him semi-warily. Every time Socket says something along those lines, I know it'll be a bad idea.

"...Yes?" I raise an eyebrow.

"So, if we go to that café, there's a chance you'll get us free stuff?"

"That's not how you use your status as an Emperor, Socket."

"Aw," Susie huffed. "A discount maybe?"

"I was going to pay anyway..."

Susie intertwined her arms with me and Socket's. "Great! Let's go."