Wholly Undead 37 The Same but Differen

Jack stood up and walked to the other side of his desk to stand as he looked out of the window of his carriage, his back to Boss Crag with his hands folded behind him, as he began to monologue.

"You see Crag..." Jack didn't use his title, and Crag did not correct him. In the current situation, Jack was more powerful than Crag, so Crag thought, and allowed him to call him by name.

"What is the difference between a mafia family, a government, and a large trade company?"

Jack let this question linger in the air for a while, as Crag fell into contemplation. After a few minutes, Crag spoke, "I don't know the difference between them, but I know they all do business. Does that count?"

The flames in Jack's eyes jumped slightly, "Yes! That does indeed count. You're exactly right, each of these organizations conducts business, but only the Mafia and the trading companies can commit crimes, the government doesn't."

"Well yes, because the kingdoms and nations make the laws, so they don't break their own laws." Crag made his comment, while looking at the back of the Witch King.

"Let me enlighten you."

"Is that a joke?" Crag asked, as The Holy Witch King was after all a practitioner of the Holy Light.

"Yes and no."

Crag chuckled a bit. He found it funny, but didn't want to laugh at the Witch King if it wasn't a joke. He had tried to rest on this trip, but every time he cleared his mind to sleep, he would get flash backs of the angel of death. This terrorized him, and made him more fearful of the Witch King, more so than the day he had actually dueled him.

"Kingdoms, Nations, Governments... They all break the law, their own laws, but being a sovereign power who within them can say they are breaking the law. A kingdom can assign a special mission as importance to the state and assassinate a potential threat... Even in the same kingdom. We all know killing a fellow undead is illegal, but that's not true. It's more technically correct to say 'unauthorized' killing is illegal. In short, if the government says to do it, it's not illegal."

Crag has been thinking this whole time, and when Jack spoke he came to a conclusion, "So a Government can't do wrong?"

"Oh, they can, but who's to stop them, most of the time a Government keeps their missions secret as not to lose the trust or morale of their people. So this brings us back to re-branding."

"I know what branding means. So you mean to say, you going to bring my family into your government to legalize our crime."

"I like the fact you catch on."

"But why?"

"What's the bottom line of everything in this world? The one thing that everyone depends on?"

"...Money."

"Close... Power. Power is the bottom line. Money can be power, but power isn't necessarily just money. Our cultivation is power, our troops are power, our food is power, and our money is power."

"So you want more power, but I don't understand. You're The Holy Witch King. The, like, pope of ya faith. Everyone looks up to you, and worships you almost to the power of a god. You control the richest kingdom in these lands, and your cultivation is at the Emperor level... What more do you want?" Crag asked. He felt that The Witch King had everything he didn't, so why did he want more power.

"Crag... Do you read a lot in your spare time?"

"You mean like book books, or like accounting books." Boss Crag would work on his own accounting books. He was paranoid of others working on them, least he find later that they would skim the top and doctor the books losing money.

"... Book books... As you have put it. History books, novels, and writings... Some even alien to our world."

[Alien to our world? What kinda book is he on about...?] Crag was pondering.

"You see... Without power, enough power, someone will come along and crush you. You can see this for yourself. If I didn't have enough power, you wouldn't be sitting in my office now. Correct?"

"Ahh, yeah. That's right." Crag nodded.

"There is more to this world, and without going into massive details. I need power to rule, and power to protect what's mine from others. Even the surrounding nations can invade us, and take what I have..."

Jack turned to look at Crag, as Crag lifted his head to look at Jack. Crag's eyes met the dancing flames of the hollow eyes of the Witch King.

"The one thing I dislike the most Crag... Is being powerless and I find that I lack power. Only by always working, always expanding, and always learning can I hope to achieve my goals. Do you understand, Crag?"

A moment of silent lapsed as Crag watched those haunting flames in the sockets of Jack, as he finally spoke, "I get it. I thought things would be different for you being the Witch King, but you're in the same boat as me."

Jack turned and walked back to his desk to take his seat, "Your right. We do have the same plight, but you miss a key detail Crag, that sets Us apart."

Crag had followed Jack with his eyes to his desk, to now look at his flaming eyes as the burned slightly brighter.

"...Me and my power are on a different level than you. Same problems; different level. That is why I am the Boss of Bosses. If you could do what I could do, then this would be a different conversation, but since you can't, at this moment, then it is this conversation. Remember Crag, I will not treat you wrong, or your family. Whatever you have done before I have taken over, I will pardon. Going forward, you work for me, you do what I say, and you stay in line. If someone crosses you, or makes something difficult for you while doing the tasks I've set... You tell me."

"I get it, but what if someone stops me from pulling a job... err... Mission that you gave me and mine. What are you going to do about it? How do I know I'm going to be taken care of?"

"I could tell you the old answer of, 'We will cross that bridge, when We get there,' but is there something you have in mind?"

"Yeah... There is another family that's been biting me in the ass. I mean has been taken advantage of weak spots in my territories."

"Who is this family, where are they, and what are they doing to bother you?"

"The Kain family. They from the Stronedge side, and have been pushing into my areas. I have a good portion of turf, I mean, territory in Stronedge. These homebois have been making these rough for me."

"Stonedge? Well that's outside of my kingdom."

"What that means they get to bully me and my family, while being a part of your people?" Crag had decided that he could use the Witch King to pull this thorn out, and at the same time see if the Witch King was worthy of his loyalty.

"What businesses are they wrecking? Competing, busting ya up, or just racking a protection racket?"

"What aren't they doing?" Crag replied annoyed.

"Oh, I see."

Jack lifted his hand to his chin in thought, while Crag seen this gesture he shuddered. If this had been half a month ago, he would of laughed at this, but now, being fearful of the Witch Kings power, he remembered this was the gesture that all the Officials would talk about. They call it "Grace's Judgment." Crag heard this and scoffed, but now he waited in baited breath to know the Witch King's next move.

[The fuck do I do with Stonedge... Should I just take over their country? I mean they have been raiding our borders. Verruca was pissed over this... I should see what she thinks. I wonder how hard it would be to take them over. Should I start with the mafias to undermine their country? WAIT... Is there such a thing as tariffs here? I don't think I remember reading any... HAHA]

Jack laughed to himself.

"Crag, what business does this family run on primarily?"

"They are in the meatshroom business. Mass production, low quality."

"As Stonedge is landlocked by Our kingdom with only the brimstone ocean for them to travel out, We can set up taxes if they wish to export product from their lands through ours or even to Us."

"You mean to charge them money, just to bring their wares across the border?"

"That's right. We already charge a small fee for anyone to enter the country, but if they want to bring product to sale, We will charge them extra. If they can't pay, then if still witch to enter, We will take a portion of their product. We will do everyone from Stonedge this way."

"This is basically robbing them... on the highway even! HAHA" Crag slapped the arm chair of his seat, laughing.

"No, Crag. Remember We are a Kingdom. This is called taxes. This is Our land, and if they want to use it, then they are going to have to pay Us."

"Wait, what if Stonedge does this to Us?"

"Is the Kain Family backed by the Stonedge?"

"No... I don't think so. This the first time I've ever heard of a crime family being taken in by the government."

[Oh, it's happened more than once... Just not here, I guess] Jack thought.

"Then We can just take the taxes they gave to Us, to pay for your family to move your product to Stonedge. This will not hurt Stonedge or Us, as much as this will cripple the profits of the Kain family, and whatever other merchants they have."

"Oh, I see! HAHA, The fruits of being part of the kingdom already show!"

"Of course. With Us, it is only a matter of time, before all of the lands here fall into my hands. When We return to Capital, I will iron out your new Title, conveyed personally. I also expect you to be at my wedding."

Jack had this on his mind often these last few weeks.

"You were serious about that! HAHAHA! Alright, no problem."

Crag guffawed for a few moments, his huge frame shaking with each bellow of laughter. He finally spoke up, "I have some great burnt offerings if you would like to share?"

[Burnt offerings? What's that?] Jack thought. Jack had yet to come across this, in this world. Not willing to say no, after setting a great mood, he responded, "Sure."

Boss Crag stood up and went to the door way, and opened it, "Hey, Knowall! Get the good stuff, and bring it to me."

Jack heard knowall talking in the distance.

"No kidding, ya git... Bring it to us. We having a good time, over here."

A few minutes later, a skinny geist walked in bring a silver censor and a silver box.

"Here ya go, Boss."

"Good, Good... Good." Boss Crag looked over at Jack, "Mind if We set this up on ya desk?"

"Go, right ahead."

[What are they doing with that censor exactly...? What are we offering?]

Knowall set up censor, took some dust from the silver box, and placed it in the censor. He took out a flint lighter, and struck it a few times above. The dust ignited, and produced wispy smoke. He then placed the censor cover back on, and excused himself.

Jack watched the wispy smoke roll out of the censor. This smoke was unlike the one he seen pouring out of the censors he had at court.

The smoke drifted over the Boss Crag who inhaled it with big lungs full. He held it for a few moments, before letting it roll out of his nostrils, and sighing in relief.

"Ah, that really hits good."

"What is it?" Jack asked, in confusion.

"Oh, my fault. I got it going, and didn't even tell ta. This is Snap Dragon dust. Comes from a plant in my turf just outside of the city limits of Sosuhalf. Something I have in my private stock. This is my personal creation. It's twice as strong as Brimstone dust, haha!"

[Brimstone dust? How strong is that? It's obviously a drug... How does a skeletal undead use this???] Jack had experimented in college, but never found it to be his thing. So now that he was offered, he didn't mind to par take.

Chapter end