Finn was already up and pacing his shelter when Gloria arrived, his mind racing with plans for the day ahead. The whole "other humans" situation had kept him tossing and turning most of the night anyway.
"Good morning, my lord," Gloria chirped, way too chipper for his liking. "Did you sleep well?"
Finn squinted at her
"Yeah, a little, I'm a little worried but I'm fine."
"Alright," Finn sighed, stretching out the kinks in his back. "Time to face the music. Or in this case, the potential hostile takeover. Gloria, round up the council, will you? We've got some serious strategizing to do."
Gloria nodded, her auburn hair bouncing with the movement. "Of course, my lord. Shall I bring them to your... um, throne room?"
Finn snorted. "Throne room? You mean this glorified lean-to? Yeah, sure. Tell them to prepare for the utmost luxury of sitting on dirt and twigs."
As Gloria was hurrying away to get the council, Finn took a moment to think. He obviously felt quite confused and unsure. The most difficult decision he ever had to make in his former life was whether he should go for the next size of his fast food. Now, he had to take care of an entire civilization. That's a big shift in occupation.
He paced back and forth in the small confines of his shelter, trying to psych himself up. "Okay, Finn, you've got this," he muttered to himself. "You're the lord of this place. You've created life with your mind. Dealing with a few thousand potential hostiles should be a piece of cake, right?" Even as he said it, he didn't believe it.
Soon enough, the council members filed into Finn's "throne room," arranging themselves in a semi-circle around him. Drew, Caden, Lyra, Isolde, and Eileen—his own personal think tank of superpowered nudists. It was like the world's weirdest corporate meeting.
Finn took a deep breath, straightened his shoulders, and tried to look as lordly as possible while standing in a glorified hut. "Alright, team," he began, trying to sound authoritative. "Let's hear the latest on our new neighbors. Drew, you're up."
Drew cleared his throat, his piercing blue eyes scanning the group before zeroing in on Finn. There was a tension in his muscular frame that Finn hadn't noticed before. "My lord, I sent out another scouting party last night. The news is... concerning."
Finn's stomach did a little flip. "Hit me with it. How bad are we talking?"
"There are between 1,000 and 3,000 of them," Drew reported, his voice grim. "And they're. well, they're significantly more advanced than us."
Finn's eyebrows shot up. "More advanced? Like, what, guns?"
Drew shook his head, his short dark hair catching the morning light. "Less but more than that, my lord. They have metal weapons, real furniture, tents. and clothes.
When clothes were mentioned, Finn's brain froze for a moment. Real, actual clothes? A part of him wanted to cheer because he wouldn't feel like he was part of some bizarre nature documentary anymore. But he pushed that thought away. Stay focused, Finn. This is important.
He stroked his chin thoughtfully, trying to look like a leader deep in thought and not a teenager who was way out of his league. "I see. And what do we think their intentions are?"
The council members glanced at one another, quite obviously uncertain. It was Caden who spoke first, his gentle brown eyes filled with concern. "It's hard to say, my lord. They could be peaceful settlers, or."
"Or they could be looking to expand their territory," Lyra finished, her dark eyes flashing with determination. She leaned forward, her long dark hair falling over her shoulder. "We need to be prepared for either scenario."
Isolde, the keeper of the records, nodded in accord. "We should gather more information before making any decisions," he suggested, pushing his sandy blonde hair out of his eyes. "Perhaps we could send more scouts, try to learn about their culture, their intentions."
Eileen spoke next. "We should also consider the potential health implications," she said, her kind face creased with worry. "If they're more advanced, they might have diseases we're not prepared for."
It looks like they took their roles to heart.
Finn nodded, not really paying full attention. He had already made his decision. These new people had things he didn't—technology, supplies, clothes. And Finn wanted everything they had. It wasn't just about the things, though. It was about staying alive. In this world, not having enough technology could mean the difference between living and dying.
He wasn't very smart, but he was sure of this one thing.
"Alright," he said, breaking through the council's ongoing talk. "Here's the deal. We're taking it. All of it."
The members of the council shut up but Finn could see they were not very much surprised.
"We need to expand," Finn went on, getting into the groove now. He turned toward Drew, the strategist. "Drew, I want you to come up with a plan. How many people do you need?"
Drew's eyes lit up with the challenge, a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "Give me 2,000, my lord. I'll have a strategy ready within days."
Finn nodded, then turned to Caden. "What about weapons? Can we arm at least 1,000 by the end of the month?"
Caden furrowed his brow, clearly doing some mental calculations. His softer features contrasted with his warrior's physique as he considered the question. "It's possible, my lord, but it'll be tight. We'd need to focus all our efforts on weapon production. No distractions."
"Done," Finn said. "What do you need?"
As Caden started reading the resources, Finn found himself zoning out again. Being a "leader" was harder than he thought it would be. How did people do this daily? He was starting to appreciate politicians and CEOs a lot more. Well, maybe not.
Drew, noticing Finn's glazed expression, smoothly took over. "Lyra," he said, "we should expand our territory. Scout along this side of the river and beyond. My lord," he added, turning to Finn, "what areas do you think we should prioritize?"
Fynn blinked and felt happy to be included. He hadn't realized he'd gone quiet. "Uh, yeah. Good idea. Let's focus on defensible positions? High ground, that kind of thing." He was mostly just repeating things from every strategy game he'd ever played, but it sounded good.
Isolde perked up, his lanky frame straightening. "My lord, shall Eileen and I assist Lyra in mapping the new territories? We could identify strategic points as well."
"Good thinking," Finn nodded, feeling a bit more in control. He turned to Eileen, who had been quietly observing. "Eileen, keep doing your research thing. We might need medical knowledge if this turns ugly."
Finn dismissed the council. As they filed out, he couldn't help but feel a swell of pride mixed with concern. These creatures, his creations, were so talented and so dedicated. Yet they relied on him for leadership. Him, Finn O'Sullivan, former flipper of burgers and tech support extraordinaire, never quite a success.
He turned to Gloria, who had been watching the meeting silently. "Alright, time to make with the magic. We've got an army to build."
He strode to an open clearing beyond the camp's edge, where he closed his eyes and channeled his power.
He could feel the usual surge of power flow through him. It was like a charge of electricity, beginning in the middle and emanating out. When he opened his eyes again, there were 5,000 new creations standing in front of him, waiting to be told what to do. The sight still awed him, even after all this time.
"Drew, take your 2,000," Finn said, waving at a cluster. "Caden, 1,500 for weapon production. Lyra, 1,000 for exploration. Isolde, 300 for mapping and record-keeping. Eileen, 200 for medical research. The rest of you," he said to the rest of the creations, "split yourselves between resource gathering and camp maintenance."
As the new creations dispersed to their assigned tasks, Finn slumped back into his makeshift throne, suddenly exhausted. Creating life as easy as lifting a finger, but the day had taken toll on him. Gloria hovered nearby, her presence oddly comforting.
"Well," Finn sighed, "that was something. How do you think I did?"
Gloria tilted her head, considering. "You did well, my lord. Your decisiveness is admirable."
Finn snorted. "Yeah, because nothing says 'great leader' like deciding to steal from the first neighbors we meet." He ran a hand through his hair, suddenly feeling the weight of his decisions. "I mean, what if they're peaceful? What if we're the bad guys here?"
He looked at Gloria, really looked at her for the first time. She was beautiful, of course—he had made her that way, like he did with every woman. But there was something more, a spark of intelligence in her eyes that made him think.
"Gloria," he said slowly, "how do you really feel about all this? About. me?"
Gloria's face brightened with a smile that could melt butter. "My lord, I—"
"No," Finn cut her off, his voice rising slightly. "Not what you think I want to hear. How do you actually feel?"
Gloriana's smile faltered for a moment, then returned, softer and more genuine. "I think you're doing the best you can in an impossible situation," she said quietly. "You're young, inexperienced, and suddenly responsible for thousands of lives, you created no doubt, but you are our young lord. It's overwhelming, and yet you're rising to the challenge. You're stronger than you give yourself credit for, my lord."
Finn blinked, taken aback by her honesty. "I... Wow. Thanks, Gloria. That's- that actually helps."
He stood up, abruptly feeling restless. "Listen, I want you to always be like this, okay? Honest, somewhat normal. Consider that an order."
Gloria smiled wider. "Of course, my lord. I'll do my best to keep you grounded."
Finn nodded and then stepped out of his shelter. He needed some fresh air and some time to think about everything that was happening. He wandered to the edge of the river and looked at the fast-moving water.
The steady flow of the river made Finn reflect on how time keeps on moving. It felt as if he had been in this place for ages, but the truth was it had been but a few days. He squatted and picked up a flat stone, rolling it between his palms.
"What would Dad do?" he whispered, his throat tightening at the thought of his parents. They always had the answers, knew how to handle any problem. Now, in the biggest challenge of his life, Finn felt their absence more than ever.
He threw the stone across the water, watching it skip four times before it sank. Four days. That was how long he'd been here, masquerading as a leader. But now, with other humans a threat, the game was over.
Finn stood up, shaking his hands dry. He couldn't afford to feel sorry for himself or dwell on the past.
"Time to grow up, Finn," he told himself, barely audible over the rush of the river. "No more playing around."
He turned back toward camp, already working out plans and stratagems in his mind. He needed to talk with Drew again, probably set some sort of early warning system. Those weapons that Caden was working on needed to be fast-tracked.
As Finn walked, he saw how his surroundings were subtly changing. The makeshift shelters were becoming more sophisticated, the paths between them more defined. His creations were learning, adapting, improving. Maybe he could do the same.
He was so deep in thought that he almost didn't hear the shouts at first. But then the words cut through his reverie, sending a shiver down his spine.
"BEAR! BEAR!"
Finn felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. He spun around and took off, running back toward the camp. His bare feet slapped against the ground. The camp was in disarray; the creations were rushing in one direction.
The bear.
Then he heard it—a scary roar that froze him with fear.
As he made his way through the middle of the camp, Finn stopped dead in his tracks, eyes wide with terror. The bear was huge—by at least twice as big as any bear he had ever seen on television. But it wasn't just its size that scared him; the animal had strange, glowing marks on its body that shone with a magical light.
Finn watched in horror as his creations closed in around the bear. They had nothing but crude stone knives, yet they attacked with a ferocity that was at once astounding and disturbing. Three of the creations lay already, faces. Finn turned away, nauseated.
The bear roared again and swiped with its huge paws. More creations fell, but they kept trying, jabbing at the beast with their homemade weapons. It looked like some sort of bizarre, frightening dance: the bear striking out, the creations moving quickly, always pushing ahead.
Finn couldn't tear his eyes away. He wanted to help, to do something, but what could he do against such a monster? He was only one person and not very strong or brave. This wasn't like the strategy games he'd played before, where he could just push a button and send in help. This was real, messy, scary.
Gloria appeared at his side, her face set in a grim expression. "My lord, we should get you to safety," she said urgently, tugging at his arm.
But Finn shook his head. He couldn't run, not now. These were his people, his responsibility. He had to see this through, even if all he could do was stand and watch.
The battle raged on, a savage and primal fight for survival. More creatures fell, but slowly, they began to wear down the bear. It moved slower now, and its roars were no longer as strong. Yet still, the creations fought on, relentless and tireless.
Finally, after what felt like hours but was probably just a few minutes, the bear went down. The creatures closed in on it, their stone knives glinting in the sun as they finished it off.
When the dust had settled, Finn gazed upon the carnage. A score or so of dead and injured creations were strewn about the ground, twisted in odd ways. The bear was silent, its odd markings now dark and dead.
Finn felt numb. He knew this was a somewhat dangerous world. But to see it in reality—to see his creations, destroyed—it made a big difference. This wasn't just about raiment and metal weapons anymore; this was about survival against a world that seemed bent on killing them.
He turned to Gloria, his voice hoarse. "Get... Get Drew. We need to add these fucking beasts into the plan so everything goes smoothly."
As Gloria hurried off to fetch Drew, Finn stood there, staring at the scene before him. The dead bear, the broken bodies of his creations, the blood-soaked earth. This wasn't a game anymore.
This is real.