Cursed Empire: Rising against the gods

It was common for people worldwide to feel hopeless after receiving the monthly tax from Joseph's heavenly army.

Two years ago, many referred to that day as God's wrath. Humanity was divided into several factions: some supported the idea of punishment for humanity's destructive nature toward the world, others accepted it as their new reality, and some chose to resist it.

Neverport, a small settlement close to the southern coast with barely any noticeable life was one of the few who suffered under Joseph's rule.

But tonight was different, rather than going to bed and sleeping about the loss of a loved one. They all came out to celebrate.

Axel watched from a distance as he sat on a stone wall. He observed them singing, dancing, and even preparing a meal for the people, despite the poor quality of the food.

He smiled.

Becca approached him with a bowl of meat stew in her hand, "They wanted me to hand you this. Looks like you won everyone over." she said, somewhat nervous due to his mysterious aura, which made it difficult for her to walk up to him.

Axel gladly accepted the bowl of stew and said, "I simply showed the people what they were looking for. A strong capable voice of action that had the power to back it up." She noticed that his posture and the way he ate were not typical of common folk, "Are you a noble by any chance?" she asked.

Gently resting his bowl on his lap. He said, "I'm a royal. My family name isn't important because only two remains."

Becca was confused by the news and asked, "What's a royal doing at a place like this? Should you be cozy up in your castle eating stuffed pig?" Her tone hinted at a strong dislike for the upper class.

Axel quietly laughed and said, "I lost my royal rights six years ago. So I'm a normal commoner just trying to build a kingdom." He smiled at her which slightly irritated her.

Becca turned her head to him and quietly muttered under her breath, "You lost power, and now you're suddenly normal?" Axel wasn't concerned about what she said but rather too focused on the food he was eating.

After a short moment of silence, she asked, "What are your plans for everyone?" Becca still refused to look at him due to her past experience with royalty.

Axel briefly placed his bowl beside him and said, "Liveable resource, training for everyone, and finally our land expanded. That's my plan for now."

"Look around, we don't have much to grow with." Said Becca

Axel jumped off the wall and wanted to help her down, "There's a place that has an awful ruler. Not too far from here, I was thinking we raid him." Becca refused his hand and continued to look at him like he was a monster, "No, we not doing that?" She said to him.

Axel sighed and spoke about the paths he had left unexplored, saying, "This man, William Peters II, is the reason why I wanted his place to be the first place we raid. Not only do I have a massive disdain, but he has decided to align himself with the heavenly army. He is responsible for many people disappearing, imposing outrageous taxes on his citizens, and causing widespread malnutrition among them. All of this so he can ingratiate himself with them while living a lifestyle of luxury." His visible anger confused Becca.

"Why should I believe you? We all could be your pawn and this place could be one giant chess board." She replied

Axel calmly laughed and replied back, "If I wanted pawns then I would have picked ones that I could control. I'm not like other royals who would be a king who rely on others, I prefer to be the queen piece."

She never expected to hear a royal express disgust toward another royal. She almost giggled and asked, "And why are you disregarding a fellow royal? Aren't you all members of the same class?" Her comment caused a sad expression to appear on Axel's face.

He reached into his vest and pulled out a silver amulet with a blue gem. "This unexpected punishment we're going through has made me realize how little we, as a race, have tried to solve our problems. This is just my effort to help those who are victims of the people responsible for this sentence we have received. I want to give them a proper life." Becca noticed that he seemed truly sincere.

Becca sighed before gently punching his chest, "Fine, but how exactly do we get there?" She asked.

Axel started to whistle, and his white horse appeared in the distance. Becca's face twitched at the sight of the horse's flashy armor.

She wasn't the only one who noticed, many of the children ran to see the horse. Once the steed appeared, the children took turns trying to pet him.

Axel mounted his steed and looked at Becca, "My partner's name is Diego. He is a friendly little guy, so you don't need to worry too much. Whenever you are ready." he said.

Becca paused for a moment, turned around, and shouted, "CJ... PHILLY! GET YOUR ASSES HERE!" That's when two men arrived, trying their best to look tough.

CJ was the man who was kicked by Axel, while Philly was a chubby man who ran away first. The two of them possessed the other two divine weapons obtained from the divine creatures. Philly wielded a spear, and CJ held a mace.

Both received punches from Becca because she was annoyed by the tough guy attitude, "You both never acted like this. Don't start now! Anyway, look after everyone while I'm gone, " she said.

The two men recoiled in pain as they snapped out of the persona they were playing. Philly asked, "Where are you going, Becca?"

She twirled her hair and said, "We going to get some resources for everyone. From what he is saying, it's the settlement north of us. So we won't be gone for too long." 

CJ immediately wrapped his arm around her neck and whispered, "That dude. He is dangerous." He said to her.

They both turn to look at him who was gently grooming his steed, while looking majestic underneath the moonlight.

Becca rolled her eyes and whispered back, "It's fine, trust me on this. We really need resources for them. Sadly he has a plan and we don't."

CJ was clearly irritated by what she said and replied, "But we have everything here. We have farms, fresh water, and a mine. We have a plan but it would take time-" before he could finish Becca replied with simply line, "If he was here two months earlier, your wife would have been with you."

CJ couldn't respond to what she said and just kept quiet. Becca removed his arm from her and said, "There was no plan. Eventually, I would have been taken alongside the other girls. Then one of the guys would continue that role for me. But now, we have a chance, even if it means trusting a random stranger like him." She turned away from him and climbed onto the horse.

"Ready to go?" Axel asked.

"Yes, let's do this." Together they left, heading north toward Wynville.