Foundation
Author: Sme
Date: 2023-06-16T18:00:00+00:00
Description: "What would you do if you suddenly died, and yet... you didn't?" Elinor is just a sixteen-year-old goth going through some abnormal teenage drama; forced onto a humanitarian aid mission to Venezuela by her parents and grounded, much to her displeasure, this rebellious teenage girl is understandably pissed. The jungle sucks, the bus has no air conditioning, and great, if that's not enough, she's kidnapped! How much worse could it get? How much worse? Well, how about dying? That's worse. Is she even herself anymore? Irrelevant at the moment. Getting introduced to a not-so-informative System of U

Undying Empire: Foundation

Copyright © 2022 by Scott M. Edwards

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Printed in the United States of America

First Printing, 2022

Edwards.Scott801@gmail.com
https://twitter.com/AuthorSME

Contents

Prelude: Humanitarian Aid Sucks!

Chapter One: Dying, Now With Butter!

Chapter Two: An Empress Rises

Chapter Three: The End of the World

Chapter Four: Chilling Tactics

Chapter Five: Butterfly Effect?

Chapter Six: Slow, Steady Progress

Chapter Seven: Seed Devourer

Chapter Eight: Retired Terrorist

Chapter Nine: War Preparations

Chapter Ten: A Scarlet Hand

Chapter Eleven: A Plan Set

Chapter Twelve: Setting The Stage

Chapter Thirteen: Success

Chapter Fourteen: Crystal Shattering

Chapter Fifteen: Power Play

Chapter Sixteen: Court Of Public Opinion

Chapter Seventeen: A Nasty Surprise

Chapter Eighteen: The Whispering Shade

Chapter Nineteen: The Queen of Witchery

Chapter Twenty: A Family Bound By Death

Chapter Twenty-One: A Battle Won; A War to Come

Chapter Twenty-Two: Only The Beginning

End of Volume Status Sheet

About the Author

Special Thanks

Prelude: Humanitarian Aid Sucks!

Elinor leaned back in her seat, wiping away the sweat that dripped down her brow.  Her dark makeup had long since been rubbed away, adding fuel to her already irritated mind.  An itch inside her ear made her growl, and she pulled out her left earbud to scratch it.

This is just great, she internally grumbled.  What a perfect vacation…  No air conditioning for two days in this hellhole.  We couldn’t wait one flippin’ week to get a closer flight, and they still won’t give me back my SIM card!

She turned away from the window to her right to glare at her parents sitting next to her; both of their light-hazel eyes were centered on their phones with disinterest, taunting her as they swiped through some news channels.

She knew her mom was beautiful, which was where she’d gotten much of her looks, and currently, she had her thick black hair tied back into a ponytail and pulled over her shoulder.

She wore a blue spaghetti-strap shirt, one of her black bra straps poking out from under the right side, and her dark-brown shorts and sandals went well with her tan.  Driving out in the middle of a random dirt road in Colombia didn’t fit her soft complexion, however.

On the other hand, she could see her father fitting into the wilderness quite well.  His thick, well-maintained hair was swept back to expose his forehead; the cream button-up shirt with flowers on it was a disguise because he was anything but chill, and his brown shorts that fell just past his knees was his staple comfort wear.

Elinor could see why her mother had fallen for him.  He was handsome in a rough sort of way with his toned muscles, but he was the most aggravating man in her entire life.

Huffing out a drawn-out sigh, she glanced out of the bus window, looking at the small town they were coming up on; it seemed to just appear out of nowhere, an entire community in the jungle, and her frustration hit its peak.

This is so dumb…  Do any buses in South America have air conditioning?

The long vehicle was alight with several conversations, almost all of them boring.  The majority of the passengers were on the bus to travel to Cúcuta for the humanitarian aid efforts at the border of Colombia and Venezuela; they’d had to take a detour because of backed-up traffic.

They were pulling a small trailer full of goods that were supposed to go to the humanitarian gathering on some bridge her father had shown her; the downside being they had to move really slow with it on the dirt roads.

She looked down at her phone, scowling at the thirty percent battery icon.  Taking out her other wireless headphone, she stuffed both into her tight, black latex trousers and listened to the chatter for a minute.

Running a hand through her raven locks, she directed a pointed groan in her parents’ direction.  “It’s so hot…  My mascara literally melted off!  How long do we have to be here?”

Tiffany shifted a little to smile at her, her mother’s arm reaching around her shoulders to lean into a half-hug.  “I told you applying that much makeup in this heat was a bad idea, and bringing an entire wardrobe of goth clothes was basically suicide.”

She looked down at her black tank top that revealed her stomach.  It had a spine pattern cut down the back and a skeletal unicorn with flowers, vines, skulls, and candles in front of a full moon.  Her boots had made her feet too hot, so she’d kicked them off long ago.

“It’s my look, though…”

Edmon frowned as he leaned forward, her dad scrutinizing her appearance with the disapproving eye she hated.  “Right, like getting your friend to give you five black butterfly tattoos on your shoulder and a raven feather on your collarbone… without our permission.  You know that’s illegal.”

Elinor huffed, leaning back with a pout as she glared at the shops they passed.  “It’s not just a raven feather…  Shows how much you know.  It’s a raven feather transforming into an unkindness!  It’s symbolic, something you wouldn’t understand, and T thought it was cool.  Mom promised you wouldn’t press charges, too.  It’s my choice!”

“Tanner…”  her dad snarled, nose twisting.

Her mother put a hand on her dad’s lap.  “C’mon, Edmon, we both had our fair share of rebellious behavior.  Remember our punk-rock phase?”

“We didn’t get any damn tattoos,” he growled.

“It’s not the end of the world, Dear,” her mom sighed, turning back to her.  “Elinor, honey, I understand why you thought you couldn’t come to us about this, but you should before making these kinds of body-altering decisions.”

“Yeah,” her dad grunted, glaring down at his phone.

“Why?”  she huffed, pulling away a little from her mom.  “It’s my body.”

Her mother’s lips pursed as she squeezed her father’s leg.  “Yes, but you’re still only sixteen—you’re a minor, under our care—and you go through phases during these years; you know we’ve talked about this.  You may be into gothic stuff now, but that doesn’t mean you’ll like gothic stuff in ten years.  I used to like dinosaurs and wanted to be an archeologist because of Jurassic Park, but I grew out of that.  If I had a dinosaur tattoo, then I’d die now.”

“You don’t even know…”  Elinor muttered.

“You know what… you’re right,” her mother hummed, scratching the side of her scalp.  “We haven’t asked you what they mean to you, but you can’t blame us… you’ve been hiding them for weeks.  Why did you get them; it wasn’t just for that boy, right?”

Her cheeks flushed, and she looked down at her pants, pressing her phone into her thighs.  “No!  It’s not like that!”  She fumed.  “T’s just cool, okay?  Geez.”

“Just cool, then; got it,” her mother smirked in an annoyingly knowing way.  “So… what do they mean?”  she asked, pulling back her hair to look at the raven feather on her left collarbone.

Brushing her hand away, Elinor covered it protectively as she looked at one of her boots.  “It…  Ugh.  A flock of ravens is called ‘unkindness,’ but they’re actually really kind toward each other—like a team… friends.  In mythology, they’re protectors, even omens… you know, don’t make me mad because that’s a bad omen.”

“Of course,” her mother smiled, and her dad rolled his eyes.

“What?”  she defensively challenged.

“No, I like it!  Continue,” her mother insisted.

“Humph.  Yeah, whatever, Dad…  I wasn’t talking to you anyway.”

“I didn’t say anything,” he returned, mirroring her tone.

“Uh-huh…  Ugh,” she relented as her mother’s hopeful smile blocked her view of him.  “Well, T told me that in Norse mythology, ravens were like divine messengers, and even some believe they’re exorcised spirits and evil—that’s pretty cool, too.  The bible even has a raven that went and found land for Noah—I don’t think it found it, but whatever… so, yeah, not all bad.  In Buddhism, they’re like… holy birds.”

“Are you a Buddhist or Catholic goth now?”  her dad groaned.

“No… it’s just cool,” she grunted, pursing her lips into a pout.

“Edmon, let her explain,” her mother pleaded.

“Tiffany, I just—fine,” he breathed out heavily, throwing up his arms.  “Tell us all about your tattoos.”

Elinor sniffed.  “Whatever…”

“No,” Tiffany moaned.  “Honey, please, I want to understand.  Tell me about it,” she reached back around, pulling her into a hug.

She closed her eyes, breathing in the lavender fragrance of her mother’s hair, and her anger started to dissipate as she hugged her mother back with a groan.  “Fine.”

“Victory,” her mother cheered, making her chuckle as she pulled back and waited patiently for her to continue.

“So,” Elinor paused, collecting her thoughts.  “I mean, T told me all these amazing stories; he showed me all these awesome sketches of the tattoos he’d been working on, and these ones I liked the most,” she mumbled, playing with the fake Onix ring on her middle finger.  “He first did the butterflies… they’re really my favorite.”

“Ahh, okay.  Did he also get you those black stone earrings I’ve seen you wear the past couple of weeks?”

Elinor swallowed, feet twisting nervously as she rubbed her phone.  “You, umm, you noticed?”

“Wait—what earrings?”  Edmon whispered, leaning forward to look at her ears and hands.  “I haven’t seen any new earrings.  Tanner gave you jewelry?”

“Of course I noticed; I’m your mother.  I haven’t been able to get a good look at them, though; you’ve been avoiding me recently… probably because of the tattoos.”

“They were a gift for my first tat,” she muttered.

Tiffany rubbed her leg comfortingly.  “I bet they were; can I see them?”

“I—they’re in my bag,” she stammered.  “I didn’t want to lose them on the ride…  No, Dad…”  she groaned as he pocketed his phone and got up to take her bag out of the overhead compartment.

Her mother chuckled.  “Honey, it’s fine.  I think it’s sweet that he gave you a gift.”

“Unless you know what goes on in a boy’s mind,” her dad muttered.

Elinor rolled her eyes.  “Video games and food?  Terrifying, Dad.”

Sitting back down with her black leather shoulder bag, he examined it with a frown; it had the appearance of a grimoire with a pentagram on the front and ‘Book of Spirits’ written across the cover.  “Which pocket is it in?”

Her mother reached over and took the bag from him, making Elinor breathe out a sigh of relief.  “Let her show us, dear; this is important to her.”

Edmon rubbed his eyes with a low moan.  “I know…  I know I’m like… the super overprotective dad right now, but you have no idea what goes through guys’ minds at that age, and it’s a lot more than video games and food.  Now he’s giving her jewelry?  He’s eighteen, and she’s still a minor.”

“Thanks, Mom,” Elinor whispered, hugging her bag protectively while trying to ignore her dad’s unreasonable attitude and archaic position.  Taking a deep breath, she undid the latches and opened the flap before unbuttoning one of the small inner pockets and taking out the velvet bag carrying her earrings.

Tiffany’s breath seemed to lock in her chest, and a lump fell down her throat as Elinor opened it and dropped the jewelry into her palm; her dad leaned closer to get a better look.

“Honey… can I see those for a moment?”  her mother whispered.

Feeling a little unsure about their reactions, Elinor reluctantly gave one up.

Her mother lifted the earring up to inspect it with her father.  “This is… beautiful,” her mother muttered.

“I knew it…”

“It’s really pretty,” Elinor agreed, “but it’s not real or anything.  It’s just a fake; T said he found a box with them inside when he was taking diving lessons with his family in Hawaii.”

Tiffany twisted it around, carefully studying the piece.  “Basket-stud earrings—a four-prong setting—and look at the way it catches the light…  It’s probably five to six carats each... round black diamonds—they don’t look or feel fake.  If they are black diamonds, then the metal is probably black gold and something this size… 14k, no doubt.  If these are real… they’d be, like… fifteen to twenty thousand dollars, potentially more.”

Elinor mouthed her mother’s estimate in bewilderment.  “Wait?  No!  No way!  T works at a tattoo shop… they’re just fake earrings he found in the ocean.”

Her father shook his head with a serious expression.  “No, if his story is true, and it wasn’t a lie, then those earrings were probably accidentally dropped by a couple on a trip or honeymoon.”

Her skin bristled.  “No!  T’s not a liar!”  she shouted, drawing other passengers’ attention.  “He found them in the ocean and gave them to me as a gift for my first tat!”

“Shh—settle down,” her mother said, forcing a chuckle and pursing her lips as she looked back down at the earring, clearly not wanting to make a scene.  “I guess we’ll have to get them appraised to be sure, but… I’m pretty sure this is the real thing, Honey.  If that’s true, we might have to see if there’s any way to track down the owner and return it.”

“They’re mine, though,” Elinor huffed, snatching it out of her mother’s hand.  “T gave them to me!”  She pressed up against the window, clutching the earrings against her chest protectively.

Tiffany held up her hand as her father’s face darkened.  “Honey, think about the woman who owned those before Tanner found it; the memories they hold for her.  Think about how happy she’d be if they were returned to her.  How would you feel if something extremely important to you was lost?”

Elinor’s lips fell into a deep frown.  “I—I know, but… they’re T’s first gift to me…”

Her mother breathed a deep sigh, and after a moment, she smiled.  “Okay, let’s discuss this then.  If we can find the owner, then it would be the right thing to do to return them; just like how that nice boy returned your shoulder bag to you when you lost it on our European trip last year.  Am I right?”

She looked down at her hand, fingers rubbing against the cool metal pieces.  “I guess… it would be the right thing to do.”

“If Tanner did find them, then the owners would probably want to thank him themselves.  As I said, if those are the real things, then returning them would hold real value to the couple that lost them; I know I’d be beside myself if I lost my engagement ring or something important your father gave me.”

“So,” Elinor hummed.  “If they are real—a big if… then we’ll try and find the real owners, and if we can’t… then I get to keep them?”

“Of course, Honey,” her mother soothed, speaking before her father could interject.  “I know it’s important to you, but, umm, this doesn’t mean anything more than a friendly gift, right?”  she asked, her eyebrow lifted as she studied her reaction.

“What?  No—not at all,” Elinor blustered.  “I’m too young to get married or anything like that…”  she muttered, but her heart fluttered at the prospect.

Could this be a subtle hint by T?  No… he’s too cool.  If he wanted to date me, then he’d say it, no problem.  It’s not like he’s into younger girls anyways.  He did break up with Tonya last year, though… he didn’t date all of senior year, either, and since graduating, he hasn’t been seeing anyone…

“What’s with that look on your face?”  her mom hummed.

Her eyes shot open.  “What look?  I’m just—I’m happy I get to keep them because…  Because there’s no way they’re real!”

“Mmhm,” her mother said with a small smirk.

Her dad grunted as he sat back in his chair, closing his eyes and folding his arms.  “You’re sixteen… you have to get through high school and college before thinking about marriage.”

“Oh,” her mother shoved him mischievously.  “You were working two jobs and living out of your mother’s basement when you proposed to me.  If I remember correctly, you were twenty, and I was nineteen, right?”

He coughed, clearing his throat.  “Yeah, well… it’s a different age.”

Her mother giggled, turning back to her.  “Hey, as long as you wait until you’re at least eighteen—preferably twenty—then you have my full support… as long as he’s a decent guy.

“Yeah, okay…”  Elinor smiled, looking down at her earrings with her ears still burning.

There’s no way they’re real… but what if they are?

“Wait,” Tiffany smirked.  “You haven’t even gone on any dates since turning sixteen, have you?  Even though we said it was fine when you were fifteen.”

Elinor’s mind froze.  “Mom… I don’t want to talk about it!”  she snapped, doing her best to turn away from her.

Her mother just giggled.

She’s so…

“Grrh.”

“Anyways,” her mother settled back into her seat, pulling out her phone.  “We’ll be staying in a hotel in this town tonight.  Unfortunately, the original one we were supposed to stay at wouldn’t return our money,” she hummed irritably.  “Anyways, tomorrow we should reach Cúcuta.”

“Finally,” Elinor moaned.  Not trusting her dad to snatch her earrings while she wasn’t looking, she slid them into the pocket with her headphones for safekeeping.

“So…”  her mom trailed off.

“So—what?”

“You were telling me what your tattoos meant.”

“You still want to hear it?”

“Mhm,” she shifted to face her with a sincere smile.

“Well—okay… umm, which do you want to know about?”

“You said the butterflies were your favorite, right?”

She nodded.  “Yeah, I love black butterflies.”

“Hmm,” her mother glared at the seat in front of her, deep in thought.  “You liked butterflies and fairies around the same time when you were eight… what’s different about black butterflies that separates them from the rest?”

“Something edgy—like death—right?”  her dad asked, looking at something on his phone.

Elinor rolled her eyes.  “Oh, you’ve got me, Dad; this is all some mask to hide my suicidal desires!”

Her mother huffed, lightly slapping his knee with her left hand.  “C’mon, Edmon; you know I used to wear that stuff too.”

“Huh?”  Elinor shifted to face her mother, blindsided by the news.  “You did?”

“Yeah, it was a short phase,” her mother smiled softly with a slight shrug.  “I had a friend in Junior High that was a goth.  Your grandparents had to move us, though, so I didn’t get to know her that well.”

Her dad scratched his left eyebrow.  “I know, Tiff, but does she have to wear the belly shirts?  You really have no clue what guys think about when they see a girl’s belly… young and old.”

“Yes, the male mind is a dismal sphere,” her mother grunted.  “She also needs to have the space to express herself, and if she’s going through a goth phase, then what’s the harm?”

“But, Mom… it’s not a phase.”

She giggled.  “Honey, you’re sixteen—everything’s a phase.”

“Okay—okay,” her dad groaned, rubbing his shoulder.  “This is bad for my blood pressure… as long as it’s not anything worse.”

“Oh, and what’s worse?”  Elinor hummed, eyebrow-raising as she challenged her father.

“Let’s get back to the butterflies,” her mother redirected, smile turning forced.

“Fine… so, black butterflies can mean transition, rebirth, and renewal.  It can also mean death, Dad, but it can be like, the death of a relationship, idea, or topic—you know, darkness before the dawn type of stuff.

“In Irish legends, they say black butterflies are the souls of the deceased, unable or unwilling to move on to the afterlife.  It can also be linked with witchcraft,” she giggled.  “A witch that transformed into a black butterfly to steal your food.  Oh, there’s the Aztec myth of a goddess that can change into a black butterfly to devour the souls of people during eclipses!  That one’s kinda cool.”

“What about some positive things?”  her mother questioned, folding her legs.

“Umm, well, they can symbolize freedom and the death of misfortune, but… let me think.  Okay, it’s like this… the butterfly itself is a symbol of death, rebirth, and transformation; while in its cocoon, the caterpillar seems to die but soon lives again as a butterfly.”

She began counting on her fingers as she tried remembering everything she’d read.  “The color black is linked with power, authority, mystery, sophistication—I don’t completely know if that’s a word, though—elegance, anger, fear, evil, sadness, death, mourning, remorse, and even the unknown!  The black butterfly itself symbolizes new life from an old one—the new, strong, but subtle life after a period of transformation.”

“Wow, that’s so much,” her mother said with a bright smile.  “It seems like you really have taken a liking to butterflies.  Transformation, eh?  I like it, but can you please promise me that you’ll talk to us before you get a tattoo next time?”

“Ugh, still on about that?”  Elinor grumbled, cheer dampening.

“Please?”  her mother pleaded.

“Fine… okay—I won’t get a new one for a while anyway…  The raven one hurt—a lot…  I even cried in front of T,” she whispered, feeling shame run down her spine.

“Hey,” her mother pulled her in again.  “You’re a girl, okay?  No guy’s going to blame you for crying.”

“Yeah, but… it’s not cool.”

Their attention moved to the front of the bus as the driver pulled into a hotel.  “Alright, folks,” he said in English—despite a robust Colombian accent—as he surveyed them.  “There are a few restaurants nearby if you get hungry.  Be careful about what you bring with you; there’s been a lot of pick-pockets in this town lately.”

A woman wearing a white dress lifted her hand, speaking before the driver could acknowledge her question.  “Umm, are there any souvenir shops around?  And what’s with that giant crystal in the middle of the parking lot?”

Elinor rose a little bit in her seat to follow everyone else’s gaze to a sectioned-off area in the hotel they were staying at, and a police car was parked in front of the giant, conal sapphire; it was at least the size of the trees she’d seen through the jungle—15-meters-tall—and almost looked ethereal.

“I have no idea about the, uh, crystal…  I’ll ask around, but perhaps it would be a good photo for social media!  As to souvenirs, yes, down the street to the left of the hotel; just turn right at the second street, and you’ll find some shops.”

“Wonderful,” she beamed, turning to whisper to a friend.  “It almost looks like an illusion, don’t you think?”

A chubby man with a large, brown beard spoke up next.  “Uh.  What time are we heading to Cúcuta?  Is there any more news about the border?”

“Nothing from the other drivers.  We’ll be leaving at eight in the morning, so set your alarms.  We leave at eight sharp, so don’t miss it, or you be left without a bus.”

Elinor groaned as she got to her feet, stretching out her legs and lower back before wiping away the sweat on her brow again and staring at her wet fingers with a deep frown.  She put the crystal in the back of her mind; it was probably some stunt to get them to pay more money.

This sucks.

She picked up her phone that had slid to the back of her seat and put it in her bag.  Glancing at her mom, stretching beside her, she pursed her lips.  “Mom, I heard someone say the Venezuelan National Guard is keeping everyone out and not allowing people to help…  So, why are we even going?”

“It’s more complicated than that,” her dad said, but his tone was tired as he glared at the crystal before pulling down his luggage.  “Venezuela is going through a really tough time, and we have the means to help out a bit.”

“The means to help out?”  she huffed.  “We drove, like—like, days to get here…  I see homeless people all the time back home in Cali… poop on the streets.  Why don’t we help those people instead of leaving the USA to come to this hellhole.”

“Language,” her father frowned.

Sighing, she pressed against her mom’s right arm before brushing her bangs back.  “I’m just saying…  How long are we going to be here?  They don’t even want help.”

Tiffany squeezed her shoulder.  “You have Venezuelan blood in you, honey.  Your grandma immigrated to the USA, and we were able to live the American Dream.  Now we need to give some back.”

“Mom… you’re French, and Dad moved away from Venezuela to the USA when he was a teen for a reason, so why are we even going near the place; we don’t even talk to Uncle Cristian anymore.”

“See,” her dad said, pointing outside at the small town and hotel.  “This is why getting out of the country is good for you; you live in the safest country in the world with the most opportunities to succeed.  The Venezuelans are starving; they’re literally breaking into zoos to kill and eat animals.”

“Safest… right, Dad,” Elinor pouted, sinking back against the wall as she rolled her eyes.  “Some random crystal attraction in the parking lot.  Wooh, amazing.  And yeah, they must be starving if they won’t allow any food in.”

“It’s because of that dictator!”  her dad seethed.

“Dear,” her mom soothingly rubbed his chest.  “She’s a teenager in all black, burning up, and forced to join her parents on a humanitarian mission…  What teen would want to be with her parents for something like this?  Also, see if you can discover anything about that weird crystal.”

“See, Mom gets it,” Elinor fumed.  Digging out her headphones, she put them in and turned on the music she’d downloaded off her Itunes account; she’d created a few playlists for the trip and turned on The Cure, The Sisters of Mercy, Aviators, and Siouxsie and the Banshees playlist before zoning out her parent’s discussion.

Exiting the bus in seat order, Elinor put her handbag over her shoulder and did her best to follow her parents as she lugged her suitcase ahead of her, using her feet to force it along the aisle.  She grunted as she dropped the bag down the last step of the bus, huffing and puffing.

Man… maybe I should work out a little like Mom…  I’m freaking weak!  Maybe I shouldn’t have stopped cheer and gymnastics.

Pulling up the lever to her bag, she wheeled it after her parents; they seemed to be talking about something serious—possibly the unusual crystal—because they had that look on their faces that they usually had when discussing bills.  She tried her best to ignore it and listened to her music.  Her earrings started digging into her thigh—squeezed by her tight pants—so she shifted them in her pocket, trying to find a good position.

Walking into the hotel lobby, she and her mother waited by the couches as her father went to check in.  Elinor leaned up against the wall, closing her eyes and pressing her head against the cool sheetrock, tracing the outline of the earrings in her pocket as she did so.

Does this mean T wants to date me, and I was just too dense to realize it?  I mean, it was earrings, but it’s not like he like-likes me…  C’mon, be real!  Of course, he doesn’t love me…  I’m just his friend.  He just thought these earrings would fit my look, and if it’s expensive, it’s not like he bought it…  That’d be stupid.

She lightly hit her head against the wall a few times, letting go of a low moan.

Why can’t I stop thinking about it, then?

Her lips pursed as someone nudged her; opening her eyes, she glanced right at her mother’s soft smile.  She groaned as her mother pointed at her right ear, so she took it out.

“What?”

“Is it really that bad?”

“What, this trip?  Yeah, it sucks.  Why—can I go home?”

Tiffany’s mouth pursed as she shook her head.  “I’m afraid not, My Little Vampire; we checked you out of school for the entire week…  This can be fun if you just let it.”

“Fun,” Elinor rolled her eyes.  “I love being stuck on a bus with a ton of sweaty, smelly old people…  It’s been a blast.  Why would I want to be back home, where there’s AC, friends, and oh,  I don’t know… good food?”

“The food hasn’t been, eh… terrible.”

“No?  Heh.  Dad was in the toilet all yesterday.”  She looked over at her dad; he was impatiently tapping his foot as he waited in line behind a few people that got ahead of them.  “He was like this in Europe, too…  Why does he want to leave home if he has such a weak stomach?”

“It’s for—”  her mother started to say before Elinor cut her off irritably.

“Yeah, I know… for the humanitarian garbage.  I get it.  It just sucks…”

Her mother hummed.  “Is this about something else?  You knew we’d take away your SIM card when you got that tattoo and didn’t consult us, and I’m not saying that it’s bad, okay.”  Tiffany sighed at her sour expression.  “I wanted to get a tattoo once—back when I was twenty-two—but I decided not to after seeing what it looked like when you get old and wrinkled.”

“Old and wrinkled?”  Elinor chuckled.  “I’ll just die young.”

“No, honey… you can’t do that to us,” her mother pleaded with a worried expression.

“Geez, Mom,” she rolled her eyes.  “I’m not talking about suicide…  I just don’t think I’ll live that long after my thirties.  You know… a car crash or something.”

Her mother shook her head.  “Don’t make decisions based on the dream of living young…  If your dad did that, then we’d be broke and on the streets, and you wouldn’t even have a cell phone to be angry about losing.”

“It’s not just the cellphone, Mom,” she whispered spitefully.

Tiffany scratched her scalp.  “Okay, I’ll bite.  What is it, then?”

Elinor scratched her arm, feeling the light sweat under her armpits with dissatisfaction.  “I just—it’s complicated, okay.”  She looked down at her boots, shifting her toes.  “Katie said she couldn’t hang out with me anymore.”

“What—why?”  her mother asked, scooting a little closer.  “You’ve been friends since fourth grade.”

“Yeah, well—I’m just not cool enough for her… not anymore, I guess,” she mumbled.

“Is this about your decision to quit gymnastics and cheerleading last year?”

“Maybe.  Being a goth and a cheerleader apparently don’t mix well…  She also doesn’t like my tattoos.”  Her emotions started to spike as a tear fell down her cheek.  “I showed her first…  I thought she’d like it, too; I don’t know.”

“Hey,” her mother sighed, pulling her in.  “Friendships can be mended.  Maybe we can have her over for a movie night or something and try to smooth it over; I won’t even join in…  Well, not that much,” she giggled.

Fighting to regain control of her eyes, Elinor sniffed back her tears.  “Thanks, Mom…  I didn’t think these tats would cause so much trouble.  It’s just like, I don’t know, the black butterflies just brought me misfortune.”

“No,” Tiffany soothed, pulling back her hair to look at the butterflies on the back of her right shoulder.  “They’re beautiful; Tanner is a great artist.  Even though he shouldn’t have done it without our permission—he is a great artist.  This one almost seems like it’s alive,” she whispered, poking the top right one.

“Hey, stop it,” Elinor smiled, swallowing the built-up saliva in her mouth and turning to hug her.  “Thanks for being there for me, Mom.”

She gently returned the embrace.  “Of course, honey; I’ll always be in your corner.  So, consult me next time?”

“Mmh…  If it’s just us.”

“Promise!”

“Okay…”

After a minute, she pulled away, blushing as a few people gave them compassionate looks.  She quickly put her headphones back in, hugging herself as she pressed up against the wall.  Her mother seemed to giggle softly but closed her eyes and rested her head against the wall next to her.

After a while, her dad came back and guided them to their room.  It was all the way to the right of the building—on the first floor.  It looked extremely cheap: the walls were cream-colored, and the carpet was stained with a few brown spots, but the place seemed mostly clean.

On further inspection, there was a small bathroom with a shower at the back, the two beds were singles, and there wasn’t even a TV.  It was extremely bare and poor compared to the hotels she’d stayed at in the past.

“Your mother and I will take the bed closest to the door,” her dad said with a quick study of the room.  “The owner had a lot of weird things to say about that crystal.”

“Are you serious?”  Elinor dully mumbled, more interested in the shabby room.

Her mother’s smile became strained.  “I know it’s not the most luxurious hotel we’ve stayed in, but it’ll do what we need; we’re only here for a night, anyway.  The driver needs to check the bus before we drive all day tomorrow.  What was that about the crystal, Dear?”

“All day!”  she groaned.  Trudging over to the bed, she sank into it face-first.  “Will it have AC this time?”

Her dad mirrored her sigh as he sat down on his chosen bed.  “Unfortunately, I don’t think so.  Maybe I’ll go buy a portable fan for us; today was… pretty bad.  Umm.  I don’t know; they were saying it just appeared last week one night like a ghost… and people think it’s a bad omen.”

Tiffany sat beside him, patting his knee.  “Eh-heh.  Right.  Anyways, that’d be nice,” she chuckled and looked over at the slide-out window air conditioning and heating unit.  “At least we can make it a little cooler in here.”

She got up to mess with the unit as her dad began unpacking some of their hotel items.  Elinor rolled to her back, brushing her hair out of the way.  “We’re only going to stay in that bridge town for two days max, right?”

“Yeah,” her mother sighed with relief as the unit flipped on, supplying the room with a chilled breeze.  “We’ll only be there for two days at the most.  It might only be one, depending on how things turn out.”

“Okay,” Elinor groaned as she stretched out.  “What are we going to do for food; are we going to try some new stuff, like yesterday?”

“No…  No, we are not,” her dad grimaced, shaking his head.  “Yeah, I’m going to go look for something familiar.  That last thing we ate—whatever it was—I’m done with trying new things here…”

“I’m glad to hear that…  It smelled as bad as it tasted.”

Her mother came over and sat next to her.  “You can unpack and freshen up while your father and I go grab something to eat.  Just make sure to keep the door locked; we have a key to get inside.”

“You don’t have to tell me that; this place is sketchy,” she said, closing her eyes.

“Well,” her dad grunted.  “Why don’t we go look for something before everyone on the bus clogs up the lines?”

Her mother got up, stretching her arms.  “Alright, we’ll be back in a bit.”

“Please bring back something edible this time,” Elinor pleaded, stomach growling with the thought of food.

“We’ll see what we can find,” her mother said, adding a hat before following her dad out the door.

She heard both locks click; staring at the door for several seconds, she groaned, scratching the back of her sweaty neck.  The room was beginning to cool down, but it would be a while before it was comfortable.  Taking her purse to the bathroom, she shut it and cleaned herself up, changing her tampon while she was at it.

How can a place be so hot and humid?  I thought Cali was bad in the summer, but being without any air conditioning for days on end… this place is literal hell.  It rains like twice a day, and then it all turns to steam and boils you!

Finished washing her face and tasting a bit of the nasty water, she looked up at her reflection in the surprisingly clean mirror.  Her light-hazel eyes slowly moved down her features.

Her body had filled out well this year; she was blessed by her mother’s good genetics, not to mention the aunts she’d met on her father’s side were pretty.  She knew she was beautiful, at least an eight, from the whispered talk she’d heard from boys, but they didn’t interest her.  They were all too immature; she liked to hang out with the cool older guys.

She’d slowly grown more distant from her female friends as they’d gotten boyfriends and moved on to different cliques.  She didn’t really hang out with the goth crowd because they all still saw her as the preppy middle school cheerleader, so her circle of friends kept dwindling.  She told herself that it didn’t bug her, but it did.  Truth was, she liked hanging out and being in a crowd, but she also didn’t feel comfortable with the cheerleaders anymore.

A moan reverberated in her throat as she let her forehead fall against the mirror.  “My life’s a mess.”

Walking out of the bathroom with her bag, she dropped it on the bed, noticing the light bleeding through the curtains was dwindling as the sun continued to dip below the horizon.  Sighing, she fell beside her bag and flipped to her back, brushing her ponytail out of the way before staring up at the ceiling.  Fatigue suddenly struck her mind.

What could make this day worse?  I just hope Mom and Dad come back soon.

Getting up, she dressed in her nightwear, a blue silk shirt, and soft black trunks.  She debated putting her earrings in her bag, but still didn’t trust her parents wouldn’t take them, so she put the velvet bag that carried them inside one of her shorts’ small pockets.

I’ll just catch a short nap before they come back with dinner.

Getting into bed, she closed her eyes and quickly drifted off to sleep.

◆◆◆

Elinor tensed as something sharp pricked her arm; she jerked awake, eyes shooting open, but everything was a blur.  Her mind was fuzzy as she looked around, but she couldn’t find any light.  There was some kind of soft shuffling next to her, but her thoughts grew duller by the second, and her senses soon washed out.

Chapter One: Dying, Now With Butter!

Elinor’s mind snapped into focus, but something felt off.  The sensation of a chain snapping steadied her thumping heart, and an oscillation pulsated within her entire soul, dredging out something deep within her.  Breathing in and out at an even tempo, she opened her eyes to a pure white space surrounded by darkness.

Pushing herself up, her unsteady gaze settled on a radiant blonde-haired figure—practically a goddess by her illumination—who sat on an opulent throne not too far away, staring right back at her; the strange part, it was herself, and she was hurt.

Elinor scrambled back, freezing as she came to the edge of the endless abyss.  Her divine twin’s feminine voice brought Elinor out of her revere as the goddess’ focus turned from her to the gashes marring her pristine skin and simple, slim-fitted white dress.

“Good morning, princess,” she said in a mocking way, examining the droplets of shimmering ivory blood that was brighter than the platform they were on; a small pool was forming underneath her seat.  “Well, isn’t this an unusual way to wake up, wouldn’t you agree, my less attractive doppelganger?”

“Right…”  Her mind catching up, she ignored the damage to her twin’s body and hastily looked around to orient herself.  “Who are you… and why do you have my face?!”

Only darkness encompassed the large alabaster pillar they were on, and a hot pressure erupted in Elinor’s chest, making her wince at the intense pain.  Although, oddly, it didn’t impair her mind or cause her to panic; it was as if she were experiencing it secondhand.

Her gaze fixated on the blonde in front of her; somehow, it felt like she had known this annoying girl for an eternity, but she certainly hadn't; it was the most surreal feeling she’d ever had.

Doing a quick check, she couldn’t find any damage to her own simple, slim-fitted black dress or cuts in her skin; the changed clothes were a red flag, and the fact her double was in white, and she black, instinctively made Elinor feel a certain way.  Her twin didn’t seem all that perturbed by their unnatural meeting by her casual shrug.

“Hmm.  Only stating the facts,” the blonde crisply said, leaning back and crossing her legs to run her perfect fingernails along a break in her dress and skin, mouth creasing with mild agitation.  “My question would be, why am I in such a poor condition?  As to who I am?  That… is a wonderful question, which, to my utmost frustration, I do not have the answer to.”

Elinor kept the savaged goddess in her sight; even while cut and bleeding, she held an elegant poise as if it came naturally to her.  It budded something within Elinor; gradually, she came to the conclusion that this unusual ‘doppelganger’ with this void-surrounded area had to be a dream.

Her thumping heart eased as she slowly rose to her feet, foggy mind reflecting on the last things she remembered.  “Uh-huh…  You don’t know who you are?  Heh.  Okay, I’m dreaming.  Maybe I should have drank a bit more water; the heat in that bus really must have gotten to me.”

Her twin grimaced.  “Eesh.  I certainly hope I am not a dream.  Although, maybe it would be better that way, considering my state.  Haaa,” she sighed deeply.  “I fear I may not be able to pull through this,” she whispered in a quieter voice, shifting a little to follow her blood’s path to the platform.

Elinor hesitantly chewed on the inside of her cheek as she mirrored the blonde, watching the pool of silvery liquid below her twin expand.  She’d never had a dream so visceral, and she’d had a few intense nightmares in the past, but the pressure against her feet on the pillar made her question if this was something imaginary.

Oddly, the most frustrating part of this entire ordeal was the gut feeling she had of this goddess; she knew her from somewhere, and Elinor did not like her.  They were alike, but nothing alike, in every way, and looking at the blonde was like seeing some sick reflection.  Yet, there was also a strange pull within her soul that didn’t want to see her die that made her teeth grind.

“Mmh.  You really don’t know who you are?”  she asked, moving forward to stand two meters away.  “Ugh.  This is so confusing!”

“Imagine that!”  Her twin snickered thoughtfully, resting her elbow on her thigh and head against the back of her hand.  “I wholly agree with the confusion bit.  Why don’t you sit, and we can figure this out together, my ‘apparent’ most hated enemy.”

“You too, huh?”  Elinor shook her head with slight exasperation.  “Subtle.  I kind of feel the same.  You remind me of Jacy from fifth grade: never shy about expressing she doesn’t like me.”

“Oh?  Hehe.  Sounds like we’d get along,” the goddess mused.  “Huh.  And let there be light,” she added, her shining, aquamarine irises directing Elinor to multi-hued rays that began to swirl around them into infinity.

“All I seem to know is that I just woke up bleeding all over the place, along with the unfortunate state of my gown and… a rather dreary-looking clone—no disrespect—lying in front of me.  It took you long enough to wake up.  I thought I’d be dead before saying hello.”

“Right…”  Elinor mumbled, folding her arms and following soft trails of colors that sparked around them with her eyes.  She had no idea how she was supposed to sit, as the blonde had offered, unless at her feet on the ground, which she would not do.

“Would it kill you to be a little less, mmh… irritating?  I already had to suffer through an entire day in the jungle heat, sweating my makeup off and smelling bad BO.  The last thing I need is another wave of nausea in my dreams.”

Her radiant twin made a dismissive gesture with her free hand.  “I value candidness over your prim and proper way of order, Priss.”

“Priss?”  Elinor grunted, rolling her eyes.  “It’s not the first time someone’s called me that; real original nickname.”

“Meh-hehe.  If the heel fits the foot, as they say.  Who?  Haha.  I couldn’t tell you.  In any case, I get the feeling you are an empress of some kind—empriss—priss… seems to fit!  No?  I’m hilarious.”

“Ha-ha.”  She returned her tight gaze to her twin’s damaged skin, yet, something about her statement of being an empress lingered in her mind.  “Are you sure you should be making jokes when you’re dying, Your Majesty?  I do kind of hate you… but I don’t want to see you die.  Ugh.  Why do I feel so frustratingly calm right now?”

The goddess doppelganger streamed out a long puff of air and shrugged.  “I appreciate the concern, my mortal nemesis, but I don’t see you being able to do much for me, Priss.  A bandaid is not going to help, and shouldn’t I have died by now… goodness, look at this at my feet; it could fill a pool.  Hehe.”

A small smile lifted the corner of Elinor’s lips.  “You just want to chat before you die?”

“Who said I was content with dying?”  the blonde huffed, fussing a bit with her dress to present herself a little more decently.  “I know I am someone important, and I cannot afford to die like this.  So, until another option is present, why not enjoy ourselves in this little dance?”

She paused and made a swift gesture at her throne.  “Oh, a tip!  On the bright side, I learned quickly that wanting something tends to bring it to life in… whatever place this is that we are currently held prisoner in.  Hehe.  Convenient, am I right?  So… pull up a chair.  What is your story, my dreary-dressed Priss?”

Elinor’s own mind was filling with thoughts—not her own—providing shadows of answers as the swirling beams of light tinted their black environment, now colliding to create fireworks of color that settled into emerald hues.

They fell around them into the abyss, and Elinor’s hand went to her breast as she summoned her own goth-inspired throne; it worked, yet her focus was on every eruption around them that sent a tremor through her core, revealing a rather shocking truth.  This wasn’t a dream, and she couldn’t deny it, which made her question the local’s ominous crystal.

“I’m… dying, as well?”

Her doppelganger’s hand went to her mouth.  “Oh?  The twist!  I was thinking about more of a story about your life, though, if I’m being honest, but sure, let’s dive into this depressing topic.  We’re both in a sinking ship, hmm?”

Elinor felt like she’d been punched in the gut at the news, but a cold resolve was welling up within her heart, stabilizing her.  Her life flashed before her—the cheer camps, gymnastics, family parties, friends, Tanner, and years with her parents—condensing into a single dot.

She drew in her bottom lip, absently watching it drift away to reveal a bottomless void of untapped… something, and in the next instant, everything expanded again, displaying the entirety of her sixteen years on this Earth, including childhood.

Her goddess twin’s gentle hum drew her mind back.  “Can we not space out?  We’re kind of on a clock.  Humph…  Well, this doesn’t look good.”  The blonde’s gaze lifted to the fireworks overhead, where emerald butterflies were now hovering down to land on the platform.  “Butterflies?  I see.  We seem to be dying from this… thing that has attached to us; two Seeds we are both… melding with?”

Clearing her throat, Elinor settled into her chair, building panic quelled by the ice flooding her veins as her mother and father’s faces fixated in her mind, and to calm her nerves, she discovered a rather appropriate name for this double of hers with liquid-gold locks.

The spark of genius lifted the corners of her mouth.  “Okay, Butter.  I am not going to leave my parents to collect a corpse.  So… options?”

Her doppelganger’s voice and twinkling, aquamarine irises became jaded, following the few creatures hovering around the platform.  “Butter… short for butterfly and me melting.  Really?  Wait, did you subconsciously discover me a way out of my inevitable end?”

“Did I?”  Elinor hummed, tapping her fingernails against the arm of her throne.  “Personally, I just thought it made perfect sense: your liquid-like blonde hair, aura, heh, melting—as you put it—hmm, personality.”

“And what’s wrong with my personality?”  the goddess returned a light glare.  “I think I am quite a lovely person to be around.”

“Mmh.  Let’s just say… you seem rather fatty—no offense—it’s just something I try to limit in my diet, but I also can’t do without.”

Her doppelganger’s eyes widened in surprise.  “A compliment, or sorts…  And from you?  My, you must be sick and dying—delirious, I’d pose.  Well, Priss…  I fear my only option is to, mmgh… take on the form of one of these butterflies coming down.  It’s a rather depressing thought, if I’m being honest.”

“Mhm,” Elinor pressed, not bothered by the fluttering creatures now replacing the fireworks to swarm her.  It was becoming clearer that this needle-like hatred of this goddess twin was more of a memo than anything proactive; she couldn’t deny it was more fun to have her around than not.  “I’m all ears, sparkly me.  What have you discovered?”

“Fatty, hmm…  Now, who’s being rude?”  the blonde muttered before releasing a long stream of air.  Hesitantly rising to her feet, she turned her sight to a flurry of emerald butterflies descending upon them.  “So… I realized these fiends are all Death Energy…  Why on all that is holy would you fill yourself with such a necrotic force?  Well, that is beyond me at the moment.”

“Imagine that,” Elinor giggled, reflecting and mirroring her earlier statement.  “We’re in the same club!”

“Most unfortunate, indeed…”

The wave of flapping Death Energy continued to swarm the platform, cycling them like sharks that smelled blood, and Elinor reached out to let a butterfly land on her finger, unconsciously drawn to the force.  It dispersed, sending a jade-colored pulse up her veins and into her heart, drawing out a single phrase.

“I’m turning into a Mythickin Lich Empress.  Uh, well… this is a bit sudden.  Why am I not that scared?”  The answer came from the next butterfly that landed on her shoulder.  “Ah!  A refining tool of the trade; a Feat of the Empress Branch in my Base Feats…  Imperial Majesty.  Is this like… a game; thoughts, Butter?”

“Haaa-hehe.  Well, it seems you are having a better time adapting to your Seed than I,” Butter mumbled, running her fingers through her liquid locks.  “I can’t say I have any recollection of games that fit that context, but I’m happy you have a lead.  Ugh.  How I despise you,” the goddess groaned while following the increase in butterflies.

Elinor sat straighter with a grin, allowing more Death Energy to land and absorb into her.  “Oh?  You must tell me what I did to inspire that reaction.  I’m, heh, getting butterflies.”

“Ha-ha… butterflies.  You’re just, mm-hmm… divine!”  Butter sarcastically retaliated.  “You’ve started the process of adapting to it without me—not that I have the strength to fuse with my own just yet, but a little warning would have been appreciated.  Also, why did it have to be butterflies…  Why couldn’t it be, I don’t know, a cute and ferocious kitty or… a bull?”

“Bull?  Interesting choice.”  For some reason, Elinor found her disgruntled shifts and comments extremely amusing, making a giggle bubble up in her chest.  “Beggars can’t be choosers, Butter, much less melting doppelgangers.  If you need my help, then I’m open to it, so long as you’re not trying to take my soul or anything.  Heh.  Not that you’re strong enough at the moment.”

“He-he.  How nice of you to remind me.  I’d prefer that option if it were available, but, as you so charmingly put it… I’m far too weak to attempt anything that desperate,” she grumbled, arms crossed under her bleeding bust.  Her rosy lips pulled in while delivering a salty, judgmental glare in her direction.  “Also, spoken like a real priss… My Depressive Empress, and must you call me Butter?”

Elinor loved to see her twin squirm, somehow moving quite smoothly on her path to an area clear of the creatures, despite her wounds.  “You don’t see me complaining about being called Priss; I rather enjoy it, actually.”

“Hilarious…” she breathed, eye twitching as she glanced away.  “I suppose I was the first one to initiate this little pissing contest, so… I’ll allow it, and do not mistake my wording!”  she added as Elinor flashed her teeth.

“Come now, Butter, let’s not be crude!  Huh.  Come to think of it, when did I start talking like this?  Ah, that’s right, it’s connected with Imperial Majesty, but ‘The Monarch of Death’ Base Feat also has a sway…”

She paused as fractured information fed back to her brain; the abilities came to her when she asked for answers, but it was as if there was interference, scrambling much of the signal.  Not having a lot of success deciphering it, she settled on what she did know, which was already enough to make her doubt reality again.

“These abilities are so bizarre.  Anyway, I’m a Lich Empress—Priss; Empriss—heh, it’s cute.  Thank you for the nickname, Butter.”

Butter had reached the end of the platform, her mouth a line while glaring at the swarm nearing her; the blood she left was already tinting an emerald green as this new force consumed it.

“Lich Empress, huh…  Well, isn’t this perfect?  It seems if I want to survive the crushing pressure of this Seed on top, worming its way into my breast—heh, quite the imagery, might I add—and your corrupting Death Energy below… I must be bunk buddies with you and take a back seat, my mortal nemesis.  What misfortune.  And you’ve doomed us both by welcoming in this madness unless I help you.  Haaa-hehe.  Yay.”

The dazzling rain of sparkling emerald butterflies filled her vision, filling her with knowledge of the transformation happening within her, but one amusing spark stood out from the rest, radiating an aurelian glow.  Her brilliant, internal twin goddess—the golden light in the emerald sea—had hidden in the Link Feat ‘Butterfly’ to escape her fate, and Elinor allowed her twin into a serving role in her new empire.

Elinor couldn’t constrain her laughter; it felt so unlike her, yet she couldn’t stop.  “Welcome to the empire, my High Monarch—Butter, Celestial High Monarch of the Evening Star—you actually turned into a butterfly?!  Well, haha, how the mighty have fallen.”

She could practically feel the unamused stare from her transformed twin’s voice.  “Hmm-hmm.  Monarch of the Evening Star?  Thank you for the rather welcome and obvious discovery, Priss…  You have selected butterflies as your symbol, so… I didn’t exactly have the most diverse selection.  Have you noticed your own changes?”

“Hmm.  No, not all of them, to be honest; heh, I was a bit preoccupied with laughing at you,” Elinor returned, glancing down to see her black locks turning white and jade pulses running through her veins.  “So, my fatty bunk buddy, what happens next?”

The chime in Butter’s voice returned with a vengeance as the butterfly’s glow brightened.  “Oh, that’s easy, Priss.  You die.”

Elinor blinked, and the world snapped into focus.  Her senses were dulled, but she was a tad surprised the near pitch-black space she occupied was completely visible as if daylight.  The heat in her chest intensified, though didn’t bother her all that much; instead, she examined the space around her.

She still wore her silky shirt and soft black shorts, yet her hands appeared to be bound at her back, which should have prompted a panicked response.  On the contrary, a small, curious smile lifted her lips.

Butter?  she internally called, forcing herself to her knees and shifting her head to throw back her unbound white hair.  It hadn’t been a dream.

“Not two seconds awake, and you’re already bothering me, Priss?  Ugh.  I am not enjoying this body.”

Vision centered on her bare thighs, an emerald light flowed down her veins to her knees, shifting to a chartreuse green before fading; the light fluctuated with the rhythm of her heart.

Elinor suppressed a hum, listening closely to her surroundings; obviously, she’d been kidnapped, and perhaps she was injected with something or high, but her mind had never been clearer.

Hands bound, Death Energy corroding my living body, and possibly kidnapped in a foreign country…  Perfect.  How about you, Butter?

“I am rather…”

Wait… maybe we should hold off on the complaining until we’re safe, Elinor teased, making her High Monarch sniff.

“I see.  Only the empress can waste time with obvious discomforts…  Might I lodge a complaint with management?  Well, I have discovered something of use…”

Hehe.  Complaint taken into consideration.  Are you telling me you actually have a use other than for my entertainment, Ms. Evening Star?

Her focus darted to a shimmering sparkle that came from her pocket.

“Ugh…  It’s so tight; no, do not move, Priss—you’re squishing me with your thigh!”

Are you calling me fat, Butter?  Elinor snickered, trying to shift in a way to give her wiggle room, yet her cheer dampened slightly upon seeing her crumbling skin; her body was beginning to decay, and she needed somewhere to put her Death Energy-infused spirit.  Well, this isn’t good.  Can you fly?

“Finally!”  her twin snarled, making it out of her pocket and shivering her wings.  “Fly?  I only just became a butterfly—losing my gorgeous golden locks, might I add—and you wish for me to just fly?”

And I’m desiccating.  We all have our problems here—and I’m supposed to be the priss—have you tried?

“Well, heh, sure… why don’t I give it a go…”  Butter spread her glorious, tiny wings, lifted them up, and beat them down with power to dive straight into the dust by Elinor’s leg.  “Oof!”

Uh-huh…  What happened to that elegance?

“You… are the worst.  Scoot around so I can get to the back of you—such a pain—you have no idea how difficult it is to move four wings—four—and six legs!  Oh, I think I’m going to throw up…  Why can I taste the dust?!  Bleh!  And don’t squish me!  It was hard enough to gather what little energy I had to create this body.”

Elinor smiled and carefully shifted to allow the butterfly to crawl up her fingers to the zip-ties.  What’s the plan?

“Hmm-hmm.  I’m glad you asked…”

Clearing her throat and watching the jade-hued light in her veins intensify with her disintegrating chest, Elinor tried to find a bit of humor by guessing what her spiritual bunk buddy was doing via the knowledge that had been somehow downloaded into her brain by this ‘Seed’ Butter spoke about.

Let me guess… since you’re drawing from me to rebuild your strength by attaching yourself to my Butterfly Link Feat, you’re able to use the necrotic element of Life Tap—the Feat Butterfly it is currently attached to—to eat through the bonds.

A wicked snicker came from her butterfly twin.  “Hmm-hmm.  Allow me to correct you on this topic of your powers, Priss!  Life Tap can only work against ‘living’ things, heh, imagine that, so I’ll be eating through something else.”

Elinor’s expression salted as she felt the drain; Butter was filling her Death Pool with her own dwindling life essence.  Brilliant…  So, Butter, you really are fatty.  Not only are you using me to keep yourself stable, but you’re killing me faster.

“A little late on the uptake, Priss,” Butter chuckled.  “I’ve already used your Phylactery Feat to craft my own house in one of the diamonds in your pocket.  You must do the same… can you wiggle your hands free yet… before I suck them dry and they become useless?”

Trying to dodge the topic, I see, Elinor grumbled, feeling mildly uncomfortable as the dulled pain in her decaying body amplified.  I can see the reasoning behind hastening the process on my hands to slip them.  Wait…  My two non-base Feats, one is a Phylactery; you’re messing with my transformation by ‘bunking’ with me.  Aren’t you?

“Eh-hehe.  A bit, admittedly, but I am still a servant, even if of the highest station, as painful as that is for me to say…  This whole thing has had me biting my nails, which I never do!”

Thank you, Butter, that does make me feel a little better knowing I’m not the only one freaking out a little.  She sighed, sliding them off and staring down at her partially crumbled chest; her heart radiated the bright green color, and she could see her white ribs.  My body will be bones when this is…

“Company…  Wonderful.”

They both ceased their internal dialogue as a door opened and closed upstairs, drawing Elinor’s gaze to the creaking floorboards, and she cast her gaze around to more thoroughly identify her environment; most of the space was utterly empty.

The walls were concrete, and the ceiling showed old wooden planks; there was a barred window to the left of the room that was boarded up, a half-broken mirror with empty crates in the corner, and a staircase leading up out of the basement she was in.

By the boot prints leading to and from her current location in the dust and dirt patches spread across the ground, there were two people who had dropped her off in the entirely unacceptable room.

She felt the skin and muscles across her belly beginning to wither, moving down to her lower half.  Ignoring the small spark in her brain that told her to panic—suppressed by Imperial Majesty—she brought the back of her fingers to her shorts.  Even though most of her skin and muscle were gone, she could feel the velvet pouch press against her bony fingers and thigh.

“Hurry!”  Butter hissed.  “You’ll be practically immortal once you’ve changed bodies.”

Plucking the pouch out of her pocket, she untied the binding before dumping the contents of the bag in front of her crossed legs.  Curiously calm, she started to see the muscle, fat, and skin of her legs wither as the pulsing lights increased down her thighs to her toes.

Imperial Majesty dulls joy, fear, sadness, and trust—ironic, I know, Butter—but leaves surprise, disgust, anger, and anticipation.  Is there any way to turn it off?

“Why are you thinking about that right now?”

Multitasking, she evenly replied, hearing voices upstairs.  I guess not.  It can be overpowered, though, but not likely at the S-tier.  This whole kidnapping thing… what if they’re some kind of voodoo people that did this crazy ritual on me and summoned you, Butter?

“We’re writing fiction now, are we?!  Heh.  Next, the gorgeous blonde High Monarch will regain her glorious figure!  Huh.  Well, it was worth a shot.

Haha-mrrgrgr.  I’m sixteen, Butter.  I should be worrying about if Tanner loves me or not…  I should just call and ask him.  Why didn’t I think of that before?

“Because you’re insecure.”

Hmm-hmm.  Not cute.

“Just pointing out the obvious, and wasn’t I supposed to hurry?”

Elinor stared down at the pure black jewels for a moment; Butter had evidently already taken one by its weak radiant shine, but they were almost identical.  She couldn’t explain what she was experiencing.  Despite her body collapsing on her, she was both freaking out and completely calm at the same time.

The creaking floorboards overhead snatched her attention as the voices grew panicked; she could only just make them out.  Wait… what did they just say?

They sat in silence as Elinor’s degrading faculties continued to deteriorate, staring up at the floorboards of the basement she was in; a man was shouting, shortly followed by a second voice, both in Spanish.  She couldn’t be sure of some of it since she wasn’t totally fluent.

“You don’t think I didn’t see it—the whole damn sky—the hell is happening, Raul?”

“It’s the crystal, man; I told you, it’s an omen!  The sky split like an egg, Vicente—the whole thing—and then the crystal shot that light in the air!  We’re trapped; it’s over, man—it’s over!”

“Dammit, I know; calm down.  We still have her in the basement; we’ll figure it out.”

“It’s that light, man; there’s a dome sealing us in—the aliens, Vicente!  That light in the sky and that crystal that appeared in the middle of town no one can touch; I told you!  There’s some supernatural shit happenin’ here!  Let’s just call Armando; we can’t get him back the girl.”

“You shittin’ me; do you want your mother turned into a rug?  We’ll get some cash from her parents first… what we need.  We just need to figure out how to get—dammit, how the hell is there a dome over the whole town?!”

“It’s the crystal, man; the omen of light…”

“Shut the hell up!”  Vicente shouted.  “We’ll stay here and wait it out; no one is going to go looking in abandoned houses with this shit happening.  “Go check on the package; we have to deliver her to Armando—he wanted her specifically.  Okay?”

Butter giggled.  “It appears you’re rather popular, Priss?”

It seems so, she growled, her focus returned to the jewelry while willing herself to make the free stone her new home.  I’ll deal with them in a second.

The world went black as her spirit left her decomposing corpse; the cold stones that welcomed her felt like a tomb, but that didn’t bother her.  After a moment, the tight space even felt right, safe, her own personal sanctuary, yet nothing could offer her reprieve from her fatty bunk buddy.

“The plot thickens!”

Chapter Two: An Empress Rises

A cold embrace welcomed Elinor, and upon opening her eyes, she saw the space she’d first met Butter.  The white light overhead was now split down the center, with one side tinted green and the other gold, representing their dualistic natures and phylacteries, yet it was a black-and-white holographic screen that stole her focus.

[Level Up - Level 2

[New Feat Slot Open]

Elinor lingered on the illuminated text in front of her, and the confusing veil of scrambled information bouncing around her skull evaporated.  Meanwhile, dots strung together as her narrowed vision drifted to the golden goddess on the opposite side of the platform, back in human form—the level could wait.

“Welcome back, Priss,” Butter chimed, standing in front of a body-length mirror and examining herself as if this had been the plan all along.  “Hmm-hmm.  We’ve escaped death, it would seem, thanks to my quick thinking, no less!  It’s a shame I can’t take on my true glory outside of our little shared room, however.  Pity.”

Mouth opening, Elinor forced a short chuckle, tongue sliding across her drawn-in bottom lip as she ignored her blonde twin, currently engaged in cycling through imaginary gowns like she was preparing for a ball.

A deathly hand closed around her heart, flooding her veins with stoic ice as revelations bloomed within her, drawing a frosted smile to lift her eyes; she opened her status page like the games some of her friends used to play.  Even her powers seemed like some sort of fantasy, with them revolving around her Class as a lich.

Rationally, she concluded the Seed Butter had spoken about filling in any gaps regarding the undead class she’d been assigned, yet Elinor’s mind was fixated on her Feats and the part Butter played in where they’d ended up.

A lich’s energy source was Death Energy, which was collected into Death Orbs.  Her Death Pool’s current limit was five, and the optional Phylactery Feat required a daily maintenance cost—one per vessel—and she had two active while carrying the weight of the fatty blonde.

The time cycle for that price was exacted at midnight on whatever planet she resided on.  The problem?  She had not a single Death Orb in her pool, and Elinor’s tight eyes centered on the cause, preening herself not five meters away.

“Butter…”

“Mmh?  Oh, yes, Priss, would you look at me?  My wounds are healing!  Aren’t I gorgeous in silver?  Of course, I look good in anything, but silver does bring out my natural glow.”

“Heh…  Butter, if it weren’t for Imperial Majesty being maxed tier and grade… hmm-hmm, maintaining my poise, or this barrier between us, I would run over there and strangle you,” she stated with a vicious smile while walking to the divider between their sides of the pillar.

The blonde’s gaze lowered to the gold floor before releasing a soft sigh and turning a forced smile her way.  “Priss… we were both panicking… and you were all I had.  My proactive action worked out, did it not?  I did select specific Feats for you and take certain… liberties, but, in the end, I still ended up as your servant.  Is that not punishment enough?”

Elinor suppressed a snort, breathing out her frustration in a slow stream before clasping her hands behind her back.  “Don’t play this off as if we were in it together.  If it were possible, you would have left me to rot and taken on a beautiful body yourself.”

“I wouldn’t have left you to rot,” Butter grumbled, shaking out her discomfort as her aquamarine eyes mirrored Elinor’s glare, and she walked over to face her, unable to cross over into each others’ phylactery.  “We both hate each other, sure… but as much as you feel you cannot allow me to die, I cannot allow you to pass on, as well.  Did I want to be the one in control?  Yes.  Do you blame me?”

Locking gazes for a time, Elinor begrudgingly relented.  “Honestly, no.  I would expect nothing less from you, and I may have done the same in your position.  Still, you’re not fessing up to the ridiculous plan you concocted and the position you have placed us in.”

“What other option did we have?”  Butter snapped back, crossed arms tightening under her bust.  “I cannot allow myself to be touched by your Death Energy, and you are repulsed by my purifying force, so I did select a phylactery for us to have our own beds, so to speak.”

Elinor’s smirk didn’t touch her gaze, head tilting to the left as a black, spiked crown flared around her head, lighting with emerald flames; her Seed was now settling in with this obnoxious blonde’s influence leaving.

“I’m not talking about wanting your own bed, Butter…  All of the Death Orbs I had—my entire Death Pool—you purified it to heal yourself.  You realize that I am maintaining this bunk we share, and midnight will be upon us in no time?”

The blonde’s challenging gaze faltered, and she stepped back, fussing with her liquid-like locks as she half-turned to focus on the mirror.

“Okay, look, I’m not sorry that I did take the two ability slots you had for Butterfly and Phylactery…  and didn’t you gain another level from the experience of abandoning your body?  I needed those two Feats to survive… to purify your Death Orbs by attaching a Link Skill that gave me access to your Life Tap and, thereby, your Death Pool.”

Closing her eyes, Elinor breathed, allowing Imperial Majesty to cool the ice building within her that wanted to throw this Tinkerbell out of the room entirely.  Reality was sinking in, and she would be a blubbering mess if it weren’t for the tempering Feat.

Butter did save them, yet she had also placed them in a precarious situation, among other things she wasn’t admitting to.  No matter, she would just have to make up for the extra weight her goddess-like bunkmate placed on her.

“Priss, eh-heh… you okay?  I’m trying…  I do want to help you succeed now that, well, we’re in it together…  Right?”

“Right…”  A light smile lifted the corner of Elinor’s mouth, and she opened her eyes to see the blonde nervously rubbing her arm.  “Let’s just… move on to what we can control.”

“Yeah…  Meaning?”

“Hmm-hmm.”  Elinor’s grin grew fangs.  “You patched yourself up and have your butterfly body outside… something I unfortunately lack.  So… where does that leave us now that I’m trapped inside this ‘bed’ while you have wings outside of it?”

Butter took her hint and groaned.  “Yes, Priss… I’ll go do the Death Orb gathering.  I’m sure you’re aware at this point, but your butterflies can only hold two before I have to return, and if destroyed, it returns to the owner.”

“Oh?”  she pressed, letting her politely savage tone tell the blonde to expand on what Elinor already knew.  “Pray tell, Butter… what would happen if that, heh, tiny, delicate body of yours was to be destroyed… after consuming all of my Death Energy?”

A lump dropped down her divine twin’s throat with a short shrug.  “Uh, hehe… well, we’d be trapped in here until someone picked us up.”

“You mean, picked me up,” Elinor corrected.  “Can you draw out life force?”

“Ahem…  Not without the butterfly.”

“Right, haha.  So… don’t get caught, or we’re stuck here for eternity—actually, we’d just die because this bunk requires daily maintenance,” Elinor dully returned, creating a rather amazing undead throne of metal, cushions, and bone to rest on.  “I’ll be here studying exactly what we are because… I have to somehow explain this to my parents without them burning me at the stake or calling some exorcist or something.  I trust you’re capable of handling it,” she lied.

“Oh!  How kind of you to say, and here I thought you saw me as nothing but dead weight.  Hehe.  I can be more than just… fat, Priss.”

“I look forward to seeing you burn a few calories,” she chimed.

“Ugh.  I hate this nickname…  And you have parents?”

Elinor lifted an eyebrow.  “Obviously.”

“Charming…  I can’t wait to meet them,” Butter whispered, rubbing the back of her hand.  “I don’t recall having any connections to anyone… other than you, so…  I look forward to where we go from here.  Umm-yeah.  I’ll be back shortly, My Broodish Priss,”  Butter chimed, waving as she vanished in golden light.

Butter’s essence was technically still here, but her consciousness had transferred to the shimmering butterfly outside.  Elinor had no clue how her radiant twin was going to manage to sneak up on anything to suck out their life force when that bright and weak, but she was all they had at this point.

We’re doomed…  Elinor internally cried, letting her emotions settle to focus on what she needed to do to move forward.

Trying not to get lost in the depressing thought, she went over this new way of living that had been thrust upon her; it certainly changed her course, and she had no idea how she was supposed to deal with it or break the news to her parents.

She was a Mythickin Lich Empress, which basically meant she was a glorified upper-tier necromancer, summoning legions of the undead to do her bidding.  Maybe she could come up with some kind of business plan in the future for that, but it wasn’t hard to imagine how the government would react to a lich girl—typically not well.

Elinor’s gaze lowered to her side of the platform, studying the jade flooring.  Lingering on things that she had no control over would get her nowhere, she chastised herself, so she compartmentalized the unsettling prospects of this transformation for later.

At the very least, the Seed gave her answers on the latter two parts of what she was, but Mythickin was left a glorified mystery.  She had a total of eight ‘Core Feats’ that she likened to a tree trunk with its two branches being Lich and Empress; the two changeable Feats she had been able to select at Level 1—[Phylactery I] and [Butterfly I]—had been chosen by Butter.

A curious tilt moved her lips as she saw her recent level had granted her a third changeable Feat Slot, but she pushed the enticing new Feat possibilities she could select from to understand what she currently had.

Instantly, her attention was drawn to the only two S-tier Feats—the max tier—that she’d been granted.  At the base of this structure was her only Mythickin Feat [Primal Force X], which was both maxed in grade and tier, symbolized by the Roman numeral for ten.

So… Mythickin gain increased EXP growth.  Well, you can’t go wrong with that, and why was [Imperial Majesty X] important enough to get the same treatment as Primal Force?  No answer, hmm.  I suppose tempering four of eight emotions allows me to think rationally.

Butter hadn’t been the one to give her these Core Feats that came with her Mythickin Lich Empress status; the Seed gave these.  Questioning to see if it would give her answers as to how she came by this cryptic death item was met with silence, making her sigh.

You’re beyond my comprehension, I guess.  Her tight eyes drifted to the shimmering mirror her blonde twin had left.  And, tragically, Butter is my current champion… of the highest degree.  For such an impressive title as the Celestial High Monarch of the Evening Star, she certainly leaves much to be desired.

Scrolling down her rather barebone Feat List, Elinor hummed, deep in thought as she waited for her glorified twin Barbie doll’s return.  Most were fairly self-evident, such as [Darkness Vision I], [Death Pool I], and [Life Tap I], yet [Monarch of Death I], [Minion Pool I], and the [Raise Dead I] Cluster Feat drew her in.

A crown on my head that symbolizes my power as an empress, she mused, fingers rising to slide her fingers across one of the spike-like nails that made up the item on her head.  Monarch of Death gives me a Nexus Point where I can communicate to all my undead telepathically within one kilometer.  Quite the useful Feat.

Her Raise Dead and Minion Pool Feats were the centers of her reign; they were quite complicated compared to everything else she’d studied thus far, including an entire hierarchy system of Royal, High, Military, and Serving Courts, functioning across various duties.

Elinor tapped her leg while studying the branching topics regarding her new empire abilities.  Intelligent and Unintelligent minions… and the former costs double the Death Orbs to create, yet it’s obviously far more capable.  Unfortunately… I’m currently limited to three intelligent and twelve unintelligent…  A four times difference.

Grades range from [Poor], [Common], and [Uncommon], and if it’s double the price, intelligent uncommon would cost eight.  We’ll have to test that, and I can raise Lower-Grade units to higher when creating them, such as [Poor] to [Uncommon] with the appropriate Death Orbs, yet they will not be nearly as powerful as one who begins at that level…

I can’t do the reverse, which likely means I have to complete these Grade II advancement quests to upgrade these Feats.  It should probably be my priority at this point…  Wow.  What a challenge, though; raise 60 Unintelligent and 15 Intelligent Undead when my limit is 12 and 3, hmm?  I guess I’ll be stuck with Uncommon for a bit.

Elinor adjusted the black dress she’d been given in this void space, mouth tightening upon seeing all she could summon were skeletal or partial skeletal units at the moment.

No zombie option?  That’s criminal.  It’s probably Butter’s fault.  She lifted her focus to the mirror as she felt her fatty High Monarch struggling with something and dismissed it to continue her internal reverie.  We’ll have to fix that at some point because that would be an excellent way to reach my Unintelligent requirements for advancement.

Her ‘Stats Page’ came up beside her Feats, leaving much to be desired as she tested her theory, lingering on each primary stat: Strength, Defense, Dexterity, Energy, and Tenacity, all of which had secondary stats and grades.

Elinor’s attention was on Energy.  She had ‘Average’ Endurance—a stat that dealt with mitigating the cost of one’s Stamina and Constitution—interestingly, it had a multiplicative effect on the Feats she could gain to reduce the cost of all her abilities.  Of course, that was only useful if she had one such Feat; it was something to keep in the back of her mind.

Stamina was useless to her at a ‘Below Average’ grade since it handled her physical aptitude and she was designed as a summoner; she would sooner go into the sorceress route than focus on something that would see major diminishing returns, and it showed ‘N/A’ currently due to not even having a body to exercise.

No, Constitution was where her smile landed—Extremely High aptitude—it handled the mental fortitude of an individual.  This was her Stat.  The only thing rivaling its Grade was Control Resistance in Tenacity’s Secondary Stats.

She used the single point she’d gained from the level on her Constitution.  Instantly, her Death Pool increased to eight Death Orbs, and Uncommon Intelligent Undead opened up—something else caught her eye—her theory regarding something higher than Uncommon in the Unintelligent branch proved correct unless the price was far greater than she expected.

No new grade, hmm, and three DO from a single point; isn’t that too generous, Seed?  Hmm-hmm.  No upgrade until I get [Raise Dead II], I see.  Fascinating.

Swapping to her Core Feat Tiers, she learned they increased by use until S-tier; therefore, Passives would rank up the fastest, but once raised to a new grade, the tier went back to F.

It’s obvious I gain experience from accomplishing certain tasks or achievements, such as when I abandoned my body for this diamond.  So, why not when I rank up, I suppose?  I have a lot of minions to summon…  Minions?

Elinor’s amusement fell at the thought, reflecting on everything drilled into her skull at school and from her parents.  If they are intelligent, then I’m a slaver, shackling their souls to this world, yet most would serve me nonetheless…  Most, hmm?

She reflected on the hierarchy her Empress Subclass assigned her; naturally, she was at the pinnacle, holding absolute control over her empire, including her vanity-obsessed High Monarch, which acted as her right hand.

Below the High Monarch was the Royal Court, where her Monarchs took their thrones and enacted her desires for the direction of her kingdom.  Generals, majors, captains, and lieutenants all had their place and grade, yet Elinor couldn’t give a unit the Monarch Title unless it was above some gibberish numbers and letters she hadn’t unlocked yet.

Well, at least I’ve learned Butter is the real thing if she can have the title with the most authority beside me.  What a mess.

Time wasn’t quite easy to track in the space, but she didn’t sense it had been that long when her fatty butterfly returned, sounding like someone tired,  making Elinor grin as the shimmering goddess of a twin dropped into a throne.

“How was it?”

“Ugh… war.  It was cramped, and I almost died twice,” she cried, combing through her liquid gold locks with agitation.  “I had to crawl through the dirt back to you, Priss!  Am I just a slave—a body for you to use until it is torn to shreds?!”

Elinor giggled and shrugged, feeling energy surge into her as she went back to studying her sheet.

“Heh-hehe.”  Her twin got up and began to pace, arms held tightly under her bust.  “Of course, you just laugh at my struggles, Priss…  My efforts at battling those… those furry, filthy devils in their waste and piss for what?!  You just couldn’t care less…  All I’m here for is to spill blood over your bed; well, you can choke on your own tongue!”

“Butter…”

“What?!”  she said, silver tears in her eyes.

Elinor dismissed her status sheets to examine the blonde goddess; unlike anything else that had touched her since Imperial Majesty dampened her emotions, the new rips and wounds on Butter’s radiant skin plucked at her heartstrings.

Rising from her seat, she went to the edge of their ‘bunk’ and held out her arms with a soft smile as her twin’s watering turquoise eyes widened.  “Thank you, Butter.  I’m glad I’m not alone in this…  It’s nice having a partner I can count on.”

“Priss…”

The goddess almost tripped as she stumbled over to hug her.  It was a little uncomfortable with her purifying energy, and she was sure Butter felt the same way about her, but the warmth that passed into Elinor’s chest made it worth the prickling needles.

Being careful with the cuts on her back, Elinor whispered, “I thought you wouldn’t get hurt in your butterfly body…  Where did these come from?”

Butter puffed out a long stream of air, pulling away and regaining her elegant posture to return to her mirror to examine herself.  “I’m just… deteriorating.  I need to purify Death Energy to beat this hand of death seeking to claim me as his own, it seems.  It will only get worse.”

Elinor pulled up her sheet to select one of the new Feats she could select from, scanning through their information one last time as she spoke to her bunkmate.

“How many do you need to fully recover?”

“…A lot, Priss…”

“How many?”  Elinor pressed, eyebrows furrowing as she caught the blonde tracing the damage to her body; silver speckles could be seen across her side of the floor.

“2,500…”

“Ahem.  Hmm.  Well, hehe, okay.  2,500,” Elinor repeated, focus shifting between everything else she needed her energy for; her current pool only held eight, as well.  “I suppose that doesn’t include the tax—so to speak—of trying to keep you from falling apart?”

“No…  I require about ten a day to remain even.”

Elinor went back to her seat to breathe out a long stream of air.  “Butter… Hehe.”

A melancholy smile lifted the edge of the goddess’ lips as she stopped on one particular gash where her heart was.  “I understand, Priss…  I stole six from you already without your permission…  A parasite.”

“You did,” she said, rubbing her temple while thinking about the trouble this was going to cause.  “What a fatty, glutinous bunk bug I have…  Well, at least you’re not a slob, or we would have problems.”

Butter turned, confusion crossing her annoyingly perfect face—minus the cuts.  “It’s not like I want to be your burden.  Heh… hehe.  I just wish I knew how I ended up in this mess!”

“You and me both, sister…  Well, I need to bulk up if I’m going to feed you, baby bird, so we need to start now before we both die, you insufferable stick of fat.”

“I hate you…”  she snarled, staring at her as Elinor laughed.

“The feeling is mutual.”

“Humph.  Did you discover a way out of your prison while I dealt with those giant rodents?”

Elinor smirked.  “Those were rats, probably, not giants, but I suppose everything looks that way when you’re a delicate little glow ball, and how many did you actually kill.”

“Ha-ha.  Dozens… in their filth.”

“Sounds pleasant,” she snickered.  “As for a way out, there were a few interesting options, but one stole the cake…”  Elinor used one DO and activated her third changeable Feat, [Artificial Body I].

Her thoughts died as the heat rose within her core; it wasn’t anywhere specifically, but she knew it was somewhere within her expanding mind.  White light filled her vision, and she tried to shut it off by somehow closing her nonexistent eyes; she felt a tad stupid after realizing they hadn’t formed—obviously, the light wouldn’t fade.

A pressure began to form at her back, and slowly sounds filtered into her brain.  A wet sensation permeated her mouth, making her swallow, and a dusty scent birthed into her now awakening senses with color exploding around her.

Momentarily stunned, she laid still for a time, and a snickering golden butterfly landed on her nose as her newly discovered faculties overloaded her mind.

“That’s certainly one way to show me your new Feat, and it is wonderful I don’t have to be your only set of hands.”

She stared up at the floorboards of the basement, hearing the men shouting at one another again, all in Spanish, and she couldn’t be sure, but it sounded like more had joined them.  The general conversation wasn’t anything Elinor hadn’t expected, and she leveled a dull stare at the gold light blinding her.

Butter… is it standard practice for you to stand on your Empress and savior?  Also, I still have many uses for your six legs and four wings.

“Hmm-hmm.  Only when I’m feeling particularly rebellious, Priss,” Butter mused, swapping to her shoulder.  “Two more men showed up while you were playing mental stone breakers.”

Not wanting to know what that was and not caring, Elinor rose to her feet to study her new—and quite naked—body as the four men screamed at one another.  Suddenly, their shouting match took a turn that drew her focus.

“You don’t think I didn’t see it?”

“What the hell happened to her?  She’s a damn half-rotting corpse, Vincente!  How do we explain that to Armando?”

“You don’t think I didn’t see that, Paul!  It was your information we got that she’d go through this town!  What the hell is happening?”

Raul—seemingly the superstitious one—broke in.  “I checked, guys!  I checked!  Everyone’s saying there’s no way out of the dome!  You know Yesenia—that one prison warden lady—she’s here, and she turned into this massive snake woman!  Toads!  Giant toads!  They’re coming from the jungle!”

“What the hell is he talking about, Vincente?”  Paul growled.

“Ugh.  Ignore him.  Eduardo, we gotta just bring him the body…”

The group continued to argue over what to do with her, Raul saying the most interesting stuff about the Crystal releasing lights that branched off into various areas, bringing monsters.  According to him, the whole sky cracked like a stained glass window, showing countless places across the heavens before vanishing.

It was a bit after that when the dome formed from a beam that rose from the ethereal Crystal, and everyone noticed they were receiving powers.  Elinor certainly could believe that part, but she was confused as to what granted them these abilities; was it the Crystal or the full sky fracture?

In any case, she learned her parents were fine, out in the town and looking for her, which eased her undead heart.  Moving to look through the tiny gaps in the boarded window, she saw the crazy-looking fantasy dome encompassing a large section of the town and jungle.

She could imagine Raul’s explanation now, and the sun’s rays could barely be made beyond the transparent shell, the heavens tinted by the various colors.  They really were in some kind of fantasy, end-of-the-world event.

Butter hummed as Elinor went to the mirror, scanning her new figure; it mostly kept her same features, excluding her now silvery hair, which did look good with the crown.  She grimaced upon finding her black earrings in their proper places; her body formed around them, as if taken away would cause its collapse.

“How’s the new fit?”

Decent.  All my scars are gone… but at least I have my tattoos still.

The golden butterfly’s half-torn left wing shivered with laughter.  “You call that a tattoo?  I saw better in tiny villages.  In fact, I was covered head to toe in tattoos at one point, I believe.”

Oh?  What villages?  Elinor challenged.  Please, enlighten me on your totally tatted body.

Butter was silent a moment.  “I can’t remember…”

Convenient.

“Believe what you want!”

Okay, Ms. perfect skin and vanity queen.  Let’s get dressed and some more Death Energy.

“Oh?”  Butter lowered herself on her collarbone to not get blown away.  “We’re killing the four men upstairs, and what of these creatures roaming about…  Can you?”

We’ll deal with it, Elinor calmly stated, pausing as she knelt before her former body; it had stopped decaying after her corrupted spirit left.  I… don’t feel that bothered by murder.  That has to be concerning.

“Why?”  the goddess questioned, testing the stability of her wings.  “Everything kills in one form or another, and only the powerful can be picky about such moral stances in a world of conflict.  Also, that’s not what I meant.  I was asking if your weak arms could do anything, but… on second thought, I do feel like you’re capable.”

Elinor nudged her head to the side; it was a valid point, and she certainly wouldn’t lose sleep over a bunch of kidnappers who were now talking about leaving her body to be discovered by her parents.

A compliment?  You’re slipping, and that view is fair.  Hmm.  I do need clothes, she sighed, grimacing while picking her nightwear off of her corpse.

“Priss!  Look at you.  I’m so proud,” Butter snickered.  “So, you have one Death Orb left, which I so valiantly obtained, might I add…”

Of course.

“So, all there is to do is march up there, slay a few fools—maybe a light snack for two—and raise the others to do…”

Elinor’s fingers froze as she snapped her bra back on, gaze rising as a sharp thud kicked open the door.  The men shouted, and gunfire went off; Raul’s scream told her all she needed to know.

“Toad!  It’s the toads!  It’s the end of the world!  I told you!”

“Shut up, Raul!  Where’d it go?”

“Did you hit it?!”

“I don’t think so…”

Shattering glass came from the right of the house, followed by something heavy hitting the ground.

“Paul!  Is that… living vines?  Aww-hell no!  I’m out!”  Eduardo cried, running through the back door of the abandoned house.

“Sounds like a party,” Butter chimed.  “Are we joining or listening in?”

Setting the golden butterfly to the side as she slipped on her shirt, Elinor resituated the goddess and went to the stairs, only having time to put on her underwear.  They’ll be dead soon anyway, so might as well try to get some Death Energy, and if there are supernatural creatures running around, then I need to get my parents to safety.

“To battle!”  Butter cried, pointing one of her arms at the door as she walked upstairs.

Let’s see what madness we’re dealing with…  It’s not like I can die, and if anyone picks up my diamond I can drain their life, so… YOLO.  Well, kinda, I guess, seeing as I died already.

Opening the door, her inconvenient butterfly mumbled, “You know diamonds aren’t indestructible?”

Well… thanks for the warning, you useless inflated insect.

Chapter Three: The End of the World

The door swung open, and Elinor’s mouth drew into a line as she surveyed the hurricane she’d walked in on; to her left, down the small hallway, was the main door, front and center was the kitchen, where Paul lay bleeding out of a wound in his head, which instantly drew her attention.

In the corner of the kitchen cowered Raul and Vincente, behind an upturned kitchen table that had seen better day.;  At least they had had the brain to take cover when something was sniping them through the windows.  The wide, open door to her right led to the jungle, where Elinor watched Eduardo take a projectile in the back of his head.

Butter’s tinkling snicker followed, still unable to do much with her damaged wings, and she’d have to refashion it to repair her butterfly construct.

“Well, doesn’t this look like fun; two down already, huh?  Is that a weapon?”

Great, she internally complained, eyebrows furrowing as Raul screamed, lifting a pistol.  Really….

“Zombie!”  Raul’s shakily fired the gun—it missed.  Elinor didn’t flinch, surprising herself a little as it hit the door beside her.  “Satan!  A gateway to Hell!”

Vincente grabbed Raul’s arm, shoving him back, and tried to take the weapon.  “She’s alive, idiot—we need her!  You, find cover…”

“What are you talking about?”  his manic henchman cried.  “She has white hair—a-and her face!  It’s white, Vince—it’s the Crystal!”

Butter’s huff mirrored how Elinor felt; technically, he wasn’t entirely wrong, but kidnappers she knew how to deal with, random assassins in the dark, not so much.

Elinor’s calm voice seemed to silence the two, dismissing them as a threat.  “Aren’t you hardened criminals?  I believe we have more pressing things to concern ourselves with, so could you two soldier up a bit…  You’re embarrassing yourselves.”

“To be fair, you are extremely difficult to kill if you do have a lot of Death Orbs, and they don’t know about the true vessels of our souls.  Should we take a little caution due to it being low—is that music?”

Stepping into the kitchen, her focus went to the door as a shrill flute pierced the night, causing the two men to squirm and mumble to one another, yet something else quickly drew their attention—Paul, the supposedly dead man with leaking brains, screamed, jerking unnaturally.

“What are you doing?!  Stop it!”  Raul cried, tears leaking out of his eyes.

Elinor quickly linked the instrument to the action, spotting red vines squirming within the wound in Paul’s skull.  She sighed, realizing she’d entered a horror movie at this point—good thing she was a monster, as well.

“As hard as it may be for you to believe, I’m not doing this,” she growled, stepping closer to the twitching man instead of retreating.  “If you’d like to survive, I suggest you calm your friend down, Vincente.”

Butter, jump on the plant as I restrain him and suck it dry.

“Huh?!  You want me to what to that?”

If it’s moving, why not test it—I can…  Ugh.  Don’t be a priss, Butter!

“You’re supposed to be the priss…  Mmgh-hmm-hmm.  This is how nightmares are made,” she hissed, attempting to glide down to his head as Elinor straddled him.  The vine crawled beneath his skin, likely causing unimaginable pain for the kidnapper, yet Elinor was drawn to another fascinating detail—Life Tap could be used independently of the butterflies.

Green flames erupted from her hands as she drew upon the man’s swiftly diminishing life force, and Butter used her legs to latch onto one of the vines, screaming about how disgusting it felt while being whipped around.

Paul’s arm jerked up to close around her throat—not that she needed to breathe—attempting to squeeze the life out of her as Elinor did the same, only far more effectively.  Tears streamed down the man’s enflamed cheeks, and Butter delivered some positive news.

“Priss!  Priss!  This thing has an insane amount of life force…  Let me reform real quick—get back here, you wiggly snake!”  she laughed, taking a complete 180 on their first battle.  “It’s connected to something else…  Oh!”

The flute ceased, followed by a loud croak before heavy thumps preceded a figure that fell from the roof to land somewhere in the backyard, likely one of their assailants.

Paul’s iron grip around her throat weakened, his skin shriveling as he aged rapidly; by the time Butter returned to her shoulder, she was sitting atop a decaying corpse.  The last vestiges of life fed into her veins, leaving a pile of dust where once a man had been, and just before Paul disintegrated, she saw a network of brown, shriveled vines intertwined throughout his nervous system.

Butter hummed as even that was broken down into carbon.  “I managed to get not one, but four Death Orbs out of that—one from the plant, and three from him.  I purified two, since I can only bring you two, and I didn’t want to risk it dying due to its lost host.”

Elinor got to her feet, spotting a wrinkled, alien hand quaking in the doorway, but out of the corner of her eye, she saw Vincente raise Raul’s gun and, without hesitation, shoot her in the head—everything went black.

A long stream of air shot through her cheeks as Elinor sank into her throne on her pillar, a tad pissed he’d shot her.  Then again, he’d just seen a deathly-looking teen hyper-accelerate his friend’s age without blinking while being choked, so, fair enough.

“Well, that could have gone better,” she muttered, sensing Butter’s proud return with her prize as the blonde appeared opposite her, legs crossed and showing a bit less damage.  “That’s seven out of ten down for you today, Butter?”

“It is,” she chimed, smirk directed to the void as she likely perched her butterfly near the ceiling to watch things unfold.  “How much did you get from that Paul fellow?”

“About one and a half.  Interesting…  It doesn’t look like I can raise those that I fully drain, and the bulk comes at the end.  I could be quite the serial killer,” she absently admitted, scanning her Feats and general information again as she waited; her emotional state after killing was concerning.  “How goes things on their end?”

“Raul and Vince?”  Butter asked.  “Freaking out at what you did, and… hold on…”

She vanished, taking control of her outer body again to probably fly outside to discover whatever Elinor had seen before her third death today.

See the alien outside?

“A rather… odd-looking creature,” her doppelganger reported.  “I suspect he was connected in some ritualistic way to that plant because I drew life from him, as well…  Goodness, it was attached to his eye, and he ripped it out—green blood just falling everywhere—he’s about to kill the remaining two.  Should I try to stop him?”

Thinking quickly, Elinor decided against it.  Go into the house—stealthy, since you’re a freaking flashlight—and drain, heh, Vincente, since he was the one who shot me.  Leave the superstitious one with the answers alive.

“Priss, are you sure?  Vincente seems to be the brains of this operation; wouldn’t he have more information for you?”

Paul was the informant, but he’s dead, which means I need to go to his partner, Eduardo.

“I suppose that works, as well…  I’ll just be here, creeping across the floor.  The monster outside is still recovering and likely panicking after what happened to him.”

Elinor let Butter monologue her path into the kitchen as she studied more of the effects of her new powers.  It appeared that if someone survived [Life Tap], then they could eventually recover, which meant she could have a life farm—something to think about in the future.

The alien missed his shot, causing the kidnapping pair to take cover and giving Butter the opportunity to creep up the back of the man’s shirt to lightly sink her tiny mouth into Vincente’s body, drawing out life-giving nectar; he was so full of adrenaline, he didn’t even notice.

Strength failing him, he didn’t even fight back, and her fatty assassin butterfly returned to deliver her spoils.

“I don’t want to hear you complain anymore, Priss,” Butter smirked, puffing up her chest with pride while settling back into her chair.  “I believe I have contributed six orbs at this point—granted, I did eat another, but I’d say it was the right call.”

Elinor sighed, presenting a smile and acknowledging her efforts with a short clap.  “You are proving… somewhat useful.”

“Humph.  Somewhat?  I have battled filthy rats, crawled around in the dust, attached myself to disgusting vines—that left me painted red, might I add—and taken down one of your kidnappers singlehandedly, and as a tiny insect!  I think I deserve a modicum of praise, is all I’m saying, Priss.”

“I see the effort,” Elinor chuckled, feeling much better now that she had five and a half spheres in her Death Pool.  “Has Raul died yet?”

Butter shrugged.  “Meh.  He’s freaking out as what… appears to be acorn-sized thorns being peppered into his body from the window—oh, he’s dead.  The poor man didn’t even get off a shot,” she giggled.  “I do enjoy this ceiling, relaxed view of observing things.”

“Haaa.  Is it still outside?”  Elinor asked, preparing the next strategy that she hoped would net her a win against this alien since she knew overpowering it would likely not happen.

Her fatty bunk-mate vanished with a groan.  “Let me check…  Hmm.  He is resting below the window rethinking his life.”

It’s a he?  Elinor asked, reforming her body and being as silent as she could to not tip the creature off.  How do you know?

“A figure of speech,” Butter returned, rolling her eyes.  “You take everything so literally.”

Just watch him.

“Hehe.”

Trying not to step on her fallen garments since she’d need them in a moment, Elinor saw Raul’s hand not far away and Vincente’s dusty clothes nearby.  Reaching out her hand, a lump dropped down her throat, and she activated [Raise Dead I], automatically going through the options she’d already selected.

Intelligent, Poor-Grade… Ghost.

The flames engulfed the body, turning it to ash for an ethereal, shapeless mass to rise out of the fire, being unable to take on a proper form at this Grade, nor take a Class.  Currently, it seemed her undead would start out at Tier-F upon reanimation, evolving Grades at Tier-S, and being capable of achieving a Class at Common Tier- C.

Raul instantly lowered to the ground, the tone of his confused voice entering within her Nexus.  “Empress…  What is happening?!”

Elinor was curious about how this bond worked but had more pressing issues to handle as Butter hissed, “The creature saw the light!  Oh!  Oh!  Our first servant!  Shut up and listen to what we have to say.  And welcome, Raul; it’s a pleasure having you do my dirty work.”

He instantly complied, but she could feel his discomfort, weak struggles against her command futile as she moved to the door without hesitation.

Elinor ruefully shook her head at her gluttonous twin’s comment; she was her High Monarch, which did mean everything she brought under her rule was her servant, but she could at least act a bit more humble, being the leech she was.

The hot jungle wind struck her face, not that it bothered her deadened senses, as she exited the house, yet her crown and energy-like veil falling out the back kept her hair managed by some magical property.

Finding her hands behind her back as Butter landed on her shoulder, Elinor’s undead heart was surprisingly still for being naked in the open.  Rounding the side of the house, Elinor stopped to study these aliens that were supposedly attacking this town—she wanted to laugh.

Crawling, struggling to reach her with Raul acting as the chilling, strength-sapping fog attached to him, was what Elinor could only describe as an orange-skinned toad-man.  Spotted with white swirl patterns, she judged he would have stood over eight feet tall if fully extended.

Her first alien contact—or perhaps mutant—and all she felt was morbid curiosity.  Green liquid oozed from his eye socket, where he’d apparently torn out whatever linked the toad to the vines.  The creature’s skin was wrinkled, and she guessed its dulled orange color was due to rapid aging.

“Well done pacifying him, Raul.  What a wonderful execution and pair we make, Priss,” Butter chimed, hovering into the sky to circle the toad, like the disguised covetous shark she was.  “So, Ghosts have curses they can inflict on those they linger around?”

[Decrepify I], Elinor internally explained, not wanting to cause noise to attract attention while still observing the alien toad, now only able to flex his fingers into the soil and glare at her,  Poor-Grade cannot select their Feats, so we were lucky Raul randomly got a useful curse.

Elinor knew she shouldn’t linger too long in the open since others were likely around.  She could hear screams in the distance, but it seemed the kidnappers had chosen a rather abandoned part of town, and the bulk of the invasion would be centered inside the general populous.

She needed to get to her parents, yet rushing in would only be suicide; this new tactical approach and tempered emotions were as much a weapon to her as her other abilities.  Raul would provide what she required, which was why she went with this approach.

Drain what’s left of him Butter, and keep watch; I’m going to plot our next step, Elinor ordered, noticing a faded brand on his right shoulder of a crescent with a spike through it.

“Can we make it a rule that if there is more than I can carry, then I get to purify the remainder?”  Butter casually asked, descending on the tortured toad as Raul’s soul squirmed.  “I wouldn’t want to ease my heel off our opponent’s neck, as they say.”

Finding his flute and a crude-looking iron knife he’d dropped upon experiencing Raul’s curse, she reached down to collect them.  I suppose you do require a rather significant daily calorie intake, she mused, examining the wet crimson liquid still slicking the blade.

“Indeed,” the butterfly giggled.  “As you say, I am quite—hey!  No, funny business, ugly.”

The toad’s long tongue shot out, only to fall limply to the soil as Butter landed on his head, bathed in emerald flames, and Elinor didn’t hesitate in gathering the items he’d left, moving to also collect the leather-like belt he tied around his waist; she didn’t bother with the spiked seeds he used as bullets.

Rounding the house to her new ‘base of operations,’ Elinor eyed Eduardo on the way inside; she needed him for answers, yet it was a huge resource cost to raise another intelligent minion without knowing the time—even if Poor and Common-Grade had no upkeep price—she was dealing with too many unknowns to function without energy to spare.

A thought came to her with a smile, and she checked his pockets, discovering his phone; Butter finishing her meal by the time she’d used his fingerprint to unlock it for the time: 11:13 p.m.  They had made the Death Orb deadline in time, but it also meant she’d been missing for hours; her parents must have been worried sick.

Entering the house with her goods, she closed the door behind her; Butter and Raul flew through the window, the latter seeming to realize his new place in life.  She felt a tad uncomfortable with the cloudy ghost nearby while naked, but it wasn’t difficult to brush off for circumstance as she set the items on the table.

“I’m… sorry for kidnapping you, Empress,” Raul mumbled, trying to gain some rapport.

Elinor suppressed a growl upon seeing the ‘No Signal’ icon, vision snapping to the broken window where the massive semi-transparent stained glass dome could be seen above the jungle.

I don’t want your apologies, she crisply stated, changing directions to redress in her nightwear, starting with her underwear and bra.  Cope to yourself, and repent by serving me.  You know what my parents look like?

“…Yes,” he choked, shivering at her commanding tone.

Then go find them.  You’re a ghost, so you shouldn’t be noticed, and don’t stay too close to draw attention to them.  Contact me when you discover where they are.

“I-I won’t fail you!  Just… please don’t hurt me.”

The cloud drifted away, leaving Butter to land on her shoulder, transferring two orbs, making her total six and a half, which would cover their daily phylactery tribute.

So long as you do as your told, I won’t need to.  Walking downstairs to recover her silky shorts, Elinor sighed.  Butter, could you watch outside and make sure I’m not ambushed?  By the way, get any purified orbs?

Her bunk-mate returned her annoyance.  “Afraid not.”

Unfortunate, she muttered, pausing at her half-rotten corpse.  What should I do with this?

“Keep it!”  Butter instantly replied.  “I think I can use it to restore my body once we complete this ridiculous 2,500 energy soul renewal.”

Elinor glared at the stinking flesh that used to be her.  What if I want to use it to get my body back?  Regardless, Butter, do your job; is anyone creeping about up there?  Be a little useful.

“Priss!  You have that artificial body!  I’m a butterfly—and, no, you rude Priss, it appears to be rather still at the edge of the forest and abandoned buildings.  I believe our friend may have been a scout, so we should expect a follow-up search party in time.”

Probably…  Haaa, Elinor sighed.  I suppose it would be nice to have you on your own bed… but it wouldn’t really change much, considering we can speak through this crown Nexus I have.

She could practically see the golden girl puff herself up like a blowfish.  “Not change much?  Not change much?!  I would be able to talk, dance, dress up, and groom myself!  It’s everything, Priss!”

I meant for me, Elinor grumbled, scratching at her ear.  You’ll still be an annoying voice in my head… heh, head servant.

“Cute…”

Climbing the stairs, Elinor straightened the table and sat in a nearby chair by the shattered window, studying the bizarre phenomenon overhead as lights streaked to various locations in the jungle from various points in the dome.

It could be their transportation method, which meant they needed to be cautious, and Butter mentioned movement further away, Raul confirming that it was a toad invasion—he believed it was the end of the world.

According to him, they had massive crocodile-toad beasts the size of rhinoceroses; Elinor’s first thought was to wonder how much Death Energy they could offer.  She really was all sorts of messed up in the head now.

She listened to him explain what he saw as he drew closer to the more populated areas of the jungle town, passively examining the well-designed and decorated flute, displaying the same crescent-spike mark the toad had tattooed on his right arm.

It seemed remaining calm to identify precisely what she was up against had been paramount to her survival because Raul discovered dozens upon dozens of aliens moving in methodical sweeps.

Scouts crept along roofs and within shadows, somehow marking potential threats to be neutralized; flashing powder was thrown into the air that exploded like a bomb, lighting up an area for the giant crocodile toads to corral the inhabitants.

The creatures were likely sent in first to test the waters since even bullets bounced off their plated hide, and those that jumped forward to confront them were swiftly dealt with, yet it didn’t appear to be their goal to kill everyone.  Raul identified four distinct groups that acted somewhat autonomously from the others: the discolored green, with spots, pure green without markings, blue, with tiny pink triangles, and lastly, the orange she’d already seen.

Time passed, and midnight took their two orbs.  Butter whimpered a little as her fortitude took a hit since she didn’t reach her daily ten requirement.

“Mmgm-hmm-hmm…  It hurts… so much, Priss…  Everything hurts…”

We’ll get it today… with interest from these aliens.  Hang in there.

“Gah!  I hate this.  Why do I have to rely on you?!”

Let it out, Elinor snickered.  I know you mean it.

“I am going to murder whoever made me into… into this!  Haaa.  I want to cry…  I want to do something!”

Elinor resonated with the feeling.  I’ve got a free shoulder if you want…

“Priss…  I hate you… I hate you, I hate you, I hate you…  Why are you being nice to me?”  she sniffled, floating back down to rest on her shoulder and weep.  “I have to experience this… chunk of my soul being bitten out of me every day; what did I do to deserve such punishment?”

She didn’t respond with any harsh comments, letting her release the stress and agony of having her soul shaved off, sliver by sliver, as something extracted its piece of flesh.

It lasted thirty minutes, and Elinor watched the forest for her golden twin through her agony, reflecting on everything Raul fed her.  Each of these toads had different skin colors and markings; from what he described, some factions weren’t too keen to be near or work with the other, and all of them had different goals.

The packs of discolored green toads with mix-matched spot patterns were the most brutal, being the tamers of the giant, defensive monsters they used to gather the frightened, trapped population, methodically pushing them to various places to bind everyone they found into a line to prompt into a march back into the jungle.

There were thousands upon thousands of people in this town, yet these aliens were at least five times stronger than a man, making it no contest for women or children, and they were swift to deal with any weapons such as guns or knives.

By the sounds of it, these toads acted in specific clans or cliques, hosting very different methods for approaching this invasion.

The crocodilian tamers used axes, shields, and spears, savagely dismembering and studying the biology of those that refused to comply; with their colossal monsters, few resisted after a few examples were made.  Luckily, none were her parents.

Raul went to the hotel they’d rented, which was overrun by another clan she’d already met—the orange toads—these ones using flutes to frighten and intimidate.  A special class of warriors used them, which worked alone, while their other members favored long-ranged weapons like blowpipes that shot neurotoxin.

Examining the pouches on the belt she’d taken from the special unit, she found a variety of barbed projectiles, each coated in various substances that didn’t affect her undead body.

“God, help us,” he mumbled.  “They’re putting everyone to sleep, room by room, and carrying them on cots into the jungle with bags of random items.”

“Slaves, no doubt,” Butter casually responded.  “It seems this is an abduction.  There’s likely well over a hundred of them piercing this town; it’s indefensible—doomed.  Our best option is to find your parents and pick these toads off one by one, building up your ghost army to curse and drain them.”

It was a solid plan, and the pure green aliens didn’t appear to be harming anyone, acting more like cowboys with their lassos or knocking people out via a wooden talisman they had around their necks that produced a blinding radiance.

The blue clan stayed as a full group on a big building, observing the orange toads make their passes through the hotel and the massive glowing gem, yet it was here that Elinor’s mind came to a halt as she gained a level; she’d need to return to her diamond to further explore it.

Raul’s excited voice drew her out of her reverie.  “Empress!  I-I found your mother in the hotel lobby, locked inside with two police officers—the ones that were guarding the crystal—she’s not hurt.  I think she’s waiting to see if you return or if someone calls for a ransom…  What should I do?”

Thoughts racing, she sat back in her chair as Butter expressed her own concerns.

“She is surrounded by dozens of orange and blue toads, deep inside the town, and another flute player just exited the jungle, studying Eduardo’s body and the house.  I think Raul needs to return.”

Hmm.  I don’t like it, Elinor snarled, rising to her feet and rolling around her arms to prepare herself.  I’m going to have to leave her, but if it’s these orange toads, then she’ll be knocked out; you’ve confirmed they’re still alive, Raul?

“Yes, Empress, they’re still breathing when taken away.”

We’ll follow them once we deal with this threat, she stated, moving to one of the closets to carefully open it a crack, placing the flute and bag outside of it.  Retreating to the small inlet in the front room, she waited for him to take the bait and open the closet to blindside the creature.

Butter…

“I’m here; I’ll take the ceiling to drop down on him when you jump out—on second thought, I don’t think Raul will make it in time, the enemy is already approaching the house.”

“I’ll hurry!”

No.  Keep searching for my father.  We know who to follow to save my mom.  It kills me to let this happen, but without a plan and solid understanding of what we’re dealing with, I’m only going to get them killed…  Ready for a fatty treat, Butter?

“I get to purify one?!”

Let’s make a deal.  Every one you help me take out, you get to fill that plump belly.

“Deal!  Not that I have a plump belly!  Heh…  I can’t believe I’m saying this, but… I’m starting to like you, Priss.”

Hehe.  I guess we’re both getting soft, huh?  The end of the world can do that, I suppose.  Let’s not mess this up; we have the element of surprise and abilities.

“Double Life Tap go brrr!”  Butter cackled, using a word passed around school circles that shocked Elinor and made her smile as she repeated her twin, spiritually giving her most hated enemy—or maybe not so much anymore in this apocalypse—a high five.

Double Life Tap go brrr.

Chapter Four: Chilling Tactics

Elinor’s mind reflected on how loud the environment became when attempting to erase one’s presence from the world.  Every second the toad didn’t enter the back door, the more concerned she became.

Butter remained near the ceiling, keeping an eye on the hallway and waiting to dive bomb their opponent, yet it seemed this orange creature was being more cautious than the first, drawing her thoughts to other possibilities.

Were we spotted when killing the last one?

“Not that I was able to see,” Butter responded.  “It would be quite disastrous if he decided to scope out the outside windows, spotting you in the process.”

Reasoning the likely scenarios, Elinor’s fingers tightened around the dagger in her hand—more of a short sword, given its size.  It was bizarre, feeling oddly comfortable to hold.  The sounds of croaking toads lit up the night in the distance, communicating to one another with screams from the captured or killed humans.

Things weren’t looking good for them in this invasion, and she was only one person—well, two.

Butter is more like a quarter, and that’s if I’m being generous, Elinor corrected herself.  They would not win this war, even with their numbers since few of the citizens were armed, and they had no warning.

The shattering of glass made Elinor’s head jerk up, yet her emerald irises went to the front door window; it was just out of view from her position behind the small enclave of the living room.  A jar had been thrown through, splattering the wall with gore or something nasty by the putrid scent, and something wiggled within it.

Great…  Something new?

“Gross,” Butter groaned, spotting what appeared to be wiggling vines that drank up the liquid, and the soft whistle of a flute caught their ears.  “Ugh.  Is this some kind of fear tactic?  It’s not frightening… just disgusting.”

Connecting the previous attack to this one, things started to click in Elinor’s mind.  He’s a scout…  These plants are connected to their eyes, providing a replacement like drones.

“Eh, excuse me… drones?”  Butter questioned, crawling across the ceiling.  She hung over the branching-out pod as it rose into the air, its many legs growing to the length of a human body.  “If it is connected, then we can attack it like before; its weakness is that whatever dark magic is in use, the two are linked.”

True.  This could be a trap, but we don’t have much of an option; you take the seed, and I’ll find the host!

“Bombs away!”

Fatty, Elinor chuckled.

Darting out of the hall and drawing the seed’s attention, yet its feelers froze when Butter, cloaked in emerald flames, blindsided it.  The lich Mythickin threw open the door, following the instrument; it cut off shortly after Butter’s assault, but, luckily, the toad was crouching nearby—its tongue shot out, making Elinor trip in surprise.

It knew!

Eye already gouged out, showing a shriveling flower at its feet, it held a sharp grin—if she could call it that.  She dodged—no doubt only just— correcting herself due to its lost accuracy and pain.  Thinking quickly, Elinor’s hand birthed with flames, using one of her four and a half remaining orbs to create a butterfly behind her back—she could only create two.

Shooting forward, she subconsciously ordered it to stay low to the ground and attack it from behind; unfortunately, the alien had the same idea, and the world spun as its far heavier, bulkier frame completely changed her momentum.  If she’d required air to survive, she’d be seeing stars, yet, instead, she was met with swirling vertigo as it ripped part of her shirt while using it to send her flinging back into the hallway.

Left wrist and leg breaking or dislocating in the process, Elinor wanted to roll her eyes; she didn’t experience pain anymore, it seemed, but that didn’t stop this weak body from becoming immobile as she struggled to push herself away.

“Priss, he’s not going to let you get close.  Roll!”  Butter screamed, making Elinor grunt while spikes the size of a finger buried into her belly; no blood exited, only revealing a bright jade glow within.

I’ll need to reform this body anyway at this point, she snarled.  It was this alien’s mistake giving her a place to hide as it lingered outside, possibly waiting for her to bleed out, and she was going to make sure it regretted it.  Hold off on attacking him—Butter…

Her radiant twin spun out of the air, dodging more barbs—it was onto them—and landed on her, transferring the single Death Orb she’d gained from the plant to fuel her recovery.

“No time for thank yous,” she giggled.  “Hurry and repair yourself, Priss—I’m tracking him with the other butterfly—he’s going to the window to finish the job.”

A grin lit Elinor’s mouth as the room brightened from the flames encasing her frame, renewing her body; even if extremely fragile, it did have its advantages, and using a sphere to recover rather than fully reform made it so she didn’t have to dress again.

“Priss?  Priss?!  Priss!”  Butter cried as Elinor scrambled to her feet, ethereal veil flowing back with her hair as the window came closer and closer; barreling through, glass and wood marring her thin skin, and the shocked toad’s single eye went wide when meeting her illuminated grin.

“Got you!”

A thrill unlike anything Elinor had experienced awakened within her as she took the creature to the ground, Butter and her other flying death insect swooping down to join the feast; its fingernails dug a chunk of flesh out of her side as it tried to throw her away, yet its strength swiftly failed him with each of them taking a Death Orb.

Her strength began to fail her from the smoky green mist exiting the damage to her body; she knew it wouldn’t last long.  Unfortunately, she’d used three spheres in this battle.  Her body was so thrashed that she had to repair herself a second time, and she’d summoned a new butterfly; she had also only gained one from the plant, and she’d already promised Butter half the spoils.

Its bones turning to carbon, Elinor lay on the ground, grimacing upon realizing its skin had been slick with some kind of goo.  She’d survived this encounter, but they were learning and becoming more cautious.  Of course, so was she.

Falling to her back, she let the restorative energy flow through her, glad the recovery removed most of the ooze, which seemed to be mixed with its blood.  Her eyebrows came together as Butter landed on her nose, transferring all of the energy they’d gained.

“Hmm-hmm.  Perhaps I am not such a glutton, and you aren’t such a priss.  We gained four, used three, and we have a new soldier I can command,” she mused, wings fluttering as the second butterfly touched down on Elinor’s forehead.  “I think we should abandon this base of operations at this point.”

Good choice, Elinor sighed, rising to her feet and tearing off what remained of her shirt to toss it to the side; her bra would have to do for now.  Five and a half Death Energy…  We need another gh—

Her mouth became a line as Raul interrupted them.  “E-Empress, are… you okay?”

Butter responded for them both.  “Obviously, you’re still here.  Keep your mouth shut unless it’s something important, and don’t interrupt your Empress,” she chided.

“Y-Yes…  Umm.  I think I found your father among these bright green toads.  They seem a lot nicer than the other ones; they are treating people…  Huh?!  Empress, help!  Aaaah!”

Elinor froze halfway up; her connection to Raul vanished as he was pulled into an endless abyss within her.  Someone had somehow killed a ghost, or more or less exorcised him back to what lay beyond, which oddly cycled back within her own spirit.

Dammit.

It was hard to dismiss the uncomfortable feeling of the chains she used to bind his spirit to this world breaking away, only for Raul to be sucked deeper within her.  Although, a dangerous situation certainly helped to redirect her mind and keep herself on track to move along.

Elinor snatched the orange toad’s bag up.  She had the two butterflies follow her to the back, scanning the night for danger as Butter theorized.

“The fact they could recognize he wasn’t of this world, or that the mist was unnatural shows us these pure green toads have a method of handling the undead—possibly light or life-based magic—perhaps some patron deity they call upon?  Priss, we need your body, as well!”

I know, she grumbled, bending down to raise Eduardo as an intelligent spirit; once again, aggravatingly, he was only Poor-Grade, F-tier, but his [Chill I] ability could be useful since they appeared to be jungle creatures.  She grimaced, this dropped her pool to three and a half.

If we’re going to beat the next one, we need something that can attack without them being aware.  All we need to do is avoid the pure green ones for now—dammit… I didn’t ask him about my kidnapping details.

Eduardo’s body became a flame, burning away as his spirit reformed as fog, lingering nearby.  Yet, as soon as he spoke, his panicked voice made her wince.  “Y-You…  What are you?!  Please…”

“Hush!”  Butter snapped, silencing the ghost.  “Honestly, what is with your raised soldiers being such cowardly fools?  At least they do recognize you hold their leash.”

Elinor hoisted the heavy bag of the toad over her shoulder and glanced back at the house.  She wanted to grab the phone—it had its uses still—but she’d be back in the next few hours once gathering a suitable army.

I want the three of you to enter the jungle—spread out, and…  Ugh, my butterfly can’t be more than a few meters from me, she remembered, having it float at the furthest distance, but Butter revealed another interesting addition to their union while entering the dense foliage.

“It can transfer to my radius, as well, Priss, which is how I tracked our previous meal.”

Okay.  Take it out and keep your eye out for our next prey; eat everything—animal, toad, reptile…  Once my pool is filled, you can hunt all you want, Butter.  We need to find a place to build our strength for when we start fighting them in groups.

“Hehe.  Operation: War Preparations begins!”

Being cautious with how she moved, it helped that even in the pitch-black jungle, her vision penetrated the darkness, and being numb to any pain that came from her feet kept her mind on task; the first order of business, complete this next level, which required her mind to return to her jewel home.

Creeping slowly, Eduardo unwillingly filled her in, trying with all his might to resist the dominating chains that kept him her unwilling puppet.  It told her that her undead could break free of their binding if strong enough; she would have to be careful who she selected as her officers within her army.

The man informed her that he’d been tasked with keeping track of their movements from the States, having been on one of the three buses that were a part of this little caravan; the entire thing was such an elaborate setup, Elinor could hardly believe it.

From the topic of the humanitarian crisis becoming the buzz at her dad’s office, becoming a topic in the home, to their flights being canceled, and all the seemingly random things that connected to bring her into this place—a place attacked by alien toads—which now appeared to be a part of this little scheme.

Eduardo had been only a piece in the colossal machine that drove her into this position, and Armando—the terrifying cartel lord, according to the man—had been hired by another mysterious entity or person to get this job done.

As luck would have it, Armando had been staying in this city to take her into custody himself since this had been such a well-paying job.  It didn’t make the least bit of sense, much like the current situation she was in.

Her father was a fairly well-known and successful architectural engineer in California, while her mother had just finished her Ph.D. in biochemistry, developing something for a private organization.  If there were anything iffy, that would be the connection, yet this was something out of a movie, not reality.

She’d get more information once finding the cartel lord and adding him to her ranks to discover the next person she needed to handle.  Her life had been turned upside down—her family’s had—and someone would pay for that.

Elinor couldn’t see herself being accepted back into school, and she also required living sacrifices to even function now, so normal life was out of the question; that was something for the future, though.

Her inquiries came to a halt when Butter hissed, “Priss!  I found a single green toad…  It’s guarding a small crystal and it has one of those big monsters with it!  Didn’t Raul mention a crystal?”

Just my luck, Elinor snarled.  We ran into a green one.

“Oh, no, no; this is the splotched ones—the brutes, as Raul mentioned.”

Eduardo continued to circle around her, unwillingly following orders to remain as sentry.  “What… happened to Raul?”

“He was killed,” Butter absently replied.

“What?!  How do you kill a ghost?!”  he snarled.  “Ugh… they gutted a jaguar…”

Elinor’s focus darted in the direction of her slave.  Say that again?  Butter…

“Ooh.  What’s a jaguar; is it powerful?”

The radiant butterfly diverted to keep watch as Elinor carefully maneuvered through the jungle, staying at a distance where she wouldn’t be discovered.  It was slow progress, but progress nonetheless, and a jaguar could offer the perfect distraction.

Throughout their journey, Butter had collected Death Energy, capping Elinor’s eight orbs; her fatty twin had already purified five in the past hour from all the creatures she’d drained in the life-rich foliage, sucking dry the ecosystem.

Arriving at the site, she knelt down, smelling the putrid scent of its ruptured stomach; the toads had split it open to study its insides, more than likely attempting to get a better grasp of their biology since it appeared to be a predator.  Obviously, they weren’t impressed since they left it, but their methodical approach showed their intelligence.

Green fire lighting at her fingertips, she touched the ravaged cat, reanimating it without its spirit; interestingly, despite being unintelligent, it was Poor-Grade, D-tier.

Hmm, the tier must be based off its strength while alive.  These kidnappers were useless…  Elinor reasoned, sensing the hateful vibes Eduardo was sending her.

The animal’s flesh and fur burned away, leaving the flaming skeletal beast in its place; only Common-Grade would begin showing signs of recovering their former figure, and Uncommon was where most of it returned.

A small smile brightened her lips as she stroked its smooth bones, and it bowed its head, totally subservient to her.  We’ll use her to get our next prize.

“Hehe.  She’s not exactly ‘stealthy,’ Priss,” Butter noted.  “Although, she does have more strength than this useless ghost of a man.”

Elinor could feel Eduardo’s glare from within the fog, but he was told to be a doormat unless asked to share his opinion.

That’s the point.  Keep watch.

“Don’t sleep too long…  There’s no telling what might happen with that crystal or when they’ll turn their attention away from the crowds in the town and discover something more sinister in the woods.”

We’re still in the positive, Elinor noted, reflecting on their previous two encounters.

Having a moment of space, she allowed her artificial body’s eyes to become vacant of life as her consciousness returned to her gem.  She sat on her throne, studying how these new levels functioned; she was now Level 3, yet she didn’t receive a new Feat as she had before, puzzling her.

Her more active Feats had grown since she’d last checked, providing more bonuses that she could identify.  Butterfly had grown the most with Phylactery, Darkness Vision, and Death Pool, advancing to the D-tier category; nothing had grown a Grade since it was achievement-based.

Ultimately, it didn’t seem much had changed regarding them, other than minor boosts to her diamond defenses, visual distance, and range at which the butterfly could travel.

Artificial Body, Monarch of Death, and Life Tap had peeked into E-tier, giving her a tad more endurance, communication distance, and a minor efficiency in corrupting life essence.

On the other hand, Minion Pool and Raise Undead were lagging behind significantly, showing a very slow build by the progress indicator, making her conclude they required a lot of minions to be out and summoned to show any changes.

How high of an army will I have to accumulate to satisfy the Grade-II advancement of maxing its Tier and Limit?  she thought, slightly distracted.  Another thing for another time.

She fixated on the number of creatures she could command.

Three Intelligent, and twelve Unintelligent…  If I’m going to fight them, I need to use their own people.  Psychologically, it will mess with them, and I’ll be able to learn more about their abilities.  I have to find a Common-Grade to be my Staff Sergeant… capable of commanding up to ten units and providing minor buffs.  I’ll find it among them.

Swapping screens to her level screen, her mouth drew in, focus drifting between what she’d unlocked; it wasn’t a primary Feat, but a Feat Extension to only a few that she’d used the most.  The drawback?  She only was allowed to select one.

Her three options were:

Phylactery I: Death Shield - Generates a field that rejects a small amount of all damage.

Butterfly I: Extra Wing - Permanently adds one butterfly to the total available to be summoned.

Darkness Vision I: Beyond Sight - Penetrate weak illusions.

It didn’t take her long to conclude which was the best one—at least, for the moment—selecting the Butterfly Extension.  It was such a versatile Link Feat, allowing her to use others in ways typically beyond their scope, and it would also give Butter more storage to bring back to her.

Finally, her Stats came into focus.  She was tempted to place one in Stamina or Strength to further amplify the ridiculously low fortitude of her artificial body, but Constitution was her life-blood, and she couldn’t have enough; her second point was spent, her Death Pool increasing to eleven.

Swapping to her Feat sheet to study Raise Undead, Elinor knew what she expected to see: the cost for Rare Unintelligent undead.  It had been following a pattern—yet, nothing had changed, making her hiss.

I guess a Captain in my Empire will cost me a lot more than my pool allows, or I need to reach Grade-II… maybe both.

Elinor returned to her body, showing a wicked smile that made Eduardo shrink back.  Ready to kill an alligator-toad?  If we get that, we have our tank.  Oh, and here’s a new friend, Butter.

“Ooh!  A new harvester?  You shouldn’t have, Priss!  It has been shockingly dull while you’ve been plotting inside your bed; I could hear you cackling the entire time.”

I don’t cackle, Elinor huffed, watching her third butterfly join its golden leader.  Let’s make this quick; we need the toad to be the one to attack its weak point, so we can’t drain either of them.

“Ack,” Butter groaned, stretching out her tiny legs on their journey back to the crystal.  “That is going to be challenging…  Ah!  You fiend,” she laughed, discovering her plot.  “You want to use our jaguar as bait for the big guy while we take out the master?”

Glowing green irises swapping to the disturbing ghost, Elinor asked, Have you ever seen special forces films or… those alien hunter things?

“…Yes?”  he slowly mumbled, scanning for danger ahead of them.

Well.  It’s time for you to shine.

She and Butter chuckled to one another as the unwilling man squirmed; they carefully got into position, having the jaguar wait further in since she was so visible, given the flames.

The green-splotched toad was practically invisible if it wasn’t for her incredible vision and ghostly spy; her jaguar caught his attention far sooner than Elinor thought, remaining at a distance, hidden within the dense foliage as Butter guided the beast.

Her gut tightened when the toad made a few popping noises with his tongue, and his mammoth of a monster jumped at alarming speed after the flaming cat; yet, their target chose to jump over five meters into the air to take a branch route—it was within Elinor’s calculations.

The rhinoceros-sized creature leaped right by her as the jaguar ran at a full sprint through the jungle.  It wouldn’t take long for the giant alligator to destroy her minion, she was sure, but not eight meters to her left, the monster’s master fell out of the trees—just as planned—body totally stiff as fog lingered around him.

Trap sprung, Elinor darted forward as the guard tried to discover what had suddenly frozen his veins and combat the hyperthermia setting into his bones; mind a total blank, the dagger she’d stolen from her first kill plunged into his quivering, shrunken throat, possibly finding it hard to breathe—cold was their weakness.

A fountain of green ooze gushed from the quaking and stupefied alien, but Elinor didn’t want to take any chances; throat cut, she went for his belly, splitting as it grasped his neck—it was too easy—but that was what it was like when having the total element of surprise.

Butter’s panicked voice entered her mind.  “It ate me!  Are you kidding me!  The stupid brute chewed up the jaguar and stuck me with its ridiculously long tongue next!  It’s coming back…”

Flames encompassing her target, she grinned as she added her second ‘living’ intelligent minion to her roster; sadly, she was only a Poor-Grade, but the interesting part was her Tier-A marker—if she gained enough experience, this alien could be her first Common-Grade, leading her own force of unintelligent undead.

The skeletal toad’s white bones appeared as she shakily arose, and Elinor discovered a snag in her plan as a croak sounded within her mind.

No…  We can’t communicate?!

“Are you kidding me!”  Eduardo screamed, separating himself to protect her against his will as the colossal monster flew out of the jungle to attack all of them, including its former master.

“Stop your beast from attacking us!”  Butter ordered from within her bunk.

The crocodile-like huge mouth opened to snap Elinor up, locking into place as two pops came from her newest recruit’s bony hands came together.  It seemed even she wasn’t sure if it would work with how panicked her spirit felt, yet it stopped, sitting back and having what Elinor assumed were nervous twitches as the toad tried to calm him down.

Recalling how she’d clicked her tongue to order the creature, Elinor started to see the problem, and it could attack them at any moment as its agitation grew with each sound the frightened toad woman made with her hands.

Eduardo, freeze it!  New girl, kill it once it’s incapacitat—

Fog lingering on it, the man cried, “It’s not working; it’s resisting whatever crap you gave me!”

Her Tier-A minion dodged its next charge as Elinor jumped back, and she collected a hidden ax and shield from within the brush Elinor hadn’t known about, using the polished black wooden barrier to block the scaly tongue the alligator shot out, pushing her into the tree tops.

She spun back, landing on the side and hoping to another trunk as the monster pursued, continuing to resist Eduardo’s chill curse; the battle quickly drew out of sight, as Butter added additional orders when Elinor used a sphere to provide her a new body.

“Draw it away from The Empress, and do whatever you can to take it down, but do not draw attention to your former comrades!  Goodness; this is a mess, Priss!  Ugh, and she’s resisting.  Are you okay?”

Elinor held a hand to her tight chest; the toad woman was attempting to break free of the shackles that bound her, and far more effectively than Eduardo.  She was practically gnashing her teeth and screaming to be let go and not be forced to kill this creature, who she cared for like her favorite pet.

She could understand their orders but not communicate through words, at least yet, which would be an excellent Feat to get down the line—hopefully, soon—and Elinor didn’t like the idea of forcing someone to kill their pet, but they didn’t have the luxury of being nice.

Elinor could offer a solution as she solidified control over the woman’s will.  You have two choices.  I will kill it for good, sucking its life energy out, or you kill it, and it remains your pet in death; I suggest the latter.

It was an entirely new experience for her as Elinor felt the alien’s heart breaking, but she followed orders; the sound of the rampaging alligator ceased, and upon reaching the spot where, they found the woman grieving over her pet, choking on its own blood from the base of its unguarded tongue being severed.

Breathing out a heavy stream of air to release the tension in her breast, she touched the alligator-toad, emerald light emitting from her hand; they weren’t the ones to start this war, and her corrupted soul sang upon feeling the power this beast held.

She resurrected her first F-tier, Common-Grade unintelligent undead, feeling the hatred fester within the woman she’d bound to this life; to her, they were the villains, but such was the burden of war, Elinor concluded.

Cold eyes observing the start of her Empire, she felt her former innocence being replaced by a darkness awakening in her within this alien battlefield.  She had something she needed to protect and save, and she didn’t care how much suffering these invaders felt in the process.

Let’s return to the crystal…  You’re going to do exactly what your former superiors don’t want.  Show me what would make them panic.

Bone jaw grinding on bone, she led the way back to the place she’d been guarding, mournfully staring at her former pet; sinew could be seen on its bony frame, which would regrow as it grew in tier.

When back in front of the crystal, Elinor’s eyes widened upon seeing an entirely new and alien jungle within, showing vibrant yellow grass under three moons of different colors—yellow, white, and pink—with dark clouds moving in to obscure them.

Beyond the vast clearing were huge trees the size of redwoods, yet displaying far thicker and more connected branches that likely formed their own sprawling ecosystems; not one branch came over the yellow grass, leaving the sky far above in the canopy clear.

Okay…

Her mind blanked as the trembling toad woman held up a hand and, practically crying, gave her former pet the order.  Spinning in a rapid circle, its thick tail shattered the gem, sending a pulse of light into the sky to create a black rupture in the stained glass overhead—they found their way to stop this invasion and cause panic.

“Haha.”  Butter rested on their giant monster.  “I suggest we flee, Empress.  That is sure to draw attention.”

Yeah…  Let’s go!

Chapter Five: Butterfly Effect?

She mounted the giant crocodile toad, which was a little rough, given its bare-bones composition, choosing to ride inside its well-rounded rib cage like a coach.  As they moved through the undergrowth, Elinor’s mind calmly cycled through her next options, Butter directing the toad woman to take them on a path around their hunting parties that would likely be coming.

She received resistance in an unusual fashion when the skeletal figure threw her hands in the air and made exasperated gestures at what could be seen of the colorful shell, trapping them inside.  Butter’s tone became dry in the Nexus.

“I am quite aware that we are confined to this battle dome.  Your job is to make what I want work, not offer me excuses.  I’m sure it will be difficult.  Get it done,” she demanded, causing the creature to make harsh tapping noises with her bony hands to get Elinor’s ride to move.

Butter landed on her shoulder again to remain close and not get swept away by a sudden gust that blew past them.  Their passage through the jungle became swift with their new unwilling warrior guiding the way.

Elinor knew she should have been entertained by the proceeding conversation in their dangerous nighttime jungle escape mission, but the butterfly and alien creature’s back and forth helped to mitigate the stress she was feeling.

It was becoming apparent that she really needed a proper translation ability; then again, when something like that would show up was left up in the air—her best option was to kill more of these monsters to gain experience.  Luckily, Butter was proving to be far more proactive than she’d initially given her twin credit for.

To her surprise, her little high monarch gave the toad a name—something the golden insect was quite proud of and the soul slave detested—but she did need one, if Elinor was being honest; they couldn’t continue calling her ‘hey, you’ or ‘toad.’  Mika was simple enough to remember.

Mika and Eduardo seemed to connect on an emotional level of grumbling unintelligible feelings to one another about how utterly frustrated they both felt at being a part of this new empire she was building—more like forced labor camps—as the woman slowed their pace, allowing more enemies to pass.

Now that they had a translator of sorts, quite a few details were coming to light as Butter continued to probe for information in their flight from the scene of their crime.

Basically, the Hub-Crystals were the only real way for the human side to win this invasion; there were hundreds more of Mika’s race awaiting their turn to cycle into this one-sided invasion massacre, and the only way to stop it was destroying all the relay hubs.

Each of the tiny transportation gems was a teleportation point; there were rules to it, but they didn’t have time to probe on less important topics.  From what Mika attempted to explain, they had no control over how these things operated, and they were naturally occurring phenomena that had to be closed.

Elinor didn’t like that answer, peering through the jungle foliage as the woman stopped them again for seemingly no reason, taking cover behind thick bush cover.  The clicks she heard were likely more of the aliens, and Mika was listening to understand how to dodge the net they were casting to catch whoever destroyed their gateway.

Something like this is too methodical to be random or to occur in nature, Elinor whispered, holding tightly to her boney ride as they took more maneuvers to hide their tracks as much as possible.  This feels more like a tower defense game.

It has rules and conquest conditions, which are methodical—intelligent objectives that need to be fulfilled—someone must be orchestrating this conflict.  Mmhm.  Must we go back for my body right now, Butter?  It does seem like a terrible plan to recover it after causing such an uproar.

She caught Mika’s gesture and feeling of agreement as she pointed at her, throwing up a sign Elinor couldn’t identify the meaning to.

The butterfly ruffled her wings, sending a private ping to Eduardo to check for anything along the canopy and to keep alert; he wasn’t totally invulnerable, as Raul learned.  He wasn’t happy to find out what happened to spirits that were brought back from the dead and returned to the afterlife.

“Priss, Priss, Priss,” she grumbled, rubbing two of her six legs together.  “They expect their target to be flustered and run away after setting off that beacon; the least expected thing would be to return to a more populated area like the town.”

Uh-huh, Elinor sighed, seeing Mika’s stress rise through the roof while telling them to be perfectly still and not to make noise; someone big appeared to be coming to handle the crystal break issue.  You just want to steal my body for yourself—which is fine, she added upon feeling the radiant doppelganger’s chest flare.

I completely understand why you want to recover it.  Perhaps we should focus on actually getting strong enough to retrieve it without upping the challenge level?

Butter rubbed her head with a groan, being careful with her eyes.  “We do have a large jungle that we can use to lure more in without tipping our hand…  I just don’t like leaving it.”

I couldn’t carry it myself.

“Yes.  Yes.  Haaa.  I just fear something happening to it.  Fine.  Let’s get your army, Priss…  Exposing you to danger is… shockingly not appealing to me at this time.  Humph.  Mika, time to use your knowledge to welcome more of your brothers and sisters into our empire!  Doesn’t that fill you with sunshine and rainbows?  Hehe.”

The woman gave an internal grunt that rippled with shame; Elinor had about had enough of their complaining, though.  Eduardo and Mika froze as her cold words followed the laced honey of Butter’s jabbing comment.

I don’t want to hear it, she snapped.  Eduardo…

The man flinched at the icy flames touching his spirit.  You were involved in kidnapping me, not to mention ruining the lives of how many other girls to satisfy your greed?

He shifted uncomfortably in the air, still scanning for danger as they waited for the two groups of three toads to pass.  “I had my reasons for getting into that life…”

I don’t care, Elinor flatly denied.  You were a part of the machine that destroyed my life.  You’re not a ‘good person’ or ‘victim,’ but one of the villains that I found a use for.  Do what you are told without making a fuss, and maybe… just maybe, you’ll find some measure of happiness on this new page.

She turned her fire to the stiff toad woman, burning emerald irises searing her soul.  Did I force you to kill your pet?  Yes.  I’d do it again.  Your people attacked me, without a shred of remorse, I now hear.  No matter what you say about it being necessary, you’ll receive no pity from me, she snarled, making Mika shrink.

You’ve taken my normal teenage life away and forced me into this darkness I’ve been awakened to…  I’ve died and was born again.  You fired the first arrow, and now have my parents held captive.  Again…  You are not the victim.

Mika made a begrudging salute against her chest that seemed to signify she understood her place; oddly, there was a hint of regret within her that Elinor could feel through their connection.  Sadly, such emotions did little to soothe the crippling ice in her veins.

Settle in, she finished, hearing Butter’s chuckling claps from inside their shared soul space.  You’re not getting free any time soon.  We’re all villains now.

Changing directives, Elinor had Mika and Eduardo collaborate on drawing in victims for her to feed from, and Butter didn’t waste time, sucking dry life from nearby with the high monarch’s two butterfly minions.

An hour passed, and her toad slave proved quite useful, tricking her former comrades into traps by using their language and markers, adding six more undead soldiers to her number.  So far as they knew, the woman didn’t have the Grade to direct troops like a Staff Sergeant, so Butter did most of the coordinating.

None of them turned out to be nearly as strong as Mika, and, through some charades, she reluctantly directed them to the crimson liquid imprinted on their skin—their own hands stained in placing the palm print across their body—they were ‘new bloods,’ or teens becoming men in their culture.

Most of them ranked in the D to C-tier, making Elinor realize how clutch Eduardo’s freezing curse had been in blindsiding the mature female toad warrior at A-tier.  It was somewhat of a nightmare for the youngsters; in essence, they were being hunted by their teacher, which made sense since she’d been left in charge of guarding the Hub-Crystal.

Elinor didn’t even have to get her hands dirty now that Mika was able to do the swift and silent executions, conserving her strength to raise them as unintelligent undead.  She learned a lot about this alien race over the hour, constantly changing locations to escape further probes when scouting parties went missing.

Currently, their opponents were Mika’s tribe of discolored green toads, and Elinor wanted to keep it that way after deciphering the organization of the forces they faced.  They’d been correct regarding the pure green toads; the clan had a unique power of light through something they wore that appeared to have the ability to affect spirits—Mika didn’t believe the rumors until now.

It was somewhat ironic, but Mika believed the pure green toads were the weakest of the four tribes that were participating in this raid; she may have been right in terms of morals and overall combat potential, yet, to this new empire, they were a natural nemesis.

Mika’s people were jungle warriors, breeding their battle mounts to act as horses, mules, and wolves, all in one deadly package.  There were some that were ‘special’ amongst them, but she vehemently disregarded the topic of magic, which she put more in the specialty of the blue and pure green tribes.

According to her, the closest pairs were the orange and blue, whom she recommended they completely stay clear from, considering someone very powerful from each clan was present.  Strangely, the woman pointed at the jungle around them and made a hyped gesture, throwing her hands in the air to try and describe some potent magic from the cobalt-colored aliens.

Butter got it first.  “This leader can control plants?”

Mika held up two fingers, indicating yes before holding up one, saying no.  She pointed at the mud, a nearby stone, and made another sweeping gesture.

Elinor sighed, rubbing between her eyes; this really was turning into a nightmare.  He can control the earth and plants?

She pointed at her mouth, spreading her fingers out and motioning between them.

Butter hissed at the implication.  “He can speak to plants and the earth?”

She held up three fingers, saying she didn’t know, which Elinor took to mean it was rumored amongst her tribe.  If it was true, it didn’t matter where they went, he would be able to find them by listening into the insane network of whispers these narking trees would give him.

A low, internal growl rumbled through the Nexus as Elinor studied their little undead army of nine, hidden amongst the tree branches—two intelligent, seven unintelligent—and only her current mount being her only Common-Grade minion.

She’d gone back into her earrings to check her status several minutes ago, discovering that her Feats were developing at a much slower rate after reaching D-tier.  On the plus side, she only needed one more toad or three humans to advance her [Minion Pool I] and [Raise Undead I] to the E-tier.

Her Death Pool was sitting at its current max, eleven spheres, Butter put to use their newest butterfly warrior, using the two to dive-bomb-drain unsuspecting creatures with the blonde general like the parasites they were and sucking the life of the sleeping jungle critters they found.

Yet, Elinor’s alarm rose when the blonde discovered something critical from their toad servant; she sat straighter as Butter groaned, having had personal communications with Mika as she thought.

“A small snag, Priss…  What would you say if these, ahem, alien toads had, say… over a thousand soldiers in reserve, and they keep cycling them in as a slot opens?  It appears there is a limit on how many can be sent through or currently here…  I don’t know the reason, but Mika says there is a cap.”

She couldn’t comprehend it for a second, processing the news as she put it up against their little force.

We… have eleven, Butter.  I have a limit, as well…  Fifteen.  How can we possibly fight hundreds upon hundreds of waves?  Sooner or later, they will discover more about my abilities and how to counter them; the musical orange one came up with a strategy on the spot after discovering we killed its friend.

“Don’t bite my wings off,” Butter huffed.  “As I said, a little snag.  I’m sure we can come up with something to get by.  Heh.  I have this feeling you and I have seen worse odds.”

Sure…  Ugh.  Keep on your calorie grind while I figure out something.  I believe you’re getting me experience in it, despite gorging yourself on all the spoils.

“To be fair, I do a lot of flapping and cardio,” she giggled, making Elinor smile.  Her twin did have a way of making things not as bad as they seemed.

Fair enough.  See if you can learn more about their power structure from Mika.  We need solid units, at the very least, to counter quantity since we’re limited on numbers at the moment.

“To the top of the tower!”

Her eyebrow lifted.  Top of the tower?

“Oh.  Not a saying where… ever this place we ended up in?  Forget it.”

Uh-huh.

Crossing her legs from within the ribcage of the creature she sat protectively in, Elinor dismissed the strange mannerisms of the golden goddess, focus returning to her status screen.  If she didn’t gain new Feats at every level, and most of them turned out to be Feat Extensions or Addons, then she was stuck in a rather limited range of abilities, which wasn’t ideal.

Then again, she was a Lich Empress, meaning her primary mode of combat was supposed to be through her minions.  Perhaps at some point, she could get the Feat to use one of her unit’s abilities—a girl could dream—though she would have liked to have some kind of personal weapon at her disposal.

A frown touched her lips as a chill swept through the jungle, and Mika felt a wave of traumatic panic that was transmitted through the Nexus; Butter provided the answer as she rose higher.

“Priss…  Is it supposed to snow in this world’s jungles?”

A wicked smile lifted Elinor’s cheeks.  No…  No, it is not.  A balancing act by whoever is overseeing or instigating this conflict since it’s become so one-sided?  Whatever the case, we’ve already seen what snow does to these warm-blooded creatures, and Mika seems terrified of it.

“It may have been me that did it; I’m sure I have weather powers,” Butter boasted, puffing up her chest with pride at the assumed credit.  “Thank provenance, which is I!”

Humble as always, Butter, Elinor chuckled.  Just because you’re a butterfly, doesn’t mean a hurricane appears when you flap your wings.

“Have you been afflicted by madness; is this what you consider a hurricane?  It’s just a light snowfall, Priss.  Don’t be so melodramatic.”

Melodramatic…  Elinor wanted to facepalm, but let it go; she had enough that was on her mind, and this could buy her the time they needed.  Right.  Right.  Right.  You keep doing you, Butterfly of Providence and keep climbing that tower.

“No.  No.  No.”  Butter sighed as if she were so innocent.  “I don’t climb towers.  I am at the top of them, and others come to worship me.  Silly, Priss.”

You are… really something, Butter.

“Exceptional!  Gorgeous!  Beyond words of wisdom that baffle the greatest sages.  You are so lucky to have me.”

You have no idea…

Puffing out a short stream of frigid air, she saw the vapor come out in a cloud; the temperature was plummeting quickly, which would draw the toads away, giving her time to ponder their next steps.

She’d discovered a lot of information since first becoming a Mythickin, but the problem came in how to best utilize it.  Mika was also a wealth of solid data; if they could only bridge the language barrier easier, then so many problems could be solved.

The intelligent toad was eavesdropping on the aliens’ response to the storm, and according to Eduardo, it was falling from the shimmering dome overhead.  There had to be something or someone monitoring all of this, be it a god or advanced alien race, which meant it was for a purpose; she only hoped it was for more than simple entertainment.

The snow helped, she had to admit, but the emerald fire of her minions—especially the massive toad pet—would mark her quickly once everything was covered in white.  Problems—all she had were problems.

Mom and Dad are separated, likely having been captured by different groups.  I’ve almost hit my limit in my Minion Pool, as well; only one intelligent and five unintelligent before I’m maxed.  Hopefully, that increases when jumping to the E-tier, but if it doesn’t…

Adjusting herself and plucking down the corner of her silky shorts, Elinor breathed out a long stream of air that left a short trail; it was funny how breathing helped relieve stress even when the action wasn’t required for her to live anymore.

My only advantage right now is remaining a mystery.  If these aliens really have over a thousand warriors between their clans, waiting on the other side of the crystal to send in this endless wave of soldiers… then I don’t stand a chance.  I can’t see myself winning like this, despite Butter’s unending confidence.

Her mouth tightened while glaring at the six guards Butter had left her as they hung around the trees.  They stuck out like a sore thumb with the emerald flames licking over their bones, and it was only by Mika’s ability to speak their language and know their tactics that had kept them away from discovery.

It was apparent that things would start ramping up as the conflicts in the town died down, allowing them to devote more people to searching for what was making their youth disappear.  She needed bigger fish, yet that came with a lot of risks that could quickly snowball.  Despite the fact Elinor couldn’t see a victory condition with only fifteen undead to her limit, she had to laugh—her joke was barely funny, only due to the weather; she had to find joy in the little things, however.

If she ditched the young bloods for more of these toad hounds and maybe collected some of their more potent special forces from the various clans, then maybe she could become a credible threat, but the second anyone important went missing, everything would start coming down on her head.

Ghosts were her big plan before—it just made sense—they were more debuffers, afflicting their prey with status conditions, and were supposed to be ethereal and basically invisible.  Yet, that didn’t turn out to be the case, so… what was left?  She had to have physical units to pad out her small force, and they had to be powerful.

These pets worked for that, and yet a huge part of their offensive potential came from their meaty, muscular frame, powerful tongue, and natural, scaly armor, which was all burned away when revived.  Maybe if they could get an Uncommon-Grade one that was mostly intact, but other than that, she was working with scraps against a literal army—scratch that—four armies.

Entering her diamond again, she passively listened to Butter as her fatty blonde went through her own thoughts on the position and movements of the various factions of toads during the rapidly increasing snowstorm; it wasn’t quite a blizzard, yet it certainly was more than what Elinor expected.

Her second-in-command had been having personal discussions with Mika regarding their culture’s structure, and if there were fractures between factions that could be exploited.  One good piece of news was that most of the clans did not like the pure green faction, which was the ones Elinor was most concerned about.  If there were troubles, they’d be left in the dark longer than any other, and they would only ask for help in the worst-case scenario.

Elinor worked around her jaw while staring at her rather bare-bones status sheet.  At first, it was fairly complicated as to how everything interacted, and the information kept pouring in, yet everything had slowed down after the first few hours.

Her mood improved as Butter continued to give her the cliff notes on what she’d learned from their alien minion.  Fortunately, the pure green aliens lived far, far away from where the rest called their home; basically, in the backyard of where this gateway of a crystal formed in their world, and had only been invited due to a single blue toad, much to the discolored green clan’s distaste.

It was clear the dark blue tribe had a lot of sway between all of the factions, and that was because someone extremely important was running the show from within their faction that everyone looked up to.

Elinor’s thoughts went to the wrinkled toad with the guard that was watching the hotel her mother took shelter in.  If she could get him, then maybe her chances would improve, and from what she’d discovered via Butter’s thorough investigation into Mika’s mind, her raised intelligent undead returned to the prime of their youth.  It was certainly a selling point she could give people.

The orange clan that played musical instruments drew her mind away from her stats as Butter and she discussed it; they’d been extremely lucky in taking them out.  They were supposed to be extremely dangerous, and Mika couldn’t believe they’d managed to kill two of the elite scouts.

In order of rankings within the clan’s warriors, they were the highest tier of scout, numbering fourth on their hierarchy of powerful combatants.  Elinor lamented the fact she hadn’t resurrected one, draining it instead, but she didn’t have much of a choice, given the circumstances.

Plus, they weren’t exactly the best fit for minions when they relied on a flower—although, perhaps that could also be used when they were undead—she’d need to look into them more when she got the time.

Looking back, Elinor could see why they were placed in such regard; the second flute player had somehow accurately determined its flower—a core aspect of their identity, it seemed—was a weakness for them against her and, without hesitation, discarded it to win, likely crippling its future military service.

Sitting back in her chair, Elinor rested her cheek against her knuckles while glaring at her stats.

What are we going to do, Butter?  I can’t make Mom and Dad worry about me for too much longer…  They probably think I’m dead, but I also can’t be stupid and just charge into certain capture.

“Ahem.”  Her soul bunk-mate chuckled.  “Might I remind you, Priss, that it is snowing?  Mika says they are retreating to their transport locations, leaving only a few soldiers around the town to observe what the remaining humans do.  Some are staying behind—the pure green is leaving a small faction—but they seem to want to be cautious with so many young warriors going missing in the jungle.

“It’s actually quite amusing!”  she said, becoming inactive to appear inside her own throne opposite her, inspecting liquid gold locks and a completely restored figure.  “They, heh, suspect some pack of stealthy, giant cat creatures due to what was left behind from your panther and the unusual scent of death in the area you left behind.”

Straightening, Elinor’s expression lifted upon not seeing a scratch on her radiant twin, choosing to speak aloud now that Butter returned to their shared bunk.  “I see you’ve completed your required ten Death Orbs for the day.  Feeling better?”

“Oh, you have no idea!”  she groaned, stretching her arms high overhead and adjusting her silky gown.  “The screw digging into my chest has stopped drilling, so that’s something positive.  I can relax a bit…  Hmm.  How are you doing, Priss?”

Elinor tapped her crossed knee, seeing the concern in Butter’s illuminated aquamarine irises; it was a bit uncomfortable having these sensations within her that were as a part of her as the relationship with her parents—possibly greater—but having no recollection of it, and the fact it was mostly negative.  Things were changing, though.

“It doesn’t matter how I feel; I have to do what I have to do.  So, the toads are done with the first wave and giving the humans time to regroup?”

“Meh.  Probably for multiple reasons,” the blonde shrugged, summoning a hand mirror to scrutinize her face more thoroughly.  “By giving the humans a chance to regroup, they’re saving themselves the trouble of rounding them up one by one.  Spies will inform them of any sort of defense, but I suspect it will be quite troublesome for them to move in the frigid weather, which means…”

“The perfect time to farm experience and gain more soldiers,” Elinor chimed, glancing one more time at her sheet.  “Hmm.  Do you know anything more about this status sheet or Feats?”

Butter flashed her teeth, making Elinor a bit sour by how stunning her twin actually was when they were supposed to be identical; the tiny changes to her features truly did make her appear as a goddess.

“Such as?”

“When do I get new Feats?  I got one at Level 2, but not at Level 3.”

“Ah,” Butter nodded.  “I’m fairly confident I saw something about that in regards to increments of five—the first was probably a freebee, of sorts—quite generous, but maybe that’s due to me being attached to your soul.”

Elinor gave her a dubious smile.  “Whatever you say, Ms. Vanity.  Ugrmgh.  I suppose we’ll need to do some power leveling then.”

“I suppose so…”  The golden girl dismissed the mirror to direct a charming grin her way.  “Be honest with me, Priss; when you have talent, looks, and power like mine, is it not natural to feel pride?  I must say that it is more of a challenge to keep myself humble than you can possibly fathom…”

She paused, lips drawing in as she tilted her head to the side.  “Mmh…perhaps not so difficult.  I don’t know what is wrong with you, or how you or I ended up like… eh-heh, we have, but I can confidently say you are at least… mmh, somewhat comparable to me.  Now, isn’t that being humble?!  I deserve a treat,” she clapped, rising to her feet to probably fetch another Death Orb.  “I’ll even bring one back to you to celebrate this, heh, hurricane.”

“Haha.  Sure, Butter.  Whatever floats your boat.”

Butter paused, eyes narrowing while glancing to the side.  “Do… boats not float in this world?”

“What?  No.  Haha.  Maybe they don’t.”

“Odd…  Well.  I’ll be back!”

Waving her off, Elinor scratched her temple; it was time to become a snow predator.  Calculated to even the odds or by pure chance, she wasn’t going to give up this opportunity to boost her levels, and, if she was lucky, perhaps she’d be able to gain a language Feat for her minions.

Returning to her artificial body, Elinor saw the snow already beginning to collect on the ground; it would soon be morning, but the winter veil would provide the cover she needed for the morning—it was time to hunt and feast on their misfortune.

Chapter Six: Slow, Steady Progress

Taking it slowly through the jungle Elinor followed Mika to the more remote places between her people’s assault locations.

Considering her options in the time the snow bought her, she reflected on the coming morning.  Dawn would bring a moment’s relief, which wasn’t lost on her; the brightening sky had a blinding veil of shimmering colors, like an aurora borealis that could prove most opportune for an assault.

They paused at the jungle’s edge, waiting for the aliens to finish their retreat.  The humans had survived the first wave in this tower defense game.

Elinor hadn’t played many mobile games since her life mostly revolved around cheer, gymnastics, hanging out with Tanner, and rebelling, as of late.  Yet, she had enough friends to know certain genres, and Tanner dabbled a bit in a few games, so various system mechanic connections did play in the back of her mind.

I may be overthinking this, but if we can get to whoever is orchestrating this, then perhaps we can nip this entire thing in the bud…  No.  If they are powerful enough to change the weather and create this entire scenario, it’s impossible for me at the moment.

My efforts are best put into making this a battle of attrition.  If I make things too hard for them, they’ll consider the losses too much and give up—it’s standard war practice from history—the attackers may have a stronger force, and they could win, yet at what price…

Her focus shifted to the others, going about their own given tasks.

Currently, she was capped on Death Orbs, but she also wanted to keep some in reserve with her butterflies acting as an overflow, and Butter was now having trouble finding suitable candidates to suck the life from in the area, much to her annoyance.

Eduardo had adjusted through the night, observing and accepting his position until an opportunity arrived to do anything more, and he’d realized she’d provided him a way of living after the aliens killed him.  Was it ideal?  No, but he’d deal with it.

On the other hand, Mika was still bitter, despite understanding it was just another part of war—well, supernatural war—and there was a strange questioning draw within her heart whenever her mind turned to her.

Elinor dismissed it as her finally realizing she could resurrect the dead; yeah, that would make most people question their beliefs, including her, since she was primarily agnostic, but she had other things to concern herself with at the moment.

As the sparkling, multi-colored snow gathered, Elinor had Eduardo patrolling with Butter while she spent some quality time with the alien toad woman, coming up with an acceptable way to bridge their language barrier by drawing symbols for things in a cleared patch of mud.

It was only simple things, such as the four tribes, yes, no, both, maybe, and various other things she could point to when asked a question.  They had time to fill while waiting for the main force to leave, and she needed to know very important details in regard to their retreat.

The possibility that they knew there was a traitor was very low, and the only possible way it could be discovered would be if the plant speaker leader of the blue tribe managed to glean the information from the foliage.  Since they hadn’t been discovered, she figured it hadn’t happened as of yet, which meant she needed to strike a decisive blow during this next operation.

Their retreat would be centered around identifying many of the things their initial teams managed to steal back to their world; it seemed ‘conquered goods’ could be brought through to the other side of the gateways.  Mika didn’t know how it functioned entirely; she only knew what she’d been told and heard from the expedition leaders of the orange and blue tribes.

It was worth considering being captured voluntarily to reach her parents, and act as a trojan horse, raising the dead in secret to cause chaos within; of course, that plan of action only applied if her parents had been captured.  In addition, she had to prepare properly by leveling the tools at her disposal.

Eduardo was fine with such a plan since the storm would make him practically invisible, but Mika didn’t particularly enjoy the idea of Elinor just throwing her away to return to the void of death—whatever it was—and she appeared to be terrified of what might become of her on the other side.  Elinor had to wonder if they had some kind of religion in regard to the topic; it was something to explore later.

Butter was all fangs when it came to the possible direction, practically licking her lips at the prospect of all those lives to be culled.

Elinor didn’t care either way, which barely registered on her new and more refined sensibilities.  She had people to protect, and she’d do whatever it took and commit any war crime required to see them returned; her heart was as dead as those she rose when it came to the topic of rescuing her parents.

Her focus went to the brilliant heavens, rays of light beaming through the rainbow snow that had gathered a few inches across what was visible of the town outskirts from their hidden position.  Mika had been ordered to draw in the hardening mud a map as to where the Hub-Crystals were and which factions controlled them.

She had a plan that she’d worked with Butter on throughout the hour; between the three butterflies—including her High Monarch—she had a total of seventeen Death Orbs.  It was a good stock for what was to come, but they’d need to draw out more from the scouts left behind.

When Mika finished, telling her that they’d likely completed the retreat—it was swift, given the snow—Elinor studied the simple circular drawing of the dome with the dots representing the gateways; the main crystal seemed to be important only after the others were destroyed.

The best case scenario would be if her parents were still in town; if they were, all she had to do was build up an appropriate force to do a smash and run of the remaining hubs, sealing the crystal so they couldn’t return or make another attack.  If not… she had her work cut out for her.

Deciding it was time to make her move, Elinor spread out her six new blood soldiers, mount, ghost, and cavalry rider.  The strategy was simple: Eduardo, Mika, her pet, Butter, her butterflies, and two of the young bloods methodically took out those skulking behind, one by one.

Elinor had another focus—it wasn’t like any of her minions could accomplish it—she’d talk to the people that remained to understand the situation while looking for news about her parents.  Her best bet was to return to the hotel they were staying at.  She needed more appropriate clothes, in any case, since fighting a war in a bra and silky shorts didn’t feel quite right.

The snow didn’t impede her that much since she was well resistant to the elements, given her natural stats in that area; if it really did become a blizzard, she’d have trouble, but overall this wasn’t even a hindrance.

Mika found it somewhat magical that her own undead body countered one of her most feared nemeses—frozen water—which did make Elinor smile a little to think about.  Clearly, they’d started developing the method of clothes, yet it seemed more for carrying purposes than to retain heat.  For all their evolutionary advantages over humans, they did come off as rather primitive.

Her execution squad took off without her, leaving four of the unintelligent young bloods to act as her escort.  They weren’t exactly heavyweights but had quite a lot of power if able to utilize leverage—well over three times that of a strong man.

The damage to the town was worse in some ways than others; demolished walls, collapsed roofs, and fires had been started in a few places, likely by humans, not the aliens.  It was somewhat of a mess.  The discolored green clan’s pets’ passing was very clear, flipping over cars, breaking through infrastructure, and upturning the town’s graveyard.

Elinor was getting a better picture of how each clan operated and was surprised at how few people she saw, including corpses.

The toads snatched up everything they could, and it looked like they’d forced a few humans to use trucks to move things; they really were more intelligent than they appeared by the brutality of their passing.  On the other hand, she doubted it was the creature-using tribe that thought up the tactic.

She spotted a few men with guns peeking out of the general store, showing signs of a battle with blood, and there were a few corpses with the writhing plants inside of them—the orange clan’s work.

The men pointed her out, mumbling to one another about the half-naked teen walking with a bunch of skeleton toads, but, obviously, they weren’t going to approach that situation, letting her pass without calling out.  If she needed to speak to them, Elinor knew where to go.

Pockets of resistance were seen in a few places, and few wanted to leave their safety holes in case this was a ploy by the toads, no doubt.  She was a bit surprised how few people seemed to be left after the first invasion; of course, most would still be hiding, but she expected to see at least some groups using the opportunity to move to a better-fortified location.  Then again, she had insider knowledge to work off of.

Shouts were heard as the battle between Butter’s assault team and a spy played out, and she received a live report from Eduardo since all he had to do was basically hug the alien, hoping his curse would take effect.

As Elinor expected, it was a slaughter when it came to one or two toads; Mika was knowledgeable in each tribe’s tactics and could tell Butter which ones would be better as food or soldiers.  Expecting more Death Energy, she sent two unintelligent soldiers with the task of discovering more alien bodies for her to raise.

In a way, they were much like computers, just a lot simpler; she could input instructions to an extent, and Elinor figured it would improve by Grade and Tier.  Trapped in one of the burning buildings were the bones of a few young bloods on her path, and she managed to weave around the flames to raise them.  Luckily, the smoke had no effect on her—other than making her smell bad, she was sure.

The teenage toads ranged between Poor-D and C—it wasn’t great, but she could only raise what she could get—and a smile spread across her lips upon touching the last one, maxing her unintelligent units to thirteen.  [Raise Undead I] and [Minion Pool I] became E-tier.

“Huh…”

Returning on her wandering path to the hotel, using the main road as a way to track where she’d come into the town, Elinor felt the information about the upgrade bloom in her mind upon inquiry.

I gained eight unintelligent slots, but only a single intelligent…  Shame.  Still, that bumps my overall army from fifteen to twenty-four.  Mmgm…  No changes to my Grade.  What good are the tiers if nothing happens when they go up?  Maybe there is a subtle difference, like slightly higher stats when raising them…

Putting in the back of her mind, Butter flew back with her two other winged lackeys to refill the energy she used.

“I sensed you get a tad stronger, Priss.  Congratulations!  Mika is watching a spy, who is nearby observing you; the flaming entourage certainly does draw a lot of attention.”

A good harvest from the two you’ve rooted out already?  Elinor asked.

Her calm eyes drifted to the right as a pure green toad jumped down from the building with Mika and her pet in pursuit.  Eduardo was hanging onto the alien with all his might, grumbling through the Nexus that if Mika didn’t slow them down, he’d be blown off.

She paid no attention to him as Butter directed more of her guard to join the hunt, and Elinor paused to observe, watching them easily scale the single-story buildings in single, dancing leaps.  It became fairly obvious the creature was trying to break away to inform the others about her—her minions weren’t about to allow that, though.

“Quite the harvest,” Butter mused, floating higher to guide the unintelligent skeletons into position to keep the far-swifter warrior in their web.  “We really are quite the villains, Priss; a monster, demon, savage, evil…  I’ve heard a lot of names thrown around by various people hiding away.  You are being lumped into the attackers by many.”

It’s to be expected, Elinor evenly replied, seeing the drained butterflies return to the hunt with their general.  I don’t mind being the villain if I get what I want…  I didn’t even want to come on this humanitarian aid retreat, she grumbled.

“I don’t know anything about any mission for humanity,” Butter returned, more or less playing with the toad, pinning him down to refill on spheres.  “Are we keeping this one alive for questions about the green tribe and their light-based powers?  Obviously, this one doesn’t have it, or Eduardo would be ectoplasmic paste by now.”

“Wait, what?!”  the man balked since Butter transmitted that part to him.

“Oh, don’t worry about it, dear!  You’re safe this time.  You should pay more attention to the colors, though; you never know when one might zap you back to the void.”

Elinor debated Butter’s question as she got into position to drain the sweating and panting creature.  It was no doubt panicking like mad after seeing the dead pursuing them; they likely didn’t have a concept of zombies in their culture, or, if they did, it certainly elicited quite the response.

I only have two intelligent slots left, and I’d rather wait until we can find someone of Common-Grade, so they can act as a Staff Sergeant to command another unit.  Sure, the information is important, but I doubt this one is more than low Poor-B-Grade; better than the new bloods, but not by much.

“Unlucky for him!”  Butter sang, happily landing on his back as the undead held him down.

Elinor didn’t bat an eye while moving past them; the creature aged rapidly, skin wrinkling as its life was pulled out, causing the golden butterfly and one of her lackeys to brighten once more.

As she neared the hotel, she was a little surprised when a young, black-haired woman in her early twenties or late teens jogged out of a house, wrapped in a blanket.  Breathing heavily in the falling snow, she glanced over at the disintegrating alien before returning her brown eyes to her, speaking Spanish.

“Y-You are one of the people who, ack… that gained powers?”  she asked, shivering in the cold and wearing flip-flops.  “Can you… kill them all—can you rescue those that were tak—what?!  I’m sorry, I…”

Elinor held up a hand, keeping her casual pace as one of her guards moved to intercept the woman, mentally instructing it to make an exception.  “I’m looking for answers and my own parents,” she said in her language, slowing a tad to look at her to let her know she could approach.  “We were on a trip from the United States.  Come, walk and talk; we only have a limited time before their main force comes back.”

“T-They’re going to return?!”  she shivered, hugging her blanket tighter and swallowing to wet her dry throat.  “You can fight them like that prison warden that turned into a snake?”

Recalling Raul’s earlier statement about the topic, Elinor’s eyebrows furrowed, catching sight of the large crystal in the hotel parking lot further down the street.  It was still cone-shaped, and about fifteen meters tall, hosting its sapphire shade; the glow had changed, though, now displaying a bright green.

“Hmm.  What happened to her…  Was she killed?”

The woman’s messy hair shifted against her shoulders as she shook her head.  “No, umm…  I heard the green ones managed to put her to sleep, but she killed dozens of them with water and poison, even ripped them apart with her bare hands…  This is so crazy!  Old Man Carlos became, eh… he became younger and grew horns like a bull—what the hell is happening—they killed him, too?!”

Noting the possible candidate for resurrection, Elinor shrugged.  “I’m not concerned about whys right now.  I have other things to contend with.  Do you know what happened to the people in the hotel, or any survivors?”

The woman’s mouth drew in, and Elinor noticed the buses they’d come on were gone.  No…

“Umm.  They, eh… they took all the foreigners, as far as I know, since they were all grouped around the hotel; I saw them make the driver take a ton of stuff with them out of town to the northwest side.”

Elinor scratched her temple with agitation and sighed, scanning the hotel area, which was devoid of life.  “Did anyone escape?  They can’t have taken everyone in town in one night… there are thousands that live here.”

She nodded, nudging her head to the side.  “There were a few women and kids that escaped due to some of the Americans creating a distraction for them, and Virgil has a group near a warehouse that he managed to keep safe with Gloria.  I came out to see if I could find my husband, but…”

Not having time for her emotion or sniffles, Elinor grunted, moving to her hotel room.  Some of the doors were broken into or had their windows smashed, yet theirs remained untouched.

“You can guide me to this warehouse after I get into some better clothes.”

She ordered one of her soldiers to break the knob on the door since busting through with weight wasn’t an option, and Butter engaged another spy a few streets away that grew interested in the noise her previous fight caused.

“I’m Alicia, by the way…”  she whispered, teeth chattering.  “You’re looking for your parents, too?”

“I said as much, didn’t I?”  Elinor muttered as the sharp sound of snapping metal came from the door, and her minion punched what remained of the lock through, fracturing one of his fingers in the process.  “My name is Elinor, and, to be clear, I’m not here to be your friend.”

“No, I understand,” she said with a strained smile, shuffling in after her to escape the chill outside, not that it was much better indoors.  “It’s pretty cool…”

“Being dead?”  Elinor dryly asked, shooting her a dull stare that made her flinch.

“No!  No!  I, umm… I meant to control them.  I wish I could fight back,” she muttered, sniffing again and rubbing her red nose.  “It just… happened so fast.  Deniel and I were just out shopping…”

Feeling rather apathetic toward her attempt to bond to someone who could protect her, Elinor cut the woman off while hoisting her suitcase onto the bed with some effort; she may be even weaker than she was while alive, which was somewhat annoying to contemplate.

“Not to be rude, Alicia, but I’m not the bad guy you’ve signed up for, nor the good heroine that will save you.  You’re useful to me right now, and if you become a burden, like making too much noise, we’ll have to go our separate ways.”

The woman’s chest fluttered as she sucked back her emotions, nodding frantically.  “Understood…  I’ll shut up.  Sorry.”

Shaking her head with mild exasperation, Elinor found it much easier when dealing with just her undead, which, admittedly, wasn’t the best sign regarding her humanity; yet again, those questions came later.

“Stay with my guards; try to remain out of sight…”  she trailed off as another link snapped inside her breast, making her vision defocus.

[Level Up - Level 4]

[Mika - Advanced to Poor S-tier]

“Elinor?”  Alicia hesitantly whispered, nervously glancing around and shuffling away from the window as more sounds came nearby from a battle her squad was having.

Butter, did you just kill another one?

“Hmm?  Oh, a level!  Wonderful.  Also, no, we’ve just engaged another one of those orange plant toads; quite annoying to deal with—are you kidding me—these orange plant ones always go after me!”

Elinor’s gaze shifted to her shoulder as swirling golden threads exited her left earring to form Butter’s body again.  Lost two Death Orbs?

“Nope!  I purified them when I saw his target,” she proudly boasted, flying back into battle, and Elinor sensed three of her young blood crumble upon taking too much damage.  “This one is going to be a problem…”

Need help?

“No.  You do your make-up and fashion show while I get all the real work done,” she huffed.  “I don’t need your help to win a battle.”

Haha.  Snappy much?

“I like that word.  Yes.  I am a bit snappy right now, and I’m about to snap this toad’s neck!”

Elinor found it a tad comical to see a tiny butterfly snapping a giant toad man’s head around.  Try not to pull a wing, and you need to replace the…

“Dammit!”

Heh.  You need to replace the three Death Orbs you used in reforming your gatherers and body, she mused, seeing her hastily flutter back in to collect her entourage.

“Yes.  Yes.  He’ll pay with his life… literally.”

Unfortunately, Butter…

“Ugh.  Haaa.  I know.  I know.  He may be worth investigating for a soldier candidate.  I’ll be as gentle as I can with his body; Mika and her pet are keeping it distracted.”

Have fun.

Giving the nervous woman a dismissive gesture, Elinor opened her bag.  “Just a battle with one of their more powerful warriors; it’s being handled.”

Rummaging through her stuff, Elinor smiled ruefully upon extracting a dress that fit her previous body perfectly, having front and back black leather ties to tighten where needed.  The hoodie had a witch’s point at the end, and the inside had a gothic patterned mesh fabric with a wood stitching design.

I can’t believe I took this on the trip.  Mom was right; it would have been suicide to wear this stuff in this heat—not that it applies now—but… it’s not like it affects me in this artificial body.  I’m very resistant to thermal changes.  Cool, I don’t have to worry about getting hot anymore.  I don’t have any liquid in my body, so there’s no chance of sweat.

Her smile fell a little at the sight of the two black boots that she’d brought—her only pair of footwear.  Man, that was such a bad idea.

Gathering the items along with a pair of black moon design socks, she went into the bathroom to quickly dress, posting her guards outside; Elinor quickly changed, noting that she probably didn’t have to use tampons anymore.

Finished putting on the dress—it fit the goth Lich Empress style—she was halfway done with her boots when Mika managed to get the finishing blow on the toad; she could practically feel the woman’s seething curses at how troublesome he’d been—or it may have been his taunts because she was pissed.

Hmm, these toads seem to have complex relationships, she noted to Butter, cursing him for her own reasons while sending Eduardo to find more victims; he wasn’t excited to potentially run into one of the green toads.

Doing a quick knot, she opened the door and exited, gesturing for the woman to follow her to the scene of the battle.  When she got there, Butter sat on top of her savaged foe like a hunter showing off her prize.

Proud of yourself?

“Happy to see him dead,” Butter grumbled.  “You realize he single-handedly stole nine orbs from you—granted I did the smart thing and ate two—but he did force me into that position.  I had six stored, and three I used from your eleven to reform the butterfly squad, including myself.”

Elinor’s own mirth died at the admission; her personal reserve was down to eight.  You’re supposed to be in charge of those, Butter.

“You don’t need to tell me I messed up,” Butter growled, wings fluttering.  “These orange scouts certainly are observant; I’ll give them that.”

Alicia stayed behind one of the burning, skeletal young bloods, eyeing the dead toad with fright.  “Are… you going to raise it—like a necromancer ritual or…  No, shut up—just shut up…”

Emerald flames lit across her black-silk-wrapped hands, which would help hide her pale skin in the dark, thinking about the long run.

“Well?”  Butter asked.  “Please say he’s Common-Grade.”

Elinor sighed, shaking her head, and making Mika’s forehead furrow in question.  For whatever reason, he’s very high Poor-S.  We could work him into Common-F, but at this point, Mika is on her way to that.  I’ll make my decision when we find this man that turned into a bull.

“Oh?  I’m interested,” Butter chirped, actually happy not to bring back her blunder since it would be a constant reminder of her failure.  “This charming young woman is going to take us there?”

Fire extinguishing, Elinor straightened, having one of the remaining six young bloods carry the body with them; a few more had fallen to the advanced scout during the conflict.  She’d make him an unintelligent undead if things worked out with the other prospect.

“Is Carlos’ body in the warehouse where Virgil and that woman that escaped from the hotel are bunkered?”

She nodded, looking a bit hesitant about her motives.  “Last time I checked…  Are you going to bring him back to life?  What about that orange toad—isn’t he supposed to be strong?”

“You don’t need to ask too many questions…  Ugh.  More spies?”  she asked aloud, turning to the blonde as she took to the air, following up on Eduardo’s notice.  “We should hurry; I think they operate in shifts, and if they don’t return, they’ll send a stronger squad to handle whoever is killing their soldiers.”

Alicia quivered, hurrying down a side street.  “I’ll take us the short way!  Umm… thank you, Elinor; I know you said you aren’t doing this for me, but… you’re showing me we’re not just screwed,” she sniffed, trying to keep her emotions in check.  “Alien frog monsters…  How is this happening?”

Elinor didn’t respond, keeping pace with the woman; she had a new level to consider, and, oddly, it happened between killing things, which meant there were many methods of achieving experience.  If that were the case, she could get stronger in less noticeable ways.

Our pool of Death Energy took a hit…  I need a way to replenish it again, but the snow caused all the animals to retreat into dens or hide.  Maybe Mika can track them better than Butter since she lives in a jungle, as well…

I’m making slow but steady progress.  Hold on, Mom, Dad…  Don’t do anything stupid, especially you, Dad…  Please, don’t go crazy because I’m missing, and cause more trouble for me.

Chapter Seven: Seed Devourer

Thick snowflakes fell around Elinor in the windless blizzard, hazing much of her environment; her black boots made crunching noises in the still background as her gaze wandered between the shapes that bled through the veil, revealing shadows of sounds within.

Alicia quaked from the plummeting temperature, fingers wrapped around her blanket.  The freezing atmosphere was a blessing for Elinor, yet it certainly did have its negatives for the jungle town’s inhabitants, who had only seen a storm like this through online or movie sources.

Their pace was brisk, with the young woman’s jerky movements leaving a reasonably obvious trail in their passing.  Butter and Mika were busy using the tracks left by the toads to replenish their stock of Death Orbs, Eduardo moving practically invisible in his ghostly mist-like form, guiding the hunt.

Elinor’s mind was drawn to the positives and negatives she’d discovered about her new lich-based abilities.  For one, her undead stood out like a sore thumb, given their burning emerald flames, which did have a sort of fear factor she could employ, yet was a detriment when trying to keep a low profile.

The fact those she brought back were partially subservient and retained their previous personalities was also a double-edged sword.  Sure, it meant they’d have all the experience and information she may need, but it also made for a rather poor minion that needed to be broken into their new role.

Eduardo and Mika did show her that resistance may have been there, yet they did obey whatever order she gave due to the chains binding their spirits.  The Nexus also provided a degree of understanding into their developing mental state, which fascinated her.

Everyone had their own thoughts on death and what lay beyond it, deep in their souls, and these toads were no different when comparing the human and alien’s emotions.  They were conforming to their new roles, and that could have also been a gradual influence of her power; time would tell.

Her focus went to the two skeletal young bloods escorting them, the other four with Mika and Butter.  Even this early on, she’d run into another shortcoming of this empire-like system she’d been thrust into: a strict order of command.

Mika had advanced to the S-tier of the Poor Grade; clearly, there were defined rules for how she could ascend to the Common Grade, but they weren’t entirely clear as of yet.  Her army depended on her soldiers’ quality since the unintelligent minions only followed a certain level of commander, or she hadn’t unlocked more perks to allow a more intricate command structure.

There were exceptions or leniencies since Butter could bind Mika and her pet together, allowing her to make shot calls for the beast.  However, it meant everything was currently tied between Butter and her when, ideally, she wanted to split into smaller groups to be more efficient.

The structure also told her that it likely had something to do with her progression; her abilities might expand faster the more units she had in play, going about different tasks for her growing empire, and another necromantic type that could bring back others would undoubtedly speed up the process.

She figured there was some kind of limitation, such as they could only make unintelligent undead, yet that was perfectly acceptable.  Still, that was something to consider for the future since there were other things to do in the limited time she’d been given.

Right now, Uncommon Grade was her highest command structure besides Butter and herself, who could command every minion of the empire unconditionally.  An Uncommon undead was labeled as a Lieutenant with forty units under their care, broken into four squads of ten, guided by Staff Sergeants in the Common Grade.

Mika could act as a sort of officer to take minor leadership roles, such as with her pet, since she was brought back in the A-tier, and that number had increased to a maximum of three after her S-tier upgrade.  It showed the number increased when going to a higher tier; an F-tier Common minion, thereby, might not have the ability to boss around the full ten units the Grade allowed.  There was so much to consider with these new functions.

Eduardo’s jump to Poor-E snatched her attention; they had been making decent strides for twelve hours since the start of this fiasco.  Her current maximum was twenty unintelligent and four intelligent.  Her continual progress brought on a wistful as she welcomed her increased minion pool.  Going over her present force, she felt a satisfying heat well up within her core that all her hard work was paying off:

3x toads - Unintelligent Poor-E Skeletal-type - None

Eduardo - Intelligent Poor-E Ghost-type - Curse [Chill II]

2x toads - Unintelligent Poor-D Skeletal-type - None

1x toad - Unintelligent Poor-C Skeletal-type - None

Mika - Intelligent Poor-S Skeletal-type - Minor Stat Increase

1x Crocodile-toad - Unintelligent Common-D Skeletal-type - Minor Perception Increase

A total of nine minions to her name of the twenty-four she could control.  She’d lost six young bloods to their previous orange toad encounter and quite a few resources, but it also showed they’d managed to take on a stronger opponent—risks had to be made.

Making a snap decision upon realizing Mika’s increased faculties, she addressed the pair as they drew closer to what appeared to be a more storage-focused part of the town, considering the more prominent buildings, where the tracks in the snow showed hundreds had likely gathered.

Butter, you wanted to retrieve my body?

“Uh, yes!  I’m still gathering what we lost, though; don’t you need more Death Energy to raise an intelligent Common Grade unit?  What about your security, as well?  I don’t need to remind you that if you die, I die, and I’d rather not die.”

Heh.  I’m sure.  This blizzard is only worsening; it will limit almost everyone’s movements.

“Ooh!  Except for us, since the temperature doesn’t affect the undead that much,” Butter hummed.  “Are you thinking of putting a small unit in Mika’s hands since her advancement to S-tier?”

A small smile lifted Elinor’s mouth as Alicia motioned ahead, hurrying toward the front office of a warehouse.  “It’s, brrr…  It’s up ahead…  You’re not freezing?”

“Not at all,” she whispered, following the short trail of carbon dioxide with her eyes until it vanished before eyeing the two E-tier young bloods acting as her escort.

Yes.  Eduardo’s curse enhancement will make it trigger the effect more often, and I assume there is a buff to it in this environment; luck is on our side.  Mika will take control of the C-tier young blood and her pet while Eduardo scouts things out for her to kill.

“She needs experience, and we need more soldiers,” Butter agreed.  “The girls and the remaining three E-tier toads will be with me to retrieve your body and find more Death Orbs.

“Right!  Oh, this is starting to sound like a plan!  I’ll set things in motion.  She’ll get us the corpses, and I’ll find us some energy to raise them while protecting my precious, potential future body replacement.”

Figuring she was calling her two butterfly minions ‘girls,’ Elinor chuckled to herself.  I leave it in your care.

Butter paused for a moment and cleared her voice, though Elinor knew what didn’t need to be said.  Her twin was thankful she wasn’t being blamed for their last battle’s losses and was still trusted.

“Leave it to me, Priss.”

Letting her golden twin direct Eduardo and Mika, she proceeded into the building, seeing the lights were out and realizing it had been the same throughout the rest of the town; the electrical grid was down.  Of course, it would be if the crystal’s dome had cut them off from wherever the power plant was in this region.

Alicia hissed upon approaching the door, cursing under her breath while pounding on the closed door.  “C’mon!  Open up…  It’s freezing out here!  Hey!  It’s fine; they’re not alive, obviou—”

The door cracked open, showing a thin, dark-skinned man holding a rifle.  “Who’s the weird girl, and… are those skeletal alien toads?”

“They’re obviously frogs,” Alicia shot back, sliding her fingers through the crack and forcing it open; the man allowed it, letting them by, but kept his eye on the unusual party.

“No.  The toads stay outside,” he stated, and Elinor sent a wordless command for them to hide.  The man seemed to like the power she had over them even less, growling as he swiftly shut the door and barred it.  “Okay, talk, Alicia!  What’s going on?”

The expel of heated air from within the building pressed against her skin as she moved off to the side.  Studying the dark interior, lit by only a small glow near the floor that allowed just enough for those inside the office to see, Elinor marveled at the potency of [Darkness Vision]; she’d taken it for granted thus far, and that wasn’t the only luxury her Feats provided that she’d shoved aside.

It was odd, understanding the temperature yet not experiencing it the same way she had when alive, but the more perplexing thing was how these people had power.  She expected it to be some kind of generator, yet she hadn’t heard any loud noises indicating something was on.

The Colombian woman swiftly explained she’d been granted necromancer power from all the lights and was looking for someone named Gwen, who may know what happened to her mother.

In the meantime, Elinor’s focus settled on what looked to be a fifteen-year-old boy manning what appeared to be a drone with his tablet; it wasn’t the most sophisticated thing, but it seemed to be following her undead to see what they were up to—it wasn’t hard, given they were literally on fire.  A lot had happened to these people through the night.

People will find a way.

The man in charge of this area gave her a critical look, squinting in the darkness.  “You can raise the dead?”

“Yes,” she evenly replied, showing him what she hoped was a charming smile; granted, her artificial body did have some unnerving aspects to it, and the wicked crown on her head didn’t help—plus, she was a goth, so, there was that look that came from her clothes.  “Who is leading this little resistance?”

“Pfft!  Resistance?”  a new man chuckled, entering through a door further in and swiftly closing it behind him.  Laughably, he was holding what appeared to be a fantasy-style dagger, probably purchased from some online store.  “I guess you could say I am, but that’s not saying much…  Your Spanish isn’t native; you’re one of the US tourists?”

“Tourists is not the word I would use,” Elinor said, moving away from Alicia and the door guard to stand before the squinting man that appeared to be in his thirties; he had a bit of a belly but was well-groomed.  “If you want to live, I suggest you do as I say, which, given the circumstances, I’m sure is challenging.  Can you give him the cliff notes, Alicia?”

A few words passed between the men, obviously, the guard not trusting her, which was smart, but wasted her time; however, Virgil’s ears pricked up upon hearing she was a necromancer that had raised the ‘frogs’ from the dead to fight for her.

“What kind of power are we talking here?”  he pressed, sounding far too eager for Elinor’s liking; the man was likely a fantasy lover and had his own opinions of her.  “Can you create a zombie horde to go after them—that you can control, of course?”

“First,” Elinor promptly replied, “let me say I am not here to be your savior, so let me clip that bud off from the start.  Second, my goals primarily revolve around finding my parents and keeping them safe.  Perhaps, if the stars align, we can help each other, but I am going to need some trust since we are on a clock.  The snow outside will not keep them away forever, and I have a lot I need to do to get stronger in that time.”

The boy in the corner observed them with wide eyes, mumbling, “So cool…”

Virgil cleared his voice before the other man could interject, motioning for her to follow him inside with Alicia.  “We’ll take all the help we can get.  After they put Yesenia to sleep and captured her, I didn’t think we’d have anyone else to offer them a fight.  If you’re keeping them distracted, that’s good for us, too.”

“That’s an intelligent outlook,” Ellinor whispered, scanning the heated office space they’d entered in the records-keeping part of the facility; they still seemed to be using a lot of paper in this part of the world.  “I’m also interested in this old man that turned into a bull.”

Mouth drawing in, he pulled her to the side as several other men eyed them, keeping guard before getting to where the women and children were, no doubt.

“You want to bring Old Man Carlos back?”

Elinor could understand the reluctance to raise someone people knew.  “If it makes you feel any better, if he passes my minimum expectations, I’ll offer him the opportunity to fight back against the creatures that killed him.  If not, I can just send him back to wherever we go when we die.”

“Mmgm…  I guess we can’t really be picky, can we?”  he hissed, rubbing the back of his neck and glancing over at the curious men; a small, chubby black-haired woman bustled past the hesitant group.

“Virgil, what’s going on out there?  We need more diapers, and can we use the facilities now?”

Seeing an opportunity, Elinor smiled.  “Why don’t I have my guard outside escort you to wherever you need to go to get the supplies you need since the snow has forced the aliens to retreat for now, and my other soldiers are handling the spies they left to observe our reactions?”

“You’d do that?”  Virgil asked, crossing his arms as the woman gave him a look that said she had no clue what was happening.  “What if they suddenly attack; would they abandon Gloria and those she took to race back here?”

“What are we talking about here?  Does this girl have Colombian military or police with her or something?”

“Just give me a second, Gloria,” he mumbled, focus shifting to the men further down the hall as two came to check on them.  “I want to ensure they’re okay if anything bad happens.  We’ve seen the damage the giant reptile monsters they use as dogs can do, as well.”

Elinor shrugged.  “I have one in my clean-up group right now; they’re cleansing the town of the toads as we speak, and this is the best time while visibility is low.  You know the town, so you know where to go, while they do not.  Also, unless I give them explicit orders to return, these undead can only follow simple instructions, such as protecting the group that exits the building.”

Virgil puffed out a long stream of air.  “Alright, I’ll get all of that ready and get back to you.  Thank you…”

“Elinor,” she replied, illuminated emerald irises appraising the two men listening nearby, trying to get the gist of the conversation.

“Weather has a major effect on their biology; the storm will keep them bunkered near the Hub-Crystals they use to transport things to their own world.  Best believe they will strip this town of anything they think is valuable during their next invasion, so I would get what supplies you can.  Right now is the best chance you will get; I expect they’ll devise a plan to deal with the snow by the end of the day at the latest.”

Hmm.  When did I start speaking so formally, at times?  she internally pondered, focus returning to the man as he thought on her words.

“Noted…  Alexander, can you take her back to see Gwen?  I’ll be over once organizing a scavenging group to deal with the other thing, Elinor.”

“I look forward to it.  Also, the first people that leave the facility will have my soldiers’ protection, so make sure there are no stragglers because they will attack anything that gets close to them, so warn them not to pick up strays—they will kill any human that is not in that party without me there to direct them.”

“Oof.  Yeah, that’s a bit rough, but nothing we can do about it, I guess,” he growled, rubbing between his eyes.  “I’ll catch up with you in a bit…  Again, thank you, Elinor.”

“I’m not doing it out of the kindness of my heart,” she said, motioning for Alexander to take her to the woman that could tell her more about her mother.  “I don’t have time to waste, so be quick.”

She left Virgil to sort things out with the others, following Alexander past the guards, who couldn’t help but stare at her crown and white hair.  Elinor was a little surprised with how many people were crammed into the space when entering one of the offices, figuring the others were also full of kids or women.

I suppose everyone wants to be where it’s warm, and the extra bodies help; that’s a lot of mouths to feed, though.

“Gwen?”  Alexander called out in English to the whispering women—most elderly, teenage girls, or babies.  “Has anyone seen…”

“I’m here!”  a red-haired woman replied, and Elinor recognized her from their bus venture into South America.  “Umm.  What do you need?”

Elinor took over.  “Let’s go to a less crowded place.  I need to ask you a few questions regarding my mother.”

Gwen’s light green eyes lit up.  “Wait, you’re Tiffany’s goth daughter, right?  Umm…  Elinor—that’s your name?”

She does know my mom!

Recalling her mother had chatted with several women on the long ride, hope bloomed in her undead heart.  “That’s right.  Follow me.”

Alexander was forced to stay behind as the crowd swarmed him for answers he was ill-equipped to handle, but it did provide a means for her to escape without getting tied into any extended discussion.

Shutting the door behind them, Elinor pointed at one of the men in the hall, speaking Spanish; there were shockingly few amounts of males present in the area, yet that had likely been due to most acting as a distraction, or so she imagined.

“Where’s somewhere we can talk in private?”

“Uh… the warehouse is the clearest, I guess?  Some guys are sorting through the inventory to see what we have, but that’s your best bet.”

“It will work.”

Gwen hugged herself, proceeding into the chilly place, yet didn’t complain.  “So… you got powers?  Heh.  Your mom said if anyone would, it would be you…  She was so worried when she returned to your room, and you were missing; panicking, more like it, blaming herself for taking you on the trip… and, heh, you don’t want to hear that.”

It did actually help a bit to ease Elinor’s mind, and she drew the woman into a corner to chat, using scattered boxes as seats.  “I want to know everything about my mother’s condition, and can you run through a few of my questions really fast?”

“Mhm!  I’ll do everything I can to help…  Tiffany—well, your mother helped so many of us escape; it was actually her idea to make a distraction.  They were trying to make us use the buses and a rig to transport all the stuff they stole around the hotel.  She, umm, she made us promise to take care of you if we found you…”  she trailed off, forcing a smile while examining her in the weak light overhead.

“Although, I guess you’ve done pretty well taking care of yourself thus far, and your hair…”

“We can skip past all of the unnecessaries,” Elinor crisply said, feeling a bit annoyed her mother was such a helpful and sacrificing person.

All you needed to do was keep your head down, Mom!  Why are you always making trouble by being the caring woman involved in all the local drama?  It’s an addiction, I swear.

“What color of toads took her?”

Gwen shifted, breathing a long sigh; it wasn’t quite as cold in the warehouse as outside, but it was still far below the heated offices.  “Umm.  It was the orange ones, mainly, but the blue ones were with us, too.  I think they’re pretty close.”

“Mhm…  She wasn’t killed?”

“Oh, goodness, no!”  Gwen swiftly protested.  “She made it clear she would do anything to stay alive to find and protect you, and she was also fretting over your dad since…”

“He’s an idiot who would probably get himself killed?”  Elinor snarled, letting some frustration show before reigning it in with her passive Feat.  “Last I heard, he was with the pure green toads, which tend to be the most hospitable.  My mother was taken, though?”

“Unfortunately…  She was supposed to be in our group that got away, but things just didn’t work out in our favor, and she was put in the other group due to them, I suspect, seeing she was acting in a leadership role.  These aliens are a lot smarter than some people give them credit for.”

“Quite intelligent,” Elinor whispered, glaring at the floor.  “She wasn’t hurt?”

“Not the last time I saw her.  Gah!  I’m sorry I’m not being that helpful.  This is all just—right, no unnecessary chatter—umm, yeah, she was perfectly healthy the last time I saw her.  I don’t know what she’d do if they tried to take her onto a ship or something.”

That is a concern, Elinor internally thought, stomach knotting at the prospect.  She could have gone willingly, believing I was taken by them, which means I absolutely have to go to their world to rescue her, complicating everything.  I’m not going to lose her, though.

“That’s all I needed to know…”

“Oh!”  Gwen held up her hand as Elinor rose to leave, shifting to the side to dig around in her tight pants.  “Your mother asked me to give you this—I don’t know, as proof, I think?”

Elinor accepted a black hair tie, which could have been from anyone.  Stupid, Mom…  I don’t know every accessory you have, and what woman traveling in South America doesn’t have one of these?

“Thanks…”

“Mhm.  I really hope you find her and your dad, too.”

She nodded, playing with the item between her fingers and letting Gwen return to the warmth of the offices.  She couldn’t see her mother escaping a prisoner transport, and she was probably panicking on the other side when she noticed Elinor wasn’t there.  It looked like she’d entered hard mode now.

It did make sense why her mother would conclude Elinor had been kidnapped by them since they attacked shortly after she’d disappeared.

Well, Butter…  We’re going to war, I suppose, she whispered to the butterfly, almost beyond her range at the abandoned house.  She sensed her unintelligent undead outside move out at the same time, indicating Virgil would be finding her soon.  My mom was taken to their world.

“A rescue operation, more than a war, I’d say,” Butter mused.  “Also, I have the goods, and on the way, I managed to pick up another four Death Orbs from all the sheltered critters in the attic, trying to escape the snow.”

We’ll need them.  Elinor reached back to bundle her hair and slip the tie around her locks to fashion a low ponytail, fingers slipping through the ethereal veil.  If I’m being honest, I can’t see us going to the other side as conquerors; their numbers are too great.

“The reason I said more of a rescue operation.  If we are to rescue your mother, we’ll need to get a bit creative…  See if our thoughts align; we get much stronger, max out your Death Pool and our reserves, get some solid Common soldiers, and do whatever we can to willingly get captured without them being destroyed.  Thoughts?”

They don’t know our capabilities, Elinor hummed, vision rising to the door as Virgil exited, whispering to the dark-skinned man that didn’t seem to trust her.  I can grow in the meantime, and maybe when I reach level five, options will open with a new Feat.

Right now, allowing ourselves to be captured is my only option, and who knows how long these gateways will remain open?  I need to build this beast growing in my heart to contend with what we’re bound to face.  How are Mika’s efforts?

“None of her minions have died yet, so our undead leader is doing her job efficiently and using Eduardo as a scout.  We may need to replace him soon, though.  Unless you believe his curse is worth keeping, even at his low Grade and Tier?”

I’m not sure yet, and until we find a better option, he’ll be helpful.

“True enough.  What are your thoughts on that orange elite scout that was only Poor-S Grade?  I expected more, to be honest.”

As did I.  It’s probably because most of their utility and strength comes from the ritual bond to those blood seeds.  They’re strong on their own, but there’s a spiritual binding they do with the seed creatures, and when that’s broken, they’re just strong scouts.

“That seems logical.  Anyway, I’m about to go out hunting again.  Good luck recruiting the bull-man.  I’m excited!”

I’d like to say we shouldn’t put all our eggs in one basket, but we don’t exactly have many options.

“It’s so sad, and I’ll keep my eyes open for more candidates.  May my ever-blooming fortunes smile upon you, Priss; the golden dew of the high heavens will christen your head with the luck of the gods!”

Let’s not write fanfiction, my fatty butterfly roommate.  We need to operate in the real world, not your delusional fantasies of divinity.  After all, we can’t all be beautiful golden narcissists.

“I am devastated by your lack of faith!  You will see my radiance one of these days.”

I won’t hold my breath, High Monarch of the Evening Star, she teased, wearing a light smile as Virgil broke away and approached her.  Don’t lose your head out there again.

“Twice!  It happened twice!  I believe you’ve been killed more than I, Priss.  Humph.”

Hehe.  And what does that say about my faithful High Monarch?

“Ugh.  I can’t protect you from yourself, Priss; give me a little leniency in at least that.”

Okay, that’s fair, I suppose.  Good luck on the hunt.

“As well to you, my depressing doppelganger!”

“Everything set in order?”  Elinor questioned, retaking a seat and crossing her legs.

“For now.  Mmgm.  There are always problems, and everyone’s looking for someone to take charge or fix issues they made.”

“Hmm-hmm.  Welcome to the life of leadership,” she chuckled.  “Is our visit to your morgue in order?”

“About that…  Uh-hmm.  Some people are asking if you can…”

“Truly bring back the dead—in short, return their loved ones?”

“Yeah…  I guess it’s inevitable that people would want to know.”

“It is, and I can,” she stated, tapping her knee with her fingernail and drawing his gaze.  “That being said, I am limited on the number of individuals I can return like that; the number is growing as I get stronger, but I must prioritize individuals that will offer me more options to deal with the threats surrounding us, not making people feel better.”

“I completely understand,” Virgil nodded.  “Uh.  I guess that’s a good enough answer for now, and it’s sure to make a lot of people question… a lot of things.”

Elinor sensed what he was building up to and rose to her feet.  “Hehe.  Yes, I get that raising Carlos—if he meets my expectations—will be a measuring stick they use to determine my abilities.  Shall we not waste more time?”

“Right this way,” he sighed, waving at several workers nearby that offered the same gesture, frowns following her passing as he took them into a back processing area for boxes.  “We put all our dead here…  We don’t know why, but they’ve also been taking all the corpses.”

“Burial rights and to cut us open to better understand our anatomy, most likely,” Elinor absently replied, focus drifting between the various bodies of men, women, and children, covered by thin sheets that hardly hid who was below.  “Perhaps I’ll find someone else here who can offer me something, too.”

“Ahem… we should probably just stick with Carlos for now.  Maybe if, uh, yeah…”

“I can compromise for now, yet we need to let, I admit, well-placed prejudices against necromancers go and embrace what we must to survive.  Hmm.  Is this him?”

“It is,” Virgil muttered, rubbing his left arm as goosebumps crawled up his skin.  “He saved a lot of people…  It would go a long way in giving people hope if he came back.”

“Let’s see what we are dealing with then,” she said, emerald light filling the space.  Several men peeked inside, curious about what they were doing in the off-limits area and fixating on her bright jade, ghostly fire as she bent down to touch the gutted, handsome man, matted with blood.

“Well?”  Virgil hissed, shuffling a bit away.

The corner of Elinor’s mouth twisted, showing her gleaming teeth.  Butter…

“Hmm?  Oh, I have six!  I’m returning now with the spoils of my conquest, and Mika has two scouts for you; the young blood she took has a bit of damage.  Wait, are you raising the bull-man?  Don’t hold out on me, Priss!  Tell me!  Do we get our Staff Sergeant?”  she asked, practically bouncing on her bed as she momentarily returned to her diamond to better grasp her emotional state.

We have our first Staff Sergeant, Elinor confirmed, making Butter squeal with excitement.  Common-C.

“He will be such an asset we desperately need, and he’ll gain a Class from your System right from the start.  He’ll be able to take charge of Mika’s group—I’m on my way!  I’m on my way!”

She had plenty of Death Orbs to raise him; it would take her from eight to four, but that was acceptable, and Butter’s delivery would jump it up to ten.  Now, she only hoped he would be more accepting of his position than Mika and Eduardo.

“He’s just what I need,” Elinor said, spreading the flames to call the chains that would pull his spirit back to his body.

“Woah!”

His flesh was burned away, replaced with sinew and green organs that pumped within, leaving him in an odd, awkward state of skeletal and muscle; it was certainly disconcerting to see him twitch and slowly lift himself up.

“I-Is he—what the hell!?”

“Bro, she just…  Damn!  Yo, what’s going on, Virgil?!”

Virgil swallowed the lump in his throat.  “Is he going to look like th-that forever?”

“Hmm-hmm-hmm.  No,” Elinor smoothly replied, getting to her feet as the dead man regained his bearings.  “As time goes by, he’ll regain his former glory; in fact, all those I return will be at the peak of their youth, and most of their disabilities should be cured.  How do you—”

She cut off as a resonance passed between Carlos and her, and it felt like something within him was drawn out and devoured by the Seed within her.

[Level Up - Level 5]

It took her a moment to realize what had just happened.  Did I just eat the Seed that changed him?  I can gain the experience that they accumulated.  Now that is broken!

Sensing many things unlock with the level for her to go through, Elinor tried to temper her excitement as Carlos got to his feet and rubbed his skinless jaw.  Although he couldn’t quite talk normally yet, due to not having a tongue or vocal cords, they would develop as he increased his tier.

“I see I’ve returned as… an undead?  Well, love—eh, Empress?” he questioned, processing the information her ability instilled inside him.  “I can’t say I fully grasp the situation, but you are the one that is my master…  Is that right?”

It is.  Can you write?

“I sure hope so,” he chuckled, making a clicking sound from his snapping teeth that set the men around them on edge.  “Oh.  Yeah, I can see why they’re upset.  Oof.  Umm.  Well, isn’t this somethin’?  I can live again and fight those aliens, huh?  I’m in!”

“Excellent.”

Turning to Virgil, showing a smile, she motioned to them.  “Carlos will write to answer any questions or things you want to ask him; he’ll join you as I sort through a few pressing matters.  Ask him whatever you like, and he will answer truthfully without my interference; you have my word.”

She moved to a chair in the corner of the room, allowing them to work through the situation themselves.  Elinor closed her eyes and entered her diamond; it was time to see what bonuses she’d unlocked.  Hopefully, there would be something of worth for what was to come.

There was one thing she did know; it was time to wish RIP to the girl she was because, at this point, she had already passed the point of no return—everyone would have to deal—she was a Mythickin Lich Empress, for better or for worse, and now Elinor had to learn how to live with what she’d become.

Chapter Eight: Retired Terrorist

Observing the dark space around this inner world where her spirit rested, Elinor reflected on what Butter told her in regard to how it adapted to their desires.

It’s worth a try.

The void behind was replaced by black wooden planks that materialized with a thought; it was more flexible than she expected.  Holding her hands behind her back, she walked along the edges of her side of the room, expanding it to accommodate Butter and herself.

She opted for a simple gothic-themed room with a stone fireplace housing blue flames; it was a start to texture the environment and set the mood.  The windows only showed a void beyond, but that didn’t bother her.

Elinor moved to her seat by the fire yet remained standing while gazing into the flickering gas; it was close enough to her blonde doppelganger’s side that she could reposition her own throne to chat.  It was about time she customized her new home a little, and this was a suitable start.

A twist came to her lips as she turned to redesign the walls from timber to stone, drawing from one of the cycling pictures of gothic cathedrals she’d utilized on her laptop background.  Rugs designed around ravens and butterflies took shape on the black floorboards, and she made sure to add a light creak that could be heard when walking across them.

Hidden speakers were fitted into the arched ceiling, high overhead throughout her side of the room, and a shelf of records came into being, taken from her past music collection.

She released a relishing sigh as the ambiance of a dark church organ played in the background from one of her favorite playlists, setting her mood.  Perhaps this personal space wasn’t so terrible, and if Butter didn’t like it, she could add her own filter to her side of the area to remove Elinor’s preferred palate.

Satisfied for the time being, Elinor took her throne.  Crossing her legs, she leaned against the side and pulled up her status sheet; the saliva in her mouth thickened upon seeing the fascinating options that drew some intriguing questions:

x3 Stat Points
x1 Feat Extension Points
x1 Refinement Points
x1 Stat Modifiers - Lev. 5 Perk - Minor improvement to a Secondary Stat
x1 Branch Feat Unlocked - Lev. 5 Perk - Utility, Attack, or Defense

Elinor took a few minutes to ponder the implications revealed about her future path involving these abilities and where this could take her; this was an important milestone, she concluded, and it was important to choose wisely if she wanted to maximize her growth.

The Stat Points should have been an easy choice.  After all, she required more storage to have the leniency to rebuild if things went south, as they did with Butter, yet the new modifier had her curious about putting it into Control Resistance or Elemental Resistance, even if she would likely increase her Constitution regardless.

Through inquiry, it was apparent that it was meant to be used on a weaker secondary stat that she wanted to build in the future.  Something else quite essential became clear, as well; once she reached level 100, she would then Prestige into a higher tier Class to begin her next ascension, which meant hyper-focusing in a singular field wasn’t the end of that progression since she could further expand in other areas later on.

Currently, she was centralized in the Empress Branch and kingdom-building areas, which were quite powerful, given her current circumstances, and she knew it would be an invaluable start for her early journey.

Sure, she could move into a more personal approach when it came to strengthening her individual power, yet her current sheet spread wasn’t geared toward that, so it would be hindered overall.  That wouldn’t be the case once she Prestiged and was able to enhance a specific area, such as Strength.

Overall, turning Power from Low to Below Average wouldn’t be that helpful to her, but changing Control Resistance or Constitution, which included her mental fortitude, from Extremely High to Maximum, she could further cement her authority on those she brought back.

Elemental Resistance could strengthen her diamond against the Life Element, and it was good to cover her bases; all she needed was to neglect her resilience to find herself in a sticky situation down the line.

Then again, Control Resistance was certainly something she had to take.  If there was one thing she’d learned through becoming an Empress of the Dead, it was that it was always better to be the one in control.

After some debate, she brought Constitution from Extremely High to Maximum, providing her with two extra Death Orb for every point: five DO per point instead of the original three.  It also included an extra two to her Base of five, bringing it to seven.

At seven Base, plus five DO per point, her cap went from eleven to an astonishing seventeen.  Two more points into the Stat, and she was at a grand total of twenty-seven pool capacity; if she included her butterfly holding limit, that could be brought up to thirty-three: she’d tripled her pool in one fell swoop.

As for the final point, she dropped it into Control Resistance, rounding out her necromancer build since it also doubled as a means to counter others from seizing her minions.

Elinor’s focus drifted from the black and white screen and text to stare at the flickering blue flames.  Carlos was chatting with Butter, gaining a further understanding of this new undead life and what was expected of him as he simultaneously dealt with the many questions being asked of him by the humans seeking shelter in the building.

Thirty-three Death Orbs will allow me to summon an Uncommon-Grade when I need to without being too stressed with the current loss, and I’ll have enough for emergencies if Butter needs to get her daily ten doses of medicine to keep functional.

How much do I need to increase my [Raise Undead I]’s Grade…  Right, sixty unintelligent and fifteen intelligent, where I’m currently thirteen and four…  I suppose that isn’t the worst ratio, given how long I’ve had these powers.  Still, that’s a lot of Death Orbs to invest.

Vision returning to her screen, Elinor shifted to her Feats; she had four options for her Feat Extensions, and there was a new addition that caused her to change to the opposite side of her throne, taking in the future prospects the information provided:

Phylactery I: Death Shield - Generates a field that rejects a small amount of all damage.  Modified by [Defense] and [Constitution].

Butterfly II: Extra Wing - Permanently adds one butterfly [New Max: 4] to the total available to be summoned.

[Artificial Body I: Sturdy Build] - Slightly increase the construct’s [Defense] and [Force].

[Replacement] Butterfly I: Extended Wing - Increase range by five meters.

“I can only have one extension, hmm?”  Elinor whispered to herself, releasing a short sigh.  “The answer is without thought on this choice…  Butterfly II.  What’s this?”

She frowned, sitting straighter as the [Extension Maxed] screen popped up, showing a requirement next to it as Butter squealed with excitement, likely sensing she’d gained another flying death insect to boss around:

[Butterfly II: Extra Wing] Extension Maxed: Level 10 required for further advancement.

Interesting, Elinor whispered to herself, ignoring Butter’s reaction while continuing to hunt for more energy to restock their reserves.  I seem to get Extensions every two levels, but I can’t put any more into Butterfly until Level 10, huh?  I have to choose another Feat to extend next or save the point, which doesn’t make much sense right now.

There’s also the possibility a better Extension comes along, which means I might need to invest in it and abandon the previous one…  Will that waste the points I’ve already invested?  Abandoning it does…  Unfortunate and worth taking into consideration.  Can I swap them?  Hmm.  Not so far as it will tell me since I haven’t tried, I guess…  That could be concerning.

The next item on the list to catch her attention was the new Branch Feats that had opened up.  These were tied to her Lich and Empress off-shoots, yet new growths would likely introduce entirely new sets of Feats in the future, and this was where she had to really think.

It appears I get a Branch Upgrade every 10 levels after Level 5.  So, my next one will be at Level 15, which means I’ll get something else at Level 10.  This is turning out to be more fun than I imagined.

Her thoughts lingered on each, knowing what she’d choose in the end at a glance, yet wanting to ponder the full possibilities:

Attack Feat Branch: Chains of the Damned I - Summon a chain [Current Max: One] that splits space within one meter of the caster to bind the spirit of the individual.  User can interact with the links.  Modified by [Constitution] and [Strength].

Defense Feat Branch: Gates of the Dead I - Summon a frontal barrier that blocks all spiritual and physical damage.  Modified by [Constitution] and [Defense].

Utility Feat Branch: Prose of the Potentate I - Allows all of the user’s subjects to perfectly understand them while also giving the user the ability to speak and read any language [Current Max: One] of an intelligent minion they possess.  One day [subject to the planet implemented on] is required to change languages.  Modified by the subject’s grasp of said language.

Obviously, Poise of the Potentate was exactly what she’d desired, almost as if it had been consciously added to the pool due to her wish for such a Feat; however, it also made her question the other two paths she could take.

If she were going off of modifiers alone, the Gates of the Dead would be the next best option, considering her bonus was Above Average in that area, while her Strength was Low.  Why had it selected these particular directions, though?

Not discovering an answer, she chose the third opinion without hesitation, subconsciously choosing Mika’s understanding of her people’s language.  A small smile lifted her lips as the woman’s grumbles fed through the Nexus; she could invade her minions’ thoughts, it seemed.

“On one hand, she controls the dead, so that means she must be empowered by the Supreme Chiefs, but what one is in charge of that area?  Dirt licker, I should have paid more attention to the Mystics while a tadpole…  Is she the reckoning brought forward to punish those who are falling away from the old ways, or is she a fiend from the Pits?  Who controls the Pits?!”

Her thoughts swapped gears as Eduardo found another spy, speaking dully to the agitated toad.  “Got another one, Boss…  Think they set some kind of trap?  This is so boring…”

“Ugh.  All he does is complain!  Why can I understand them to an extent, yet I have to jump around, waving my hands and making pictures in the dirt?  It’s so… frustrating!  If she is a Supreme Chief or Mystic sent by them, why can’t she talk to me?!  I’m coming, annoying one…”

Eduardo sent a shocked pulse through the Nexus.  “I… I can understand you?  What the…”

Mika paused, freezing in her crouching position as she prepared to circle around the building the spy was using to lure in humans, apparently by hanging a live kitten from its belly on a doorway.

“You can understand me?”

She sounded like an overworked woman in her thirties that likely enjoyed a bit too much wine; at least, that was the impression Elinor instinctively had.

Indeed, Mika.  Elinor chuckled at the shiver that ran down the discolored, green toad’s spine.  I have made it so that every one of those that serve me can understand your language.  It will be a necessity moving forward.

Butter’s soft laughter filled the following silence in the Nexus as Eduardo and Carlos listened to gain a better grasp of the developing situation.  “It is about time; a wonderful choice, Priss.  I so look forward to getting a better grasp of your culture, Mika…  Oh, is there another name we should call you by, dear?”

“Umm…  No, High Queen,” the toad mumbled, sounding nervous.  “I have abandoned my former name out of shame after…  Well, after I was made into your servant.  I don’t know what to make of this current… life?  I don’t know what to call it anymore.”

“Ho-ho!  I would say you are adapting very quickly, which is wonderful,” the golden butterfly chimed.  “Do you have any questions for her, Priss?  I’ve been learning a lot about Carlos, and he has quite a colorful background.  When you get a chance, we should discuss our next steps because a lot more has changed with his addition than we originally anticipated.”

Her new Staff Sergeant remained completely silent, possibly following a chain of order, and only speaking when spoken to since she was the highest in command, followed by his direct superior, Butter.

I am still mulling over a few items.  Continue to run operations until I call a meeting to discuss our next steps.  Hmm?  Hehe.  I see you’re on your way back to retrieve your third recruit.  Filled on Death Energy already?

“As a matter of fact, I am!”  Butter clapped, practically bubbling with energy and enthusiasm.  “I see we are growing quite the reserve—twenty-seven now, hmm—and if we count the six I can keep with these beautiful floating storage bugs, we can have a maximum of thirty-three.  We have certainly come a long way from that depressing start.  Wouldn’t you agree, Priss?”

I would, Elinor whispered, studying the flames and wondering what her divine twin might think when seeing how she’d decorated her side of the room.  I must say, you have exceeded my expectations for a fatty stick of lard; you are more of a team player than I gave you credit for.

“My!  Hehe.  Look at you; I’ll take that as the closest thing to an apology I can get.  I’m growing fonder of working with you, as well, Priss.  May we continue gathering bones to act as the foundation for the future of our glorious Empire!”

Cheers, she mused, finding some measure of satisfaction in the progress she’d made; even if she had a long way to go, she’d come further than she thought possible.  I look forward to hearing what devilish surprises Carlos and you will bring me.

Elinor could sense the quiver that went through Eduardo and Mika’s spines at their public conversation, yet Carlos had an edge of thrill at the prospect of what was to come, which made him far more interesting than she first anticipated.

Filtering out the conversations passing between Butter and the others as the shimmering insect clarified further orders, Elinor returned her attention to the screen in front of her to address the final action required to complete her Level 5 advancement: the Refinement Points.

Hmm…  It can refine a Feat to offer a greater attunement and range of base functionality…  Oh?  Well, this is interesting…

Only one thing caught her immediate attention; [Butterfly I] could be refined to connect to two Feats.

It’s already a broken ability, as it stands, but if I do this…  I can create a direct link between them and myself by connecting it to Raise Undead.  Would I be able to pull energy directly from the butterflies despite the distance?

No…  Not taking it personally, but there is an exception; I could send it to them and draw it out of the others while in the process of raising the dead.  So long as I keep one with me, it can act as a tether to pull from the others with Butter, allowing her to keep hunting and me to instantly use what she gathers, bypassing the danger of transporting it back to me.  Perfect.

Engaging the refinement, Elinor frowned upon seeing a timer pop up; it would take six hours to accomplish.  It was worth it, however.  The ethereal insects were powerful, accomplishing much of her abilities.  They could also pass solid objects to raise the dead underground and give her the ability to scan the earth for hidden soldiers.

Finished leveling, she scanned her status sheet, happy to see more information filling in as time went on.  The mystery of these undead powers was gradually revealing itself, and the prospect of reaching Level 100 to Prestige tickled her curiosity as to what she’d become after arriving at that lofty goal.

How many nations must I topple to reach such a level, though?  Elinor pondered to herself, creating a mirror to her side to stare into her cold, burning emerald irises.  What if this invasion is only one small pocket of many?  Will the world be the same when all of this is over, or will there be a new order that rises from the chaos?

The ominous implications of this alien attack with these crystal gateways to another planet played on her increasingly paranoid mind; the more she thought, the more she concluded this couldn’t be random.

Out of everywhere on Earth, why did they attack during this trip?  Why was she marked for kidnapping in this exact town?  Why was this cartel given this job to push her parents into this trip outside of the United States?

It was all too convenient of a trap not to be staged, yet it was certainly not these toads that orchestrated this plot, meaning they were possibly pawns in some larger scheme.  The snow worked against them, as much as the surprise first wave came in favor of the alien invasion.  There was a bigger game being played, and the strings of the organ playing in the background wove a grim tapestry in her troubled mind.

Vision wandering to the flickering sapphire flames in the hearth, Elinor’s eyes narrowed.  Armando, the cartel leader in this area, had the answers to who hired him for this job.  Although she highly doubted that would bear fruit, it was likely another middleman for some other entity because she was clearly not dealing with a normal human.

Someone wanted me out of the picture… because they knew I’d gain these powers, and they were afraid of me.  Then again, perhaps it was Butter that terrified them?

A slight smirk twisted her lips at the thought of her elegant, bleeding goddess-like twin striking terror in someone’s heart; she’d been damaged by something, and perhaps that was the opportunity that allowed them to be trapped together in this manner.  Whatever the reason, they’d been severely underestimated.

“You should have done the job yourself, my mysterious, faceless enemy,”
Elinor whispered to the aether.  “I never give up on something I want…  Tattoos, perfect grades, State cheer champion…  If I want something, I find a way to get it.

“I know you’re out there, and I will find you, whoever you are.  So be afraid from wherever you are, controlling these crystals safely in your little room—playing your games.  If anything happens to my parents…  Hmm-hmm.  Well, let’s both hope we don’t need to go down that rabbit hole.”

She ceased her one-sided conversation as Butter entered her side of the room in a flash of golden light, eyebrow lifting upon seeing her decorated space.  “Eh, heh… Wow.  It’s so… you, and while I do enjoy the heavenly sounds an organ can make, I am rather appalled at the corruption of such a beautiful instrument.  How can you make lovely things so… dark?”

“It’s a talent,” Elinor chuckled, gesturing for her to take a seat across from her; she rolled her eyes when her twin did a slow circle on her way over, humming an unfamiliar song.

The ground became a gaudy gold, polished white marble decorating the walls with fine art of, unsurprisingly, self-portraits, yet there were several lavish pieces that displayed the majestic heavens and blue skies.

Elinor filtered out the calm, soothing organ music the blonde countered with, as she was sure she did for her own taste.  Plucking at the black dress she wore to cross her legs in the opposite direction, she asked, “What have you learned?”

“A lot!”  the blonde returned, taking her throne and using a mirror to fuss with her liquid-like locks.  “For one, these toads call themselves ri’bot.”

“Hmm-hmm-hmm.  You’re joking?”  Elinor snickered, shooting an incredulous look at her doppelganger.  “That is the sound we say they make on Earth.”

“I thought it was kind of cute, to be honest,” Butter absently stated, moving on to examining the healing cuts on her skin and white gown.  “Mika has moved beyond the state of resistance and has been questioning if we are some divine arm sent to whip their people back into shape.  It is certainly possible, considering I am involved.  Wouldn’t you agree?”

Elinor gave her an incredulous look.  “You, an instrument of providence?”

“Look at me,” Butter arrogantly mused, showing an admittedly gorgeous smile.  “How else could you describe such beauty, than that of the divine?  No matter how you poke fun at me, Priss, I know in my soul that I am more than just a picture of perfection.”

Shrugging, Elinor’s smirk didn’t falter.  “Perhaps the goddess of getting her ass kicked?  How else would you explain not only losing to whatever sent you tumbling into my soul but then being put to work by me?”

“Yes, well… we all have our bad days,” Butter mumbled, adjusting her dress to glare at a few gashes that were barely sealed.  “I have lost my memory, powers, and, yes, even my very essence seems to have taken a beating…  But I am not out of this fight yet.  I try to look at it on a more positive note.  Hmm-hmm.  I would have never gotten to know this side of you otherwise, Priss!”

“How blessed I am,” she dully responded.  “In any case, you were talking about Carlos having a plan?  I see he’s finished answering a lot of the basic questions.”

Butter twirled her finger in the air, causing her throne to twist to the side.  “Why don’t we pull him in here and have him give the report?”

“Can I do that?”  Elinor muttered, suddenly curious, and the answer came instinctively.  She could, and it also revealed a new interesting detail: those she shackled were drawn into her, and when they died, they didn’t float off into the void outside, but the one inside her own soul.

“Of course you can,” Butter giggled.  “Priss, isn’t it funny how I tend to know more about your abilities than you do?”

“Obvious, I’d say,” Elinor said with a light glare.  “You did interfere with them before they solidified, so you intercepted the insight I should have gotten, or so I assume.”

Butter put an unashamed smile on her face, showing a peace sign.  “I did win that little victory, didn’t I?  You must take your wins where you can!  Impressed?”

Elinor sighed.  “Admittedly, it was a rather daring play, but you were basically gasping your last breath, so… you didn’t have many options.”

“Lamentingly, I did not,” she muttered.  “Yes!  But we should get away from such depressing topics to move forward on our progress to the next stage.  Shall I bring Carlos in to introduce himself?”

Giving her acceptance, Elinor folded her fingers in her lap as the spiritual visage of a handsome man in his late twenties or early thirties materialized between them.  He kept to Butter’s side, which was actually an interesting point of protection and a clear indication he was not worthy to enter her space with the barrier between them; her little goddess of a butterfly took her job seriously, it seemed.

“Empress!”  Carlos cheerily greeted her in a low, gravelly voice, bowing to her without hesitation.  “High Queen.”

“Go on,” Butter instructed.  “Priss wants to know what you’re about, so introduce yourself.”

He bowed again before facing her with a grin; Carlos was completely whole as a spirit, sporting a suit that was probably suggested by Butter, and bull horns grew out of the side of his head.  Elinor couldn’t help but notice the tail swinging behind him.

“My name’s Carlos, ma’ams.  If I’m allowed to be blunt, I can’t wait to get to work.  I’ve been a soldier of sorts, and, as I understand it, we’re at war with these ri’bot that attacked us out of the blue.”

Elinor’s interest was piqued by his identity as a soldier.  “You’ve seen live combat?”

Carlos’ smile became strained.  “Empress, let me explain something.  I’m about eight-three years old, and, thanks to that weird vibrating thing with the lights in the sky, and your powers, I may look to be in my prime, but I’ve lived a long… troubled life before retiring here in this village.  In fact, I know many a poor soul with that backstory—most dead, probably—they’re not the type to not fight when ambushed.”

He straightened and flashed his teeth.  “Small towns like this are used by a lot of shady organizations and freelance workers.  I’ve been associated with them all—far-left communist revolutionaries, far-right military types, cartels, corrupt officials—you name it, I know something about it, and I know a dozen good men that would jump at a second chance to take down the little shits that put them in the dirt—eh, pardon my language.”

Elinor waved her hand dismissively.  “Are you saying you can get me a capable force—how capable are we talking?  And note that I only have a single intelligent spot open, at the moment, at least.”

Carlos’ expression fell as he stroked his dark mustache, glancing off to the side.  “If I’m being honest, ma’ams…  I’m not sold on Eduardo, eh, remaining a part of the unit.  Sure, I’ve heard of him through a few contacts, but he’s more of a desk-pushing media user, manipulating code and people into compromising positions to be exploited—a private contractor with a focus not suited for this kind of job.”

Glad to have someone more proactive in the hunt, Elinor sat back, feeling Mika and Eduardo were returning with the bodies of the scouts they’d killed.  “He certainly does complain a lot…  However, what are your thoughts on his curse?  It is effective, and he can act as a great spy in the blizzard.”

Butter nodded, looking to the man for his rebuttal with an entertained gleam in her illuminated turquoise eyes.  “He does have a rather useful skill, despite his attitude.  Who would be your top three two picks since we only have one—potentially two—spots open?”

“Mmh,” Carlos sucked on his bottom lip while pondering the tight selection.  “Maybe I can whip him into shape, and Mika seems to have a lot of good promise…  I know a bomber from the Gulf Clan criminal gang who probably has an idea where we can get some real munitions.  I saw them in the pile.  My idea, snatch them back from Mr. Death, and we have a shot at some stuff that can do some real damage.”

A gleam lit in the man’s glowing red eyes, changed by his spirit being assigned a Class by her powers, and it was then Elinor saw the new tab on the side that showed her units, including the classification Carlos had:

Carlos Sánchez: Secret Core - Common-C - Terrorist - N/A - Lv. 1

“Hehe.  I’m talking nines, forty-fives, three-five sevens, and m-500 rifles—grenades, C4—hell, maybe we can get our hands on an RPG!  We load up some of your unintelligent undead—oh, I saw a boy with a drone on the way in…  Hehe.  We’re huntin’!  We attach some C4 to that, and, as the High Queen told me, all we need to do is fly that baby into a crystal…  Boom!  Problem solved; that’s how we do it.”

A devilish smile lit Elinor’s lips.  If this was what Common-C Grade units got her, how much stronger would an Uncommon be?  “I like your approach, Carlos.  My main objective is to find my parents, however, but we can certainly prepare…  We do need to level and draw some attention.  Let’s see about this bomber of yours.”

Butter pressed a hand against her stomach as it shook with soft laughter.  “Hasn’t this taken a turn?  I’m unsure what those random numbers and words mean, but Priss certainly is enticed by them.  I look forward to seeing these m-500s and RPGs in action.”

“Oh… it’s beautiful,” Carlos grinned.  “Personally, I like a more… physical approach, but when we’re dealing with numbers like this, we gotta step it up a notch.  We may need to kill a few gangsters bunkering down, but I don’t see that being a problem, right?”

“Right,” Elinor returned, picturing her skeletal toads running around with machine guns and acting as suicide bombers.  “Well, point me to your man.”

“Woman, actually,” Carlos said.  “She’s a bit on the quieter side, from what I’ve been told, but she’s fairly OCD when it comes to being clean and working in a tidy space—I mean, she works with explosives.”

Butter’s eyes widened.  “Oh!  Is that what we’re doing?  I look forward to the fireworks; are they big in this world?”

Carlos’ mouth twisted into a half-grin.  “Oh… they can be pretty big.  I’m on my way back in, Empress.  Hehe.  These fools won’t know what hit them.”

Chapter Nine: War Preparations

Exiting her comfortable diamond space, Elinor’s head tilted to the side while studying the corpses lined along the cleared, long room; most were covered, yet a few were open, likely not having enough sheets or tarps to hide their bodies.

Carlos was breaking away from the men and women in the other room, excusing himself with a note that he needed to return to her.  Eduardo and Mika were on their way back with the bodies they’d secured, providing her more unintelligent soldiers.

Holding up her hand, palm upward, a spark grew into a flame, materializing her fourth butterfly, including Butter; it took to the air to hover around her with the other two, waiting for further orders.  Her fatty, golden insect was resting on her left shoulder, just below the earring her twin currently occupied.

Butter had launched into a conversation with Mika, gaining further intel on where the toads were stationed with what to expect from each, especially regarding the pure green ri’bot that the woman identified with a name: the Clavex Clan.

Elinor passively listened to the conversation, having the privilege to eavesdrop on any discussion inside the Nexus while waiting for Carlos to point out her fourth and final intelligent slot to be filled.  These ri’bot were the most crucial to understand since they had some form of magic that could harm her spirits.

Her gaze drifted between the mangled corpses as Mika told what little she knew about the ‘Non-Valley’ Clan.  There was no distinction between brutality when it came to age, gender, or appearance; the ri’bot that killed these people were clearly attempting to see how they functioned by experimentation.

Cuts were methodical, and specific organs were punctured.  Elinor assumed they were left to bleed out; likely a study exercise of the young bloods to see how long it would take for humans to die.  It was a savage but effective first operation, and a lot of humans were killed before even knowing what was happening.  If it wasn’t for the snow, Elinor doubted those taking shelter here would have made it.

Thoughts spun in Elinor’s head as she rose to browse the deceased, taking in Mika’s advice and warnings.  The alien was becoming more amenable to her position as time went on, convincing herself that this was due to some failing and wrong-doing her people had made against their gods: beings they called Supreme Chiefs that lived in the Sky Sea, beyond the Eternal River.  It would be an effective tactic to draw in others, she figured.

On the other hand, the Clavex did not believe in the Supreme Beings and instead drew power from a mysterious light spirit that lived in the Great Ruby Lakes, where they resided—nalvean territory—an empire south of the valley most ri’bot called their home.

The Clavex had a Chief, but almost all power was held in the hands of the Mother Superior, a priestess of this light spirit.  Mika didn’t know much regarding the rites or practices of the southern clan, yet it did pique Elinor’s interest since it was clear they drew power from somewhere.

However, the key was in the talismans they wore that channeled the spirit’s bond to them.  In that case, the solution was simple, separate them from their charms, and they were powerless.

With a path forward for that particular issue, she moved on to the other three clans; there were many within the valley Mika had grown up in, and their histories were spotted by betrayal, alliances, and a wealth of drama that could fill volumes.  Once again, much she could use to her advantage if an event demanded.

The Delthax led this conquest; specifically, Elder Chief Valdar, a Plant Caller, and the blue toad Raul had seen when first scouting the area.  Mika believed the powerful sage could spot the spirit, and it was why he’d been followed, causing the chains binding him to this world to be destroyed by the Clavex once pointed out.  On the bright side, he was the only Plant Caller in his company.

Elinor’s gaze shifted to the boarded window, wondering if it was still snowing as Carlos managed to make it to her, escorted by Virgil and another few men that seemed interested in what might happen next.

“She is here, Empress,” he said, moving to a place near the back right and uncovering the face of a woman.  It was matted with blood, and her throat had been cut.  “I carried her in myself after repelling their first attack with a few good boys…  All of them are dead.  Poor fellows.”

Virgil cleared his throat while remaining close to them.  “Can we… talk about a few things, Empress Elinor—that’s what Carlos told us to call you,” he added as her emerald eyes flicked his way.  “Is that okay?”

“It does feel right,” she whispered, focus returning to the dead woman as her butterflies hovered around her, causing the men—and now a few women in the doorway—to shift uncomfortably at the spectral insects.  “I suspect there are many who now see that Carlos is precisely who he was before and wish their loved ones returned.  Correct?”

“Well, heh, there are some questions regarding… appearance, and how soon they’ll look like they did, among many other things, but yes.  Honestly, any hope you could give them would be huge…  Everyone’s just trying to process all of this, and Carlos told us that you can’t bring anyone back right now, but… maybe in the future?”

“We will see,” Elinor said, kneeling down beside the woman.  “What is this woman’s name, and does she have any family?”

Carlos kept silent for a moment, knowing she was asking Virgil to further ease the tension in the room; he’d fill in the blanks when they finished.

“Umm.  Her name’s Audrey, E-Empress,” one of the women in the back hesitantly said, coughing a bit and hugging herself from the frigid atmosphere.  “She does work at the banana factory up the road and mostly keeps to herself.  I don’t think she was particularly close to anyone if that’s what you’re asking.”

“Good,” Elinor said, lowering a butterfly to analyze Audrey and determine what to expect from raising her as Carlos further expanded on the woman’s more secretive history.

The banana plant is where most of the illegal arms trafficking takes place—primarily in the basement—I suspect it is where we’ll find most of the gear we’ll need to take the fight to these ri’bot.  I expect there to be a bit of resistance, so we’ll need to storm the place; I’m thinking heavy and fast.

“Oh, dear, you needn’t worry about that,” Butter snickered, floating up to join the butterflies circling the woman’s corpse.  “We need more Death Orbs anyway…  A silent operation with me strategically draining their bodies while they’re unaware of our presence will be optimal.  I can have most of it set in place by the time you arrive, Priss.”

“Are you sure, High Queen?”  Carlos questioned.

“It’s lovely that you would want me to sit on my throne and not dirty my perfect fingernails, but I do need to show Priss I am serious about being useful.”

Elinor’s mouth curved upward.  It’s more like the sooner our position stabilizes, the sooner you’ll gain a more consistent flow of Death Orbs to purify.  A tub of butter, through and through, trying to devour everything to keep herself plump.

“I don’t deny that fact!  Hehe.  Ahem, starving is not a fun experience… or having my Essence leak out of me like a beheaded beast strung up to dry.  I choose not to feel that pain again, thank you.”

Fair enough, Elinor chuckled, causing the others’ gazes to shift to each other uncomfortably, but she paid them no mind as she centered on her new bomber, yet her most optimal court station made Elinor frown.  Audrey is best suited for the Serving Court… not the Military Court?

“Oh?”  Carlos rubbed his bony jaw.  “Does that mean she won’t be a suitable candidate, Empress?”

“She’s perfect!”  Butter chimed.  “It means she’ll be your first maid, Priss!  Every empress needs a maid or serving staff, and she’ll still have a Class designation once at the proper Grade and Tier.  Hmm…  She is only Poor-B, though, so it will be some time before she gains a Class.”

Finding her hands behind her back, Elinor sent the command, causing chains to dip into the abyss to return her spirit, binding it to her corpse as flames engulfed her frame, burning away the flesh to be remolded in her System’s image.

Correct me if I am wrong in assuming this, Carlos, but just because she will not gain a Class, it does not mean her knowledge of explosives was removed.  Right?

“Yes, Empress!  Hehe.  Welcome back, Audrey.  How does it feel to be young again—if a skeleton, for now?”

“Carlos?”  she asked, flaming, bony fingers rising to her polished skull as the fire fixed any damage to her bones, remaining active to cast a wicked glow against the walls with the undead beside her; her voice was soft and petite.  “What happened…  I’m a maid for Empress Elinor?”  she questioned, eyeless sockets rising to look at her.

“I’ll explain it all!”  Carlos laughed, holding out a hand to help her up; she took it, beginning to study herself.  “Yup, you’ll regain your flesh and look like the beauty I remember…  Right now, though, we gotta prepare for war against these ugly toads.”

Audrey Guerra: Serving Court - Poor B-Tier - N/A - N/A - Lv. 1

Elinor could feel Mika’s slight indignation at the statement, but she didn’t voice her displeasure at being called ugly since Carlos was her superior.

Moving away from the two to address Virgil and the murmurs that followed her action from those behind him, she looked up at the man as her butterflies moved to hover above her.

“For those that may question why I chose Audrey, it is because she has experience handling explosives.  Let me be blunt…”  Elinor said, vision moving from him to the small group of shivering humans observing from the doorway.  “We are fighting a losing war, and I need all the support I can get.”

Virgil’s arms showed goosebumps as he nodded, seemingly making a conscious effort to look her in the eyes when she knew he must have wanted to look away.  “What are you asking us?”

Elinor frowned while turning back to Audrey and Carlos.  A concern she had upon having the toad break into her room back at the hotel had stuck with her.  “Unfortunately, those I bring back will be nothing but bones for a time, and without the weight of a human body…”

Carlos seemed to catch on quickly, cursing through the Nexus at not realizing the error, and Butter was totally oblivious to what was on her mind.

“I can get all the guns and ammunition I want, but the recoil will topple them over like sticks in the wind until they ground and brace themselves, which opens them up to attack.  I can mitigate this by tying sandbags or potato sacks, if there’s nothing else, to them, but it won’t be the same as flesh and muscle; how many people can fight if I get you the arms to join me?”

Virgil’s mouth lifted into a smile as he turned to stare at the men and women.  “Most of us have handled a gun at some point…  Colombia has compulsory military service, so it’s hard not to while living in these jungles, and most of us are taught basic instructions on their use from a young age out here.”  He paused for a second and forced out a laugh.

“Let me say this, I guess…  I can’t speak to everyone, but if you give me the means to fight back against these aliens that took some of my friends and family, I’ll follow you, Empress.  If Gloria makes it back with the supplies to hold over those stuck here, I’m sure you’ll get a lot more people volunteering, as well.”

Elinor was about to respond when another chain link snapped within her, making her focus shift to the floor.

[Level Up - Level 6]

“Congratulations!”  Butter chimed.  “It looks like experience comes in building your following, as well, Priss.  Does this shake things up?  Hehe.”

Recovering quickly, Elinor nodded, gaze lifting to Virgil again.  “Let those that choose to acknowledge me as their commander in this war know that they will have priority when chosen to be raised again or for one of their loved ones if they so choose to postpone their resurrection.  Have them write their desire on paper before I return with weapons.”

“I’ll spread the news,” Virgil promised, giving her a true salute.  “I understand you’re mainly doing this for your parents, Empress, but you’ve given me hope that we’ll make it through this attack…  Thank you.”

A few women and men nodded their agreement and stepped up to do the same, offering to join her in the raid if it meant there was no fear of death.  After all, she could return them to life, even if it meant they wouldn’t have the same life they had before, it was better than dying helplessly, and maybe they’d survive.

Accepting their support, Elinor left with Carlos and Audrey flanking her as she took them to the door.  Mika was waiting behind a fence that enclosed the facility with the bodies she’d collected—she’d gain more along the way.

She halted at the door when the leery-eyed dark-skinned man glared at her and the skeleton escort that tailed her; Elinor’s focus was on the boy with the drone, though.

Elinor pointed at the device, making the boy tense up.  “That will be quite important to deal with the ri’bot.  Make sure to take good care of it.”

Carlos chuckled from behind her.  “He’ll love it if you tell him he’ll be the hero to shut down one of the alien gateways.”

Smiling at the prospect, Elinor repeated it, making the boy’s eyes light up.

“You mean it?  I’ll stop them from coming through?”

“How?”  the man beside the door growled.  “Are you going to sacrifice him to some dark god or something?”

“Ah, hehe, wouldn’t that be scary?”  Elinor gave him a secretive smirk while proceeding to the exit.  “No, he will very much live to tell the tale of how he closed one of the gateways.  But how?  That is yet to be revealed.”

Entering the blizzard, the soft crunch of her boots became the only thing she could hear with the pattering of bones behind her.  Elinor met with Mika, raising a few of the ri’bot she brought in a cart she’d found, strapping it to her pet.

Butter flew ahead with two of her butterflies to soak up the life essence of the criminals taking shelter in the banana factory; Elinor kept one with her to use as the medium to draw the Death Orbs they collected from a distance to raise the corpses Mika discovered on her way back.

The ri’bot seemed to have gotten the precise amount needed to max out her current limit—by her own efforts, as well—showing she was trying to work into her favor.  She obviously did not like Eduardo and his complaining, but still listened to gain a better understanding of Elinor’s culture.

Eduardo tried his best to stay away from Carlos and Audrey, finding the silently listening toad woman better company in the Nexus’ private channels; of course, Carlos could listen in on his thoughts since he was under his command, much like Elinor could do to everyone, excluding Butter.

The more Carlos studied their current dynamic, the more he was unsatisfied with Eduardo’s performance and attitude; any unit was only good as its weakest link, and he certainly was that, as he made a note of it to her.

I understand he is resistant, Elinor said, riding inside the ribcage of the toad on a makeshift seat that Audrey made when passing by a supply store.  It had taken her less than a few minutes to set it up, and it certainly made it easier on her artificial body since the snow was getting deeper.  His chill curse will be useful, despite his attitude, and he must follow orders.

“Is there no way to get the same curse from another person?”  Carlos pressed, horns sending flakes swirling around as he tilted his neck to stare back at the ghost.

“He’s useful against a single opponent, but he can’t hold a gun, and, as the High Queen told me, his curse can be resisted.  On the other hand, Audrey is perfectly willing to accept your rule and is happy to serve in a maid capacity.  She knows how to use a gun—build and operate explosives, meaning an understanding of chemistry—and she only hopes that one of her friends can be raised to serve with her.”

In short, she can function in a wealth of roles, Elinor whispered, seeing his point.  It is nice having those that will work to build with me rather than grumble and drag their feet.  Hmm.  Once we’re finished with this operation, I’ll make my decision.

“As you command, Empress,” he said, lowering his horned head.

Elinor was surprised at how different the reaction was between them; it may have been due to her raising them at a higher level, but Carlos and Audrey saw purpose in what they were doing—what she was building—whereas Eduardo only saw what he’d lost.

Does it have to do with him being a spirit and them skeletons?  she internally pondered, not receiving an answer.  Probably not…  Mika is compliant, but she wasn’t before spending time under my rule.

Speaking privately to Carlos, she asked her question, vision scanning the colorful winter wonderland that had embraced the still, silent jungle; the dome overhead caused fragmented light to dazzle any onlooker.  Nothing moved in the flurry of falling snow, but the occasional trail could be seen from the imprints in the powder; already, the tracks were being covered with a soft layer.

Why do you follow me so readily, Carlos?  And what did you say to Audrey to convince her to be so willing and meek?

“Hehe.  Empress, it is… hard to explain,” he muttered, head tilting to stare at the heavens.  “I guess I started to see a lot of things clearer after gaining these horns…  Heh, my tail used to be a lot longer than this stubby thing, and these horns were a shock to me, for sure…”

He ran his fingers across the smooth, curved protrusions on his far thicker skull than the woman walking beside him.  “A lot of anxieties left me, and the moment you called me back from… wherever I came from.  Hmm…  I knew you were destined to be great—are someone great—I knew my life would mean something if I followed you…

“Sure, I could reject those instinctive feelings, but what would I be returning to?  I knew I’d died after only a few seconds.  I remembered how it happened.  Naturally, heh, I wanted to get my revenge.  Haaa.  I don’t know what I’m saying anymore…  It was a lot of reasons, but I’m sure Eduardo had those same sensations.  He just doesn’t want to be a part of it, which is why I guess I’m agitated by him.”

I see…  That does put things into perspective.

Elinor had more or less made her decision before even asking her new Staff Sargent; she just needed to find a good replacement for the ghost that could outweigh his loss.  The man seemed to sense her focus on him because a shiver ran through the ghost, which made Elinor chuckle to herself at the ridiculous nature of her powers.

He doesn’t want to be with me but doesn’t want to die again…  In resisting his position, he’s already made his decision.

Casting her eyes about as they came to the plantation of banana trees, Elinor’s mouth tightened upon coming to a new realization in the snowy, rainbow-cast winter-scape: the ri’bot didn’t retreat only for fear of the cold, but the living would have a terrible time spotting anything in the reflected light permeating the area, so they retreated to the overcast jungle.

Gloria and her small expedition force were likely covering their eyes and traveling at a snail’s pace to reach their destination.  Her enhanced vision, and that of her undead, seemed unaffected by the glare; she knew it was there, just like the arctic environment, yet it didn’t hit her in the same way as in life.

“Took your time, Priss,” Butter communicated to her when they came near the plantation processing plant.  “I’ve already handled the men outside; they’re practically blind due to the light, so a tiny butterfly is practically non-existent!  I’m traveling through these airways now to reach the place with the magical mirrors.”

Magical mirrors?  Elinor scoffed with a short chuckle.  Is that what you call monitors in a security room?

She could feel the butterfly’s wings flutter with slight embarrassment.  “Yes, well, I am not accustomed to this world’s technology, Priss!  Perhaps if someone explained things better, I wouldn’t have to make such crude comparisons.  Honestly, I can’t with you.”

In any case, good work, Butter; you have proven to be rather invaluable.

“As I told you I would be,” she huffed in return.  “Oh!  They’re working in shifts.  Efficient.  I’ll just sap a little life from the one sleeping in the corner…  Heh.  Clueless idiots,”

Elinor followed Carlos around to the back, where the noisy generator was burning oil.  Through her High Monarch’s silent raid on the outer defenses of the gang-controlled facility, she’d increased her unintelligent undead count from seven to sixteen, raising all the toads Mika collected.  She was building up her own little army.

I’d give them some slack, Elinor said as Butter informed her that her job was done, and the lookouts had been dealt with.  Carlos turned off the device, causing silence to overtake the facility as the lights inside went out.  Who would suspect butterflies that could drain the life out of you?

“To be fair, if they did spot me, I’m as weak as a leaf; one swat, and I’m done for.”

Yes, you’re a ninja, Elinor mused, getting out of her skeletal ride and moving to a side door that Carlos forced open; Audrey stayed beside her, holding an umbrella that kept the flakes away, but her hair was stiff with her garments—she had no body heat to melt the flakes.

She had their transport vehicle and tank wait outside; they’d need the cart to carry back all the goods.

“How many below, High Queen?”  Carlos asked, sending a few unintelligent soldiers ahead to scout the way as three brought up their rear, Audrey remaining silent by her side; she really was taking the role of maid seriously, which Elinor could respect.

“The mirrors, eh… monitors,” she corrected herself, “showed five more in the basement.  Two appeared to be making deals with sheets of paper and writing on them, trading pieces of metal to one another.”

Poker…  Well, aren’t they relaxed?  Elinor muttered, keeping a casual pace as Carlos moved ahead.  Tell me when the area is secure.

“Yes, Empress!  Eduardo, head below and do something useful.”

“Right, whatever…”  he grumbled, floating through the floor to spook or chill the men.

“Mika, with me, and Audrey, protect The Empress; I’m giving you the rank of leader to control three undead to act as an escort—let’s move!”

Elinor changed directions as Carlos used some kind of charge ability he retained from obtaining power from the seed she’d eaten, acting as a battering ram to break open the door.  Shouts were heard, but the commotion and gunfire soon died down as she walked around the machines that processed bananas.

“Clear!”  Carlos said, already moving to check what supplies they’d been able to score.

She took her time to reach the area, spotting the leftover clothes from the lookouts on the second floor of the facility that had part of their life force drained by Butter; it was interesting that when they died, be it while in her service or when consumed, they still fell into a bottomless abyss within her.  There was so much mystery involving her change that needed to be uncovered.

The golden butterfly hovered down to rest on her shoulder after a few minutes of exploring the large plant; blood and signs of a struggle were seen in places with a few ri’bot corpses she could raise after gaining a few more Death Orbs.

Eduardo and Mika were sent to keep watch outside, much to the ghost’s grumbles at being worked worse than a dog, and, to her mild surprise, Audrey began scanning the building for further covering to add to their crocodile-toad ride; the woman was rather diligent, and Carlos was right when he said she was a perfectionist.

Making it to the stairs that lead to the hidden stairs that Carlos had opened up, she descended to the basement level, noticing the steel door was dented in and one of its hinges was broken off.

How was the pay-off?

“Excellent, Empress,” Carlos said, going over some paperwork that was in a nearby cabinet.  Blood was plastered across his horns, still dripping to the floor, and the bodies of the gang members were laid by the corner.

“A little less firepower than I was expecting, but we’re between major shipments.  We do have two small charges of C4…  A few rockets, but no launcher, and a decent amount of grenades.  What can you see, Audrey?”

Elinor’s gaze went to the maid; she was now browsing a fridge in the back that housed ingredients before moving to study the stacked shelves by the wall.

“We are missing some components that should be here…  I suspect someone took them during the panic.  It seems to be mostly drugs that were stolen, though.  I was addicted to morphine, but… I don’t have that urge anymore.  Thank you, Empress.”

“I didn’t know that,” Carlos muttered, watching her gather specific items to carefully pack them in coolers.  “When did that happen?”

“It was a way to keep me on a leash, I suppose,” she passionlessly said, studying the clarity of some vials.  “I couldn’t work without having a little… and the withdrawals were quite unpleasant.  In any case, I should be able to craft a few dirty bombs, and the fertilizer outside could be used, if I have more time to prepare it.”

Butter hummed.  “Destroying the big crystal?  Isn’t it ethereal?”

“Is it?”  Audrey asked with a tired sigh.  “That’s unfortunate.”

Elinor moved to watch her maid work, sensing her displeasure at the news as Carlos explained the true purpose behind their objective in securing the facility.

“That’s what we know at this time.  Our current objective is still the Hub-Crystals; Mika thinks that destroying one has also limited the number of forces they’re able to send into our world.  Their current number won’t vanish, but they can’t send any more in, and there are four, so each one grants them fifty soldiers, which means, by destroying the one we cut their strength down by a quarter, and The Empress already did that.”

She could almost see the man puffing on a cigar and tipping a hat in her direction by his tone and drawl, showing his utmost respect at the accomplishment.

“So, you require three charges… and you already have the rockets, grenades, and two C4 charges,” Audrey whispered, fingers hovering over a few bags on the shelf.  “I’m afraid I may be useless, then…”

“What nonsense!”  Butter chided, flying over to land on her head.  “You are an expert in their use, as well; are you not, dear?”

“Not for some years, High Queen.  I’ve only mixed the compounds and advised.”

“More than enough,” her celestial twin huffed.  “Have more confidence in yourself; in addition, you are making a fantastic effort at serving your empress.”

I am satisfied with what you’re offering to me, Audrey, and you have shown me nothing but respect, which means I will offer you respect in return.  Hold your head high; we do what we can, and you have done it without one complaint…  Carlos, get everything packed up so we can move out.

“Right away, Empress.”

He got the undead workhorses into action, carefully moving the crates up to be placed in the wagon.  Elinor’s focus was still on her maid, though, wanting to learn more about her as she motioned for the woman to take one of the seats that didn’t have gore plastered across it.

Tell me a little about this person you want me to raise.  Ah, and were any of these men anything to you?  she asked, gesturing at the corpses near the wall.

Audrey took a deep breath and released it within the Nexus, showing a bit of anxiety as she sat at the table.  Elinor watched with interest as she tried to resist but couldn’t stop her fingers from gathering the papers to organize them, showing her compulsive OCD in orderly things.

“No, Empress…  I was more of a slave than a colleague at this point.  A lot changed in the last few years, which is probably why Carlos is confused about the morphine…  He used to run a lot of things here before retiring to his ranch.

“How terrible,” Butter whispered, landing on the edge of a cup to listen.  “It is a sad thing when one’s loyalty is betrayed, and after all the work you put in throughout your life.”

The woman’s bony shoulders shrugged.  “It’s just how the industry is…  I should have seen it coming, to be honest, but I let myself be blinded by my work until it was too late and new management took over.  There was a young girl that was always nice to me… worked hard, and I feared for her.”

Audrey rubbed her bony arm, glancing to a hallway with open doors; undead were coming in and out on Carlos’ orders, hauling equipment to be shipped.

“She had a younger brother she always protected and rather neglectful parents…  Carlos showed me her corpse in the other room.  Umm, it appears the gang likely killed her when she tried to leave or resisted… whatever might have happened.  She had a fiery temper, and a mouth, so… she may have gotten heated, causing them to shoot her.  I figured it would be the case when I learned she was transporting local money to Armando.”

Elinor’s ears pricked at the name.  Armando was here?

“Maybe… there’s a lot of bodies, and he may have been killed in an internal dispute.  Do you want me to find him?”

Yes, Elinor stated, rising to her feet and throat going dry with the thought of answers as to why they’d been manipulated to come on this trip.  Also, find the woman you told me about  If she does have the spunk you mentioned, I’m sure she will be useful.

She could feel the skeleton woman’s thankful smile as she promptly rose to follow her order.  “I won’t rest until I find Armando.  He should be here or in a nearby safe house, but I would put, heh, my life on this being his chosen location to bunker down.”

“A corpse hunt it is!”  Butter cheered, joining the woman as more emotional support than an extra pair of eyes.

Elinor watched them go, fingers wanting to curl into fists, so she clasped them behind her back, focus shifting to the gored and broken bodies by the wall.  She still had a level to explore—a minor one; but a level, nonetheless—yet this took center stage.

Carlos did say he enjoyed more of a physical approach, and the Colombian gangsters had most certainly received that treatment with the damage they’d sustained; she was beginning to wonder if he had a grudge against the current upper echelon of the crew he used to operate.

Everyone has a story, I suppose…  What will Armando’s be in bringing me to Colombia?

Chapter Ten: A Scarlet Hand

Proceeding to the inner rooms of the secret space below the factory, Elinor waited at each entrance as Audrey searched for the former gang leader; there were five in total along the hallway, yet only two held corpses, and quite a few of them.

The stench and sight didn’t bother Elinor as much as they should have; it was as if she’d been accustomed to death all her life, which was possibly a hidden affix of [Monarch of Death I].

Other than the signs of bullet fire, blood stains, and seemingly recent litter strewn about in the panic of the sudden assault or internal conflict, the space was relatively tidy.  Of course, Audrey might have been the reason for that, given her OCD tendencies.

The rooms held the repackaging location, chemical mixing area, security, a storage room, and what appeared to be the boss’ private office at the end of the hall.  Most of the bodies were inside the repackaging and security spaces.

It didn’t take long for Audrey to find the teenage girl she wanted to be resurrected.  She was probably a year older than Elinor, by her looks, and the woman had been right about her execution with the bullet through her chest.

Elinor directed the maid to keep searching for the leader as her butterfly hovered down to examine the girl’s potential.  Butter remained nearby, observing many signs of violence on the deceased while talking privately to Carlos.

What was her name, Audrey?  she queried.

The girl had shoulder-length black hair with a right cowlick that she had swept to the left, with her bangs tucked behind her ear; she was thin and a bit taller than Elinor, but it was clear by her well-worn hands and the light muscle that she did physical labor.

Her clothes were generic and had likely seen use for a few years.  It was a bit sad to see the way some people lived, yet she saw people like this all the time on California’s streets.

“Adoncia Vences, Empress, and her brother’s name is Sal; she has spoken to me a few times about him having a girlfriend, as well.  I believe her name was Alisa.  I don’t know much about her, I’m afraid.”

More than I was expecting…  Her parents aren’t in the picture much?

“I’m afraid not…  Like me, they were hooked on drugs, as were a surprising number of residents in this town.  Adoncia’s parents are addicted to codeine…  Well, if they’re alive.”

Elinor took one of the seats nearby to stare at the dead girl, crossing her legs.  Every time she studied a new body, she discovered more and more about how her abilities functioned, and Adoncia was no different.

Adoncia’s Grade and Tier was Poor-B, which she was learning was quite high for an average soul, yet the categorization was the key.  She was a maid candidate, but unlike Audrey, this teenage girl was teetering on the edge of tilting from the Serving Court into the Military Court.

A combat maid?  Elinor mused to Butter.

“Oh?  That could be useful.  A petite girl like her staying by your side that is disregarded by an enemy would be an ideal one to have close by.  Discovering anything new about your System?”

You could say that…  The specifications for where each of the undead I raise is more nuanced than we first thought.  Between the Serving, Military, and High Court, all undead can act within them, but their compatibility with those roles differs.  Their Grade and Tier can also increase based on a combination of them while showing where they would best fit.

“How compatible is this girl?”  Butter asked, hovering over to land on her nose.  “Mmm.  Almost fifty-fifty.  She is a server and a fighter.  Interesting dynamic, which bumps her up to a higher Tier.  She also has a temper; Audrey?”

The woman paused in the security room, indicating to Elinor that she’d found their target.  “Adoncia is very good at following orders and going above and beyond in any task she is given, but she did expect compensation for it, and if cheated, she would speak out of her labor—quite vocally, too.”

I see no problem with that, Elinor said, rising with Butter to join the maid in the other room.  As she passed, her gaze lingered on three dead ri’bot that the gang had killed.  Well, it seems the time has finally come.

She stood over the man that had ordered her kidnapping, taking in his appearance as Butter rested on her shoulder and Audrey awaited further instruction nearby, hands folded against her stomach.

Armando was smaller than Elinor thought he’d be, possibly only a few millimeters taller than Adoncia, but whenever she pictured mob or cartel bosses, she always expected them to be above two meters and built like a train.

“Not very impressive, is he?”  Butter huffed, sending one of her minions to scan the corpse.  “Poor-A in acting as an underling in the High Court.  Carlos outstrips him by quite the margin.”

Elinor’s ethereal veil drifted to the left with her head movement while examining him head to foot.  He’d been shot four times—three in the chest and once in the head—which left much of his features hidden by the gore.

To be fair, Carlos was enhanced by his own Seed that we ate upon resurrecting him; he had superpowers.  Whatever gave us these powers has boosted our spiritual capability by a large margin, which means we must find anyone who died that had one.

“Right…  Ooh, yes!  We can make swift gains through incorporating more of these Seeds,” Butter agreed.  “We will have to keep our eyes open.  How many do you think changed within the town; can we make speculations yet based on the technology in this facility?”

Hehe.  No, Butter, Elinor laughed, finding it funny her goddess-like twin was so ignorant regarding things so basic.  We’ve only heard about a few thus far—less than five—so I’m guessing it is quite rare.

“A shame.  So,” the blonde chimed, “should I break the news to our most senior, feet-dragging minion?”

It should be done by The Empress, I think, she returned, calling Eduardo to return from his lookout position.

The swirl of fog slowly materialized through the ground and walls to hover nearby; if he could show his face, it would be a dull, bored expression.  “You called, Empress…  You found Armando?  Wait…  You can only have four Intelligent undead, and… and you already raised Audrey.  Heh.  Do… we need to find more toads to kill?  I can find more toads!”

Elinor showed him a small smile, and the plans she’d had involving a ghost army made her giggle inside; in hindsight, all they could really do was perform rather minor and obnoxious, non-lethal curses at this Grade and Tier.

I’m thrilled you’re feeling so proactive right now, Eduardo.  Unfortunately, I’m not sensing that you’re enjoying this life.  Why not?

Butter sighed from a private connection they shared.  “Must you torture him?”

I have to understand precisely why he is so resistant to avoid future failures, she responded, and the thickness of the fog increased, showing the stress and sweat now breaking out across the ghost’s ethereal form upon realizing what kind of ‘exit interview’ this was.

“Heh, Empress, I, umm…  I do miss hands…  I want to e-eat something—feel the warm touch of a woman, even…”

Elinor lifted a curious hand.  Is my touch not warm?  Hmm.

“N-Not like that, Empress!  I know I can be useful!  I just… I don’t want to, I, umm…  I don’t want to die—eh, again…  Where would I go?  Do I just… cease to exist?”  he asked in a panic.

Stepping forward, Elinor placed a hand on where she knew the man’s shoulder was, making the phantom flinch as he felt her touch.

I honestly don’t know, Eduardo, and I am grateful for the foundation you laid in helping me destroy one of the Hub-Crystals and killing Mika, but… I can’t have unwilling or resistant soldiers.  I do hope you find peace on the other side… whatever is there.

She expected him to scream, yell, curse at her, yet all she heard was a terrified whimper as she let the chains binding him to her go, and he was drawn deep within the abyss inside her soul.  The only noises that broke the still atmosphere were the sounds made by the undead hauling equipment upstairs to the trailer.

Elinor sensed Carlos’ approval of getting rid of the complaining criminal, searching for any more hidden caches that may have been tucked away.  Audrey was indifferent toward the man’s cries, patiently waiting for when she would be needed.

For a moment, Elinor wondered if they were the odd ones and not the resistant ghost; she’d become so desensitized in such a short amount of time, yet it felt so natural to her as if relearning how to ride a bike she’d used countless times before.

What will Mom and Dad think of me?  Elinor whispered to herself, sending her butterfly to ignite the cartel leader’s corpse in its emerald flames.  It doesn’t matter until I save them, I suppose, and I will have answers for them.

Cold fire in her jade-green irises, Elinor watched flesh and muscle burn away to reveal the man’s polished bones as the skeleton twitched with the spirit dragged out of the void to be once again tied to them.

[Raise Undead I - Advanced to E-tier]

“Ack—wha…”

No need to get comfortable, Armando, she informed the quaking figure, letting it be known through her voice that she was not pleased with him.  You will kneel before me and only speak the truth of what I ask you…  Nothing more, nothing less.  Do you understand?

Resistance was instant but futile as she exerted her will onto the cartel boss, and, for the first time, she brought an iron fist down on a spirit, shattering the man’s attempts to disobey.  Pain and fear replaced confusion and hatred as Armando prostrated himself before her.

“I…  I-I understand…  Immortal Empress of the Dead.”

In his mind, he saw herself, a towering monolith of death—dark, wicked, and obscene—darkness awakened, exerting a hand over his head to sink her claws into his tiny, frail, mortal spirit; she would not be denied.  His terror twisted to horror upon realizing who stood over him—what he’d ordered done to her.

Who paid you to kidnap me?

Burning skull pressed against the concrete, unable to so much as look upon her feet, Armando’s voice was steady, but it wasn’t due to his own will with her fingers gripping his soul.

“I was contacted by an occult organization that calls themselves the Scarlet Hand.  My only point of contact was a dark-haired woman; she gave me all of the information regarding your parents, including tax records, schedules, and family history—everything… more documentation than I’ve ever seen for a kidnapping job.  All I could uncover was that this particular branch operated in Florida.”

Florida?  Elinor whispered.

Butter’s wings fluttered at her questioning tone.  “Is that significant?  Is it a rival to your nation of California?”

Heh.  No…  It’s just all the way across the continent.  Why were they interested in my family?

“This planet is so foreign to me…”

“I don’t know,” he replied, fear coating his tongue as she dripped poison on it for every unsatisfactory response.

Rather than getting into a loop, Elinor took the seat Audrey offered her, the maid moving without being prompted as if sensing her desire.  Crossing her legs, she took a different approach.

Tell me what you know about everything involving me and this… dome we are in.

Bony fingers quaking against the ground, Elinor knew from his raw emotions in the Nexus that he wouldn’t be much help.

“The Scarlet Cult hired me for this job, Empress…  I grew interested in who they might be; they were very well funded, and they’d already given me all the information about you, but… they did not tell me you were the Empress of the Dead.  Eh-haha.  I wouldn’t have believed them in any case,” he half laughed and cried.

“You were just some moderately wealthy family from the United States that someone wanted dealt with, as far as I knew, but the cult woman was very specific on what day, time, and place the kidnapping had to happen…  She had to have known, Empress!  She had to have known this would happen—the toads would attack us—the impassible dome…  All of it!”

The last part drew her interest.  You’ve tested the dome?

“Yes!  It just teleports you to the other side of the barrier, however far across that is.  You can’t feel it or see if anyone is on the other side—I’m sure there are, but all we could see was the environment…  Nothing living.  Our flashlights would be teleported to the other side, as well—the light, that is.  When it started to snow, we bunkered down here.”

Hmm.  Elinor’s focus went to Butter for a moment as she thought; the blonde was asking a load of questions to Audrey about Earth and various cultures, not wanting to embarrass herself by opening her mouth further.

In essence, what you’re telling me is that someone set me up to be pitted against these ri’bot…  As I figured, none of this is random, but a staged event to take me and…  Were there others that you were supposed to bring here?  she questioned, realizing she might not be the only one who this Scarlet Hand had been trying to rid themselves of.

“Yes, Empress!  A nearby prison warden—eh, Yesenia—yeah, that was her name!  Yesenia was supposed to be here, and… and there were others the cult wanted me to bring to another small town to the far east of Colombia.  Umm.  There was an old retired military general, as well; I’m not sure if he got on the right bus, though…  I wasn’t given a report from Eduardo’s group.”

Elinor wanted to curse, but she kept her poise, and she sensed an internal groan from Carlos as he listened to the report while processing the goods.  Unfortunately, everyone connected to that part of the operation had either been used for Death Orbs, killed as a spirit, or released to the void, and a quick inquiry told her she couldn’t bring them back.

That’s… unfortunate.  So, three people by name were sent here?  Yesenia, the retired military general, whose name was…

“Umm.  I had his report!  A-All the information that was sent should be in my office!”

Much better, Elinor smiled.

He took it as a sign and scrambled to his feet, bones clicking frantically against the hard ground as he raced to get her the files.  When he returned, she took them from his shaking hands.  It was laughable; Elinor was practically a giant in the man’s mind after she’d shown his spirit a firm hand.

Taking the pieces of paper, her mouth drew into a line upon seeing the writing in Spanish; she spoke passably, but reading was a bit of a challenge.  Studying it for a while, she got what information she needed from each.

“Talk to me, Priss!  I’m dying to be a part of this discussion,” Butter pleaded.  “I am affected by this change, as well.  Was there anything on me?  Did this cult have plans to snare a goddess or something along those lines—there has to be something!”

Haaa, Elinor sighed, turning a dull look to the agitated butterfly.  Your main-character syndrome is showing, Butter.  No, there is nothing about a blonde girl, and you might be jumping the gun on the whole goddess fixation.  Let’s enter this with a level head and work off what we know instead of our imagination or ego.

“Humph.  I know in my soul I am a very, very important person,” she huffed, frustrated that she was throwing shade on the subject, no doubt.

I’m sure.  Still, I am working with facts, not how you feel right now, buttercup.

“Hmm?!  Buttercup?  A new nickname?  Why does this sound cuter…  Do you know something you’re not telling me in these files?  I’m confused,” she cried.  “You’re doing this on purpose!”

Elinor let her stew on the new name as she tried to get answers from the others; Mika threw up her hands, saying she had no clue what a buttercup was, and the answers Carlos and Audrey gave her only further bewildered the blonde.

Done teasing her fuming twin, Elinor sat back, fingernail tapping the paper as she privately considered all the information present.

Report cards, cheer final and gymnastic competition photos, pictures taken with my friends, and the same with Mom and Dad…  Financial reports and bank statements…  We were a lot more wealthy than I thought, but I suppose most of it is in savings for retirement.  Mom and Dad were planning everything really well…

Business quarterly reports and tickets pre-purchased for our trip back, even a surprise vacation to France to see Mom’s family.  Our entire lives, put on display…  We’ve been stalked since before I was born.  This Scarlet Cult has had their eyes on me as if they knew precisely who I would become before Mom or Dad even met.  How?

Her gaze drifted to the skeleton maid beside her, suddenly a bit flustered after Butter huffily mentioned she wasn’t wearing anything to cover her bones; Elinor waved her hand, indicating she was fine to go find something to wear.

A question like that doesn’t mean anything when I’m literally a dead girl walking.  It doesn’t matter how, since it is reality…  What do I do with this information?  Obviously, Butter had to be a part of the plan his cult had in motion.  They’d orchestrated so many impossible things that it’s improbable to think her invasive appearance wasn’t due to their machinations.

Was it a combination of these circumstances that forced Butter into me and weakened her?  Is the cult here in this dome to make sure things go as planned?  It sounds logical, Elinor reasoned, flipping it on its head to present another thought.  Then again, if they knew I would be able to raise the dead, they wouldn’t want any members nearby…

Her focus drifted to the prostrated skeleton again, and he flinched as if sensing her silent glare, obviously intimidated.  Their entire conversation had been in total silence, which must have looked bizarre from an outside observer.

They wanted me to know it was them… Armando confirms it.  If they were as well-funded as they say, and these files are evidence enough of their influence, then they knew he would look into them and give them just enough information to let me know they were the culprit.

She imagined a hooded woman in a scarlet cloak, blowing and wearing a smile that was just noticeable beyond the shadows cast by the cowl.  Furious at what she’d done to her family, Elinor wanted to grab her throat and squeeze the life out of her.

A parting goodbye.  She’s telling me there’s nothing I can do to change my fate.  If that’s the case, I’m sure my parents are beyond the gateway by this point.  The cult does have people here… lurking in the town, and with how far they plan, they could have been planted here for decades.

Narrowed eyes fixating on the papers held loosely in her grip, Elinor took a deep breath and let it stream out; so many things were now beginning to fall into place, and she had to believe it was by design.

Her first instinct went straight to Gwen, the redhead that her mother sacrificed herself to let get away with a few others, yet, at the same time, she had to remind herself it was only a suspicion, way too obvious of a ploy to make her paranoid.

Right now, it didn’t matter who the moles or spies were—there were bigger bones to pick.  they were in this mess as much as she, and it was doubtful that the cult would want to risk them dying and being brought back, which meant they’d try to minimize risky situations that could call for her returning them to life.  Her parents were her priority—bait or not, they had to be on the other side.

Resigning herself to a full war to win back her mother and father, Elinor’s heart filled with cold fire.  Butter…

“Oh, finally giving me the grace of day, Priss?  What do you mean by calling me Buttercup?!  Please, I’m so confused about how butter and cups mix into something cute or sweet!  I have no clue what chocolate is either.”

We have so many joys of life to catch you up on, Buttercup, Elinor said, showing a smirk she didn’t feel.  So… what would you say if our downfall was due to a seemingly omniscient cult that has been planning for this moment since before I was born?

“Well… if that were the case, then our opponent is more formidable than I believed.  Are these pictures of you when you were a child?  You were adorable!  Oh, but of course, you would be; heh, we do take after each other in many regards…  You don’t think I’m a clone… of you, or you are one of me?”

Elinor lifted an eyebrow, not knowing where she got an understanding of a clone, but suspecting it had to do with one of her conversations with the maid or staff sergeant.

We’re getting off-topic.

“That’s because I’m completely out of the loop!  You shut me out,” Butter accused.  “I’ve been left trying to piece things together from my own knowledge, which is quite limited regarding this planet.  So… if this is a complicated plot, then the best thing to do is to go against the predicted narrative.  What wouldn’t you do?”

Elinor was surprised she’d come up with a rather simple, yet ingenious counterplay on the spot.  Obviously, the big thing would be leaving her parents, but she could never do that, which meant she needed to find more, less drastic approaches.

Hmm.  What wouldn’t I do?  It clicked in Elinor’s mind.  I wouldn’t trust random humans to take out the other Hub-Crystals on their own or act as bait.

“Bait?!”  Audrey suddenly asked in alarm, jogging back into the room wearing a summer dress that was tied to her collarbone; it looked rather baggy, considering she was all bones.  “Empress, surely there is another option than to put yourself in harm’s way!”  It was the first time she’d heard such emotion in the woman’s voice.

“I agree, Empress,” Carlos said, while Mika remained quiet.  She was all for it,  however, thinking she would see the power of a ‘Surpeme Chief.’  “Do we have to be so reckless to pull the rug under these cultists’ feet?  Won’t they just use that as an opportunity to throw you to the wolves… unless that’s what your plan is, to expose them?”

Butter snickered.  “How can you continue to counter my name for you at every turn, Priss?  It’s almost as if you’re doing it to spite me.  How are we going to identify the culprit, though?  Yes, it will be unexpected, but won’t that make them throw up their hands and be done with it?”

Elinor shook her head with a short chuckle that made Armando shake again.  No…  When dealing with plans so fine-tuned and calculated, anything that goes against that narrative will cause a seed of doubt, which will then sprout, and all we need to do is watch for it.  It’s not as if I plan to go unprepared.  I need you to go hunting again, Butter…  I need to be full on Death Orbs.

“Okay…  Explain it to me as I’m out slaving away because you have me curious, Priss.”

Watching her go with her flock of butterflies, Elinor kept one with her to fill up the rest of her unintelligent slots and dismissed the quivering cartel boss, sending him to the void now that she was finished with him.

She took one more glance at the files, memorizing everything she could about the other two people who had been selected to participate in this invasion.

Yesenia has a rather… twisted personality, it seems, she whispered to Butter, going over her sheet with interest.  She loves torturing prisoners and does her best to keep them in prison…  A sadist who enjoys inflicting pain on others while remaining squeaky clean to the public.  Frightening…  She also has a hobby of collecting venomous serpents to use in said practice.

“Someone you can surely use,” Butter noted without enthusiasm.  “It’s not my kind of hobby, though.  So I leave that to you.”

Soft as butter.  Hmm…  The general is decorated… a lot, and has never lost a battle.  She fixated on his photo; he had been on the bus behind them, but she wasn’t sure if he was there at their last stop.  I’ll have to keep my eye out for him.

Getting up, Elinor returned to the other room.  It seemed that Carlos and Audrey were against the plan but wouldn’t question her decision.

Standing over the corpse of the teenage girl, she initiated the resurrection process, saying, Smooth her into the role and what is to be expected of her, Audrey.

[Raise Undead I - Advanced to D-tier]

Twice?  Elinor thought to herself as the maid curtsied to her in the new summer dress she’d obtained.  It appeared she had to re-evaluate the experience gained through raising intelligent undead since it appeared to give far more than unintelligent.

“As you command…  Can we at least accompany you, Empress?”  she pressed, wanting to at least be nearby in case she was needed; in a way, it was self-preservation since if her diamond was destroyed, the whole network would fall apart.

Naturally.  I want to talk to their leader anyway.  Mika…  Elinor prompted with a smile, turning away from Adoncia as she shakily got to her feet with Audrey’s help.

“Yes, Empress?  I see no movement outside.”

That’s not what I wanted to discuss…  We have a lot to talk about concerning your customs and religious rites.  Where should we begin?

Elinor sat at the table she’d used before, entering her diamond to process her level while her new maid was brought up to speed and Carlos finished getting all the supplies they’d need to arm their growing army.  Mika explained much about their culture—it would be needed when negotiating or coming to an understanding.

Her primary objective was to get as many Death Orbs stored as possible, which was currently capped at twenty-seven; therefore, her skill point went into Constitution, bringing it up to thirty-three with her butterfly storage banks.

Level six hadn’t given her nearly as much as her previous levels, and there weren’t even any Feat upgrades.  Then again, with how stacked level five had been, she could see why there would be a blank spot.

On the plus side, once exiting and raising the rest of the minion pool, she capped her unintelligent at twenty.  She was disappointed when nothing seemed out of the ordinary from her two tier increases; yet, upon further investigation, she realized her newly resurrected young bloods were slightly closer to increasing their tiers from D to C than her previous minions of a similar rank.

It becomes more efficient, and my power imbues them if I level up the Feat?  That can be useful in the long run.  I’m getting closer to the advancement Feat, and the strength of the minion should also affect the tier level…

So far, I’ve raised six intelligent and twenty-seven unintelligent; nine more intelligent and thirty-three unintelligent until I get [Raise Undead II].  Hopefully, I can raise Rare-Grade undead at that point.

Finished with their preparations, Elinor left the facility and entered her skeletal vehicle that now had a decent cover with the maids’ work, and she invited them to join her inside.  It truly was taking shape; they’d even provided flaps that could be pulled back to view outside, and a sort of floor with mats that were tied to the crocodile-toad’s ribs.

It was time to return with the spoils of her labor and to see how many soldiers she’d have to execute the plan she’d developed with an excited Butter and nervous Staff Sergeant.

Chapter Eleven: A Plan Set

The gentle sounds of crunching snow and the soft shakes from the cart’s movements behind them followed their path onto the frost-covered dirt roads as Elinor gazed out of the open flap of her makeshift carriage.

Mika and Carlos kept an eye on their surroundings, yet the likelihood that they’d be attacked was minimal in the dazzling veil, and she had over a dozen unintelligent undead protecting her passage through the blizzard.  It was odd; she truly felt like an empress with the escort, a far cry from the high schooler she’d been a week ago.

Her gaze drifted to her two skeletal maids, who sat across from her.  Adoncia was fidgeting with the flowery dress Audrey had found for her since the teen’s previous garment had been stained by blood.

Showing the newest and most nervous addition to her empire a warm smile, Elinor engaged her through the Nexus.  What is on your mind after being raised from the dead and having a little time to settle?

The girl cleared her throat in their private conference, and her flaming, skeletal head turned to Audrey for a moment before returning to Elinor.  “I’m… a little uncomfortable having no skin, umm, and being on fire,” she chuckled.  “Honestly, I am grateful to be alive, and I have this weird… understanding, I think is the right word?”

Oh?  Go on, Elinor said, focus darting to Butter as she touched down on the window to eavesdrop with her high station in the Nexus.  You don’t have to hold back your thoughts; I want your unfiltered opinion.

“Right…”  She breathed in and out, anxiety melting away to be replaced by indignation.  “I can’t believe they shot me!”

Butter giggled at the heat in the girl’s voice as she continued her rant.

“I have worked so hard—and I know what I did wasn’t legal, and these guys sucked, but I only wanted to go out to see if my brother was okay.  Oh, sorry, Empress…  Haaa.  You don’t want to hear me complain…  You want to know how it is, heh, being dead for me.”

The golden butterfly’s wings fluttered a bit, drawing their attention.  “No need to calm that fire in your soul.  We need people with strong personalities that are willing to work hard.  You should feel annoyed that your dedication and service were so poorly rewarded.  Right, Priss?”

Elinor crossed her legs and studied the scenery, spotting running cars on the side of the road.  It seemed some people had tried to escape since they last traveled the area, yet they’d spun off in the powdery blanket that covered the zone.

She passively sent a portion of her unintelligent army to push them back onto the road, ordering them to use leverage and work together to accomplish the task; Carlos swiftly took command of the effort, leaving Elinor to watch on their slow return to town.

I do want to reward those that serve me well, and, as I understand from your outburst, you care greatly for your younger brother.  What of your parents?  Audrey tells me they aren’t the best examples, and that you handle most of his needs.

Adoncia’s head lowered to the padded floor of their bony ride, fingers finding her left arm.  “It’s… complicated.  They used to be great, but then the drugs came into the community, and I hated working for the people that introduced and spread it…”

No one else paid enough, though, Elinor finished, able to see the plight of the small jungle town.  Is there anything you want to inform me about or that you want?

She swiftly shook her head.  “Only that my brother is okay, eh…  I’m sure he’d want his girlfriend protected.  She’s a nice girl, but I think she’s a little intimidated by me.  I don’t know.”

Sensing her floundering, Elinor nodded and returned her gaze to the road; more stuck vehicles were seen along the edges of the dirt path.  A whole caravan of people must have gotten together to get away from the town.

Hmm.  I don’t know what the future holds for us, Adoncia.  What I do know is that I’ll rescue my parents, and I can understand how it feels to not know if someone important to you is safe or not.  That being said, why don’t you go out and check the cars on the side of the road?  One might have your brother in it or someone who would know where they are.

The girl’s posture straightened.  “I can’t communicate with them, though…  Oh!  I can write on the frost outside the window.  Umm.  It looks like there are mostly teens and kids with their mothers,” she said, leaning over to study the blinded humans, afraid to get out of the warmth of their vehicles in the biting chill.

I doubt they’ll be going anywhere, Elinor mused, watching the tires spin as one tried to reverse and make a jump to get back onto the path.  Also, we brought markers and a whiteboard for the purpose of communicating; they should be in the wagon.

“That does make a lot more sense,” Adoncia chuckled, not aware of the objects since Carlos had been the one to bring it up to Elinor.  “I’ll get them.”

Also, we’ve already had confirmation that the dome is sealing us in.  All they’re doing is making themselves an easy target for when the ri’bot form their next wave.  You can pass that information along, if you like, as you search.

She sent a private prompt to her Staff Sergeant.  I’ll have Carlos direct efforts to help those that need it, and if you see anyone trying to brave the blizzard, have a soldier carry them back to town with us to the shelter.  We need to gain as good a reputation as we can, and rescuing people seems like a win in that regard.

Adoncia would have worn a smile if able as she happily moved to exit the slow-moving carriage, yet Elinor stopped her just before entering the veil.

Be careful, she warned.  A bullet isn’t going to kill you unless it does significant damage to your bones, and some might shoot you with a shotgun on sight.  Your weakness is blunt objects, so watch out.

“Understood, Empress…  Heh.  I know I would probably do that if I were in their position.  I’ll be cautious.”

Letting her go, Butter hummed as the girl ran to the back to collect the board and marker, speaking privately to Elinor through the Nexus.  “You are mainly going for this to bolster your reputation to gain EXP in your Empress route, aren’t you, Priss?”

Can’t I do good for the sake of good?  she countered, leaning against one of the thick ribs to stare out at the efforts of her unintelligent undead and Adoncia’s attempts at communicating with some of the people in the cars.  Our path is very slow in this snow, anyway, and we don’t want to break the trailer or set off the explosives inside it.

“I’m sure.  In any case, this will help our cause.  Your decision is making your recent subjects nervous, though,” Butter commented, directing her attention to Carlos and Audrey.

I’m not afraid to be in the thick of a fight, Elinor scoffed.  I don’t know why, but… I’m really not all that afraid of anything anymore.  It’s not like I was all that frightened of things before I died, yet now it’s on a whole new level…  I’m immortal.  I can’t worry about anything other than what will help me get my parents back.

She could practically see a sly smirk on her golden-haired twin’s lips as she took to the air again to scout the nearby forest for life with her two fluttering lackeys.  “I thought as much…  All is in the name of your parents.”

Elinor scowled after the annoying butterfly.  Of course, it is…  That doesn’t mean I’m incapable of doing good along the way.

The path back to town was a long one, and they picked up seven teens who were trying to brave the blizzard to get help; Adoncia communicated with a few, becoming adept at using the whiteboard with her bony fingers, which would come in handy when they returned to the warehouse.

She felt Gloria’s escort returning to the survivors, as well; they’d beat her to the location, and Elinor gave the toads orders from a distance to return to her when they reached the facility.  Simple commands, such as return or go to a place, were good enough if the person giving them had an understanding of the exact area they were directing them.

It was an interesting duality: the unintelligent undead utilized or benefited from the person commanding them.  If the person didn’t know what a person looked like, neither would the unintelligent undead nor if they didn’t know how to get to an area.  In that way, they were extensions or extra limbs of those that directed them.

Upon reaching the facility, the shivering teens and women were in tears once entering the warm building; the dark-skinned man swiftly opened the door to let them in, hearing their stories as they sought help for those still stuck.

Elinor moved past them, and Carlos oversaw the cart being brought through the warehouse doors as the bulk of her twenty soldiers guarded the perimeter with Mika.

Virgil was swift to meet her, focus shifting to Audrey and Adoncia, wielding a whiteboard.  “I guess your operation was a success?”

“It was,” Elinor stated, progressing to the door that went further into the warehouse to see the supplies unloaded with a small crowd of men that seemed determined to join the rag-tag army Virgil was putting together.

“Some things have changed, though; I had a chat with Armando’s ghost and learned quite a few disturbing details.  I’d like to talk to you in private as everyone gets ready for the assault.”

“Uh, -y-yeah—yeah, sure.  You heard her, boys,” he said, clearing his throat and rubbing his shoulders as they entered the cold warehouse area.  The chilly wind was blowing through the still open doors as they brought the trailer inside, filled with supplies from the banana plantation, causing Virgil to shiver.  “Umm.  Gloria brought back a bunch of supplies, and left a note for a scared group to join us—woah… you bulked up on your army!”

A few nervous chuckles came from the men around them upon seeing the many undead outside, now scattering to form a defensive triangle around the building.  Elinor’s attention was entirely on the individuals as she spoke to Carlos through the Nexus.

Watch them carefully.  One of the cult members might be among them and try to sabotage our operation to force us to lose.

“I’ve got my eyes peeled…  Eh, well, heh, isn’t that a funny expression when you don’t have any?  I’ll stop anyone from taking anything until you give the order.  Adoncia, the board?”

“Coming!”

The girl ran over to the man, causing several to swiftly scatter away at the sudden action, and Carlos began to scribble on the board, communicating to those in the warehouse.

Entering the makeshift morgue, Elinor went to the back as Virgil dismissed most of the gang to listen to the scribbling skeleton, and she saw Gloria come into the chilly space, likely looking for Virgil as news spread of her return.

She caught sight of a lot of boxes and a new, much smaller trailer in the corner that the woman had likely used to transport the goods.  Amusingly, Gloria had probably worked her guards as donkeys on the return, which showed she wasn’t easily frightened of the undead like most of the others.

Once it was only Audrey, Virgil, and her, Elinor stopped to sit in the chair she’d used previously, sitting back as the man swiftly brought over two more foldable seats, offering the first to Audrey, who shook a hand in refusal, taking a standing position beside Elinor.

“Heh.  Suit yourself…  Umm.  So, I’m guessing you ran into some problem that you don’t want to cause a panic about?  How bad was the news from Armando?”

Elinor’s illuminated, jade irises drifted to the small cluster of people that waited further down the long hallway, covering their noses from the smell and explaining to Gloria that she’d wanted a private talk with their leader.

However, when she spoke, her attention was entirely on the slightly chubby, tall man, looking for any hint of recognition.

“Armando was hired to get me and a few others to go to this town on this exact day…  I won’t get into all the unbelievable details, but he has an alarming amount of information on me.  It may sound insane to you, but there is a group called the Scarlet Cult that has infiltrated your town… perhaps for decades, and their goal is to force three individuals out of this world, one of which, includes me.”

To her surprise, Virgil didn’t immediately laugh at the statement or ask if she was joking.  The man sat back, stroked his brown beard for a second, and puffed out a long breath, focus darting to those outside.

“Hmm…  As insane as a teen that can bring back the dead, toad people, and a massive barrier of our town that pumps rainbow snow onto us?  Uh, yeah… a cult sounds on brand.  Haaa.  Brrr, it’s damn cold, though…  I guess I should be counting our blessings on that, though.  Umm.  Wow.  Decades undercover?”

He muttered to himself for several more seconds, piecing together all the avenues the revelation took them.

“Does that mean they always knew we’d be invaded by these creatures… and they did nothing to help us?  No, they actively tried to make this place as worse as possible to take you down when your powers awakened.  Hmm…”

Elinor’s eyes narrowed.  “How are you coming up with all those answers so quickly?”

“Oh, heh, well… I’m kind of putting all of this in the view of a video game, anime, and isekai fanatic; I’m kind of an addict loser that hogs all the bandwidth at the local library.  I’m shocked everyone listened to me when I started telling them what we should do…  Oof.  I do look kind of suspicious, don’t I?”

She let the chilling atmosphere become uncomfortable while staring the man down, looking for something further to latch onto.  Despite his admission, he was her connection to the humans, who trusted him since he’d gotten them this far.  He was a good subject for suspicion—perhaps too good—and it would be better to guide him from the shadows.

He breathed a sigh of relief when her focus left him to the small throng waiting down the hallway.  “Who are you closest to or that offers you advice?”

Elinor could see the gears in Virgil’s mind turning.  It seemed he was a man of forethought and consciously looked for why people asked questions, which marked him as a good leader.  By the lump that went down his throat, she figured he’d guessed the reason for her inquiry.

“Gloria’s been my friend since we were kids…  I couldn’t imagine…  I mean,she’s been doing everything in her power to help the women and children, making sure they have what they need.”

Legs crossing and head tilting to the side a tad, Elinor huffed.  “Is she the only opinion?  What kind of advice has she given?  Think critically about what direction those close to you have tried to influence your decisions.

“Who has spoken for or against me?  In fact, perhaps it is someone else in Gloria’s ear, feeding her ideas to pass on to you.  We are not dealing with the average mind when it comes to this cult.”

“Wow…  That’s pretty intense stuff,” Virgil hissed, fingers sliding through his greasy hair as he puffed out a long stream of carbon dioxide.  “Wait…  You’re afraid if you give us these weapons—do you think they’ll use them against you—or use them against us to help the toads?”

“I don’t know, Virgil,” Elinor crisply responded.  “Everything is possible at this point.  All I know is that there are moles among us in an organization that is very intelligent, connected, and, most of all, very, very patient in their execution.”

Rising to her feet, Elinor moved to study the nearby corpses that were laid out; they’d found more tarps and blankets to hide most of those that had previously been uncovered.  Audrey and Virgil followed her, with the man rubbing his covered shoulders.  His face and nose were red, and he was sniffing back snot, obviously struggling with the cold, unlike her—then again, that was thanks to some mystical powers.

“Above all, I believe they will not want to risk dying in a way that I can resurrect them… at least, not until their plans have succeeded.  I suspect they had a hand in having my parents abducted to force me to go through the gateway.  Hmm.  For some reason, the Scarlet Cult want me off this planet, and, oddly, killing me or the others they’ve manipulated into this position isn’t an option.”

“The toads, eh… ri’bot, aren’t connected to this cult?  Ugh.  This opens up so much paranoia,” he grumbled.  “Gwen was with your mother…  Do you think she’s a part of it?”

Elinor shook her head.  “I don’t know.  It’s possible.  Right now, I am telling you this to warn you that there may be an attempt to sabotage our operation and, as such…  I will be going to meet the ri’bot leaders as bait.  Only you will know that as we split into three groups.”

Virgil tucked in his bottom lip, coughing from the chill in his throat.  “Okay…  We’re going after the Crystal Hubs.  So, I need to make someone the leader of the second; I guess we can narrow down the possibilities by sending specific people in each attack team…  Wait, if you’re bait, doesn’t that give them exactly what they want?”

A slight smirk lifted Elinor’s mouth as she turned to him.  “Haven’t you figured it out yet, Virgil…  I’ve already lost.  While I was kidnapped and figuring things out, they had enough time to pull strings in a way to get my parents taken.  I have no choice but to go to the other side, but I will do it on my own terms.”

He shivered.  “Woah.  Okay, that’s hard—I got chills—umm, okay…  Your goal is to act as bait to draw in their big names, pulling them away from the other two that we can destroy… and then negotiate since they have only one link left?  That’s awesome—ack, my bad!”  He winced, trying to quiet down.

“Sorry, I just—this is movie shit—damn…”

Elinor felt a tad bad for the man since she was using the humans.  She had to make it clear it would be better not to fight if her plan was to succeed.

“Heh.  Only if we pull it off,” Elinor chuckled, finding her hands behind her back while sweeping the corpses of the fallen; their blood was on the hands of the mole.  “Allow me to make this clear, though…

“Even if you destroy the hub, that is not the end—it is only a means to draw their attention—and if I tell you to surrender, it is for a reason.  Convince them to go willingly into captivity and not to resist.  It means there is no hope for victory, perhaps due to the cult or some other problem, but I can find a solution on the other side.  Trust me, having two lives is better than one.”

Virgil forced a laugh at the partial joke, knowing she was talking about their actual life and then unlife.  “I’ll spread the news.  It may be a little hard, but…  What do you want to do about the teams, though?”  he asked, glancing at Gloria far across the room, mumbling to another woman while watching them from afar.

Elinor continued her passive study of the various corpses they passed in their path through the rows; most were of lower Poor-Grade as military subjects, but in the Serving or High Court, they could shine.

“No need to do anything different than you would do otherwise.  All you should do is watch carefully who is speaking into your ear and where they get their words from.”

A low growl rumbled in the man’s throat as he scratched the scruff on his neck.  “Mmgm.  High enough to make suggestions, low enough to evade suspicion, eh?  Tricky.”

Her glowing eyes creased with a smirk.  “True… but also incapable of making drastic changes without sticking out.  Play the plan close to your chest, Virgil, and divide the jobs into smaller groups.  Now, grab a map and find us a room that the two of us can plan in… alone,” she added.

“Naturally, I’ll make up some excuse…”  He paused, showing a thankful smile before saluting her.  “Thank you, Empress.  I can really see the royalty in you, bizarre as that may be in a teenager…  It’s actually pretty awesome that you’re here, and I can totally see why this cult wants to get rid of you.  I’ll do everything in my power to help—I’m Team Empress all the way.”

“Hehe.  I’m glad to hear that.  Take inventory with Carlos and set things up for our strategy meeting; we have a lot to plan.”

He left with a skip in his step that showed he was a man on a mission; perhaps that was all it took for him since he’d felt like a failure all his life, judging by his response about gaming.  Virgil had discovered a purpose, which was also a dangerous thing if not properly cultivated.

Audrey turned away to readjust something up her long sleeve, and Elinor internally smiled upon seeing a hidden knife sheath that was strapped to the woman’s forearm; Audrey hadn’t told her about arming herself.  There were things her undead could keep from her, it would seem; the woman did well to hide it until now.

“I almost don’t want to trust any of them,” Audrey passively commented, flaming skull eyes following Virgil’s exit as he laughed and talked with Gloria and the others.  “Perhaps it is just my callus side speaking from my work as a terrorist, but I quickly grew to understand the bonds between people are not all that expensive to break.”

Most people have their price, I suppose, Elinor whispered, feeling Butter returning, plump with Death Orbs.  It’s those that don’t that are the dangerous ones… such as this fanatical cult…  Whatever they believe, it must be practically woven into their marrow.

◆◆◆

A quake ran through Tiffany’s frantic mind, and she wasn’t the only one to flinch as the rumble of thunder shook the area; she cast her gaze around the covered thicket they were held prisoner at—it was almost entirely untamed—the size was breathtaking.

Colossal, tar-black trees that possibly dwarfed even the redwoods rose high into the fathomless heavens, with the large orange and purple leaves that covered them leaving violet and auburn rays to illuminate the thick yellow grass around them.  She’d been taken to an alien world, bound with vines that somehow fused into cuffs without a seam.

A storm appeared to be brewing in the distance—a nasty one—which was the last thing they needed after being captured.  Over a thousand people had been forcefully taken through the gateway, and there had to be multiple ones that linked to this large crystal in the center of the field because too many were coming through.  However, she noticed a sharp decline when snow began to appear on the other side.

Tiffany had no clue what was happening.  All she wanted was to find her daughter—at least then she’d know she was safe.

Where is Elinor?!  she internally screamed, berating herself for leaving her daughter even for a second.

Why isn’t she here?  If these toad aliens didn’t take her, then who did?  There’s not a chance she left on her own, so… who has my little girl?

The loud noises of unknown animals and the fear of foreign bacteria or defensive mechanisms the alien fauna might have made Tiffany flinch; she knew a lot about ecology—it was the field she taught—and everything about this drew red flag after red flag.  What were they going to do about water, food, or any other activity they did?  Humans were so fragile in a foreign environment, and she knew it well.

Did they take Elinor further into the jungle?  Why do they want us?  Slaves?  She cursed at not being able to find any answers since being captured.

The aliens couldn’t speak their language, and those that tried to communicate had been gutted before her eyes, sparking everyone to quiet down.  What appeared to be a trading post was set up between the four skin colors of toads, and they were bartering or discussing various things they’d taken from their world.

Obviously, these creatures were intelligent, and it looked like a simple conquest for goods—even monkeys performed savage raids on other settlements to obtain resources—if that was the case, were they going to be used as food or perhaps bait?  Many animals used others as a form of entertainment, such as orca or cats.

A million questions went through Tiffany’s mind, yet her heart fractured upon seeing one of the pure green toad groups return with more prisoners.  “Edmon… no,” she whimpered, seeing his shirt soaking crimson, yet the grim expression on his face told her it was probably not his blood, making her sigh.

Her husband’s eyes widened as he scanned the many faces around the clearing, settling on her, yet she was in the orange toad camp.  She slumped in defeat; they would be separated.

Why…  Why is this happening to us?  We tried to do what was right…  We just wanted to help people…  Elinor…  Where are you?  Please… please be safe.

What was abundantly clear was that some of these aliens had supernatural powers.  The blue toads were the ones that fused their vine bonds, making it practically impossible to slip or escape.

One very old blue alien—at least, it appeared to be well into its years—took its time sitting and studying each person that went through.  He wasn’t alone; another orange elderly alien stood nearby, almost looking curious as he communicated to the other by gestures and deep croaks.

There was a degree of intelligence and mystery that made her bones quake when he eventually got to her; it was like he was staring into her soul or mind, searching for something, yet he moved on after a short time.

Ten minutes after his departure, she heard a hiss behind her, revealing a cute teenage blonde girl she’d seen on the bus.  Tiffany had hoped maybe Elinor and she could get acquainted at some point, but her daughter had been stubborn and broody the entire trip thus far, which was understandable.

Trying to force a smile, she whispered, “Hello…  Esmeralda, right?”

There was an unusual gleam in the fifteen-year-old girl’s big eyes, and she didn’t seem frightened in the least to be in the alien world; she’d even offered to help her find Elinor before getting captured.  Her clothes and shiny golden locks were caked with dirt and grime like she’d been foraging around in the mud.

“Mhm.  Want to try one of these?  They’re delicious!”  she asked, holding up a strange, plate-shelled fruit that she appeared to have pried open with a flat stone.  “It’s like eating a parfait.”

“Eh-heh.  Maybe we shouldn’t eat alien food, Esmeralda…  Our anatomy isn’t adjusted to it… you could get some kind of worms.”

“Ooh.  Space worms?”  she hummed with interest, inspecting the interior.  “Do you think there are eggs inside that will hatch in my stomach—wouldn’t that be cool?”

“E-yeah…  Hehe.  Maybe get rid of the rock before they think you’re trying to make a weapon?”

“Mmh.  I don’t think they’re intimidated by me,” she whispered, focus returning to the fruit.  “Isn’t this exciting?  It’s like we’re in a book.”

Maybe it was better that Elinor didn’t talk with her…

Chapter Twelve: Setting The Stage

Elinor continued to study the corpses of those killed by the ri’bot, yet upon further inspection, she saw a few that were done by human hands, judging by the far less clean and shallow wounds.  There wasn’t anything particularly special about the individual spirits that she could tell, most falling in the lower Poor category.

In reality, she was simply killing time for things to get prepared while coming to terms with how she’d envisioned this playing out.  It seemed that since before she’d even been born, this path had been laid for her, yet that ended now, and if it were inevitable that she would be forced through this gateway and off Earth, she’d do it her own way.

Butter returned, using the air vents on the roof to navigate back into the building; now that they were full on Death Orbs, they could proceed to the next step.  All that was left was for Virgil to get his people ready, and they’d be on the move.  Elinor didn’t want to waste time and allow their opponents to bolster their defenses in the snow.

Passively walking around the warehouse, observing the humans coordinate to determine who was proficient in what, with Virgil taking notes on each volunteer’s specialty, Elinor’s mind was pulled in another direction upon hearing one seemingly insignificant question regarding the disabled.

Most people either gave her respectful nods or tried to avoid her entirely as she passed them to reach the trailer.  Reaching it, Elinor pulled out the plastic filing boxes that had the records they’d brought from the gang’s hidden bunker, yet she didn’t go for her own or the prison warden’s.

Butter hummed from her perched position on her shoulder, unable to read the information but recognizing the name she was studying.  “Something regarding the general caught your interest?”

He’s supposed to be blind, she muttered, flipping through the folders to find a picture of what he looked like in his youth.  It’s fair to say that this Seed we’ve been infected with has changed everyone back to their prime.  Hmm.

“Discover something?” she queried, floating closer to the page she was scanning with a yellowed picture at the bottom.  “Is this what a military man is supposed to look like with those odd clothes?  Your world is certainly strange, Priss.”

I thought so…  I believe I saw him in the back with the woman; he wore dark glasses indoors, so I took him for being blind, and I was correct, but now I’m sure based on the facial shape and hair that he’s no ordinary blind man.  Let’s go.

Elinor handed it to Audrey to place back into the box and sealed it before making her way to the inner building, with her diligent maid swiftly catching up.

“Empress?”  Virgil asked, catching the direction she was heading.  “I’m almost done.  Uh, sorry it’s taking so long.”

She paused a short distance away from the door, turning to give him a small smile that said he was fine.  “Obtain all the information we need; a few minutes more collecting personnel and learning how they can be of support in the operation could reshape the entire plan.”

“Right!”  Elinor caught a light glare from Gloria that was a bit perplexing while she attempted to help her friend, but Elinor dismissed it to continue with her original goal as Virgil turned toward a nervous man.  “Umm, you said you’ve used grenades before?”

Passing through the doorway, she came to a halt in the hallway with a wry smirk; a few dozen women were busy sorting through goods, shifting eyes darting to her, yet Elinor’s attention was on the man sitting against the wall at the end of the junction.

“Ooh.  Good eye, Priss,” Butter snickered.  “Doesn’t it appear as though he was waiting for us to notice him?”

It does…  Why don’t we see if he is still blind?

Elinor walked past the women, privately ordering Audrey to find out why she was sensing Adoncia’s stress levels rising; she suspected it was because her newest maid couldn’t find her little brother, but it was good to be sure about these things, and the young woman appeared to be trying not to bother her.

The dark-haired man wore a neatly trimmed beard, but Elinor was sure it was the man in the faded photos, and his mirrored smirk practically proved it as he watched her approach.

“What can I do for you, Empress?”  he quietly asked.  “I don’t believe a blind man such as I will be much help in this battle I’ve heard you cooking up.”

Elinor found her hands behind her back while studying the man.  His big coat hid his well-defined muscle, but she was positive there was a lot this general was hiding.  She decided to shoot straight for the eye.

“Why are you sitting on the sidelines watching me, General Roman Novák?”

“Ho-ho.  I must say,” he whispered, leaning back and looking straight at her.  “You are an interesting teenager, Empress Elinor… if you are a teenager at all.  The file on you was quite educational and… alarming.”

Vision narrowing, Elinor let his statement hang and processed the nuggets of information he was feeding her.  Roman was not going to help her, and, for an obvious reason—she was undead, and stereotypes persisted.  He’d also determined the battle was already lost, including taking her into account.  At this point, his focus was less on the aliens, and more on them.

“He’s been somehow stalking us,” Butter hissed, fluttering her wings.  “A magical eye or one of those… drones—hidden with cloaking technology from your magical devices?”

I think you’re on the right track.

“How long have you been observing me—since before we even arrived?”

“Haha.  You give me too much credit,” he sighed, rubbing the back of his head and looking to the side.  “Something didn’t smell right with this trip… especially after I got to know the lives of a few of those on the buses…  There were too many special circumstances to be a coincidence.  Hmm.  In any case, I wish you well on your warpath; it’s certainly been quite the show thus far.”

Silence stretched for several seconds before Elinor broke away, Butter understanding the nuances of the exchange.

“He doesn’t trust us, so he’ll continue to watch.  Will he side with the ri’bot?  He appears intelligent enough to understand the odds are stacked against us, and he is a man of strategy.”

Elinor stopped beside a door with her maid; Adoncia was inside, answering questions from those that wanted to know more about what happened inside the banana factory after the alien assault.

I doubt he is on any side at the moment but his own.  He is a man of forethought, which means he needs a reason to step in, and a losing war is not one to jump into the middle of without a clear way of victory.

In addition, he knows he can’t sway people away from my help since I’m a necessary evil, of sorts.  Anyone with sense would question some random girl that could suddenly raise the dead, offering to bring back their loved ones.  My entire existence puts many ethical ideas into question.  He’s playing it smart, not emotional…  I just don’t have a choice.

“Hmm.  We are in quite the bind.  He will willingly go into captivity and bide his time?”

It’s the right play.  We could also settle things for all he cares.  Either way, he is left to gather more information on us, the ri’bot, and the cult to prepare his own hand.  I do have a feeling he will side with us eventually, but time will tell, and…

“Hehe.  We need to plan for the possibility of him working against us.  He knew he couldn’t hide forever after we discovered the cult files, so he made his position clear.”

Indeed.

Discovering what was causing her new maid such internal grief, Elinor opened the door, causing the chatter of women and men to come to a complete halt; she could have heard a pin drop in the still atmosphere.

Adoncia’s head drooped, flaming skull casting an eerie glow across the brown-haired teenage girl next to her that was now glancing between them.  “I’m sorry, Empress…  Sal appears to have been taken by the blue ri’bot faction.”

“Why are you apologizing?”  Butter sighed.  “Is it because of this girl that’s been hounding you about his rescue?  No…  The man and woman in the back of the crowd.”

“My parents,” she mumbled, but another woman cleared her throat nearby, forehead slick with sweat.

“Umm—Empress, y-you have—that’s Audrey, right?  Did you bring back any of the medication?  I’m in a lot of pain, and… and I need something to—I’m sorry!  I’m sorry!  I’m just…  I need something!”

Audrey moved to stand between them, bony hands at her front, close enough to pull her dagger out if needed as the woman shuffled forward.  The addict recoiled at the burning skeleton’s actions, perspiration increasing, and she saw quite a few others in a similar state, going through drug relapses.

If they were taken through the gateway, it would be a rough transition, and all those that required medication to live would likely be killed off swiftly by the ri’bot due to appearing sick.

Adoncia’s father spoke up from the back.  “No one will tell us when we’ll be able to clean out the pharmacy—people need their medication—a lot of people live in constant pain!”

Butter sniffed, glaring at the desperate people.  “Do they not realize they are in the middle of a war zone?”

Drugs will do that to people, Elinor whispered, ignoring the whispers of agreement to address the brown-haired girl next to Adoncia.  “Your name is Alisa, correct?”

“Umm.  Y-Yes?  You’re the one that brought—that can bring people back to life, right?  Will you rescue those that were taken?  I think—ack…  I think my mom’s dead,” she said, blinking back tears.  “B-But I heard my dad was t-taken.  Can we win?”

Elinor’s cold eyes drifted between the hopeful faces of the crowd, each looking for their drugs, loved ones, or any shred of hope they could find as more filtered into the doorway to listen or catch a peek at the necromancer girl everyone was talking about.

“I will do everything in my power to rescue those across the portal, but let me be clear, if these aliens raid this building after we have left, do not put up a resistance.  That is all I can tell you.”

The group at the entrance scattered to let her by with her two maids.  There were cries about drugs, tears regarding their lost loved ones, and even a few prayers to her to bring back their children left in her wake.

Having rescued Adoncia from the ravenous addicts and mourning parties, Elinor met with Virgil.  He guided her to the upper levels and a small office that he’d cleared for their use.  She could have tried to take some precautions to stop Roman from spying on her, but she wanted him to see exactly what she was about.  It might take some time, but his support would be welcomed whenever he was content with her purpose.

She casually asked Virgil when Roman came to the facility after settling into her chair.  The man laid out a map of the area he’d somehow procured, taking a moment to ponder her inquiry.

He told this miraculous story about a blind man that stumbled to the door, following the whirring of a drone; the man had quite a story to tell about getting lost while searching for his hotel when this sudden blizzard hit.

There wasn’t much more on the man.  Apparently, he kept to himself and offered to help, but everyone catered to him, making Butter scoff that he was soaking in the pity of others.  Whatever his ethics, it had all worked out in his favor; Roman had secured a safe place with food, electricity, and clean water.

Returning to the coming operation, Elinor pointed out the locations of their targets, Mika having provided the general locations.  Fortunately, they’d be able to follow the tracks left by the ri’bot using the drone, and it appeared they wouldn’t have much time left to set their plan in motion as the undead toad requested to speak to her.

She allowed the connection to be established through the Nexus, and her gaze settled on the Delthax hub they’d marked on the map; the blue toads would be her location since it was where her mother had been taken.

“Empress, the colorful powder is turning into rain; the temperature is rising!”

Vision narrowing, she breathed out a long stream of air, getting confirmation from Carlos that everything was laid out across the tables, waiting for Virgil to divvy up the jobs of each team he’d be sending.  It would be a multi-pronged attack from many angles, and, naturally, the boy she’d promised glory wanted to join the bomb unit.

“It appears our allotted time for rest has come to an end,” she said, and noise could be heard down the hall as the lookouts discovered the changing climate.  “The snow won’t last long, and I have a feeling the rain will soon turn warm, or a blazing sun will follow…  It’s time for action.”

Virgil swallowed the lump that formed in his throat.  “Heh.  Well, even if we have someone trying to sabotage things, two teams with explosives will give us redundancy.  Are… you sure you want to go alone, Empress?”

He hissed out another breath before shifting to let her by, Audrey opening the door for her.  “A few people are notably concerned since you are kind of the only person that can bring us back if we die.  They’re questioning if it is a good idea to throw our ace at the wolves.  It feels like we’re, I don’t know… throwing?  Eh, intentionally losing,” he clarified.  “I know you said we already lost, but… what should I tell them?”

Elinor gave him a wry smirk.  “Tell them to follow the plan, and leave it at that.  It’s not like they have any other option.  Let them celebrate their temporary victory in destroying two of the hubs, and, if things go as I’ve told you, you’ll know soon enough.”

“This really is intense,” he whispered, following her out with the map and papers to organize the teams they’d selected.  “It’s not complicated, but I’ve got this cramp in my gut…  Stay safe, Empress.”

“Hmm-hmm.  You should worry about yourself more than me,” she said, happy to have cultivated the support; it allowed her the wiggle room to appear more powerful than she actually was.  “It’s time to march.”

Elinor descended the stairs to find a gathering of men and women standing at attention, taking their role in this war seriously after recovering from the initial shock.  There were quite a few brave individuals among them, and she’d heard a few stories of the support they’d offered when the first assault took the town by storm.

She waited in the large storage area, doors open wide, letting in the chilled air as the sleet on the ground turned to slush, soaking the ground.  It would have likely been impossible for them to get through the roads with the trailer if it had been like this, and much of their supplies would have been ruined.

Audrey was a frenzy of work, making sure each explosive device wouldn’t be affected by the weather and setting them up for remote activation via cellular ad hoc connection.

Elinor had no clue how it worked, but Carlos wasn’t wrong when he recommended her for the task.  Her bony fingers skated across the makeshift electronics shop others had set up while in their meeting, making modifications to circuit boards while using a 3D printer they’d found among the shipping containers.  They truly were using everything at their disposal.

An hour passed with Elinor observing the many moving parts the resistance force had been busy setting up; there were a lot more options for them than she’d initially thought, and people appeared to be working on other projects, including more drones in the back room that were found in crates.

Once satisfied with what they were doing, Elinor entered her skeletal coach with Audrey and Adoncia.  She was surprised to see quite a body of people come out of the inner offices to wish them luck with hope in their eyes—little did they know how this would turn out—and Elinor spotted Roman leaning against a stick, resting his chin as he studied her exit.

What do you think he thought of our plan?  Elinor asked Butter, letting the flap drop down as they began their march through the slush and mud, with all nineteen of her unintelligent undead escorting them,  Mika and Carlos already outside.

Her golden twin hummed, perched on a stick Adoncia had positioned for her.  “From everything you read me in his file, I would say Roman would understand why, in a way, we are betraying these humans.  The only path you’ve ever had was to go through the Crystal and save your parents.

“Honestly, I think he wants to see how well you execute this mission.  The fact he hasn’t spoken up leads me to believe he sees the benefit in our deduction of the odds.  We’d found weapons.  We obtained the information he needed.  We rallied the people.  We provided a way forward.  It is all our successes that likely have him on edge.”

True, Elinor sighed, sitting back to study her two maids across from her.

Audrey was thinking about how inadequate her work was on this makeshift undead vehicle she’d outfitted while Adoncia internally fretted about her brother.

Mika dreaded this meeting, yet also had a determination in this budding belief that her people had gone astray to the Supreme Chiefs’ teachings, and Carlos had a fire in his gut, prepared to face these aliens that had killed him.

Do you think we will make it back to Earth?  Elinor privately asked Butter, mind reflecting on Tanner’s face as she held a finger to the tattoo on her collarbone.

She hadn’t expected to leave things in California in such a messy state.  She was in a rocky spot with many of her childhood friends, she had no clue what Tanner meant to her, or she him, along with everything else she’d been invested in back home.

Perhaps the most concerning part of the quelled emotions swirling in her belly was that she didn’t find it all that hard to let them go.  Did she care for any of those ties at all?  Yes, she did, but not as much as her parents.

“Hehe.”  Butter’s shimmering wings lowered on the stand Audrey set up for her.  “No, Priss, I don’t think we will be returning to this planet.”

Pulling back the flap on the side of the tarp Audrey used to cover the giant crocodile-toad, Elinor let the pattering of the rain above them cleanse her mind.

I thought not…

She studied the green scenery as the snow melted and the thick, sparkling droplets let rainbows everywhere.  The sun should be bright in the heavens, but the scenery overhead was mixed between Earth’s sky and another, alien one, showing dark clouds.

As a final act in the town, Elinor had her undead collect her luggage from her hotel, including her mother and father’s suitcases; she didn’t expect this to be a round trip.

It didn’t take long upon leaving the town for Mika to inform them there were warriors in the trees, and she made a hand signal to the shocked toads, telling them they wanted to have a meeting of chiefs—a code of honor among Clans—Elinor wasn’t sure they’d comply since they weren’t a part of the ri’bot community, yet a return sign came back.

“Empress…”  Mika mumbled, throat dry through the Nexus.  “They’ve accepted a meeting, but it isn’t for peace…  It’s for a surrender.”

Butter sniffed.  “Cheeky creatures.  It isn’t as if they believe we have leverage, though.”

Tell them we will not surrender.  It is them that should surrender, and we come to discuss those terms.

“Yes, Empress.”

“Bold!  I like it, Priss.  Although, seeing their dead comrades working against them and speaking their language is sure to prick some ears.  What did I tell you?”

Carlos chuckled.  “You were right, High Queen.  Do you think it will be enough to get all their leaders?”

I think so, Elinor whispered, not amused as everything she’d planned drew to a close.  They’ll want to confirm what their soldiers are telling them with their own eyes, and their honor won’t allow them to deny the challenge.  Their response, Mika?

“Hmm.  They’re passing it back through the ranks…  I believe the senior warrior of the troupe is returning to our world to deliver the message.”

Then we wait.

A small tilt came to the corner of Elinor’s mouth when the rhythm of drums came from the distance a few minutes later; an intimidation tactic, according to Mika, that signaled the arrival of a Mystic or someone of great importance to the field.  It was also a religious call to their Supreme Chiefs to shower glory onto their warrior’s heads and bless their aim.

We have our answer…  Move forward.

Elinor kept the flaps closed, receiving updates from Mika and Carlos as they passed through a less dense section of the jungle to a small field of lush grass—over a hundred warriors surrounded them with ten of the mounted crocodile-toads—the other hubs would be practically free.

The drums stopped as Elinor’s procession did, keeping at a reasonable distance, and Adoncia opened the entrance, unfurling an umbrella for her to stand under.  Butter slipped out between a hole in the floor with her butterfly squad, leaving one with Elinor as she kept low in the veil of rain.

Boots sinking into the mud, Elinor kept her hands held against her front to show she had no weapons, yet Audrey’s were folded within her sleeves, where she could remotely activate the small number of divided explosives she’d broken apart from one of the sticks of C4.

She kept an amiable expression while proceeding a little ahead of her skeletal coach and guard, finding some amusement from the whispers that passed between the four ri’bot factions that surrounded her; it wasn’t as if they expected her to be able to understand their language, including the discolored green toad’s ‘secret warrior tongue’ that came in the form of popping the organ—Mika knew it well, after all.

“Are they puppets or alive?”

“You see the fire—does it come from the pits?”

“What evil has come from below?  Has the earth opened up anywhere?  If we fill it, do you think it will be pulled back down?”

“Supreme Chiefs, what has it done to our Torlim?”

“It has stripped its skin and fashioned some kind of covering over it?  Is it a form of Mysticism?”

“Possibly.  This world’s Mystic?”

“To return the dead, though…  How does it have power that can take those spirited away by the Supreme Chiefs?”

All chatter died as four very different ri’bot appeared from the Crystal in shimmering light; these were the leaders Elinor had been waiting to meet, and Mika introduced them as they came through.

First was the discolored Roxim Clan’s High Warrior, flipping around an ax that glowed with a faint blue light and wielding a thick, turtle-like shell as a shield in his other hand.  There were three claw marks around his neck, and scars covered parts of his visible skin; obviously, this toad was battle-hardened and fierce.  He snorted upon seeing her, nose twitching as his gaze slid from her to the skeletal pet behind her.

“Is he unhappy?”  Butter questioned with a short chortle.

Mika tried not to let her will falter—the Roxim were brutal in how they dealt with enemies, showing no compassion—this was her superior.

“Torlim are very precious to our clan, and a single loss is… is considered to be a shame on the caretaker.  High Warrior Fennel wields a Holan shield—practically impenetrable—and his ax is an ancient relic that can be thrown and recalled to the hand that has the mystical armband on it…  He is among the Roxim’s greatest fighters, close to advancing to the rank of Xaria.”

Elinor recognized the name from previous discussions; it was basically their special forces units, and there were extremely few ri’bot that ever made it to such a high position, usually only called on to perform impossible missions and kept close to their chief.

Her focus snapped to an elderly orange toad—the Chief of the Komath Clan, who had the minstrels she’d first encountered—he smirking at them as his bright pink eyes instantly took note of the undead behind her.  Mika shivered as he centered on her, rain slicking his skin; apparently, this legendary, old ri’bot was something to be feared.

“Elder Chief Krava…  He’s a former Xaria—a hero and legend—who fought in the Fire Wars nearly a century ago.  He’s among the most ancient of ri’bot in the valley and refuses to give up the seat of chief until someone is able to take it from him.  The Komath employ strange rituals that are passed down through their Mystics.”

Krava walked with a gnarled stick with two sheathed knives on his belt; a bag was attached to the leather, hiding secret arts Mika had heard little about, and a flute was tied to the top of his staff.

He bent down low, holding his stick for support on the lower half while taking note of everything in their surroundings.  A twitch came from the corner of his mouth, where three teeth showed on either side; apparently, one was a sign of ugliness, two average, and three beauty, by the cultural standards of ri’bot.

“Hmm.  I’m not impressed,” he muttered to the blue-skinned ri’bot that exited.  “How can those frail frames put fear in warriors?  Humph.  This new generation is soft!  Have they not seen my quen’talrat marks?”

The elderly blue toad held one hand behind his back, as if in need of support while his other firmly gripped a similar staff as his friend.  “Let’s not be hasty to judge our new opponent, Krava, but I do understand your sentiment…  I cannot sense the same overwhelming strength in this opponent as a quen’talrat Elite Hunter, yet… there is something the earth speaks to.”

“Oh?  Heh, do tell, old friend,” Krava said, rising to crack his back and twist left and right.  “What do you make of it, young Fennel?  It has one of your Torlim.”

“I see that,” the discolored warrior snarled, glaring between the ri’bot she’d brought back.  “It must be Dhalisra, the foolish woman…  Her younger brother and father will die of shame.”

Elinor could feel the cut those words left on her ri’bot warrior—apparently, he was talking about her—yet she buried the emotion to remain on alert for an attack, even if she knew she was no match for any of them.

“Probably the most frightening out of them all…  Elder Chief Valdar.”  She swallowed, trying to still her nerves.  “He gave up the seat of the chief to his grandson, yet remains the Grand Mystic of the Delthax and a Plant Caller.  He is also a great hero of the Fire Wars and holds great respect across all Valley Clans… even those outside of the valley.”

However, Elinor’s attention was taken by who she believed was her true nemesis as the pure green toad woman joined the others.  She had wrapped silk around her arms and body, decorated with star embroidery but water-laden, and a golden symbol of a triangle with a sun in the center hung around her neck.

So… this is one of the Clavex Clan’s High Priestesses, who worship the light spirit living in the Great Ruby Lakes to the south of your valley?

She could tell Mika was a little agitated that she was putting more emphasis on the woman than the other three, as she thought, far more powerful and influential figures.

“Yes, Empress…  Eh, I have heard she is also studying one of the Holy Arts of the nalvean race.  Her blue eyes are… unnaturally bright, which causes many of the warriors to make comments about it…

“Over the days, we had become acquainted with the Clavex expedition…  They aim not to kill a single prisoner and have a fixation on long, slithery things, which probably goes back to their connection to the nalveans.”

You don’t say…  Elinor whispered; it was the first time she’d heard that particular statement.  Well, why don’t we meet these legendary figures?  It’s time we put my plan into action.

“Let’s!”  Butter chimed.  “Also, it annoys me to no end that they think we are so weak.  A show of force will be needed to begin this discussion, Priss.”

Nothing we didn’t predict, Elinor said.

Stepping forward with her two maids to engage with the four leaders, the sound of rain came into the foreground as silence took the army that surrounded her.  Now, it was time to discover what was happening to those taken and, hopefully, figure out if her parents were still alive.

Chapter Thirteen: Success

Thunder cracked overhead, rumbling through one of the split skies in the stained glass heavens, colors dimming to darker shades as Elinor’s boots sunk into the moist earth.  She listened to the pattering of rain came from above her as the liquid trailed off the broad umbrella in Adoncia’s hands, enjoying the ambiance, despite it signaling the end game.

The silence remained still, and Elinor’s calm gaze drifted between the four clans, having taken their own positions around the Hub-Crystal.  She could practically taste the tension while watching the water cast a glistening hue against the toads’ wet skin and drawn steel.

Not one of the four leaders looked away, studying every action she made.  No doubt, they would have been informed that she could communicate through her undead ri’bot but not that she could speak their language herself.

Stopping just far enough that she could be heard past the rain, Elinor’s focus drifted from the four somber ri’bot to their subordinates, noticing that even the torlim mounts of the Roxim kept their peace.  No one knew how this discussion was going to play out.

Illuminated emerald irises returning to the person she believed held the most sway, she let a small smile lift her lips.  “Former Elder Chief Valdar, I understand you are a survivor of the Fire Wars.”

“It speaks!  Does it not sound feminine to you, Valdar?”  Krava whispered, hand sliding down his staff as he crouched again.

“As I should, Elder Chief of the Komath,” Elinor cooly returned.  “I also recognize High Warrior Fennel of the Roxim and a High Priestess of the Clavex.”

The green-skinned woman’s bright blue eyes shifted to her undead, fingers rising to play with the talisman around her throat.  “She knows each of our clans and who is in charge.”

“Not only that; she knows about the Fire Wars and the Elder Chiefs’ accomplishments… yet chose to call us here and demand a surrender,” Fennel grunted, tightening his grip on his ax.  “We should attack before she shows any Mysticism!  This feels like a trap.”

“It probably is,” Valdar hummed, putting more weight on his staff as he scanned the undead scattered behind Elinor, wearing damp, baggy clothes stuck to their skeletal figures.  “Even so…  I need time to understand this creature.  Her Mysticism is… disturbing.”

Krava’s brow furrowed at the blue-skinned chief’s push for more time, and Elinor could guess why; if she were some simple foe they could cut down, he would have had them rush her since they had the clear number advantages.

“Heh.  Very well,” the old orange chief chuckled, rising back up to arch his spine and pop his chest.  By the look on Fennel’s face, he’d follow the former Xaria’s lead, and the High Priestess was still examining her undead.  “Tell me, do you rule here?”

“Yes,” Elinor lied, keeping her tone and face passive.  “I am Empress Elinor, and, as you can see, I rule not only the living… but also the dead.  How do you suppose I learned about your people or speak your language?”

“Ho-ho.  You make a bold claim,” Krava grunted, tone deepening as he took a more assertive posture.  “Are you saying you can pull back those that have risen to the Eternal River?  Wrestle them from the Supreme Chiefs themselves?”

Without blinking, Elinor’s mouth twisted upward.  “Yes.”

Mutters of blasphemy swept the warriors at her chilling declaration, yet Krava didn’t appear too perturbed by the statement itself; on the other hand, Valdar’s mouth tightened as he lowered himself to the earth to quietly sink his fingers into the mud.

“Ahem, Empress Elinor, was it?”  the High Priestess asked, gesturing with her hand and tilting her body forward in a manner that Mika said was a nalvean custom—the strong race this ri’bot faction lived in servitude to—for respect.

“It is,” Elinor responded, keeping her hands at her front while showing complete serenity and security.  “I understand you pay reverence to a light spirit in the Great Ruby Lakes and are indebted to the nalveans.”

“We do…”  she slowly replied, gaze shifting to Valdar, whose expression had grown more serious as his large eyes swept the damp scenery before settling on her again.  The old former chief was a Plant Caller, which meant he was discovering something from the environment.  “I am High Priestess Nadraca.  I understand you wish for us to surrender to you.  Is that correct?”

She didn’t respond right away, letting the ominous atmosphere persist.  “Hmm-hmm-hmm.  Perhaps a demonstration of my power would serve this discussion better since you seem to believe I am helpless amid so many of your warriors.  Would you be willing to test yourself against some of my undead, High Priestess Nadraca?”  Elinor asked with a small smile, gesturing at two of her skeletons, who stepped forward.

Krava snorted, leaning against his staff again as his gaze shifted to the disgruntled priestess.  “She mocks you by sending her soldiers instead of offering to perform the contest herself.”

Nadraca squeezed her amulet.  “Eh-heh.  A difference of opinion, Elder Chief Krava, and possibly a misunderstanding of her culture…  It would be appalling for someone to stand before the Clavex and pose such a challenge to the Mother Superior.  I have faith in Yel’tisa’s protection.  Are there any objections?”

Fennel grunted, showing a sneer, according to Mika.  “Do not expect any of the Roxim to come to your aid, High Priestess.  I’ll acknowledge your courage if you wish to be a sacrifice.”

Krava simply made a dismissive gesture that said it wasn’t worth his time to even say the words, and Valdar remained silent, narrowed eyes now fixated on Elinor.  It seemed that he definitely knew something was off about her or her march into their territory, yet kept his peace, nevertheless.

Taking a deep breath, Nadraca strode forward to stop between them, and Elinor gave her a nod, even if their race didn’t understand the gesture, considering they didn’t have the joints to do the action.

Elinor turned to retreat several paces back, knowing this would be the trigger that set the operation into action.  She had high hopes, but the success or failure of this trial didn’t truly matter.  Elinor expected she’d need to back down, regardless, once things played out; she had to show she wasn’t helpless, though, and needed to make the ri’bot fear her.

In any case, Nadraca was her primary target out of the four to attempt to take off the board due to her Mysticism that allowed her to directly attack the spirits of her units.  In a way, this should have been her worst match-up or opponent, yet, Butter and she figured it was their only chance to land a blow against the woman.

“I still believe it is a mistake to not target either of the Elder Chiefs first,” Mika whispered, trying not to fidget while looking at Valdar, still centered on Elinor.  “I expect either of them could kill every ri’bot here by themselves, while I cannot see this… Clavex Priestess, no matter her rank, capable of such a feat.”

Elinor breathed an internal sigh of relief upon feeling Butter’s presence vanish as she entered the Crystal.  She could still feel her presence within her diamond, but determining where she was became a complete mystery.  Her twin had made it to the other world.

You have given me more than enough information on the other three; the unknown elements Nadraca commands make her a threat, and I want to see it in action firsthand to be sure it stems from their item.

Audrey was cool as a cucumber with her hands folded inside her sleeves, but if Adoncia had a stomach, it would have been squirming from the vibes Elinor sensed through the Nexus.  Carlos had no gripe with the direction, waiting for any signal from Elinor that she had assured him would not come.

The Clavex warriors to their right shifted nervously upon seeing their green-skinned leader come to a stop in the rain, readjusting her silk.

“She’s practically shaking in her fancy robes,” Mika groaned, and a few of the woman’s clansmen called out to her.

“High Priestess, you are not a warrior.”

“Yes, you should have High Warrior Lacord fight in your place!”

“I will not hear it,” Nadraca stated, showing a steely resolve, despite Mika’s words.  “Former Elder Chief Valdar and I have encountered this Mysticism…  I fear it is beyond the means of physical confrontation; we have already tested it.”

Elinor wanted to laugh; she was talking about trying to slash the ghost they’d spotted.  It was understandable why she’d conclude that her undead could take on an incorporeal form.  Still, that this light spirit could harm her ethereal minions was something to be cautious of, and it likely also played a role in their elemental weaknesses.

Are you prepared?  Elinor asked, not looking at her maid as the explosives expert confirmed she was.  Good.  It should be quick.

“Whenever you are ready, High Priestess,” Elinor said.  “I will show you a small portion of my power.”

Puffing up her chest, hand enclosed around her amulet, Nadraca focused on the two emerald-flamed undead that went to either side of the woman, making some of the warriors shout angrily at assault from both angles.

Elinor observed her closely, noticing her focus and slight quivers came from seeing the green flames rather than the dead themselves; Mika explained why as she readied herself.

“Legend has it that the nalveans have something called Jade Fire; it is supposed to be a sacred flame from some fire spirit that can burn nearly anything, even quen’talrat fur.”

Interesting…

She hadn’t been wrong; if they wanted a chance against these creatures and their numbers, Elinor needed to raise a strong monster from their world to reach higher Grades.

Her focus darted to Nadraca as light surrounded her frame.

“I am ready!”

“Then fight already,” Krava growled.  “A battle should be quick and decisive.”

Elinor held up her hand, causing many to center on her.  “Very well…  Begin.”

The light intensified around the woman, yet only one of her undead raced to attack the priestess—the one at her back—and Nadraca turned flipped around to direct a small pulse of light that fractured the leaping skeleton’s bones, crumbling them to dust and confirming Elinor suspicions; it wasn’t just light, but also the Holy Element that she was weak to.

Fortunately, the weak skeleton, which could hardly put up a fight against a living creature in the first place, wasn’t her true opponent as a small bundle took shape from the falling clothes that were left behind by the disintegrated skeleton.

Nadraca breathed in relief—a strange, non-human sound—at the success of her attack, turning to handle the next skeleton, who stood still, staring at her with its lifeless eyes as Fennel cursed at the woman.

“Behind you, Limp Tongue!”

Elinor could see the world freeze on the priestess’ face and her heart stop as a bolt of lightning flashed above, the rain coming into the foreground before a spark lit behind her, the remote-triggered grenade set off by the phone in Audrey’s sleeve.

“Boom.”

Shouts rang out from the warriors as dust exploded to mix with the rain, shrapnel spreading meters beyond the impact site.  Hands went to ears, and ri’bot ducked, looking to the sky to see if it had been the rolling thunder that followed.

Elinor hummed, watching Nadraca coughing and forcing herself back up, the flickering light around her acting as a shield that deflected the charge, yet her second minion was already on the move, jumping on top of the recovering woman to snatch the necklace and yank it off, throwing it away before attempting to claw into her chest.

“And… the second.”

Another explosion sent more ri’bot ducking and asking if they should attack, yet Krava, Fennel, and Valdar didn’t flinch, coldly watching as another flash of light surrounded Nadraca, disintegrating the skeleton and defending against the blast; however, this time, she wasn’t unscathed.

Nadraca coughed and winced, forcing herself up and holding her chest—the center points of where the detonation went off—where crimson liquid flowed.  “Ugh…  H-How did you…  Where is my… my—”  she choked, wincing as one of her clansmen ran to fetch the fading artifact.

He paused for half a second as Elinor slowly clapped, obviously scared at her ominous action.  Though, when the High Priestess had the item, it flashed with a ruby light, and she breathed yet another sigh as the wound on her chest began to heal, new skin forming.  It wasn’t perfect, leaving a small scar, but the worst of it was restored.

“You did better than I expected, Nadraca; maybe I shouldn’t have held back…  Ah, do you hear that?”

Eyes rose to the sky as explosions sounded in the distance, one after the other, and her chuckle strengthened as pillars of light shot into the heavens, signaling two of the three remaining hubs had been closed.

“Hmm-hmm-hmm.  So… are you satisfi—”

She didn’t get the words out before the world was flipped upside down, and she caught her two surprised maids being pulled together by a slick, yellow tongue; Krava grabbed the back of her shirt to hold it up with a sharp snort.

“Krava!”  Valdar growled with frustration.

“We should never have given her the—”

His words faded as the world went black, and she laughed upon entering her throne before the smoldering fire of her inner world; things were proceeding more or less how she’d predicted, and she ordered her undead to remain passive.

The world opened up again as she reconstituted her artificial body.  She rose from her crouching position to aim a secretive smile at the shocked elder chief’s swift retreat, pulling her groaning maids with him, still trapped by his tongue; it was impressive he could speak so fluently while maintaining the position.

“What Mysticism is this?!”

The cold rain mixed into her silver locks and slid down her bare skin as she turned to smirk at Fennel; his ax was already landing between her eyes, taking half her head off.  Again, she reformed her body, retaining a lax posture with her hands behind her back.

“Are you done?”  she asked, having a warning from Mika regarding the Roxim warrior’s magical weapon and tilting to the side to evade the return to the man’s grip.  “As you can see…  I’m immortal.  Is it not evident from my command over the dead?”  she asked, gesturing at the skeletons that didn’t twitch to defend her.  “Why don’t they attack if I am in danger?”

Valdar answered, rising as his muddy fingers closed into a fist.  “Because… you don’t feel like you’re in danger.  The soil quakes with every step you take, begging me to leave you be or suffer some cataclysmic consequence.”

“You’re joking, Valdar!”  Krava snarled, drawing her two maids closer to place both knives to their thin necks.  “Every creature has its weak point.”

“Hehehe.”  Elinor shifted her feet in the mud, feeling the grime between her toes.  “You just saw me have my head crushed, and my body disintegrate to be reformed anew, and, hehe, your first act is to try and use my undead as hostages?  I think you’re at a loss, great hero.  Death means nothing to me, and I cannot feel pain.  Now, are we going to act more civil?”  she asked, studying Fennel as he marched up to her, brandishing his ax.

“How many lives do you have?  Surely there must be a limit.”

“Hold your ax, Fennel,” Valdar said, causing the warrior to pause, half turning to glare at the respected Mystic.  “We have lost three of our paths into this realm, and you know the consequences if we do not conquer this… this Pit Fiend.  She will spill out her curses onto our world next!”

News to me, Elinor mused to herself, keeping her challenging gaze on the agitated High Warrior as Valdar talked the others down.  Nadraca, meanwhile, was still recovering, looking somewhat shaken from the experience as several of her warriors surrounded the High Priestess.

Krava’s tongue unwound around her maids, Adoncia shivering at the sensation it left against her bones.

“Ew!  Ew!  Ewww!  It’s so slimy!”

“What is on your mind, old friend?  Young Fennel has a point; surely, there is a limit to how much abuse this… Empress can take.”

Valdar pulled himself up, flexing his muddy fingers and glancing around the unsettled warriors, but Elinor figured his focus was more on what the jungle was telling him.

“You and I both know how terrifying the powers of the nalvean High Ruler and golariex Holy Empress are…  We saw them fight against the Turquoise King when the quen’talrat empire fell with the White God’s death.”

Krava’s face scrunched up as he pushed her maids away, putting away his blades and snatching his staff from near Elinor.  He paused to sweep her unblinking appearance; a fighter definitely wouldn’t think much of her frail teenage frame, yet he slapped Fennel’s arm with the back of his hand, indicating him to move back to Valdar.

Elinor hadn’t even seen him throw his staff into the ground to use as a leverage point to sling toward her, much less his swift leap that cleanly separated her neck from her body.

“You cannot be comparing this creature to monsters like them, Valdar; all this skinny girl can do is act spooky and die a few times!  She’s weak; her soldiers are weak—Nadraca’s performance was laughable.  Young Fennel could kill this thing a thousand times without a cut!”

“Ten thousand,” the Roxim High Warrior grunted.  “Her regeneration is slow.”

Valdar’s attention was taken by her, though.  “Empress Elinor has shown us her strength and confidence.  Do you really think this is everything in her arsenal, Krava?”

“No.  My point stands, and what do you suggest we do to handle this Crystal business?  We must win.”

“Exactly,” Valdar said, sinking his staff in the mud before facing her.

Elinor’s maids finally returned to her side, attempting to do their best to clean off the umbrella and collect her fallen garments.  Unfortunately, in the midst of killing her, the orange, elderly chief had somehow managed to destroy the cell phone and cut half the umbrella stem.

“The Empress only wanted us to take her seriously, which was why she put on this show since we doubted her abilities.  Now, she has destroyed three of the hubs, leaving this last one in-tact, and though she could have destroyed that gateway with the attacks she used against Nadraca… she didn’t.”

Krava hissed, rubbing the back of his neck.  “I see…  She doesn’t want it destroyed because she wants to go to our planet.  I don’t have a good feeling about that, Valdar.  Is she saying she will willingly accept our conquest if we take her to the other side?”

“Not only that,” Fennel muttered, slamming his ax into the side of a tree and cleaving it in two.  “She wants to be free.”

So… these Crystals act as conquest portals, and if we repel them, the tides turn, or maybe it’s something different.  I can get answers from these toads, though.  They’ve already told me much about their world and the dead I can raise.

Elinor held a formal tone while locking eyes with the blue-skinned toad, and the rain intensified, lightning striking a tree nearby, splitting it down the center.

“Very perceptive, Former Elder Chief.  Could I win?  Yes.  However, do I want to?  Mmm-hmm-hmm.  Not necessarily.  If my surrender is what you need, then I can only give you so much…  I will proceed with you beyond this gateway, and we can have a proper discussion in your world.  If you do that, I will offer this conquest, as you put it, to you on a silver platter.  Oh, but perhaps you don’t understand that expression.  Hehe.”

A low rumble shook in Valdar’s throat.  “I get the context…  Why do you want to escape this planet?”

Drawing in her lips, Elinor gave him an accurate answer, and something she’d thought a few times since transforming into a Mythickin Lich Empress.  “This world is ill-suited for me.  Hehe.  You’re free to try and kill me again if you like, or try it on the other side, for all I care.  Maybe it will stick when away from this planet, hmm?  What do you say about having a meal and discussing things between us?”

Valdar turned to note Fennel’s scowl, but Krava seemed interested again, rubbing his chin; Nadraca was just now calming down after taking two grenades to the chest.

“I cannot make this decision alone…  Give me some time.”

“Naturally.  I, heh, have all the time in the world, seeing as I am already dead.”

He gave her parting statement a smile and a grunt before returning to discuss with the other three leaders, leaving Elinor to stand underneath the umbrella Adoncia held by the upper stem—all that was left—and Audrey to glare after the toads.

Elinor was surprised at how at ease she was, standing naked in the rain in front of so many alien creatures, but she had resolved herself to see this through.  She’d prepared towels and a change of clothes on the way out of town by having an undead retrieve her suitcase.

The four discussed it for a few minutes, low enough that Elinor couldn’t hear what was said, but when Valdar returned, he delivered the positive news.

“So long as you translate for us to the other creatures and assure our victory, we will see you through to the other side; there will be no bonds, but you are still under my rule.”

“Your rule,” Elinor repeated with a smirk.  “I see they dumped the responsibility on your head.  I look forward to getting to know you better, for however short it may be.”

She chuckled and returned to her skeletal coach.  “Allow me to freshen up; I can’t translate looking like a naked, soaking, and muddied slave girl.  It shouldn’t take me long.”

Success.  I’m coming, Mom and Dad.

Chapter Fourteen: Crystal Shattering

Entering her skeletal coach, Elinor let Audrey and Adoncia fuss over her body to make her presentable.  If she was going to be the spark these broken and grieving people needed, she had to look as if she were in control at the very least.

She gave her undead their next order of business through the Nexus now that things had progressed in this way; a lot needed to be accomplished in a short time, and her negotiations were not over.  Elinor could now leverage what mystery and intrigue she’d gained to double down; she’d gotten her shoe in the door, and now was the most critical time to push harder.

Once she was clean enough, Elinor stepped out into the storm with her maids to a host of ri’bot surrounding her small force; they’d been scrutinizing her flaming minions and getting used to them on Fennel and Krava’s orders.

Carlos informed her that the elder had examined each of the clothed undead’s interior.  Krava’s eyes were sharp, and if Fennel noticed the device imprint in the clothing to warn Nadraca, the former Xaria certainly had.  However, it wasn’t as if he’d find anything of note.

She’d expected them to be inspected at some point after the attack; therefore, now that they were clean, they couldn’t be sure how the focused attack worked, adding to the terrifying image she’d instilled, which gave her power in their minds.  Remaining a dangerous enigma was her best sword and shield.

Valdar was leaning against his staff when she exited, eyes rising to observe the damaged umbrella Adoncia wielded.  “Fennel is interested to hear about your grand plan in assuring our victory, and I must admit, I am curious as to what tricks your mind is scheming.”

Silence took the throng as her boots sunk into the mud, the pattering of rain coming into the foreground from the plastic above her.  Elinor glanced toward the other ri’bot factions, who were giving her undead nervous looks.  Apart from the few more skittish warriors that had been sent to get used to her minions, most of the other tribes had gathered in their own circles to discuss the show she’d put on amongst themselves.

“Is he too frightened to talk to me himself?”  Elinor asked, just loud enough to make the discolored green toads nearby flinch, and the proud High Warrior marched out of his group to engage her.

Too easy, Elinor said to her chuckling maids.

“I am not afraid of anything!”  he snarled, twisting his ax threateningly in his palm.  “You swore to us that we would win this conquest, but I question if such a victory would please the Supreme Chiefs.  What say you, Former Elder Chief?”

It was leading—of course—and Mika grumbled through the Nexus at his statement.

“It isn’t a secret that High Warrior Fennel rarely participates in the sacred rituals…  Much like most of my clan.”

Valdar answered tactfully, though, showing a patient tone.  “The Supreme Chiefs reward acts of valor as well as strategy, young Fennel.  Be cautious of falling into the trap of thinking honor alone will see you through the great journey in the sky.  All chiefs understand this lesson.”

“Quite true,” Krava chuckled, hobbling forward through the mud in a way that made Elinor want to roll her eyes; he played the weakling for amusement, no doubt so that he could show off.  “There is a fine line a chief must walk to reach greater heights…  I am curious, though, Empress Elinor,” he stated with a gleam in his bright pink eyes.  “What is your next move?”

Fennel grunted.  “To attempt to lead us into a trap; it appears to be her style.”

Elinor took their words with a smile, hands kept at her front to further illustrate she had nothing to hide; on the other hand, Carlos and Audrey were growing more frustrated by their lack of respect.

“I will send my undead to inform and prepare the human’s surrender; there’s no need for you to do anything.  While they are getting things ready, we can further our negotiations.”

“Negotiations?”  Nadraca whispered, just now joining them to likely not be left out of any discussion.  “Have we not already concluded what we expect from you?”

Valdar lifted a hand to stop further inquiries, making the younger two expedition leaders frown, but Krava knew his friend’s intention well by the way he silently rubbed his chin.  He obviously knew that, if possible, the best way to learn about a mysterious opponent was to let them dispel the veil themselves, stating what they wanted.

“We only spoke regarding her safe entry into our world,” the elder explained, “and The Empress acting as our interpreter.”

Elinor wanted to further press on the shaken woman’s experience before continuing, though, and it was a rare opportunity to illustrate an underhanded point while being polite.

“Indeed.  How are you fairing, High Priestess?  I hope I wasn’t too rough on you.”

The woman’s expression soured as Fennel chuckled.  “I will be just fine,” she assured, rubbing the small bit of scar tissue on her chest.  “I will be fully recovered by tomorrow.”

“Most impressive, Nadraca,” the blue toad smiled.  “Though we have taken different paths of worship, I have great respect for your Mother Superior.”

Fennel and Krava didn’t appear to share the sentiment, and Elinor was starting to see why Mika had continued to lose respect for the leaders as things progressed: they gave the outward appearance of worshiping their Supreme Chiefs but had no faith in their hearts.  It was more used as a control mechanism or weapon they could wield.

Elinor’s attention returned to the blue toad as he asked, “What else do you believe you can offer us, Empress?”

Many of the warriors gave each other looks that said they were also interested in potentially more spoils—it was precisely what she’d wanted—they’d turned from enemies to an audience, greedy for what she could provide them and giving her the means to pressure their leaders.

Elinor’s gaze drifted to the pile of wet items that were gathered at the edge of the clearing.  If she wanted to build more tension and competition between the clans, she’d have to spark more interest, and a few curious actions, explaining goods would do nicely.

“What is more valuable than knowledge?  Let me paint a picture for you while two of my soldiers do all your heavy lifting,” she said, motioning them to follow her to the pile as she sent Audrey and Carlos to inform the two attack groups of their surrender; they’d deliver the message that she would explain further when they arrived on the other side.

Krava made a gesture to the woods, where minstrels were probably in hiding, ordering them to follow the two skeletons as the pair each took a whiteboard to communicate with the humans.  It would be difficult, given the rain, but they would manage.

“Knowledge?”  the elderly orange ri’bot mused.  “Go on.”

Elinor presented Adoncia’s bony, thin frame.  “First, tell me, Elder Chief, what you think about humans—not my undead, but the fleshy creatures you’ve captured—are they particularly strong?”

“Humph.  No,” Fennel bluntly replied in the elder’s place.  “A child could easily overpower the largest of these humans.”

“I’m sure you are correct,” Elinor chuckled.  “So, you don’t need them for labor—in fact, they require quite a bit of nourishment to keep healthy, which I believe you can ill-afford.  What would you use them for?”  she asked, knowing the answer after questioning Mika and proceeding to lay it out.

“Bait to lure Ragnlar?  It’s an option.  Hunting practice for your youth?  Mmh, not the most ideal.  Offerings for your Supreme Chiefs or rituals, perhaps?  Let’s be honest; these captives are more trouble than they’re worth for your needs, and I’m sure you’ve realized this by now.  Correct?”

Valdar’s eyes narrowed while watching her bend down to open a fridge that had most likely been ripped out of a wall and carted here on a torlim’s back.  A lot of the food was jumbled, but most items were still sealed.

“It does require a lot of manpower that could be used elsewhere…”  the blue toad mumbled.  “Are you suggesting we kill them all for you to resurrect since they will be obedient to you?”

“Empress?!”  Adoncia panicked, flaming skull shooting between them at the thought of the ri’bot killing her brother.

It’s fine, Adoncia.  This topic is only a stepping stone, she reassured.

“Not necessarily…  Hmm-hmm.  I’m sure you wouldn’t want me gaining too much power, after all,” she whispered, catching Fennel’s glare as she took out a plastic container to show them.  “I have the knowledge and communication skills you need.  Would you be willing to trade humans—living and dead—to me for detailed information on what is useful or not?  I’ll offer this deal to each clan… including weapons.”

She restrained her laughter at the mumbles that swept the crowd of ri’bot that had gathered to listen; obviously, they’d seen some of the strange devices humans had, including vehicles and guns.  In offering this to each tribe—humans for knowledge—whoever took it would have an advantage over the other clans.

“Crafty, suu-shhh” Krava said, breathing out in an oddly deep manner that Elinor once again took for a sigh, hand rising to rub his slick shoulder.  “I will say, Empress, I am impressed by the maneuvers you’ve pulled to get this far…  If no one takes you up on the offer, Valdar will no doubt get your advice, meaning you’d point him to the best spoils since he has taken ownership of your actions…”

“Is it a bad deal, though?”  Elinor asked, turning the question to the warriors.  “I assure you, the things I could tell you would give you an advantage over your rivals.  I take the fleshy mouths that require food, manpower, and, let’s be honest, many other headaches involving sickness or transportation, and, in return, I give you things you can return with to be proud of… to be powerful.  Would that not please your people rather than leeches to suck out your resources?”

Valdar forced a chuckle, tone falling a tad as he addressed the obvious personal problem.  “All of those issues… would then be on my clan in bulk, since I have taken ownership of you.”

Elinor offered him a charming smile and tone.  “You would think so, but those are all alleviated due to having me.  The other clans can’t communicate with the humans, making even simple instructions a chore, but with me, the humans become useful.  Does that make sense?”

Fennel laughed.  “You were the one that wanted her, Former Elder Chief!  If you show me the use and ways of these weapons in a way I am satisfied, I will gladly dispose of these weak creatures!  They aren’t even fit for practice against children, regardless.  What of you, Priestess?”

Nadraca shook her head, making Elinor’s gut tighten; it was a good deal, so why was she refusing?

“We will take what we can find a use for; many of the clothing and silk products will be more than adequate for our share, and we have our offering to the High Lord.  I have seen evidence that these humans can be proficient fishers, as well, which will come in handy.  I only wish to leave this… cramped valley… as soon as possible and be done with this business.”

Elinor wanted to press her, to ask if she were sure, but to do so would make her seem desperate; however, all evidence pointed that her father was in this woman’s camp.  She couldn’t look weak or like there was something important to her in her possession, or everything could collapse.

Begrudgingly, Elinor was forced to nod and hope something more came up when identifying goods.  “Suit yourself, but you are making a mistake…  What is your answer, Former Elder Chief Valdar and Elder Chief Krava?  There are things in this town you have passed up due to your ignorance that could change your clan forever and give you access to things you couldn’t dream of.”

Valdar sighed and crouched again, dipping his fingers into the mud, probably consulting the jungle.  “I… do believe you can fulfill your promises, Empress.  However, there is more to your desires than simply gaining these humans.  This is not the last time you are going to try to negotiate for more…”

“Hoho.”  Krava patted his friend on the back.  “Where do you set the line; does the soil not give you answers?”

“Only warnings,” Valdar muttered, pulling himself back up with his staff.  “It may be dangerous working with her, but it is a risk that may have results.  What will the Lethix do?”

Mika explained each expression to allow Elinor to better grasp how the ri’bot were taking it; the warriors around them looked toward the wrinkled orange-skinned toad as he studied her, and a sly twist came to his wide mouth.

“I will observe how you trade with Fennel and what you recommend to Valdar before making my decision.”

A disapproving grunt came from the Roxim High Warrior.  “Do you intend to benefit from our trades in knowledge, Elder Chief?  We expect these things to be delivered in private so as not to diminish the cost of such knowledge.”

“Naturally,” Krava laughed, slapping the man on the back as the rain lightened, causing many eyes to rise to the turbulent, split sky.  “I would still like to observe things for now.”

“Suit yourself,” Elinor said, offering the cake to a ri’bot warrior.  “A container holding sweet food for humans.  Keep in mind, I can’t be sure how their food will affect your biology, so I’d be careful.”

The young toad dropped the container like it was poison, making her giggle and Krava grunt at the weak-willed youth.

It hadn’t gone completely to her liking, yet she’d made significant progress, and Elinor glanced around at the jungle of Earth.  Could she have won without resorting to this strategy?  Yes.  She knew without a doubt that she could have killed all of these ri’bot, even if it would have been difficult.  However, the price would be her parents, and that was no victory at all.

Breathing in deeply before letting it out, Elinor communicated to Carlos and Audrey, still barely in range of her Nexus network.

The negotiations were mostly fruitful.  Warn them that they need to get the necessities.  Medication, sealed goods, and whatever else they may need to survive in the jungle.  It will not be easy, but I have managed to leverage all those that follow me into a favorable position.

Note that everything they take will be confiscated to be placed in the bartering circle.  Bring every firearm and explosive we have, Audrey, and package it carefully to be disguised in whatever means you see fit; we want to keep the best items while making it look like we’re only after average goods.  Every bullet could be a life bartered, so be thorough.

They affirmed that they would do as instructed, and Elinor followed Valdar to the Crystal, stopping just outside of it.  “Be patient and watch me do all the work,” she told the four leaders, watching her like a hawk.

She ordered Mika to direct the rest of the undead soldiers through the portal when they’d gone, and stomach twisting with anticipation, Adoncia and she placed their hands on the smooth surface.  Oddly, their palms sank into it like water before her environment abruptly changed.

Hot, humid air pulled her braided hair back, and alien sounds assaulted her from every angle, including a loud rumble in the distance.  Elinor’s focus wandered between those that joined her; this was it—she’d entered a completely new world.  Her eyebrows raised as she spied hundreds upon hundreds of ri’bot dotted the clearing they’d entered, guarding humans that had their hands bound with vines.

Valdar appeared beside her from a diamond explosion of color, with the others soon joining them in the same eruption of light.

Gloved hands clasping behind her back, Elinor walked forward, boots sinking slightly into the moist soil.  Reassuringly, Butter’s presence reappeared, though those left behind all but vanished.  Whispers came from over a thousand bound people around the massive clearing as her illuminated jade irises swept the scene, yet Butter’s voice had her full attention.

“It’s everything we hoped, Priss!  Your parents are here, and they are alive,” her twin smoothly informed her, flying to the locations to give her a sense of direction.

Excellent.  Potential soldiers?

“Hehe.  Our first Uncommon, and two of them underneath this field.  You’ve lost less Death Energy than I expected.  Did things go as planned?”

More or less, she replied, not keeping her focus on anything in particular for too long with so many studying every twitch she made, and drums from each camp beat at their arrival back, causing the humans to flinch.

Elinor swept the bartering and goods area, where an entire bus had been transported, packed with items; it would have to be abandoned in this dense jungle environment.  Although there may be parts worth salvaging, that would have to wait.

Adoncia, I hear thunder; find us chairs, a table, and a suitable umbrella…  Keep an eye out for stakes in case it grows too windy, as well.  Use the chance to find your brother while sorting through it.

“Yes, Empress!”  she said, moving away as more undead were teleported around her, and Mika went to her side.  “I really hope he’s here and not in some ditch somewhere.”

Elinor wasn’t listening, though, cold eyes sweeping the sitting or lying down humans; Butter was behind her mom right now, but she couldn’t make it obvious.  The color drained from her mother’s face as a blonde teenager next to her pointed Elinor out; she could only guess what the woman was thinking.  It killed Elinor to make her mother suffer.

“Well?”  Krava asked, hobbling over as the drums came to a stop and those they’d left in charge ran up to report.  “You said you would communicate with these… humans—make them compliant.  We’ve already had to kill a decent number due to their strange actions.  I’m sure that doesn’t bother you, though.”

Elinor’s gaze shifted to the wrinkled chief, causing those near him to shiver at her lifeless response.  “Not at all.  First, I need answers—how long will we be here, for example?  Humans require certain things in order to remain healthy and capable of traveling.  Information and expectations keep them calm.  Therefore, I will require you to allow certain things, such as the ability for them to defecate.  Do you understand that?”

Valdar laughed.  “Yes.  It would not be wise to allow them to contaminate the entire area.  We can set up a location.  As for your question, it took us two weeks to travel from the western side of the valley to this location.  We had to be cautious and move slowly to escape ambushes.”

Her gaze returned to the supplies.  “Then… double the time to return, I presume?  Also, how long will we stay?”

“A day or two… possibly three,” Valdar hissed, looking up at the sky.  “We need to divide the spoils, pack them up, and prepare for the journey back by gathering food.”

Fennel shrugged her question off.  “I don’t care about that since you will be trading your knowledge for the humans.  Why does their health matter so much to you if their death is no obstacle?”

“Now that is something that I am interested in learning,” Krava hummed, but one of his minstrels ran up to engage them, stealing their attention.  “What is it?”

“One of the creatures claims to have a Mysticism that can… make us understand their language.  We have isolated it… over there.”

Elinor’s eyes narrowed, following the toad’s finger to a distant treeline, where she made out a blonde woman—the color wasn’t common in South America, and she recognized the clothes she wore—it was the woman that sat at the front of her bus and that had asked their guide about souvenirs shops.

The snake reveals herself…  she hissed to Butter, spotting the woman’s smile and wave.

“It can speak our tongue?”  Krava asked, furrowed brow shifting to Elinor, who could guess what this mysterious person was about.

“Excuse me?  What snake would that be?  You’re going to have to be more specific, Priss.”

Go to the Lethix camp and listen to the blonde woman they’ve isolated.  Who do you think would be in a position to try to usurp my authority?

“Oooh!  The Scarlet Hand has made their move on this side of the Crystal, as well, hmm?”

Elinor spoke in silence, each leader glancing between the distant figure and her, pondering what should be done about the development.  “I have a feeling I know who this person is, Elder Chief… and their objective.  I would like to meet this Mystic because I believe they are trying to lead you into a deadly trap.”

“Fascinating…”  the elder replied, working around his jaw before turning away from them.  “Continue with what you’ve already bargained for, Empress.  I’d like to hear what this Mystic has to say about you.”

She let him go without comment, hating that she was unable to play a stronger hand; she walked a delicate line right now, and Krava was definitely her worst enemy here.  He didn’t like that she’d wormed her way into his friend’s protection and was looking for a reason to turn Valdar against her.

For now, her options were limited, but Butter had found her real soldiers that she could put to work.  She had to increase her level by furthering her influence among the ri’bot and humans, though, naturally, understanding the Crystal was her first objective after learning her parents were safe.  This battle had only just begun, and if she couldn’t work the Scarlet Hand angle, Valdar was her next target.

The gentle hum of the jungle reflected the calm beats of her undead heart as she turned away from the orange toad’s retreat, catching Valdar’s studious gaze.

“You need answers to speak to the humans, correct?”

“I do,” Elinor smiled, pointing out her maid as she set a place for them.  “Shall we?”

Adoncia had managed to find a table and workable chairs in the mess; unfortunately, the single, large umbrella had been rendered useless.  Elinor offered a seat to Fennel, Nadraca, and Valdar, but the former two refused and returned to their camps to explain things to their warriors.

A muscular blue-skinned toad took up a guard position beside Valdar’s chair as the elder sat to discuss things with her, and Elinor saw the way the humans looked at her speaking to the ri’bot.  Sadly, it was to be expected they’d think she was working with them at this point, though some things had changed with the discovery of someone who could communicate with the ri’bot other than her.

The blonde woman diminished her unique ability and a significant amount of her leveraging power, so she had to move fast.  Elinor sent Adoncia to find paper and pens to distribute her words while also giving her the option of hidden messages.

There was the possibility that Krava had the woman read her notes, so she had to be careful in how they were worded.  A more troubling issue would be if she exposed her parents’ identities, which seemed likely.

Oddly, though, Krava left with a small detachment of his soldiers shortly after speaking with the blonde, and Butter shadowed them from above, relaying the highlights as Elinor engaged the wrinkled blue toad across from her.

According to Valdar, the Crystals appeared in the valley every fifty years, and if they were not victorious, a great catastrophe would occur.  If the dome was on the other side, they were the conquerors, and the last time their ancestors failed this challenge, the Crystal brought something terrible to their world.

Elinor could see why the elder would empathize with their situation, unlike some of the other tribes, and it appeared that Valdar felt some responsibility for the bloodshed since he had been the one to gather the other clans.

She swiftly identified a steep disparity in the motivations behind each of the groups gathered; it would be crucial for her to play to each of their desires.

The Roxim were only concerned about glory and what goods they could bring back to strengthen their position in the valley.

Mika’s inner grudges against those in leadership in her tribe continued to surface the further time went on, and she observed their actions as more of an outsider.  They were declining in quality soldiers, so unbeknownst to the other clans, they’d begun recruiting from the clanless ri’bot in the wild lands to the forbidden north side of the valley.

On the other hand, the Lethix were a well-situated and powerful clan to the far south of the valley, yet they had fierce competition in the form of the Xaltan.  Word was that the rival ri’bot group was mobilizing, and there was a fear of them joining two other hostile clans near Valdar’s people, creating a troubling divide.

The Clavex could care less about any of the valley squabbles between factions since they lived an entirely different way of life in the protection of the Nalvean Empire.  Elinor thought the hatred heaped upon Nadraca’s people had less to do with religious practices or honor and more to do with wealth.

Elinor finished some of her letters when Valdar got into the subject of his station as the highest ranking Plant Caller.  The jungle had warned him of a Crystal’s appearance, and, as was a part of his duty, even transcending clan grudges, he was to lay all grievances aside to prevent another calamity.

“I can see why this war is something of a necessity for your people,” Elinor noted, handing Adoncia the pen and papers to copy specific instructions to be passed around since talking to such a large group collectively was far too much of a challenge without proper equipment.  “However, have you stopped to question why these Crystals pit us against each other or who they might be?”

Valdar sighed, tired eyes shifting to the gateway as the first batch of prisoners came through; ‘blind’ Roman and Gloria—Virgil’s childhood friend—were among them.  The woman eyed her with a glare that said she wanted words, but she was taken to the center of the bartering area with the rest without resistance or word.

“That… is a troubling question.  Most have assumed it is a test by the Supreme Chiefs.”

“But not you,” Elinor whispered with a small smile, watching Adoncia’s pen scribble across the paper with some difficulty, considering her bony fingers; there was a song in her heart, though, since she’d discovered her brother in the Delthax camp.

“It… does not feel holy,” he said, focus shifting to her maid.  “These are your symbols to communicate?”

“One of many,” Elinor nodded, crossing her legs the opposite way and surveying the camps to better familiarize herself with the bizarre world.  Interestingly, Butter was feeding her some rather juicy details regarding what Krava was hiding.  “You’re saying it wasn’t the creatures your ancestors tried to conquer that broke through the gateway and fought back, but something else came when they failed?”

“Yes,” Valdar muttered, accepting some strange drink from a wooden cup one of his men brought him.  “It was not the first time a Plant Caller failed in their duty to conquer the Crystal, but the results were far more disastrous than what those of the past recorded.”

“What happens to a Crystal when the last Hub-Crystal is destroyed?”  Elinor casually asked, knowing these gateways were her only chance of eventually getting home one day, or so it appeared at the moment, and she had to have answers for the humans to not look like a fool.

Setting the cup down, his tight hands knotted in his lap, looking at the shimmering blue Crystal as if a monster in itself.  “It depends.  Sometimes it reverses the conquest… if you’re lucky.  If not conquered in an acceptable time, a second might appear, or strange phenomena happen inside the dome.”

“Such as the ice if things are progressing too quickly?”

“Your guess is as good as mine, Empress… but it is possible that if all gateways are sealed, a Destroyer is sent as punishment.  As for our ancestor’s sin, the Crystal shattered as is normal, however… it left three shadows behind.  Creatures as fearsome as the White God that we called the Creeping Shadows.  They multiplied at an incredible rate, building large nests and tunnels deep beneath the jungle.”

Elinor sat back, taking in the name and image.  “Ominous… but I was told that the Creeping Shadows were the ones to kill the terrifying creature you call the White God.  Was he one of these calamities in the past, and doesn’t it seem more of a benevolent action that the Creeping Shadows were there to deal the fatal blow?”

Valdar forced a laugh, rubbing his forehead.  “Your questions do spark doubt in me, Empress…  I have not thought about that possibility.  Could the Crystals have brought the White God or brought our salvation?  Hehe.  I suppose those questions could be levied at you, Empress.”

“It certainly is possible,” she mused, yet she was not happy with what Butter reported.

Krava appeared to believe he knew a thing or two about rituals because he was allowing the blonde to perform one on a warrior to unlock what she called ‘The Scarlet Eye.’  It was a big mistake and, given his personality, one probably born out of her surviving his attack.  He was a proud legend of the Fire Wars, so it likely had had an effect on his ego.

Not wanting to show her displeasure at how things were progressing with the old orange chief, Elinor kept her poise thanks to her Feats.  “I am very reasonable.  How fearsome was this White God?”

Elinor leaned against the side of her seat, looking up at the darkening heavens as the rays slowly turned orange.  She needed more information about the most terrifying creatures of this world—potential soldiers to be raised.

A low rumble came from Valdar’s throat; she’d given him a lot to digest already, and it wouldn’t be strange to be interested in such a colossal tale regarding ri’bot history.

“How fearsome was he?  The White God destroyed an entire nation of powerful creatures composed of stone called Trelmere on their warpath to the far north—into horrific, unknown lands that even the bravest of warriors would not venture, and… we hoped that would be the end of the quen’talrat.”

Elinor smirked.  “How would anyone know it was horrific if it is also unknown?  Haha.  That obvious hole aside, it’s never that easy, hmm?  I’m guessing he returned.”

He sat back with a low chuckle.  “You do bring up very valid points, Empress.  Hmm.  Yes, forty years after they left, the war band returned, nearly entirely decimated, yet clothed in items of great power and knowledge to build the impossible.  It took the united effort of the seven great nations to overcome the White God and his warlords.”

The White God and seven great nations, Elinor repeated to herself, having heard a few tales told to children that Mika recounted.  The monster who raised up an empire, requiring seven powerful nations to unite to destroy it, yet no one could so much as scratch the White God until the Crawling Shadows attacked.  I can learn a lot from his example.  I’m running out of time for this angle, though.

Valdar looked into his cup, chuckling to himself.  “A curse or blessing…  You aren’t wrong, Empress.  Without the Crawling Shadows, we would not be here today, and the Fire Wars are what we call our battle against his fractured warlords, not the Great War against the united quen’talrat race.  From what my father told me, he suspected that the Crawling Shadows and the White God destroyed each other.”

“Fortunate, indeed,” Elinor whispered, yet all she heard were powerful entities she could raise from the dead.  “Former Elder Chief…”

“Hehe.  You may call me by name, Empress…”  He looked up at the immense canopy overhead.  “The jungle…  She is louder than I have heard her since the arrival of the Avana.  I will trust what it speaks and give you a place to support my clan.  I do find your mind… stimulating.”

“I’m glad to hear…  Unfortunately, I believe your friend might have other ideas and agendas behind this conquest.”

“Meaning?”  Valdar asked, straightening a little.

Elinor’s gaze drifted to the orange toad camp, where Krava was returning without the human cultist.  Again, Butter reported that there were many more ri’bot warriors than Mika thought hiding further in the jungle, and the Lethix had yet another special force further still.

“I heard that each of the three clans that answered your call accepted the terms to come in equal number…  Perhaps my presence is clouding your senses, Valdar, but I believe you should investigate why Lethix’s Elder Chief has brought an extra army and hidden them away.”

Butter, I need you close; we need to play our next strong hand.

“Ooh!  Finally, I’ll be able to see what treasure I found beneath the soil.  By the way, Priss, I don’t think this cultist is quite as prepared as they were on your planet.  They are having trouble convincing Krava to allow them to perform another ritual to, eh… communicate with the planet, or something inside of it?  I vote we stop that from happening.”

Well… we’ve entered new territory, Elinor muttered, having no doubt that she could accomplish the act.  So, she can’t get the ri’bot to finish the job, so she’s trying to summon some spirit inside the planet.  Wonderful.  Sadly, I’m not sure if we can stop it.  Maybe we can double down on this information.

“Old friend… might I have a word?”  Valdar asked, shooting an inquisitive look in her direction as he got up.  “Telsar, stay with The Empress.”

“Yes, Former Elder Chief!”  he saluted, slapping a fist against his chest.

Krava lifted his wrinkled brow.  “Has she done something questionable already?  Hehe.  Well, I have learned some rather interesting things about this girl.”

Elinor followed Valdar’s example, straightening out the dark silk wraps around her forearms.  “I’m sure you have from that cultist.  Has she asked you to let her speak to what’s trapped inside this planet yet?”

“What?!”  Valdar’s focus snapped to his friend.  “What is this about communicating with the planet!?  Krava, you know—”

“I know, old friend…  Relax, and how would you know what she has asked of me?”  he muttered suspiciously.

“I wonder, indeed,” Elinor chuckled, turning to face the humans.  “I will make my address now that I have the appropriate information, and I’m sure Telsar can help me set proper places for the humans to use until we are ready to leave.”

The senior warrior looked at his leader, who accepted her claim.

“Wonderful,” she chimed, knowing Valdar had enough ammunition to keep Krava busy, and Butter was weaving through the trees to join her.  “By the way, I have a little surprise to show you when I am finished organizing them.  I’m sure you and Fennel will love my next deal.  Hmm-hmm-hmm.”

Elinor left them to stew with what seeds she’d planted; it was time to visit several of the humans, including her parents, before selecting who would be the group leaders.  If they were going to stay in this world, there needed to be those that spoke for various parties and dispensed information and orders.

However, halfway to the nearest humans in Valdar’s prison area, a large number of ri’bot and even more humans came through the Crystal, making her pause; trucks followed, carrying many goods—two were operated by Carlos and Audrey.

When the last moving van made it through, the floating jewel shimmered and shattered into twinkling dust, as if it never existed at all.  Cries were heard throughout the field, and some people fell to their sides, tucking into balls and unable to cope with the loss of their way home.

A rumble caught Elinor’s notice from the west, it was closer now, and she felt a raindrop strike her nose as a chill swept through the jungle.  This was it; they were trapped without hope for escape.

So…  It’s official.  If I don’t become a true Empress and take responsibility for everyone here… they’re all going to die.  She was shocked how little the weight felt on her shoulders as she continued to the hyperventilating woman nearby.  I better get to work.

Chapter Fifteen: Power Play

Almost every eye was on Elinor as she proceeded through the knee-high yellow grass, much of which had been folded over by the number of people that trampled the field.  Without a word, she stopped before the first weeping woman in the Delthax prison camp, cool gaze lifting to scan the crushed humans.

Her focus drifted between the dark bruises, light cuts, or badly dressed gashes marring many of the prisoners’ bodies; none of those that had already been selected from the middle bartering ground had been in the group she’d convinced to follow her.

The black-haired woman’s tear-stained cheeks glistened in the fading orange light overhead as droplets of rain dripped through the canopy to sprinkle around them; luckily,  Adoncia returned with a newly found umbrella she’d discovered in the colossal pile of goods the ri’bot had amassed.

“What do they want from us—what are we supposed to do—why did they take my children away from me?”

Telsar watched her closely as Elinor’s attention returned to the woman, and she lowered herself a tad to talk to the grieving mother, with those nearby collecting themselves to listen.

“What is your name?”

“M-Mariana…”

Elinor showed her a soft smile.  “Mariana, I will try to return your kids to you…  Even if they are dead, I can bring them back if you’ll trust me.  Our path forward is not going to be easy, but I will give those that join me a better life.  Do you want to see your kids again?”

“More than anything!”  she cried, breath catching as Elinor sparked new life into her.  “What do I need to do?”

“Be patient and trust me,” she returned, rising back to her feet after squeezing the woman’s quaking shoulder to provide a little more comfort.  “There are too many people for me to speak to all at once, so I need messengers that can relay my words.  Will you be one of those people to deliver the answers and security everyone here is looking for?”

Her head bobbed in acceptance, shakily trying to get to her feet and holding up her bound wrists.  “W-What am I supposed to do about t-these?”

“Be patient,” Elinor repeated, already seeing her words being passed along by those listening behind the woman.

Elinor’s lime-green irises shifted to Telsar as he shifted uncomfortably at the sudden restlessness that gripped the prisoners, glancing toward the many warriors in the trees and standing guard, all looking to him for guidance on what to do.

“What are they doing, Empress?”  he mumbled, hand tightening around the hilt of his knife and snatching many nervous looks from the humans nearby, not that he understood their facial expressions.

She giggled to illustrate her point, giving each of the agitated warriors a smirking leer.  “No need to be so jumpy or frightened, Telsar; these humans won’t fight you or cause trouble.  You’ve already terrified them enough with your shows of cruelty and savage executions.  Release them.”

He blinked.  “What?”

Elinor’s face fell with mild irritation.  “I didn’t stutter, Telsar.  Your leader told you to follow my lead, did he not?  Don’t make me repeat myself.”

Likely fueled by his strict military training in command, Telsar only hesitated for a moment before motioning for a more senior ri’bot holding a staff like Valdar; her strong tone and demand instilled an image into those watching exactly who she was and what she expected when she spoke—it was a power play—and, while Valdar hadn’t given her total reign, she had to see how far she could push the boundaries.

“High Warrior?”  the senior asked with his weary gaze on her.

“Begin freeing the prisoners…  The Empress assures us they will be compliant, correct?”

“Start with this one, named Mariana.”  She pointed to the stunned woman, feverish eyes shifting between them.  “She will be your translator and help with immediate support that others may need.  Do you have a good memory,” Elinor asked the senior with the staff.

“Hmm…  I do?”

She held up her fingers to illustrate, drawing many of the humans and ri’bot gazes.  “Mariana, are you listening?”

“Yes!  Yes, I am!  What do you need?”

“I am going to give you each simple instructions to communicate to one another, and I will not repeat myself:

“First, if a human holds up one finger, they must pee or defecate.  It is a basic human—and ri’bot, I’m sure—need that must be dealt with, and your Former Elder Chief does not want them to contaminate the whole field, as many probably have over the extended period here.

“An area must be provided that has privacy from the other humans—it is a matter of decency to them—Mariana will gather men that are capable of helping her set up an appropriate area for both genders.  I and they understand that this will not be unsupervised, and everyone will remain under watch by ri’bot warriors, and that is non-negotiable at this point.

“Respect human decency; do you understand those orders and its signal to be transported to the area?”

Elinor saw a few people cry at her words, and she saw more hope fill Mariana’s dark eyes at her insistence to treat them better.  Telsar worked around his jaw, big eyes shifting to the woman as she held her breath, waiting for confirmation.

“That is something the Former Elder Chief assigned us to do…  It is simple enough.  You are saying she will spread these symbols and instructions when freed?”

“You do understand,” Elinor nodded, turning to see the woman fervently mirror her, trying to manage her muddy and messy hair, which provided a new concern with the coming storm, but that could wait for a moment as she continued to the next signals:

They were to hold up two fingers for food and three for water—purified water—that Adoncia confirmed was already in some of the clan’s spoils.  Four fingers were for basic medical supplies for when Elinor organized that branch.

Five fingers were for further clarification from Mika and Adoncia to work together to answer any further questions, though it was only supposed to be used for important needs.  If abused, a group would be stripped of their privileges, and these were privileges.

Elinor had made it perfectly clear to Mariana that failing to abide by these instructions or any show of resistance would be met with severe punishment from the aliens, making her swallow and nod.

After both parties confirmed they’d memorized the instructions, Elinor had the Plant Caller remove Mariana’s vine shackles to spread the instructions and set things up so she could focus on other things.  Her fame would continue to spread, which should unlock some kind of Empress Feat once a certain number of people saw her as a leader.

Just before she left, Mariana told her that most of the children had been taken by the discolored green toads; the information was a veiled plea to return her kids.

Audrey replaced Adoncia, holding the umbrella as the hardworking girl went to support the woman in erecting a suitable area for waste.  Carlos was directing the horde of people that had just come through the Crystal and providing basic information to lay the foundation for when she spoke to them.

Elinor turned back to the silent throng, holding their breaths at how she spoke to these aliens and drawing their own conclusions from the responses they could understand.

Now, it was time to move to phase two as Butter joined her, lazily floating low to the ground before filling her up on Death Energy again so she could find more from the wildlife nearby; some of the clans had captured creatures she could stealthily drain from, as well.

The time-critical moment she’d need was only a matter of time, which could happen at any second; Mika was prepared for action at her command, remaining somewhat close to the Roxim’s area.

If there was one thing she could do to firmly solidify her position as a power, it was to initiate a confrontation with the brutal, honor-obsessed tribe that she could twist to her advantage, and Mika gave her golden-haired twin all the knowledge she needed to initiate it.  It seemed that the butterfly had cooked up this plot while waiting for Elinor to come through the gate, and it impressed her.

Butter fluttered between grass patches with two of her lackeys as the third stayed with Elinor after delivering the care package.  They needed all the Death Energy they could get, and soon she’d be getting a huge EXP dump, or so they theorized.

Moving slowly around the Delthax prison camp, she retained everyone’s attention as word of their freedom, conditions, and accommodations spread.  Stopping near the middle, Elinor pointed out five individuals that gave her the vibe of being the least emotional—excluding her anxious mother, who she made sure to choose.

“You five will facilitate my next order; don’t speak until I command it.”

Telsar took it appropriately as a sign that she needed them released.  He had another one of the junior Plant Callers in Valdar’s clan single the three men and two women out.  Once freed, all the humans rubbed their wrists and gave one another nervous glances while approaching her.  Well, everyone but her mother, who looked more concerned about Elinor than anything else.

Naturally, her mom was the first to reach the spot, hands knotted at her front and looking over every inch of her body.  There were no doubt a million questions racing through her brain and anxiety eating at her heart, yet Elinor remained utterly neutral as she waited for the rest to be freed and join them.

In the meantime, she ignored her fidgeting mother to address a growing concern.  Directing Telsar’s attention to the prisoners, their already selected spoils, and the host of goods they’d collected, she made sure everyone knew what she was focusing on.

There were now four full-length diesel rigs that hadn’t been moved from where the Crystal had transported them, some likely full of the dead that she’d been explicit for them to bring if they wanted their loved ones to be raised.

“The rain and coming storm will likely ruin many of the goods, including weapons—weapons that the Roxim desperately want—and I don’t want that to happen.  Is there a way for you to shelter us from the weather, or should we start preparing because humans are very fragile creatures when it comes to changes in their environment?  Many items may already be unsalvageable.”

Telsar’s two sharp teeth on either side of his mouth pressed against his lips as he followed her gesture.  “That… is troubling.  I must bring it up to the Former Elder Chief; such an effort can only be done with a Greater Plant Caller as a catalyst.”

“Hmm.”  Elinor saw Valdar and Krava still in a discussion that seemed both weren’t enjoying, and she wanted to buy as much time as possible to give the cult member the least amount of access to the orange toad leader until she could solidify her foundation in this world.  “How soon until the storm arrives?”

The High Warrior’s waist shifted toward what Butter identified as the north, having heard the directions from the chatty ri’bot.  “The Dreaded White Mountain will draw the storm around it first before dispersing it across the valley.  While it is the rainy season, a storm like this is uncommon even for this period of the year…”

He rubbed his shoulder while stepping to the side to allow a steady stream of liquid, falling from the canopy to splash across his skin, likely hydrating himself.

“Ri’bot do not have a problem with such storms—outside of our homes and supplies being damaged—which is why I can see your concern for these goods…  I suspect it will be another hour before the wind and downpour truly begin.”

Elinor’s mouth tightened as she looked up, unable to truly see what the sky was like due to the canopy; by the sounds of it, they were going to get hit by a hurricane, and, while the huge trees and dense canopy would shelter them, flooding would be a massive issue.  Storms like this could also last days, much less this supernatural process the warrior was describing regarding this Dreaded White Mountain.

“Perhaps it would be best if you had the Former Elder Chief understand the coming trouble.  After all, everything you looted could be destroyed and rendered useless.  We must build a shelter around the clearing and drainage areas.  The sooner, the better.”

Telsar growled, scratching his side and glancing at the tight-lipped humans that had been called, waiting to be spoken to.  “So much trouble for these humans…  Suu-shhh,” he breathed out in a deep exhale while turning to his subordinate.  “Delraln, keep an eye on The Empress’ actions while I inform the Former Elder Chief of the potential danger to the spoils.”

“Yes, High Warrior!”  the man saluted, shifting to take his position.

In a way, this was perhaps preferable since the further down the line her guards got, the more wiggle room she could exploit.  Ignoring him, Elinor finally looked straight into her mother’s face and smiled, showing her that she was still her daughter.

“I’m sure most people are anxious after seeing me communicate with the aliens and seeing me with skeletons.  Yes, just like many others you have possibly seen, I have powers as well, and I can bring back your loved ones as they were.”

She pointed to her OCD maid as the scattered rain and building streams fell from their gathering places in the canopy.

“This is Audrey Guerra—a worker at the banana factory—as some of you may have known her in the community.  She has all of her memories and, in time, she will regain her human appearance with a bonus…  All those resurrected by me will return to the prime of their youth.”

One of the middle-aged women’s eyes widened at the information.  “That… sounds too incredible to be true—oh, sorry,” she hissed, mouth tightening and eyes falling to the floor, hoping not to be punished.

Elinor wanted to laugh and tell her it was alright, but she also needed to set a firm example for the ri’bot and others watching.

“As I said, only speak when you are told…  I am Empress Elinor, and you should address me as such.  This is what I told these aliens—I am your ruler—and I am in the position to obtain many of you for bartering information about the goods they have taken from our world.

“You five will listen very carefully to what I have to say, and go back to the prisoners to inform them on how they need to behave in order to live and have a far better life than those that are not bartered for by me…  You do not want to be taken as prisoners by the Roxim clan,” she stated, pulling their attention to the camp of brutal ri’bot.

One of the men crossed his arms, expression becoming strained and worried as she stared at the camp; likely one of his family had been taken by the clan.

“The good news is that I have convinced the Roxim to trade the humans they’ve captured for information on the weapons I can give them.  These aliens are called ri’bot,” she said with a straight face.

She knew, given a lighter situation, some might laugh at the name because it was so similar to the sound the creatures made on their planet; of course, the treatment they got was no joking matter.  “They cannot understand you, so you must go through me or one of my undead.”

Now that she had made it clear that they could ask anything they wanted without them catching on while letting them know she had to be careful with her words, she let them ask their questions; her mother being the first to speak.

“Elinor—it really is you, right?  Please…  It’s you?”

“Yes.  For now, be careful about who you identify as being close to you,” she cooly responded, holding her hands behind her back.

“There are those that seek to use everything in their power to gain an advantage over us.  One of those is a cult called the Scarlet Hand, who is responsible for pulling us into this mess…  I have found documents proving they have had some of those that arrived by bus under surveillance for decades, and one is a blonde woman that was on the one you came on, Tiffany.”

Her mother was speechless at the sudden revelation, but the tight-mouthed man jumped in to ask his own question as she processed it.  “The Roxim—those toads over there…  You’re going to buy the, umm, prisoners, right—it’s like a slave auction?”

“What about the other prisoners with the other aliens?”  the middle-aged woman asked.  “My husband is with the orange ones.  What about them?”

Elinor’s eyes tightened while shifting to direct their attention to the two arguing leaders, Teslar now unwillingly being pulled into the discussion.

“The one that is trying to convince the others to turn against me is the orange toads, and they are entertaining the cult that could destroy everyone…  I have a plan, but I can only do so much at this moment.  As of now, know that these blue toads are called the Delthax, and their leader is heading this conquest.  Through our discussions, he sympathizes with your position, and I have convinced him that you can be useful to his clan.”

Her mother puffed out a long stream of air, arms folding to stop her shakes.  “You’ve separated yourself from us to gain their trust?  Umm, we… aren’t going back home… are we?”

Elinor shook her head, making each one tear up and suck in a sharp breath.

“I’m learning more about the Crystal from the Former Elder Chief, and I will tell you all what I’ve learned when you have gone back and selected a leader for every fifty people.  I can’t speak to everyone, so representatives must be brought to me so I can lay down the ground rules; pencils and paper will be provided.”

“The storm,” another man mumbled, shivering and looking up; most people were still drenched, and, despite the hot jungle atmosphere, the temperature was falling due to the storm.  “Won’t it ruin the paper?”

“That’s why I had Teslar go talk to the Former Elder Chief,” she stated.  “Now, go back and have everyone select a leader that must represent fifty people each.  Further divisions will be made as time goes on, but for now, this is how I will disseminate news.  Understood?”

They swiftly nodded, and her mother’s bottom lip quivered, fingers white as they pressed against her breast; Elinor knew she wanted nothing more than to bring her in and never let her go.

“It’s okay,” she repeated, showing her an encouraging smile.  “This is not the end, and I will do what I can to free your husband…  Sadly, it may be more of a challenge than I thought when it comes to the green toads.”

Her mother tried to control her emotions, unable to speak without the fire in her throat rising, no doubt, so she nodded.  She got a few thank yous from the others before they returned to try to organize the groups.

“Priss,” Butter warned through the Nexus.  “It looks like what I feared is coming to pass.  Is it time?”

Describe it to me and have Mika ready to stop it just before it goes too far.

“This poor girl is being singled out due to having a similar build and general appearance as us.”

Elinor turned to the warrior that was now overlooking her actions.  “As you heard, they will be organized into groups of fifty.  Unfortunately, I need to clarify some conditions as to my deal with the Roxim.  I will return shortly.”

Illuminated emerald eyes darkening, the atmosphere hushed as she went on the move again, drawing her mother’s nervous gaze, yet Elinor was focused on the Roxim camp some distance away, given the size of the field.  She had to let things progress to a certain degree.

As Butter reasoned through the insight Mika fed her about her clan, the more senior warriors under Fennel were eager to make a name for themselves, and the best way to do that in this developing situation wasn’t in the conquest, but in challenging her; of course, they had to get a better grasp on human biology.

A crying, dark-haired teenage girl was in the middle of five ri’bot senior warriors, forced to stand perfectly still and stripped of her clothes as the toads used a knife to slide across her slick skin, showing where they’d discovered weak points in the humans.

Butter and Mika suspected they would prepare to face her as some kind of badge of honor, and she’d already heard the name some of the clansmen were using to describe her: the Chief of Flaming Bones.  It put an amused smirk on her lips because it gave her more power in their culture, already being described as a chief.

She saw a woman sobbing from Valdar’s camp as she helplessly watched them torment her daughter, and Elinor knew this demonstration would end bloody unless she stepped in.  Out of the ri’bot, the Roxim were the most undisciplined of the clans, ruling more by strength, which was why Fennel lead this expedition, but that could change to any one of his subordinates.

The senior warrior drew his arm back to demonstrate how he’d learned to bypass their ribs, yet before he had a chance to strike, Mika threw a dagger that one of those standing around the ring leader caught out of the air.  Fortunately for the girl, the skeletal ri’bot had taken their attention.

“What was…”  he trailed off as they and many more of the Roxim locked onto her approach, hands clasped behind her back with Audrey holding an umbrella over her head; Fennel’s face creased as he moved to intercept.  “Was that a challenge from the skeleton, Piko?”

Valdar and Krava ceased their argument as the orange toad pointed out the possible confrontation with a smirk, likely feeling justified, but Elinor didn’t hesitate, slow her pace, or look away from her intended target.  Her progress across the damp field drew more and more eyes, giving her the audience she needed as Butter got in position.

An ominous silence brought the falling streams of water and rain droplets into the foreground, the distant thunder quivering the air; the apprehension that gripped the warriors stemmed from her surviving two of their leader’s assaults, and there had been too many witnesses to deny it, in addition to the control, poise, and command her presence demanded.

Fennel met her just as she entered the Roxim’s space, causing Elinor’s passive eyes to shift up to appraise him.  “What is your business, Empress?  Are you trying to challenge Piko for this human?”

Elinor’s tone held a gentle chill and firmness.  “I expressed to you that I wanted the humans to remain in a functional condition.  Your cowardly warriors using them as test subjects to try and practice before challenging me was not a part of our deal.  If he wanted to practice against the Chief of Flaming Bones, all he had to do was ask…”

Piko and his warriors glared at her accusation, clearly issued throughout the still camp.  Fennel didn’t back up as many other warriors as lime-green fire licked down her unclasped hand, raising it into the air as her butterfly hovered nearby.

“How many skeletons do he and his friends wish to practice against before they curb their fear of me?  Surely, it would best be suited to use the most powerful clan as his test dummies?”

Freeing the locks to allow her twin to do her part, the laid-out dead warriors of the Roxim nearby brightened with emerald light as she counted, flesh burning off the twitching dead as she animated their bones.

“One?  Two?  Perhaps some of those I raised before?”

“Empress!”  Fennel snarled, stepping up to tower over her, yet Elinor simply lifted her head to stare right back at the Head Warrior.  “I didn’t say you could do that to my comrades!  I will cut your arm off!”

“And I didn’t say I wanted broken goods,” she coldly returned, Valdar now hobbling over to probably act as mediator.  “Also, we’ve already been down this road, Fennel.  How do your warriors fair, though?  Surely your warriors aren’t afraid of their weak, bony, dead comrades?”

He twisted with displeasure as he saw six unintelligent undead picking up the weapons besides the bodies to lumber menacingly toward the warriors that surrounded the naked teenage girl.

“We do not fear you, Mystic!”  Piko growled, jumping forward without a moment’s hesitation to crush her undead with brutal swings that fractured their limbs and skulls.  “Every kill we release our brothers and sisters from your Pit-sired enslavement, Chief of the Dead!”

Fennel seemed conflicted; on one hand, he needed to show he was in control, and yet he would be stepping on the warror’s pride if he didn’t let him show his courage against her undead.  He probably didn’t understand the grin on Elinor’s face at his hesitation.

It was proving to be easier than she thought to use their culture against them, and Butter raised five more before retreating to get the remaining Death Energy they needed.

[Minion Pool I - Advanced to D-tier]

Perfect.

“Empress!”  Valdar growled, breathing a little heavily as he stopped beside her with Krava keeping some distance.  From a distance, Nadraca had taken up an observation point by the center goods, away from the conflict; it wasn’t as if she liked the other clans.  “What is going on?”

“If I understand things correctly, Valdar, Fennel can’t keep his people in check to honor our deal, or does that not count for those warriors that have laid claim to a human based on their performance?”

Piko finished the last of her unintelligent undead that had moved to attack, dropping her original twenty soldiers down to ten; she had to get rid of them anyway to raise more, and what better way than to put on a bit of a show before showing her real cards.

“Weak!  High Warrior Fennel, she does not understand our ways—she said as much—I lay claim over this human, as is given my right!  If she wishes to take it from me, she must best me at a challenge.”

“Yes!  I lay my own claim!”

“As do I!  Challenge me, I dare you before the Supreme Chiefs, Chief of the Dead!”

Dozens of voices called out and weapons were raised, making Fennel snarl, magical ax tapping against his leg.  She had to pull their attention to keep Butter from being noticed.

Valdar hissed while seeing Krava’s camp now laugh and join in on the goading.  “What have you done, Empress Elinor…  Empress?”

“Hehe…  Hahaha!”  Her laughter increased, and a dangerous gleam sparked in her bright eyes and tone, causing the riotous noise to settle down at her bewildering action.

Elinor’s hand lifted higher, flames rising and holding everyone’s gaze.  Green fire flared as Butter entered the mud, calling upon the souls that had long rested below the soil.

“Have all of you forgotten?  I am the Empress of the Dead!  If you wish to challenge me, you are challenging the dead.  Very well, Piko, you want to showcase your bravery by combat to the death?  Meet your opponent!”

An eruption of dirt revealed massive fingers, the falling rain meeting thick silver fur as the giant creature forced its way out of its slumber; cries rang out, ri’bot fell to the grass or jumped into the trees, and Fennel backed away as the goliath-like figure rose from its grave.

“It’s… not possible,” Krava mumbled, backing away with Valdar and every other ri’bot or human.

Four, thick arms pulled her Uncommon-B Lieutenant up, a low rumble reverberating in her muscular, fully-skinned chest.

The six-limbed, five-meter-tall gorilla straightened to her full height, long tail whipping out to leave a dent in the side of a diesel crate.  Her two heads shifted to examine the scene, glowing golden irises appraising the quivering ri’bot far below her.

“You raised… a quen’talrat Elite Hunter?”  Valdar cautiously whispered.

The ground beneath Elinor shook from the weight of the nearly completely intact undead as she opened both of her savage mouths to release a roar that silenced the jungle.

Straightening beside the bestial giant was a far less intimidating white-skinned ri’bot with blue tear-drop spots that worked around his arms and scanned the field with his narrowed red eyes, making mumbles sweep the shocked soldiers around them.  The rain that touched the second Uncommon-D undead dispersed into mist, quickly gathering around the ri’bot.

“White skin…  The Mist!”

“The Ethereal Clan?!”

“She rose one of the Ethereal Clan and an Elite Hunter?!”

Elinor’s gaze remained on the wide-eyed senior warriors, attention fixated on the colossal monster behind her that their ancestors had fought during the Fire Wars.  “Do you still lay claim to what I want, Piko?”

Chapter Sixteen: Court Of Public Opinion

Flaming hand lowering, Elinor let Butter communicate with her new soldiers to smooth over the transition of their resurrection and allow her to address the growing tension.

Elinor chuckled to herself while walking away from the panicked ri’bot, heading right for Valdar.  She ordered Adoncia to collect the shivering and naked human girl, who was staring up at the intimidating four-armed gorilla towering overhead.

To make her orders clear, she told everyone throughout the Nexus not to take any aggressive action; they needed to appear powerful and unbothered, not reactionary like the terrified simpletons.  As expected, Krava ordered his warriors to form a defensive formation, being the first to respond.

Stones were thrown at the giant monster that harmlessly bounced off her thick silver fur and tight muscle, yet she followed instructions, observing the throng with intelligent golden eyes from her lofty position.  The Ethereal Clan ri’bot almost lazily evaded the throws—Elinor could feel his boredom at the sloppy attacks.

Elinor didn’t pay their mobilizing force any mind.  “Are you questioning our arrangement, Valdar?  I’d appreciate a modicum of faith in my ability to keep my undead in check.”

A loud shout from behind her made Elinor pause and half-turn; Piko was standing his ground with two of the other senior warriors.

“Mystic!  I have not relinquished my claim!”

“Is that right?”  Elinor mused, vision shifting to Valdar and Fennel.  She dropped all pretense to respect in calling them by their titles now that she’d shown a strong hand.  Meanwhile, Adoncia came to a halt beside the pile of goods, looking for a dress that the girl could use as she was ordered.  “Valdar, could you calm Krava down?  I wouldn’t want him to make an unnecessary mistake in attacking someone who has no ill intent.”

Valdar’s tight eyes and expression drifted between the Roxim’s initial panicked attacks and how the Elite Hunter remained passive, albeit with quite an intimidating posture, given her over-five-meter-tall vantage point.

“You… are treading dangerous ground, Empress.  I will call him over.”

Appraising the Roxim’s expedition leader, still centered on the quen’talrat and waiting for the slightest provocation, Elinor chuckled;

“Are you afraid, Fennel?  Did not your man challenge me?”

Piko brandished his ax, whistling to call his large and scarred torlim to his side; his friends did the same.  “I have!”

To her surprise, there was a thoughtful gleam in the Roxim leader’s eyes rather than fear, and he huffed while walking straight for her.  Valdar sent Telsar to quiet down his own clan while he went to calm down his friend to come to discuss her actions.  On the other hand, Nadraca kept her distance, guarded by four dozen of her warriors and priests, waiting to see how things played out.

Fennel twisted his ax in his slick hand, rainfall gradually increasing around them, making the quen’talrat’s silver fur glisten in the dying light of the sun, peaking through the divided sky.

“You actually intend to challenge Piko for that human… with a quen’talrat Elite Warrior?  You are, hehe, insane.”

“Oh?”  Elinor mused, finding her hands behind her back while turning to peer at the two-headed gorilla, keeping a close eye on her actions while in dialogue with Butter and the new white-skinned ri’bot; it seemed the toad could speak the quen’talrat’s language, translating for Butter.  “You don’t seem that put off by me raising her.”

“A female Elite Hunter?”  Fennel whispered.

He was still studying the specimen while debating something internally, and it struck Elinor why: if Krava had gained fame by killing one of these, fighting one, much less a supernatural undead Elite Hunter, would put a lot of respect on a warrior’s name.  She could use this angle.

“Not only him…  Every human that has been claimed in the Roxim, I will counterclaim.  Also, why don’t we make this interesting?  The Roxim were known for their bravery during the Fire Wars, yet most of your elders have died, correct?”

“What do you have in mind?”  Fennel asked, many of his warriors now listening intently as the noise settled down.  “Are you suggesting a tournament?”

She wasn’t, but it was a far better direction than she’d hoped for.

“As I understand it, quen’talrat are basically extinct after every race made a concerted effort to wipe them out during the Fire Wars, yet legends were made during that time.  I’m sure your chief would love to allow your clan to host a competition against powerful opponents, which could spread the fame of your warriors.”

“High Warrior?”  Piko mumbled, glaring at Adoncia as she tried to approach.  His friends barred her way, but her maid was being persistent in holding up the dress and pointing at the girl.  “How can we be sure this quen’talrat is even worth such consideration?!  Doesn’t it seem small for the stories we were told?”

A smirk lifted Fennel’s mouth as he turned to stare at the senior warrior—Elinor could see the devious gears spinning in the man’s head—Piko was probably someone that often challenged Fennel’s leadership by his brazen attitude.

“You have a point…  How about a showcase of her prowess, Empress?”

Valdar and Krava came marching forward to join them; the elderly orange toad was not happy with the several senior warriors that joined him.

“I must be going deaf!  You cannot be entertaining this girl, Fennel!  If she can raise the dead, what is stopping her from bringing back the White God?  Pits, the whole tongue-burning, flaming Quen’Talrat Empire?!  Don’t be a fool blinded by glory!”

Elinor chuckled.  “That’s rich coming from you, Krava.  You’ve already obtained your glory in front of the Supreme Chiefs, yet now you deny such a privilege to the young warriors of clans not your own?  Has she attacked or made any act of aggression, even after being provoked?  No.  She follows my orders.”

Murmurs spread through the camp at her words, eyes darting to the massive gorilla as she grunted and worked around her shoulders, glaring at them; she was not impressed by the throng surrounding them.

Krava’s wrinkled brow furrowed further, hard gaze seeing her words resonate with many of the young that wanted to prove themselves; no doubt it was the reason they came on this expedition in the first place.  Worse, now Elinor was getting on Fennel’s better side.

“It is that very fact that concerns me…  You are a crafty creature, Empress.  Valdar, can’t you see the potential danger of this pit fiend?  The fact she can raise that… thing is beyond words.  Did I breach our trust?  Yes, but you understand the reason I did it!  She raised an Ethereal, Valdar!  You know my father’s warning!”

“What breach in trust?”  Fennel growled, fingers tightening around his ax.

Valdar pressed his staff against his head, eyes closing while likely contending with multiple conflicting factors.  Elinor wouldn’t blame him if he stabbed her in the back, given she had played a very aggressive hand.  Still, it was necessary to gain the ground she needed, and Butter was sure the High Mystic would be on their side after Krava’s actions.

“Krava…  You know how much I respected your father, and, yes, he did warn the other clans that the Ethereal were going to turn against us, but that is in the past.  No one has seen a trace of the clan for nine decades… and you brought a Xaria, Krava—an extra army—it voids the agreement we all made.”

Fennel’s nose flared.  “We agreed to an equal force, Elder Chief.  You gave your word—the word of the Lethix!  Were your plans to ambush us on our return to claim our spoils?  A breach in our agreement is forfeit of all spoils and to return in shame!”

Elinor couldn’t help but show a leering smile at the growling orange chief; it was a huge blunder to have been discovered, and, naturally, his hateful eyes at exposing that fact were centered on her.  His own warriors were now shifting uncomfortably at the looks the other ri’bot clansmen were giving them.

“This pit fiend is trying to turn us against one another.  Can’t you see that?”

“Am I?”  she hummed.  “What have I done other than bring your clans a swift victory, spoils to improve the quality of living for those clans that haven’t breached agreements, and offer a glorious testing ground to highlight the strength of the Valley Clans?”

She turned to address the mumbling crowd of ri’bot that listened in on their discussion that should have been held in private, yet Elinor spun them in her web for all to see.

“What has the Lethix done—their famed legendary Elder Chief—but deceive everyone here, unjustly blame me after showing myself extremely reasonable, and try to deflect from your sins by lumping baseless accusations against me?

“Not to mention betraying the trust of your closest friend and the Grand Mystic Plant Caller.”

Valdar hissed at her scathing remarks that humiliated not only Krava, but his entire clan, and Mika noted the shameful looks the orange toads had under the looks the other ri’bot gave them.  Elinor almost pitied them, as most probably had no idea about their leader’s decision to bring another force.

There wasn’t much he could say, to her amusement.  It was damning proof that Valdar was the one to bring it up, which, honestly, had been a mistake on his part to reveal it in public, and the worst was yet to come since she had all the poison she needed to spread the toxic emotion of distrust and betrayal—she was the victim of his prejudice, and she could paint every other clan in the same light.

“You speak lies and twist intentions, pit fiend,” Krava snarled, hand going for his knife, but Valdar held his staff between them.  “Valdar…  I am not wrong!”

“Suu-shhh,” the elderly Mystic’s hands were shaking as he sighed, likely torn in multiple directions, yet he was the true leader and organizer of this expedition; he couldn’t compromise in his position, even with a lifetime friend.  “You have done wrong, Krava.  Be wise…”

Butter, you are a genius, Elinor laughed, mirroring her twin, who had been the architect of much of this plot.  He’s losing in the court of public opinion and has taken a major hit in the view of other clans…  Will he act aggressively after this or not, though?

The frustrated Elder Chief saw the looks on every other clan; the news was swiftly spreading, and, thanks to her framing, the court of public opinion was on her side.  The reputation he’d cultivated over his life was plummeting, and for good measure, Elinor decided to twist into his gut.

“Do you want to know the sad truth about the Lethix’s actions, Valdar, Fennel?”  Elinor asked, bringing the crowd against not only the leader but its members while honing in on the topic that would dig the largest wound in the other ri’bot’s pride.

“Krava brought a Xaria, extra forces, and has constantly been questioning your wisdom in engaging with me… because he doesn’t trust you or anyone else…  In fact, did you even inform your warriors about this monumental decision to betray the accords you agreed to?”

She looked up with a chuckle, scanning the looks the other orange ri’bot gave one another.  “I didn’t think so…  I did not influence you, Krava.  Own up to your own failings and leave with your clan in shame.  Heh.  The other clans will enjoy your spoils.”

“Empress… that is very harsh,” Valdar groaned, Krava in disbelief at the mutters and comments many of the warriors nearby offered.  Elinor was providing them a way to get more goods, so of course, they’d side with her, and all the humans the Lethix claimed were once again free to be traded.

“Am I wrong?”  she asked, doubling down and looking to Fennel, who was glaring daggers at a man he’d respected likely more than most people in his life not five minutes ago.

“Tell me it isn’t true, Former Elder Chief.  Has the Lethix insulted the Roxim’s strength and doubted our pride by bringing more warriors than was agreed on?”

“Ugh…  I cannot speak to his motive—”  Krava’s nose twisted, tone dangerous as he cut off the High Mystic.

“No need to speak for me, old friend.  I will not twist my tongue.  No, Fennel, I do not have faith in the Roxim’s military prowess, and the fact you must lead your expedition speaks volumes as to the state of your clan.  Word among most clans in The Valley is that the Roxim will not last the decade!  Only the Lethix are keeping the Xaltan busy enough to not overrun your sorry clan.”

The two teeth on either side of Fennel’s mouth punctured the skin, drawing crimson to run down his chin, but Krava’s dead-serious eyes said he knew the warrior wouldn’t make a move.

“Throw the dagger, boy, and see what happens…  No?  I thought not.  Does anyone else wish to challenge me…  No?”  he asked, rising to his full height while staring everyone down.  “Empress?”

Butter, what are their names?  It feels as if they’ve accepted my rule after your talk.

Her twin’s snickers rang through their private connection.

“The big girl is called Quin’Alse, but you can call her Quin for short since the latter part is more like… Daughter of Alse.  Believe it or not, she’s actually quite young for a quen’talrat and is conscious of it.  Our misty boy is Garu, and he has a fascinating ability to convert liquid to steam on contact with his skin.”

Interesting.  I’ll learn more when we have the time; I have a clan to whip.

“Hehehe.  How pathetic,” Elinor shot back, emerald irises burning into his.  “Like any bully, the instant you’re backed into a corner and checked, you resort to violence.  Some legend—some hero—you are a clown, Krava, blinded by anger and pride of glory you’ve lost in your old age.”

A tremor shook the ground, causing every panicked eye to rise to the giant gorilla’s flaring noses as both heads centered on the orange chief; the creature’s massive feet ripped up the earth, and her tail slapped the mud, spraying muck everywhere while facing them.

“You can say anything you want, Krava—talk—but you’ve faced an Elite Hunter in your youth; are you confident as you are right now to face Quin’Alse?  Think carefully,” she whispered, meeting his tight gaze.

Quin bellowed a roar, four arms pounding her chest before baring her teeth, ready for combat and blood, making everyone nearby flinch as Elinor calmly awaited the chief’s response.

Several seconds passed in silence, the falling rain and distant thunder rolling across the still scenery and tense atmosphere.  Elinor refused to back down, and, taking one last look at Quin, Krava turned and walked away, Valdar moving after him.

“Krava…”

“You’ve made it clear where you stand, old friend,” the orange leader growled, returning to his camp.  “I still have my pride, and I will own my lashes.  We will leave the spoils… excluding the one human, and, Valdar…”

Krava slowed to glare back at her.  “I am going to call a War Council with the Great Chiefs of the Plains…  I suggest you join it when the drums echo across The Valley; I don’t want to see you on the wrong side.”

His High Warriors moved to execute his order to retreat back to their territory, leaving Elinor and Fennel to watch the orange toads pack up their belongings in shame.  They’d have to travel through the storm, not that it would be that challenging for the toads if they abandoned the bulky goods they’d stolen from the humans.

Fennel rubbed his slick neck, still quite aggravated by Krava’s words about his clan.  There were probably very few people the High Warrior would let say such things without cutting their throat, and the former Xaria was one of them—it probably only hurt more coming from such a respected chief.

Elinor shifted her attention away from the Lethix, knowing the other clansmen would be eager and watchful to make sure every last piece of human goods would be returned to the center.  The loss of the cultist was a shame, but it was to be expected he’d want something to show these Great Chiefs.  Still, she’d bought herself time, fame, and power—this was her victory.

“I have high hopes for the Roxim,” she whispered, showing a wry smile to the disgruntled warrior, attempting to alleviate Krava’s slap across the face that, no doubt, every Roxim member had felt.  “Naturally, I don’t think this tournament should be held immediately—time for preparation is needed—we want everyone to witness the strength of the Roxim.”

She turned her question to the discolored toads that were listening, and most were hearing it from those at the front of the crowd.  “What do you say about a grand tournament, open to all clans and creatures, held at a Roxim stadium?  The Roxim can show their glory and make Krava eat his own tongue.”

“Heh.  You are growing on me, Empress,” Fennel grunted.  “I will bring it up with our chief, but first…  Piko!  You still wish to retain your spoils?”

The senior toad had been working himself up with his boys while Elinor handled the far more dangerous threat; it was merely showmanship at this point as she turned to Quin, who sallied forward, making several nearby warriors drop to their butts before scrambling up again.

“Yes, High Warrior, I am no coward!”

Just an idiot, Elinor dully muttered to her maids and warriors’ snickers.  Make it quick and decisive to set the tone.

She lifted her hand in acceptance, with Audrey following her with the umbrella.  Adoncia had finally gotten the other senior warriors to hand the dress to the shivering teenage girl, yet the black-haired Columbian’s eyes were centered on Elinor, her panic subsided.

The humans around the camp swiftly took notice of the Plant Callers removing the vines cuffs from the Lethix prisoners and the orange toads packing up to leave.  Hope lit in many of their faces while turning from them to Elinor—she’d won a huge victory.

[Achievement Achieved - Empress Branch: Gain 100 subjects]

[Achievement Feat - Rising Empire: Budding]

Elinor chuckled to herself at the advancement as Butter cheered, floating up to dance in the air.  She had been instrumental in bringing them to their current status, which is exactly what her High Queen should do.

“Success!  Priss, you got a new Feat.  I’m dying to learn more about it!”

In time.  We still have much to accomplish, she said, pausing to see the battle between Quin and Piko.

Every eye was on the pair, though Elinor noticed Garu had vanished.  He was somewhere in the trees to her east, following Butter’s orders.  It seemed these new undead had made quite the impression in everyone’s mind.

The thumps of the heavy, four-armed gorilla transferred through the earth as Quin moved to a more open area, making grunts and pounding her fist against her chest or earth to insight fear in the onlookers, but Piko wouldn’t be intimidated.

Elinor’s focus was less on the fight and more on her potential subjects: the teenager she’d saved held her breath, hugging herself as Adoncia made sure she was okay.  It wasn’t hard to have faith when a massive monster like Quin was battling for your safety.  Most eyes were on the two combatants, but there were quite a few lingering on her.

Water dripped off Quin’s silver fur, tail weaving threateningly and making those near the goods in the center of the field back up.  Butter informed her of an interesting fact about her new Army Lieutenant—she was their first soldier with a subclass—Quin was a Fire Brawler.

Elinor watched as shimmering, gray flames sparked along her fur, running along her tail, back, arms, and legs, leaving her chest bare—all Elite Hunters had the base ability.  The pitiable ri’bots’ eyes were encased in fear as she grunted for Piko to attack her, slamming the ground with her bottom left palm.

Elinor imagined the ri’bot’s sweaty hands were white as they gripped his shield and ax; his crocodile-toad pet quivered before the much larger ape, unsure if it should run or not as the fire illuminated the area.

Fennel stood off to the side, looking between them.  “Start when you’re ready, Piko…  Your family will know of your courage should you fall.”

“Heh…  I feel like a rock licker,” he laughed, shifting to lift his shield in Elinor’s direction.  “I take back what I said, Empress.  I do not doubt your power.  Thank you for this opportunity—for the glory of the Roxim and the Supreme Chiefs—may my ax swing true!”

Elinor couldn’t understand the sudden change of heart; perhaps it had to do with their culture.  He was now so eager to die, and she saw the Roxim start hitting their axes against their shields as the torlim bellowed in the back.

“If you seek honor and glory…  Quin will not hold back; may your journey to the other side be swift.”

Screaming, he popped his tongue, issuing his beast to attack while jumping to meet the towering giant.  A fleshy, brick-like wall left a trail of flames as one of Quin’s palms met the senior warrior, crushing him into the mud while another hand blurred, punching straight through the open alligator-toad’s open maw to blow the creature apart from the detonation of flames inside its belly.

It was over before it even began, leaving the crowd speechless and Elinor sighing as Quin lifted her massive palm, revealing the boiling blood and steaming flesh that had been Piko.

“Hmm.  Well, is there anyone else from the Roxim that wishes to challenge Quin, or should we save that for the tournament and give you time to prepare?”

Mumbles swept the throng, Quin looking for her next challenger, yet one after the other, they rescinded their claims, excitement budding in the tribe at the future event.  She hadn’t even discussed the details, and they were already talking about it like it was going to be the Super Bowl.

“Very well.  Adoncia will gather the humans and bring them to the bartering area; I will finish speaking to the humans, and we can begin the trade.  Does that sound reasonable, Fennel?”  she asked, taking control.

He nodded, wearing a thoughtful grin while studying the corpse of his clansmen; ri’bot culture certainly was strange.  “I will discuss the details of your suggestion regarding a tournament as we barter for weapons.  Hmm-hmm.  I haven’t been this excited since I first picked up a blade…  A real quen’talrat Elite Hunter,” he whispered, appraising Quin like the finest of racehorses.

Letting Adoncia handle much of the shivering and confused humans, Elinor proceeded to Valdar’s camp to meet with her mother and a small group of people that had been selected to represent their groups.

“That was badass,” one of the men laughed, swallowing as Quin’s fire died down, and she moved to stand nearby; the ape girl was young and curious about Elinor’s behavior.  “Umm, Empress, what are the orange toads doing—are they leaving?”

A smirk lifted the corner of her mouth as she turned to observe their sullen retreat.  “Yes.  They broke an agreement with the other clans, and I maneuvered them into a position to be forced to leave—empty-handed.  I am handling it, but things are looking in our favor.  Continue to trust me, and everything will be okay.”

Her mother beamed at her, eyes practically swimming with conflicting emotions of concern and pride.  “What about the, eh… Clavex, was it?  You’ve negotiated with the Roxim and trapped the orange ones, but what about the green?”

Elinor breathed a long stream of air before shaking her head.  “I still need to negotiate with their leader; we have a few days, though.  Now, go and organize the other humans in the same manner, including the bartering area.  Once everyone is gathered together, I will give you further instructions.”

They accepted the charge and jogged off with several ri’bot warriors following them.  Interestingly, the Delthax guards gave her a quick salute in passing; it seemed her influence was continuing to grow.

Frowning up at the rumbling heavens, Elinor’s gaze fixated on Valdar as he returned, looking tired.  With him was a terrified twelve-year-old girl with mossy green hair and bark-like skin; he’d singled out one of the changed individuals.

“Empress…  Do you realize what Krava is going to do?”

“Of course I do,” she smiled.  “He is going to bring together an army to face me, using Quin and Garu as an example to rally other clans to his name since you’ve sided with me.  It’s quite pathetic, really.  The coward is afraid to face me without preparation and is trying to save face…  What is your name?”

Not particularly interested in the topic since she would have plenty of time to strengthen her budding empire, Elinor turned her attention to the trembling pre-teen, motioning for her to join her under the umbrella.

“There’s no need to be scared; I’m here to protect you,” she soothed.

The girl opened her mouth, stammering while trying to articulate herself.  “I-I no ssspeak English…  Deutsch…”

Lips falling, Elinor hummed, drawing Valdar’s eye; despite recognising the German word, she didn’t know the language, meaning she’d need to get a translator.

“Is something wrong with her, Empress?”

“She’s from another land—with another tongue…  What do you need from her?”

Valdar rubbed his chin, seemingly trying to not focus on how disastrous and messy this expedition had become.  “You know not other tongues for your race, yet you speak ours?  Regardless, this… child has great potential as a Plant Caller.  I wish to see how your Mystics call upon their gifts.  Can you not communicate with her?”

“I can…  It will just take several minutes to get the proper person to translate.  Am I to assume you are about to create a cover for us from the storm?”

“I am,” he confirmed, spotting Carlos still engaged in covering key goods with tarps they’d brought.  “My disciples are setting things up as we speak, and I believe she can help us.  Is that possible?”

Elinor figured the girl could probably understand English to some extent; most other nations learned a basic amount of the language.

Lowering herself a tad to look at the girl in her teary blue eyes, she showed a gentle expression while speaking slowly.  “Can you understand me?  No one will hurt you; I promise.  Hmm?”

The girl’s bottom lip began to quiver as she broke into tears, stepping forward to hug her; it seemed she had her answer.  She smelled of earth and greenery, having a rough feel to her skin.

“There, there…”  After several seconds, Elinor rubbed her back and pulled the soaking girl away to direct her toward Audrey.  “This is a very nice lady, even if she looks scary.  Are your parents here?  I see…”  she sighed at the sniffles the question elicited.  “Well, that’s okay; I can make everything better.  Where I go, you go.  Trust me.”

Getting up, Elinor took the girl’s hand, squeezing it while having Adoncia make some inquiries to see if anyone spoke the language.  “You can stay with me for now.  Okay?”

She looked up at the giant gorilla overhead and nodded, trying to give her a smile as her chest fluttered.

Elinor glanced around with the little girl giving Valdar an uncertain stare.  She was making wonderful progress by the looks the other humans gave her; Elinor had shown her strict side and now her kind, drawing more to her banner.

My empire is actually growing...

Chapter Seventeen: A Nasty Surprise

The little twelve-year-old German girl held Elinor’s hand, looking up at the confused blue-skinned elder toad beside them, observing their interaction with interest.

Elinor was now scanning the soaked jungle environment as the falling rain gradually grew stronger.  Her study was interrupted by Butter’s excited voice, informed her about a rather shocking development that no doubt came with her recent Achievement Feat.

“Priss, your Death Energy cap has increased!  I can give you more when I’ve already restored your limit!”

I suppose we will find out by how much when I read the details.  We’re making progress.

“Is she frightened of me?”  Valdar questioned, taking a step back to give them space while his warriors watched nearby.  “I have tried to be gentle with her—it is a her, correct?”

Elinor nodded, making a habit out of it to further illustrate how humans responded through body signals; Valdar appeared to be sharp in picking them up by his responses thus far.

“She is what humanity calls a pre-teen girl; depending on culture, humans become adults at different ages.  This girl has lived for twelve years and is still considered a child on the cusp of her teenage years, which begins on her thirteenth birthday, and adulthood is reached on her eighteenth year.”

“Fascinating,” he mumbled, focus drifting between her and the other humans as he compared them, no doubt further identifying the disparity in age between camps.  “How old would you be, Empress, or are such questions inappropriate in this culture?  Hehe.  I have never considered these things before, and it sparks my curiosity.”

He gestured to the northeast.  “The Yalmáth Democracy, which lies a great distance in that direction, has many customs revolving around age.  I have the desire to learn that has come through my many years guiding my clan, and interacting with so many creatures during the Fire Wars expanded my view of the world.”

Valdar then drew her attention to the south.  “For instance, the Clavex bask in the protection of the powerful Nalvean Empire and the abundance that is provided by the Great Ruby Lakes.  They are fantastic navigators of the sea with a colossal army of Mystics that command the red waters.

“One unusual custom I learned during my two visits to the land was the venom the females of the race have toward those of the Golariex Holy Empire, which this child reminds me of,” he hummed, eyes returning to the trembling dryad holding Elinor’s hand.

“All Golariex are female, and they can only reproduce with other races by gathering their seed, which is why they make pilgrimages to some of the other races during the fall season and return in the spring.

“My connection to the jungle is dwarfed by the strong tree-like creatures, but something that always amused me during the Fire Wars was how careful the males had to tip-toe around the females of their race when the Golariex camps were near.

“Are there such strange customs amongst your people?  Perhaps our custom of keeping clan blood strong by not exchanging seed among others is unusual?”  he laughed, showing his thirst for knowledge.

Elinor chuckled, filing away all the juicy pieces of information.  “I will be happy to educate you on humanity further as we travel and stabilize their condition.  For now, I have much to accomplish in organizing this small empire we are building.  I know we can do great things together, Valdar, but we must be patient.”

“Of course,” he smiled, turning to sigh while seeing the orange toads leave.  “Krava may be a stubborn fool in some areas… but he does have his people’s best interests at heart.  Most of the Valley Clans have diminished in power by a significant amount over the last century due to many tragedies that followed the Fire Wars, yet Krava has pushed his people hard to maintain a certain standard.”

She looked up at Quin, towering overhead as she kept one pair of eyes on her and another on gauging the encampment; Garu and Butter had been in communication with the giant ape while continuing to bring them up to speed on the current state of their budding empire.

“I can’t say I’m not impressed by your friend, Valdar.  He swallowed his pride instead of meeting my challenge, which could have seen Quin destroyed.  There’s no way to tell how an actual fight between her and Krava would go, and I will not make the mistake of underestimating him.  I had to assert myself not to be pushed around, and he had to do the same; Krava made the decision of a leader.  I am dangerous, and he has every right to act how he did.”

She sighed, frowning as Adoncia communicated she wasn’t having luck finding someone who spoke German.

“It’s unfortunate things turned out like this, but we can only move forward.  If you’ll excuse me, Former Elder Chief, I’ll have Audrey bring this child to you for further instruction when I find a translator.  Our priority is the protection of the goods, including the humans.”

Valdar twisted his wrist in a gesture Elinor committed to memory.  “Very well, Empress.  I will prepare the union.”

Not understanding exactly what ‘the union’ meant, Elinor nodded and told Quin to go oversee the orange toad’s exit from beside the goods near the center; her presence would leave an imprint in all the ri’bot that returned the items and humans.

A deep grunt she took as acceptance made those nearby jump away in fright; thumps reverberated through the mud, spraying muck as she moved to follow her command.  It would be interesting to learn her story when she had time.

Now somewhat free to go about her business as Telsar returned to her side to oversee her actions, Elinor went to the bartering area to meet with her mother and those that were being chosen to represent the human groups.  It would still be some time before they fully organized, but they could multitask.

Naturally, Virgil and Gloria were chosen to speak on behalf of the men and women that had gathered around them; it made sense since they’d provided a small measure of security to those that had survived the initial attack and braved the storm to get supplies.

She could see the misgivings in the slightly chubby woman’s face as she slapped her childhood friend on the arm to warn him of her approach.  Of course, it wasn’t hard to spot her when she had a dress-wearing skeleton that burned with emerald flames beside her.

They were silent when she stopped before the small group of eight, including her mother, that had been selected and moved to see what she wanted.  Five others were still spreading the message she’d given them.

Elinor addressed Gloria and Virgil first, knowing they represented a decent chunk of the humans, more than just fifty.

“As you’ve no doubt heard, I will answer your questions when the situation allows.  I’ve made wonderful strides in negotiating with the ri’bot, as you can see with the Lethix’s retreat,” she explained, giving them something to chew on in the meantime before redirecting their attention to the wrinkled blue elder organizing his small group of Plant Callers.

“I’ve convinced the Former Elder Chief of the Delthax—the leader of this conquest and a very respected figure in this valley—to invoke some kind of magic to provide us shelter through what I assume is an incoming hurricane.

“However, he’s sensed the Plant Caller Mysticism, as they call it, in this little German girl, and is curious to see if she can help them.  Gloria, Virgil, I need someone who can translate.  This child could further support our place among the ri’bot and gain much better living conditions provided for her, given her potential status.”

Gloria swallowed, face softening while looking down at the terrified girl, who was holding Elinor’s hand in a death grip; she spoke some Spanish, which the girl didn’t seem to understand.

“What about her parents?  If they’re among the tourists, it shouldn’t be hard to identify them.”

Elinor shook her head.  “By her reaction, something happened to them,” she mumbled as the girl choked up again and moved to cling to her side, burying her face in her shirt.  “Find someone who can translate, and we will get answers…”  she trailed off as her mother stepped forward to speak to the child.

“Hey… you can understand English a little?  Right, little one?  Understand…  English?”

Peeking over at the slow-speaking woman, she sniffed and nodded.

“Good.  Let’s find someone that can help you talk to us…  Can you take my hand?”

The tree-like girl looked up at Elinor, who smiled and nodded, slowly transferring her hands to her mother.  “It will be okay.”

Letting them handle the rest, she saw Gwen—the redhead that informed Elinor of her mother’s imprisonment—joining the group to represent a cluster of women.

In addition, the black-skinned man that didn’t trust her was selected and likely spoke for those that had a negative view of her.  It wasn’t hard to tell why, given how close they were to victory, only to be told to stand down and become prisoners.

Turning away from them, Elinor let them continue to talk amongst themselves and gossip.  Now that she’d handled the majority of the issues, she could set her sights on her levels, new soldiers, and the last obstacle: Nadraca.

She returned to the chair she’d used to converse with Valdar, crossing her legs and closing her eyes to enter her diamond space.  Butter, keep an eye on everything and warn me if there is trouble.

Vision clearing to the gothic-themed room and blue-flamed fireplace of her spiritual space, Elinor breathed a sigh of relief as she released the pent-up stress she’d held inside; the impressive organ and choir music she’d listened to over the last few months bloomed around Elinor while opening her status sheet.

A devilish twist came to her lips upon seeing her new [Rising Empire: Budding] Achievement Feat and the buffs it provided.

“Butter… can you sense the faith of those that believe in me?”

“Hmm?” her twin considered her question.  “I can feel those that have a better opinion of you, I suppose.  I believed it was a function of my station and title as the Celestial High Monarch of the Evening Star within your empire.  Can you not?”

“The undead within the Nexus, yes…  Not the humans, though.  I’m guessing it is a function of your Seed and not my own.  We can use this to our advantage.”

“Oh?  How ominous, Priss,” she whispered.  “What are you thinking in that devious mind of yours?  I’m still curious about this new Feat.”

Elinor’s eyes were centered on it, watching the numbers increase.

[Rising Empire: Budding]

[Citizen Count: 143]

[Grade II Advancement: Obtain 1,000 citizens]

[Monarch Slots Open: 2]

For every 10 citizens that recognized her as their ruler, her Minion Pool was increased: Unintelligent +3 and Intelligent +1.  She’d also gain another Death Orb for every 50 citizens that recognized her as their ruler.

It jumped to 145 as she studied the Feat; her influence was spreading with the realization that she was their only hope for survival.  There were plenty of citizens to bolster her numbers to over a thousand.

If that wasn’t enough, she had two Monarch Title slots opened to her, which would instantly raise a unit to the maximum rank of what was currently available to her—the only way to transfer the title was through the destruction of the previous Monarch, however.

“Hehe…  Hehehe.  Butter, things have changed,” she mused, spotting her current number of units that could be raised; her Empire route had been the right decision.

“Quit teasing me and give me the juicy details!  What’s changed?”

“Everything…  The more citizens I gain, the more soldiers I can raise.  We’ve come from six Intelligent and twenty-five Unintelligent undead… to twenty and sixty-seven.  We’ll use it to bring others under our flag and build their faith in the empire I’m raising.

“If I can get a thousand living to follow me… that’s one hundred extra Intelligent and three hundred Unintelligent souls I can raise, meeting the conditions to advance other Feats to Grade II.  Heh.  I can already push [Raise Undead] to the next level as it is, which may unlock the Rare-Grade…  Let’s get to work.”

Beginning, she swapped [Prose of the Potentate I] to Garu instead of Mika.  It would take a day for it to take effect, but it wouldn’t void the current user after Elinor inquired further.  The condition for the Feat to reach Grade II also caught her eye—she had to perform five languages—it was well within her grasp since she spoke English, Spanish, and French, due to her parents’ influence; with Garu’s grasp of both ri’bot and quen’talrat, she’d earn it tomorrow.

Exiting her meditative state, Elinor’s eyes opened, and something fantastic snatched her attention: a grand piano from the town’s local church had been dragged through the Crystal, which could provide entertainment that could lighten or, perhaps, set the mood.  She had the open slots now to splurge a little; it was an investment for the future.

Elinor noted many ri’bot and humans watching her as she slowly studied their surroundings; the orange toads were, surprisingly, mostly packed up by this point.

Rising to her feet, she went to Fennel just as her messengers finished gathering in front of Valdar’s camp, hugging themselves in the light rain as she approached the discolored, green toad; the High Warrior seemed to be responding to many of his warriors’ concerns or thoughts on her.

“Hmm…  Did you need something, Empress?  Obviously, you want something.”

She saw Piko’s friends giving her unsure stares; it must have been confusing to them due to the warrior’s last moments, and the toad had likely had a family they’d need to speak to.

Elinor’s gaze shifted to Valdar’s camp, spotting the sobbing mother had been given a chance to hug her stunned daughter, now clothed again.  Butter told her the teenage girl was one of those that had the most faith in her after she’d made a concentrated effort to save her from being gutted.

“I feel like it is a shame that the Roxim torlim that died would go to waste.  What would you say if we split them?”

Fennel’s brow furrowed, darting to his clansmen, who returned the look.  “Split… them?  You can’t mean bring them back from the dead…  How would we split them?”

She motioned toward the giant pile of goods they’d mostly dragged through the Crystal with the support of the giant crocodile-toads they used as pets.  It was a wonder how the other clans ever thought they’d get the larger items back to their people, but perhaps it was meant to be done in several trips.

“As you can see, I’ve already raised one, and I could give you direct control over half of the undead I raise.  They will only obey simple commands, and these are simply reanimated, without spirit, so they will never disobey or resist.  Wouldn’t it benefit us both to use them as beasts of burden to transport our goods?  The weapons you will get are quite heavy.”

He hummed, rubbing his chin as the liquid dripped down his skin in the dying light of the overhead sun.  “You will simply call them back when their task is done, gaining while we lose.”

Elinor shook her head with a small smile.  “No, Fennel.  I told you you could use them however you see fit.  Will they eventually be destroyed due to use?  Perhaps, time will tell.  It would ease the burden of your warriors on their tireless journey, though.  Would it not?”

Mumbles swept the toads while eyeing her tarped, skeletal coach and the host of items to be transported; it didn’t take Fennel long to decide.

“They will only follow my commands?”  he pressed, making Elinor giggle; the man would take any power she offered.

“Yes.  You can revoke and give others stewardship, but they will not respond to more than one other person; there is a limit to their intelligence, after all, since they are moving from my Mysticism.”

“Interesting,” he whispered, focus drifting to Quin.  “It isn’t the same with your other…  Undead is what you call them?”

“Indeed.  I can raise bones as mere puppets or the actual person back to their corpse.  Is it a deal?”

It only took seconds for him to make the same gesture Valdar did earlier.  “Yes—hmm?!”

All the Roxim warriors stiffened as Elinor realized she didn’t have to wait until the next day to advance her skill—Mika knew the secret warrior language of the Roxim  Popping her tongue a few times in a way that came naturally to her with Mika’s influence, she spoke her fifth language.

“I will start.”

One of the younger warriors slapped the shoulder of a veteran ri’bot next to him.  “Did… she just speak the Roxim Pop?”

“She did…”

Nodding at the dozens of warriors in goodbye, she turned and left without explanation.  Things were proceeding just as planned, and flames erupted from her hands, clasped behind her back, while Butter raised their reptilian mules.

[Grade Advancement - Prose of the Potentate II Unlocked]

Her twin snickered as the warriors watched their bulky pets ignite with the emerald flames, ignoring the downpour as thunder rumbled in the distance.

“It seemed you didn’t need to swap off Mika from the Feat.”

Not so, Elinor countered, meeting the gathered throng of humans awaiting her words; out of the corner of her eye, she saw Nadraca had several of her people keeping track of her movements.  The Roxim have served their purpose, and I have shown them they can’t speak privately without my knowledge of their second language.  Now, Garu and Quin will offer me far more.”

“Fair assessment.  I do hope I can properly introduce myself at some point…  I am the second highest authority in this empire, after all, so people should be able to see me.”

Hehe.  Ever the vain one.  In time, Butter.  Believe it or not, your presence would help me micromanage things better.  I could shove the tedious chores on you.

“Yay…  I would gladly accept the burden if I could just dance again, or taste food.  I hadn’t believed such things could leave a hole in my chest.”

I’ll take your word for it.

Elinor came to a halt before the quiet throng, each person having some kind of item to shield them from the downpour, and her mother came forward with Gwen and Gloria, presenting the dryad girl and a brown-haired man.

“We found a translator, Empress,” her mother said in French with a somber tone.  “From what Nicole told us, her parents were driving toward town when the lights fractured the sky.  She freaked out, and vines spread from her, making her parents swerve off the road.  They survived but unfortunately ran away from her in terror at the living plants, and then the dome separated them.”

She squeezed the girl’s hand, and she sniffled, not looking up.  “She blames herself and is afraid she’ll never see them again…  I told her the gateway was destroyed, but we’ll look after her.  She’s terrified of the toads since they found her walking along the road and kidnapped her.”

Elinor sighed as the distant rumbles came closer, and she saw Valdar’s group whispering to one another with their eyes closed, fingers buried into the mud.  “Gwen, take her to Valdar—the wrinkled blue toad—where Adoncia will meet you to help in the translation.  Let Nicole know that she is going to help save everyone…  She is a hero.”

The women smiled at her words, and the nervous German man translated; Nicole had a skeptical frown but didn’t resist as Gwen took her to proceed with the mysticism.

Her focus returned to the five dozen faces that each represented fifty people.  It told her there were roughly three thousand living humans spaced around the camps in the giant clearing, a great opportunity to grow her empire.  She caught her father just now jogging over to join them.  Packed together, sopping wet, confused, and terrified, these were the people they were now looking to for answers.

“I will speak up so you all can hear me.  You’ve each been given writing tools…  Use them.  Your lives depend on how well you listen and absorb.  I will be clear, I am your leader, and through me, your needs will be met.

“First… can you go home?  No.  I have written details that Carlos will be handing out to you shortly on what I have come to understand about the Crystal we traveled through.”

She saw more than a few drawn-in lips at her cold words, likely not wanting to believe the rumors that were likely spreading regarding their stay.

“There are no questions to be asked about this, and the sooner you realize this is our life now, the sooner we can rebuild and grow.

“Second…  What many of you have been hearing is true: I can and will return your loved ones.  What have you heard regarding my powers?”

She calmly listened, allowing them the chance to talk as she saw Nicole tentatively speaking to Valdar; he was being gentle with her, and she could see him falling in love with the timid dryad once the language barrier had been abolished—it was only a matter of time with her developing empire.

“I heard…  I heard they would no longer feel the pain of age,” a woman in her sixties called out.  “Is it true that you can make them return to the prime of their youth?  If you raise my husband, will he be in his twenties or thirties?”

“That’s insane—they’ll have all their muscle and flesh—what about the ones you’ve brought back already?”

“You promised those of us who fought would have priority—our families!”

“Yeah!  They’re just skeletons… with a bit of muscle, I guess.”

“No, did you see the white toad and t-that giant gorilla?  They have their bodies back!”

Elinor held up her flaming hand, quieting their cries just when Valdar held out his palm for the tentative girl to take while closing her eyes.  “Yes.  I will be keeping my word shortly in that regard.  Virgil, you have the list?”

“Yes, Empress,” he said, clearing his hoarse throat.  “We made sure to put those who were first at the back of the big rig.  We gathered everything we could to survive in this world, as Carlos told us your orders…  Are you really going to build us a place to live here?  Is there any way we can get powers besides becoming undead?”

“Hehe,” she smiled at his questions.  “I will not say it is impossible.  My powers are very potent, and evolving rapidly.  If you do follow me, I can promise you all a better life.  I know it is hard to see right now but look at what I have already accomplished.  It will not be easy, but I will carry the bulk of your burden,” she stated without hesitation, staring each human in the eye.

“All I ask is for you to follow me… believe in my power to keep you safe, and I will bring you to new heights you could never dream of.  Magic exists.  Observe…”  She directed them toward Valdar, Nicole, and the twenty or so lesser Plant Callers that surrounded the pair as her father scooted around the edge, pausing when everything started to change.

The rain and thunder filtered into the foreground, everyone around the camps—human and ri’bot—waiting for something to happen.  In unison, all of the Mystics placed their fingers in the mud, Nicole following their example.

Elinor’s illuminated jade eyes drifted to the upturned earth as a tremor reverberated through the dirt, causing many humans and even ri’bot, likely also experiencing the Mysticism of a Plant Caller for the first time, much less this more advanced stage that required someone on Valdar’s level to coordinate.

Curiously, she saw a small smile lift Nicole’s dark brown lips, eyes closed while experiencing whatever Valdar was channeling.  Sharp gusts howled through the canopy and thick, redwood-like black trees came to almost a standstill as a whirlwind pulled the twelve-year-old’s mossy hair up, branching out in a gentle sway that brought a hot pulse to the humming air.

Green light illuminated the greenery, and many spun in a slow circle to watch the shimmering, falling liquid tint with the shades.  All at once, trees bent, branches shifted, and thick, colossal vines twined, weaving above them in the canopy to create a semi-sealed cocoon to shelter them.

An umbrella of flora bloomed to radiate dull, orange rays, and canals of linked vines grew to collect the falling liquid for drinking and general use; shapes of fantasy-like creatures, bed-time stories, and other earth images took form from the dryad’s influence, making the children gasp.

Much of the area was enclosed by the dark wood that fused together at the Plant Callers’ unified vision, creating places to rest and store goods off of the ground; they’d truly fashioned an entire base of operations in under five minutes.

Valdar breathed out a heavy sigh upon opening his eyes and smiling down at the stunned girl, stepping away in wonder while spinning in a circle to see the magical place she’d had a significant hand in fashioning; it appeared the elder had given her quite the liberty in adding her own touch to the magic they wove together.

Thunder could be heard outside, and the rush of the small riverway the Plant Callers made provided a current that cycled the air in from the outside to escape near a downward slope; the girl had even made a private area to shower.

Truly, it seemed the High Plant Caller had unlocked something mystical in the dryad because, certainly, this could not have been done by her alone.  It was as if he’d provided the means for her to paint the canvas of a safe place she’d envisioned into reality.

The floor had even given way to a semi-rough, bark-like layer that they had hardly felt.  Massive doors that could even accommodate Quin had been placed in each direction that could be opened via a lever system.

Nicole couldn’t have directed the details of this miracle; it must have been Valdar supplementing the girl’s ideas with his vast knowledge, showing he was far more intelligent in engineering than Elinor could have guessed.

Butter finished raising the rest of the torlim to act as their horses, landing on Elinor’s shoulder while silence took the transforming area; soon, the entire place would be sheltered.

“This will do nicely.  Isn’t this a wonderful temporary base of operations, Priss?”

It makes for a good middle ground and fortified location that we can use in the future, Elinor agreed.  Now, It’s time we fill out the Serving Court and increase our—  Her words died in her mind as Garu’s young voice flooded the Nexus.

Enemies are gathering outside—clanless by their many colors—an attack!

Elinor’s numb mind was centered on her mother’s weaving raven hair as she fell to the side, a spay of crimson expelling behind her head—Elinor hadn’t even seen the projectile—and a loud whistle sound cut past the silent area.

Ri’bot jumped into action as battle cries were heard overhead that soon swapped to cries of surprise and fright upon seeing the giant ape that turned to them; Quin literally jumped over the diesel to her side as Butter took command of her defense.

Elinor dropped to her knees beside her mother, briefly aware of her father fighting to get near them as Garu leaped to her side from the trees.  Her mother wasn’t moving.  It’s… not possible.  How could they have—out of everyone… thousands of people…

“Priss, you can raise her again!  Don’t freak out on me!  Garu, her father!”

“He’s a target…  Another supersonic shot from the canopy—Empress!”

Elinor’s world went black as her head was destroyed, sending her into the comfortable armchair inside her diamond space.

“I deflected the shot toward her father.  They’re skilled, whoever they are!  I’m going after the sniper!  No, they’re retreating…”

“Keep close to us,” Butter hissed.  “It’s a targeted assassination; this was no accident.”

Elinor was still seeing the dead look in her mother’s unblinking eyes, her soaked and muddied locks partially obscuring her face.

Everything was going so smoothly…  Ice flooding her veins, Elinor reformed her body, fingers balling into a fist when she saw her unmoving mother at her feet.  The Scarlet Hand!

Chapter Eighteen: The Whispering Shade

Chaos filled the transformed clearing as Elinor kneeled beside her mother, clarity taking the place of shock; Butter had taken command of her soldiers, directing them to cover them, and Garu stayed close to her father in case there were any further attempts on his life.

The thunder and rain increased with the coming storm while Elinor’s mind worked and the humans stayed low with those near cover attempting to hide behind the vehicles or goods.  Audrey swiftly moved to block her mistress’ nakedness using the umbrella, calmly ordering Adoncia to bring a sheet to wrap around her for temporary cover.

Quin hovered overhead, intimidating presence instantly causing these clanless attackers to regret their assault, yet Elinor knew this was far from their plan; something else was at work here, because these ragtag, outcast ri’bot could never have impressed Garu with their skill or single out key humans to be dealt with.

Mika went on the offensive with some of the undead torlim Butter had raised earlier, Elinor entering the frenzy of information they sent and silencing the discussion in the Nexus as she scanned the developing scene.

Kill them and bring me their corpses, Mika.  Carlos, fetch me Roman; he will know how this even happened.

Her Staff Sergeant was swift to reply.  “Hmm.  The blind man was actually coming to me just before this happened, Empress.  We’re on our way.”

Butter hissed while touching down on her shoulder, her other butterflies hovering nearby.  “There’s something… off about the soil, Priss—an evil presence gathering all around us.  I suspect the Scarlet Hand is making a move.  Will you raise your mother?  We could use the support since we don’t know what we’re dealing with if I’m being honest.”

Elinor’s tight eyes shifted from her mother’s dead eyes, crimson pooling around her head as her father panicked, trying to make his way toward them from the frantic humans closing in tighter to have the protection of Quin.

From a small gap in the crowd, she found Valdar shielding the stunned dryad girl, red blood dripping down the elder’s slick skin from his shoulder down his back; his broken staff lay nearby, the old ri’bot still holding the upper half that had taken the brunt of a projectile before it lodged in his flesh.

A targeted hit job…  she growled, spotting many of the man’s clan swarming to protect the High Plant Caller, yet he left the girl in the care of his High Warrior while jumping straight for them with shocking speed and strength.  Let him by.

Quin turned her attention away from the incoming ri’bot to those warriors in the patches in their barrier that hadn’t been sealed.  The quen’talrat’s presence made it easy for the other warriors to recover and go on the offensive with far greater numbers; it wouldn’t even be a contest since they’d only been used as a distraction.

Waiting for Valdar, Elinor sighed as her father fell beside her, breathing heavily.  “Tiffany!  Elinor, w-what is happening—she…”

“It’s okay, Dad,” she whispered, brushing back her mother’s hair with tight eyes.  “It will be okay.”

Shimmering green flames lit along her arm, drawing his frightened gaze.  Butter was right, if the Scarlet Hand were preparing something big from this attack, they’d need to exercise what she’d just unlocked.  In fact, the assault may have been a ploy to spark her anger and go after Krava, but the elder chief wasn’t stupid enough to pull something like this.

This is the perfect time to test the new Monarch Titles I’ve gained, Elinor whispered to Butter, hand cupping her mother’s cheek as her emerald fire drew upon her spirit, giving her all the information she needed.  If I raise her as a Royal, she’ll be over the Witchery Court, which makes sense, given her ecology background.  I won’t lose her.

Valdar shot out of the sky to land beside them, making those nearby back away in fright; his tone was cautious and without a hint of pain from his wound.  “Empress, the Whispering Shade has awakened from deep within the planet.  You mustn’t heed its lulling calls!  Beware, it is attempting to speak to your Plant Caller now!”

“Then I should be quick,” Elinor stated, willing her mother to be infused with the title that would lift her spirit into the highest station The System could currently grant by drawing on the strength of those that believed in her.  “Make no mistake, Valdar, this was not your friend’s doing but—”

“Priss, something’s wrong!”

Elinor felt it, though, focus snapping to her mother as she pulled her spirit out of oblivion.  Shadows erupted from the soil, mixing with her green flames, foreboding flooding her entire being.  Something burrowed through her Nexus link as she connected her mother to it.  A virus had used the powerful bind she’d performed on her mother to bypass all her defenses.

“Shit…”

“Priss, we’re being isolated in the Nexus!”

Her father’s fearful eyes snapped to her with Valdar as they saw the unusual change in how her undead were raised, but her attention was entirely on a host of System notifications and her new opponent.

[Undead Raised as the Monarch of Witchery]

[Tiffany Valera: Monarch - Witchery Core - Uncommon-S - Witch - Occultist - Lv. 1]

[Monarch Slots: 1]

[Level Up - Level 7]

[Grade Advancement - Monarch of Death II Unlocked]

[Mika - Advanced to Level 6]

[Mika - Advanced to Common F-tier]

[Carlos Sánchez - Advanced to Level 3]

[Carlos Sánchez - Advanced to Common B-tier]

[Audrey Guerra - Advanced to Level 2]

[Audrey Guerra - Advanced to Poor A-tier]

[Adoncia Vences - Advanced to Level 2]

[Adoncia Vences - Advanced to Poor A-tier]

[Monarch of the Dark Arts Unlocked - Queen of Witchery]

[Witchery Advanced Classes and Subclasses Available]

[Student of Witchery Available]

[Student of Witchery Advanced to Teacher of the Occult]

[Teacher of the Occult Advanced to House of the Occult]

[Familiar Bond Available]

[Coven Circle Available]

[Book of the Occult Available]

[Phylactery I - Advanced to C-tier]

[Raise Undead I - Advanced to C-tier]

[Minion Pool I - Advanced to C-tier]

[Death Pool I - Advanced to C-tier]

[Skill Point Available]

[New Feat Selectable]

Just as the fire sank into her mother’s flesh, illuminating her veins green and then orange—the color of the Witchery Class—reforming her body with the tainted force slipping through their newly established connection, Elinor’s vision went black.  Cut off from her own spiritual Nexus, her Feats gradually being yanked out of her control.

Thrust into darkness, she realized her mistake—the signs were obvious, in hindsight—the cultist had managed to communicate with the entity inside the planet and set up a trap that would provide it the means to attack her on a spiritual level—it was trying to possess her.

Resolve and anger rising within her, Elinor glared into the darkness.  I will not have everything I’ve worked for taken from me!  Butter, isolate whatever is attacking us while I buy us time.

They were practically fused together by the spirit, which meant she wasn’t alone in this fight, and whoever this Whispering Shade was, it would not take over her soul or the Seed of power within her without a fight.

“I’ll act as interference, but hurry, Priss,” Butter soberly returned, a flash of golden radiance blinding.  “Hehe.  I am going to enjoy laughing at this creature when it fails, and we meet face-to-face.”

Elinor blinked as the brilliance left her sitting inside of her comfortable throne by the blue-flamed fire within her Phylactery.  Ironically, the reason many of her Feats were advancing so soon was because of the pressure this entity was putting on them.

[Monarch of Death II - Advanced to E-tier]

With Butter acting as the shield to allow her this opportunity, Elinor quickly brought up her status menu, swapping to the Stats Page.  If this thing was attempting to seize control, then the option of increasing what was giving them the current ability to resist was simple: she used her recently gained stat point into bringing her Control Resistance to two.

Not a moment after she’d made the investment, Butter’s glorious form materialized in the seat adjacent to hers on her half of the large space they shared.  There were rips in her dress and light burns were evident on her bright skin, yet the goddess wore a savage smile while tracing the damage.

“Hah.  Well, you certainly have become quicker at responding to things, Priss.  Aren’t you going to thank me for taking the brunt of the spiritual heat?”

A small smirk lifted the corner of Elinor’s mouth as she leaned against the side of her chair and willed it to shift further toward her twin.  “Why should I thank you for something that is only natural?  Could you have made the stat investment?  No.  It was only logical that you took the fire since you are supposed to be my shield as my High Monarch.”

“Humph.”  Butter gave her a slight pout.  “Would a little gratitude from time to time kill you?”

Elinor gave a gracious nod.  “Hmm-hmm.  You did good, Butter.”

“Better than nothing, I suppose,” she sighed, sweeping back her liquid locks and glaring across her side of the room to see a shadowy mass form into the shape of a man, no doubt to better relate to them.  “So, our uninvited guest, shall we continue this dance?  I am not a fan of vulgar creatures that would so boldly break into a girl’s room uninvited.”

They watched the soundless entity survey the line that separated their halves of the room, wispy hand sweeping along the invisible divide that locked him out of Elinor’s side.  Silence took them for a time as Elinor smiled and parsed through what she was able to gather from his actions, her gloomy music automatically playing in the background, helping to keep her mind steady.

Due to Butter and her spirits being intertwined, they shared many aspects of their Seeds, and her resistances were included in that.  Fortunately, they’d reached almost a stalemate with this insurgent, but she was under no illusion that they’d win this contest in the long run.

Of course, she didn’t need to after raising her mother since her Class was perfectly suited to adapt to any situation, given time, and they’d bought themselves just that.  Now, all there was to do was wait and investigate so they could respond when out of this game.

Deep, umbra-like eyes swirled into being like a bottomless abyss as he slowly turned to them, frightening mouth splitting to show darkness beyond its black frame; the Whispering Shade held its hand behind its back before approaching Butter, making her twin’s jaw and eyes tighten as it took a wispy throne for itself.

“Well, what a delicious puzzle you two are…”  he spoke, voice ominous and masculine.  “So innocent on the surface—weak—but with depth so vast it spans beyond eternities.  Perhaps I was a bit too… hasty in my actions.”

“Hmm?”  Elinor appraised the entity with the soft piano playing in the background, wrist supporting her cheek as she creased an eye and she named him.  “You’re going to have to do better than that, Shade.  Look what you’ve done to Butter.”

Her twin smirked, adjusting her damaged dress and running a finger down her burned neck.  “Not only that, but you continue to seal us off from our soldiers because you can’t risk us communicating with Elinor’s mother.”

Shade’s crescent, smiling mouth and large, vortex eyes seemed to take more pleasure at her comment than he should as if savoring a succulent secret.  “Is she your mother still?  I wonder.  Not that I’m particularly versed on such a concept as parentage or these blinding emotions creatures such as yourself possess.”

Elinor’s lips fell at the comment, yet instead of letting her mind fester on the uncomfortable bait, she returned her focus to her status window.  She could still perform some tasks, and one of those was slotting Quin into her newly obtained second language slot; luckily, unlike transferring the slot, this was instant.  She may not be able to communicate with the rest of her undead, but there was a chance they could still speak to each other to coordinate this creature’s expulsion from her Nexus with [Monarch of Death]’s tiers continually being boosted by this entity’s invasion.

“True or not,” she whispered, scanning the changes, growth, and insight her mother’s resurrection had given her about the Monarch titles.  “I will deal with whatever your interference has caused when rid of you…”

[Monarch of Death II - Advanced to D-tier]

“Also, I appreciate the support in expanding my Nexus,” she giggled, noticing all the new additions her mother brought came in the form of developing a rather fascinating addition to her empire: her mother could teach mortals the art of witchery and the Dark Arts under the right conditions, one of which was servitude toward her court.

What an interesting direction we can go in building my new, budding empire, Elinor mused to herself, letting Butter further engage the creature.

Does that mean if I raise more Monarchs to fill another Core of the Royal Court, they’ll be able to provide certain Feats to my followers?  It’s probably more linked to Butter’s Seed than my own, which means if we restore her, that portion should strengthen.  If we are to stand on our own in this mystical and dangerous world, it will certainly help.

She grimaced upon seeing her potential Feats fuzzed out with a few others; Shade was blocking anything he could to stop them.  To her mild interest, though, her current citizen count kept rising, being 268, at the moment—it likely had to do with the attack and chaos—people looking to her to protect them, as she’d already shown herself capable of doing.

[Phylactery I - Advanced to B-tier]

Elinor’s neon-green eyes darted to Butter and Shade as they took an unusual turn in the conversation; her twin had been scoring a number of wins recently.

“Hmm.  So,” her twin began after a few more jabs passed between them.  “You are trapped inside of this planet, and, obviously, you are quite powerful to be able to exert this influence while chained…  What’s the story behind that?”

Shade mirrored the blonde’s posture, legs crossed and sitting back with an almost mocking grin before observing their very opposite style of rooms.

“If there is one thing I connect with these frail creatures on, it is curiosity.  Since you are new to this planet, how about we share stories?  I am dying to know more about your customs, proclivities, and intricacies of what you call… humans, correct?  These furnishings are… curious.”

Elinor closed the status window; Butter had discovered a way forward that could benefit them greatly.  Was he a creature of logic or emotion?  Limited in both or far beyond her own grasp of the topics?  Perhaps this was the time to test it.  The pair glanced her way as she displayed a sinister smile and went on the offensive.

“How can we be sure you’re even telling us the truth or know that we aren’t speaking pretty lies?  Don’t misinterpret what I’m saying; I’d love nothing more than to hear tales about this world’s history.  However, if there is to be any exchange, there needs to be some measure of trust brokered between us, no?”

Butter hummed her agreeance.  “It will be very challenging to prove to each other our sincerity, heh, under the circumstances, yet even more bothersome to play these games of truth or lie.  This space has the ability to conjure a great many things, so why not invent a little item that will solve this issue…”

Elinor was impressed by her suggestion and acted it out, motioning toward a red and green holographic display above her fireplace, showing a photo identifier of who spoke falsehoods and making Shade tilt his head to the side in fascination.

“Such… diverse and sporadic imagination is uncommon among the many worlds and dimensions I have traversed.  Ah!  It appears it works,” he snickered, seeing the flashing red sign that said false.  “I suppose I should clarify in saying among your… current development as a species.  Wonderful!”

She held her fist against her mouth, focus flicking to the monitor as it flipped to green again.  “Then we can begin…  We will go in turns.  Why are you curious about us?”

It was an important question to determine if further understanding his victims granted him more leverage in controlling them.

“Ooh.  A complicated and simple one.  I love the forethought you’re putting into this discuss—ahh… a pity,” he frowned.

Elinor caught a similar expression in the blonde beside her as a skeletal, orange-flamed hand rose out of the ground like a ghost to trap them in a cage, yellow moss growing out of it to leak pink liquid down the bony fingers.

“Your mother’s work, no doubt,” Butter mused, seeing the dissatisfied look on Shade’s shadowy face.  “It seems we have more time together than you thought; she’s stopped your advance.”

Smirk returning, the figure took a more casual posture again.  “For now…  Unless she can find a better solution, this ward will only grow weaker as I probe its flaws.”

Elinor’s lips became a line as the board stayed green, yet a new thought brought a smile back.  “Perhaps that’s true for this particular ward she’s created… but how much time do you have until your strength runs out and you’re forced to slink back into the earth?”

She let the silence hang for a time as he pondered her question, not so amused now with the turn of events and processing how to proceed.  He was intelligent—quite intelligent—but she suspected this planet was his prison, and that said a lot about Shade, yet also meant he had set limitations.  The Scarlet Hand had probably helped in providing this opening.

“You are very clever,” he whispered, staying true to the name Valdar gave him.  “Perhaps we could develop a partnership of sorts if you do manage to escape my grasp.  You remind me quite a bit of Ke’Thra’Ma.”

Despite her ears being pricked by the name-drop of the White God the ri’bot were so terrified of, she knew what he was doing.

“You’re stalling now.”

Butter snickered.  “I thought you were curious, Shade.  What are you afraid of?”

“Fear?  No,” he laughed, eyes narrowing.  “Caution and maneuvering things in a proper direction is not fear but logical and calculated.  “If you can somehow survive for the next eight hours, then you will have won this first battle.  I do look forward to this discussion!  I may have to visit the world you came from in time, and your input will be most appreciated.”

Elinor mirrored the savage gleam the man presented.  From his perspective, they were less than insects, or so he wanted them to believe.  In truth, he knew far more about Butter and her than they, themselves, and that was why he’d made such a concentrated effort to seize them now.

Shade even let it be known that if he failed, he was still open to future arrangements, which meant she had something he needed that was invaluable.  Naturally, what did he want?  To be free from his prison—it was all too obvious.

Butter slid her finger down her repairing skin and dress.  It seemed their new Royal Court member had given them more wiggle room than they’d thought since she was able to purify and consume some Death Orbs to restore herself; the blonde was likely doing far worse than she let on after taking the brunt of this creature’s assault.

“I’m glad we can finally be honest with each other,” the aquamarine-eyed girl said, folding her fingers in her lap.  “Where to begin…  I believe it is my turn?”

He chuckled.  “How unbalanced, but I will humor you…  Ask away.”

Elinor paid close attention to every action the entity made in their stalemate conversation; one interesting point of discussion came from his desire to understand every deity or godly figure that spotted various cultures in Earth’s history.  Clearly, he believed they were real and a potential threat if he invaded.

Butter was no help on such a topic, and it wasn’t like Elinor was an expert in mythology, but she told him the main ones she’d come to know like the big names among Norse, Greek, Egyptian, and a few Asian names that came to mind.

She explained there were likely hundreds of various other cultural gods, which impressed the creature, asking how they all managed to remain in the same cramped world.  Unfortunately for him, it was unlike Elinor had an answer since she’d only recently started to even consider the idea that they were real.

Likewise, when flipping the conversation around, she learned Shade had been responsible for the destruction of the deities on this planet, laughing at her inquiry regarding the Supreme Chiefs of the ri’bot.

Most had been destroyed long, long ago, and they’d been more like demigods than actual deities.  In fact, the ri’bot had advanced to near the same degree two-thousand years prior, calling themselves the Searing Concord and using the Crystal gateways the entity himself used to create an empire across dimensions.

It was the Searing Concord that had mutated and created the quen’talrat into a sort of shock troop—slaves to act as the initial fighting force.  What’s more, every one of the originals had been nearly as powerful as Ke’Thra’Ma himself before their empire and means of connecting their worlds were utterly wiped out by stepping beyond their means.

Ke’Thra’Ma was also a student of Shade in his trek to the north, having learned much at the hands of the chained entity.  Even more interestingly, she got him to admit that he had played a role in clipping the warlord’s wings by whispering in the ears of many other nations and people to set things in motion.

Everything was a piece on the board for him to manipulate, telling Elinor that he was already making plans across the planet to push things in a direction to force her into his palm.  Even if she did make it out of this, their paths would undoubtedly cross again.

Shade off-handedly confirmed in the tales that there were many ways to reach other planes of existence or worlds hidden throughout this planet that was rich with tens of thousands of years of creatures and cultures coming and going from the Crystals.

This planet had seen quite a few apocalyptic events that had reshaped its surface, and secrets were everywhere if you had the eyes to see them.  Every comment led back to the same conclusion: without him, she would be drowning in enemies, but she knew better than to give in to the threat.  It would be better to rise to the occasion and overcome his expectations.

Elinor took from his stories potential soldiers and artifacts she could acquire to further her goals.  In return, she was amused to tell him about humanity’s rise from their ape-like ancestors to modern advancement.  Yet, she didn’t miss the little inquiries about her change and development.

Questions about their Seeds and how they were raised—Butter didn’t have a clue since amnesia had stolen her life—he did blunder, revealing something she shouldn’t have been that shocked to learn: they were sisters.

One positive light from this eight-hour incursion came from the consistent Tier upgrades she received from Shade’s constant attack throughout their exchange; her phylactery had capped out hours before, and finally, her next Feat finished its evolution.  They were getting stronger every minute of this spiritual siege, and their time together was coming to an end.

[Phylactery I - Advanced to S-tier]

[Monarch of Death II - Advanced to S-tier]

“How can you be sure?”  Elinor muttered, tight gaze shifting to her indignant twin.

“Do you really just see me as some… some tumor in your soul, Priss?!”

Elinor made a weak shrug.  “I mean… aren’t you?”

“Unbelievable!”

Shade showed them a sly smirk.  “Oh, I am certain you two are bound in spirit, body, and Intelligence…  Fashioned from the same cloth, one could say, and fated to meet as enemies throughout eternity.  Yet, this time, things… seem to be different.”

Knowing it would piss her twin off, Elinor shot a side-long look her way.  “Yes.  I won, apparently.”

“You don’t know that, Priss, and I think we have enough on our plate with the enemy in front of us,” she huffily retorted, fidgeting with her dress.

Shade leaned forward, entertained gaze drifting between them.  “Shall I tell you a little about ‘Butter’ that she does not know herself for… perhaps a little action from you should you survive this encounter?  I’ll offer a little bonus right now…  She looks precisely how she did when you killed her in your previous lives, Elinor, which is why there are… some differences.”

“She—you killed me?!”  Butter hissed, scratching her temple and glaring at the green board.  “I knew I hated you for a reason.”

Elinor saw the flaming bony fingers protecting them fizzling out, liquid gradually thinning, and moss turning black.  “We don’t know the reason why I killed you, Sister, so let’s reserve judgment.  It appears we’re nearing the end of our chat.”

“Frightened?”  Shade asked, legs crossing again and settling back.  “You will not reincarnate again if I take you for my own.”

A confident smile moved Elinor’s lips.  “On the contrary.  I look forward to you being expelled from our home.  Don’t underestimate my mother, Shade.”

Abyssal mouth somehow darkening further as the entity’s face twisted with glee, he repeated his earlier musings, knowing it got under her skin.

“Former mother… after I used her spirit as a stepping stone to reach you, twisting and corrupting it.  Perhaps that will actually be my undoing.  Hehehe.  As I understand it, isn’t that what you humans call irony?  We both won’t get the outcome we wanted.”

Elinor’s fingers tightened in her lap, glowing jade eyes fixated on the detestable creature; the board above the fire remained green.

Chapter Nineteen: The Queen of Witchery

Darkness embraced Tiffany upon drifting into a void, a strong current carrying her through an endless maelstrom.  Fear gripped her soul in the aimless nothingness thrust around her until cold chains wrapped her tight, tugging her into a different tide—a secure eddy.

The pool she entered was warm and welcoming, the chains carrying her away from some unknown danger to a destination only just beyond reach.  Then, all at once, her direction shifted, drawing her back to the surface of some bottomless sea to be met by the rumble of thunder and a throng of terrified cries.

Her passage through the abyss became clouded as a vision of her daughter flashed across her mind, proud and powerful, standing as her own woman, yet before she could savor her daughter’s growth, a black blade coated in venom sunk into her back.

Unable to speak, poison seeped into her soul, digging through her very being to use the chain holding her fast as a tether.  She knew it was dangerous for her daughter; she wanted to cut the links but couldn’t, a dark chuckle passing through her frantic consciousness.

“You can fight me all you want, but the results will leave you broken all the same.  Hmm-hmm-hmm.  How broken do you want to be, I wonder?  By all means… struggle.”

Icy, instinctual knowledge flooded Tiffany as she was connected to her daughter’s Nexus, augmented and enriched to the Witchery Class; a chilling reality came from the wisdom imparted unto her from her soul’s upliftment, a power granted her from some deep, endless source within her daughter.

To survive this creature’s attack, Tiffany had to open herself up and allow a pathway for it to travel through, allowing it to twist and ravage pieces of her soul in ways that made her want to weep.  It would severely impact her sense of self and emotional temperament—yet she had to in order to protect her daughter from this thing, and her only hope was for Edmon and Elinor to understand.  She didn’t hesitate.

“My… to allow one’s maternal instincts, ethics, and sense of self to be corrupted without a second thought…  You creatures are far more intriguing and sophisticated than I initially took you for.  How fascinating.  Good luck.”

Heart and mind reeling from the passage of the corrupting entity, bliss took its place as she let go of her humanity, leaving a piece of this cruel creature to be imprinted onto her soul; she sacrificed what she was on the altar of defilement to become what her daughter needed.

Illuminated orange irises opening as the entity slipped through her to her charge, Tiffany’s cool gaze drifted between the panicking ri’bot, humans, and undead as chaos took the ranks.  Suddenly, Her Empress’ partially covered, naked body erupted in emerald flames, causing everyone nearby to freeze in bewilderment—access to the Nexus was almost entirely blocked for them all.

In the rising turmoil, a smile lifted Tiffany’s lips as she pulled her muddy black locks out of her face and reached over to pluck Elinor’s phylacteries out of the mud, holding them protectively as the sacred relics they were.

Edmon was white-faced while dropping to his knees beside them, disbelief in his eyes as Tiffany calmly examined the situation, momentarily fascinated by the orange glow that shone through her veins as The Empress’ powers continued to reforge her in the image of her new station as the Monarch of Witchery, taking on the title of the Witch Queen.

“Tiffany, w-what happened to—”

“Shhh,” she whispered, dismissing her former husband with a serene smile.  The anarchy around her was music to her ears, and she still required a bit more time to digest their next course of action with the occult knowledge seeping into her soul.

Her cheery gaze lifted to the giant ape overhead as all undead looked to her, automatically sensing her position within the Nexus, yet unable to communicate in the way they’d become accustomed to; in the absence of The Empress and High Queen, the Royal Court stood supreme.

Straightening with her mistress held tightly in her left hand, Tiffany made a gesture to those nearby, promptly issuing orders since Butter and Elinor were incapacitated.

“Quin, grab Edmon and shield him against your body—carefully, dear.”

“W-What—Tiffany?!”  he shouted in fright and bewilderment as the four-armed gorilla reacted without hesitation, snatching the man up to hold protectively against her chest.

“Garu, force the assassin away from the camp and tell Mika to bring all the corpses of those the ri’bot clans kill to one location to be questioned later.”

He saluted her before launching into the trees to begin his hunt, vanishing into the mist.  Valdar processed the sudden role change in leadership; he wore a tight expression, his still-bleeding shoulder pooling liquid while watching her direct the undead with swift orders.

“Audrey, be a dear and fetch a sandy-blonde American girl in the Delthax camp; she will be needed.  And tell Adoncia in passing that I require Nicole’s support.  Yours, as well, Valdar,” she winked.  “Give me a moment to organize our ranks, if you would, Former Chief, and I will explain everything.”

He glanced around, seeing the Roxim now taking over much of the perimeter defense as the clanless leadership fell apart under Mika’s undead torlim assault.  “I will stay close and listen then.”

“Wonderful!  It won’t be long.  Carlos, I see you’ve brought Roman—ah, I will get to you in time,” she promptly cut off the blind Legendkin with a giggle, returning her gaze to the looming ape nearby.

“Bring Edmon to one of the diesel crates and put him inside—you, Ivan, was it?”  she questioned, pointing at one of the men Elinor had gathered to represent the humans.

“Eh-y-yeah?”  he mumbled, shuffling forward while holding his head, no doubt frightened he’d have the same fate as her.

“Go with Quin and show her how to seal the doors to close him inside.”

“Tiffany—what are you doing—no, where is our daughter?!”  Edmon snarled from the gorilla’s unbreakable grip as the middle-aged Colombian man glanced between them and jogged after the towering monster without protest.

Taking a deep breath, she sighed upon spotting Audrey and Adoncia communicating through her whiteboard.  Being unable to speak through the Nexus was so inefficient, which was an effective maneuver by this nefarious entity that assaulted them.

There was much to do in such a short period of time, but the Empress appeared to be putting up a decent resistance against the fiend’s sinister claws that sank into the artifacts she held.

Tiffany motioned for Valdar, Carlos, and the blind man to follow her to one of the walls of the enclosure he’d made with the dryad girl.

“Guide Roman to the edge of the area with us, Carlos.  For now, we must gather ingredients from the jungle, and I could use your expertise, Valdar.  Fortunately for us, this environment is teeming with high-quality materials.”

Valdar’s brow furrowed as an escort of his warriors caught up to them, two fussing over his wound while following her.  “Where is Empress Elinor?”

Not looking back, she sighed.  “Currently engaged in a spiritual battle against an entity trapped within your planet.  She is standing her ground, but I must provide support to her as soon as possible.  Once a temporary warding ritual is in place, we can work on something more… sophisticated to expel it, which your regional knowledge might be invaluable for.”

Mumbles came from what she assumed was someone with earth-based abilities like Valdar.  “She is battling the Whispering Shade—I have never heard of it having the power to possess someone?”

A low rumble came from the elder’s throat, focus wandering from her to the maids she’d directed.  “The Empress isn’t just any Mystic…  It appears her powers can grant those she resurrects new Mysticism of their own.  Does this have to do with the… cult was the word, I remember?”

A sly twist came to Tiffany’s mouth at the comment; the former chief was quite perceptive and observant.  “I am not familiar with many of The Empress’ actions before my resurrection, so the sooner we defeat this nasty little shadow, the sooner The Empress can retake control of the situation.”

On their path over, she placed her free hand against her chest and directed a smile to the ri’bot.  “Allow me to properly introduce myself.  I am Tiffany, The Witch Queen, and The Empress has raised me into the Royal Court, or among the highest commanding stations within her empire’s structure, to be the Monarch of Witchery.  I am a master of the occult arts.”

Valdar accepted a new replacement staff that another one of his acolytes brought him, using it as a support in their brisk walk.  “Then I suppose I should bring you up to speed as to the connection between your empress and me?”

“Oh, that would be quite helpful!  I know bits and pieces from listening closely to The Empress’ explanation, but a more detailed account would greatly help my understanding.”

Stopping near the edge of the enclosure, she used a small break in the wooden walls that hadn’t been completed to enter the strong wind and pouring rain outside, not bothered by the elements with her undead physique.

Orange flames sparked in her hands upon snapping her fingers—Witch Fire.  This handy tool was used as a multi-purpose tool in identifying the hidden and unique magical properties of the various plant life, minerals in the soil, and trees, and made some of the warriors jump in surprise as the water and gale had no effect on it.

Roman remained by the wall, silently studying her with a frown while she passively listened to Valdar and pointed out specific materials she required to be gathered; Tiffany would have him explain what he saw before they left.  It didn’t take more than several minutes to uncover the basics of what she needed, and she set Valdar’s Plant Callers to work on it with the warriors securing a perimeter.

Blue tank top and brown shorts soaked, Tiffany plucked on the top to unstick the wet item while smiling thankfully at Audrey, who brought the curious blonde and a hair tie; Audrey was close behind with the nervous dryad and her translator.

“Excellent work, girls!  Can you—oh, so helpful,” she chimed as the skeletal maid moved to fashion her thick, butt-length hair into a low ponytail and gave the blonde a toothy grin.  “We meet again, Esmerelda!  How would you like to become a witch with magical powers?”

Roman’s head snapped to her, brow furrowing with Valdar and two of his guard; the unusual blonde girl’s eyes widened with excitement as she swiftly nodded.

“Ooh!  Can I fly on a broom and turn people into toads?”

It tickled Tiffany to see the teenager so thrilled to partake in the occult.  “I just need to perform a tiny ritual to unlock the root of magic within you, so let’s see…”

The girl gasped as she opened her free hand for a thick book to appear from orange flames, her other remaining sealed around her mistress’ diamond home.  “Here, dear, hold this open to the first page for me, would you?”

Everyone watched in astonishment as the excited girl took the black artifact with reverence, studying the complex golden etchings and seals on the cover with delight that enchanted it with many properties.

“Do I get one of these?”

“Hehe.  You do, sweetie!  How else are you supposed to record your experiments, successes, ingredients, and findings?  We’ll make it together in a bit.  Here we are…”  Fire lighting in her hands, she transcribed the first spell inside the grimoire.  “The ri’bot are gathering the ingredients I showed them.  Your task is to organize some of those ingredients precisely how I’ve illustrated here.”

Her head bobbed while scanning down the simple instructions.  “This is the best day of my life!  I’m going to be a witch!  Yes, yes, yes!”

Practically skipping to the pile the toads were making to begin the work, Tiffany turned her attention to Nicole and her translator, bending down to speak to the twelve-year-old.

“Do you want to be a hero and help people—help The Empress, who is keeping you safe?”

The girl shyly nodded after the nervous man translated it, glancing at the blonde teen humming to herself and swaying with her tune while separating ingredients; she motioned to one of the warriors for his knife, using it to reference the book in what patterns to draw and how to link them.

“Oh, it’s nothing like that, dear,” Tiffany chuckled.  “No, all I need from you is your unique plant-growing gifts to mature a few underdeveloped or out-of-season items.  It may be a bit stressful for you since you won’t be relying on Valdar’s guidance or the Plant Caller’s own prowess, but he tells me this is something he cannot do, and I have confidence that you can accomplish it from his explanation of your part in this protective dome.  Can you do that for me?”

She sucked in her mouth, uncertainty flashing in her cute eyes, but she nodded again, saying she’d try.

“Such a strong girl!”  she cooed, smoothing out her mossy hair and making her smile.  “All you need to do is follow Esmerelda’s instructions.  Just like you have powers, she’s going to get some too, so you’re not the only one!”

Nicole looked thoughtful at the comment, hesitantly moving to the location with a backward glance at Valdar; the elder gave an unsure thumbs up, mirroring what the girl had done earlier to tell him she was okay.

“Wooh!”  Tiffany straightened, clapping her hands and smiling at Adoncia.  “I need you to go fetch me two complete skeletal hands from the ri’bot that were destroyed earlier in the Roxim camp; it must be a left and right hand.”

Her skeletal head bobbed, and she jogged off to accomplish the task, mouth tightening upon seeing a potential issue: the Clavex had long already taken almost all of the fabric, including clothes, for their bartering goods.

It meant they didn’t have nearly as many humans as the other camps, and from Elinor’s explanation of their rocky relationship with the High Priestess, she didn’t want to cause a blunder by stepping on toes without knowing The Empress’ plans regarding them.

The next best option from something of very fine grade for the temporary warding ritual was something personal to the caster.  Her tight eyes dropped to her shirt; naturally, a sacrifice of something Elinor would frown upon, no doubt, but that was what was required to elicit the proper emotion for the ceremony.

Sighing, she pulled off her tank top, revealing her black bra and making Audrey’s skeletal frame stiffen before motioning toward the goods in an attempt for her to use something else.

“Hehe.  This is well worth the price to save The Empress,” she said, holding the soaked article up to one of Valdar’s warriors.  “Hold the bottom, and if you could be so kind as to cut it around… here,” she requested, motioning.  It was just high enough to be uncomfortable to show the underside of her bra; the only reason Tiffany even cared was due to how Her Empress would react.

Audrey seemed begrudging in the task, likely uncomfortable for the same reason since Elinor was very protective of her mother, but followed the order, pulling it tight for the confused toad to make a swift, clean cut.

She replaced the partly destroyed tank top and flipped her ponytail out before having the warrior split it in two again.  Finally, her part was finished, and all the pieces quickly came together; her first priority was Her Empress.

Moving to Esmerelda, she studied the girl’s work; this wasn’t for her magical awakening but to buy her time to gather the proper ingredients for something more substantial.

“Hmm.  A bit shaky on the hands, dear, but… it will do for now.  Unfortunately, I am going to have to ask all of you to give me some privacy for this step—yes, including you, Esmerelda,” she added to the girl’s depressed sigh.

“My ritual is next?”

“Indeed!”

“Okay.  Oh, Nicole, come with me—we should do some more material gathering!”

The translator hissed as she motioned for them to go into the storm outside, but the dryad appeared to enjoy someone somewhat near her age wanting to do something with the girl’s plant-based abilities, impressing Tiffany that she’d already memorized what they looked like through her study of their surroundings.  She was brave—or stupid—enough to eat alien fruit, after all.

Nicole nodded, telling the man he could linger by the wall since the weather didn’t seem to bother her.  She seemed concerned for Esmerelda’s health, yet the blonde laughed it off while tugging her away to begin their adventure.

Tiffany lingered on the pair, vision narrowing.  My change in personality and temperament is quite drastic…  I’m using Esmerelda when there is a high likelihood she will die from this ritual.  Her talent is real…  All my knowledge in ecology is before my fingertips, and now I am gaining an understanding of this planet’s flora, too?  So many teaching possibilities in the future, and what good is a teacher that cares nothing for their students?  Food for thought, she hummed.

Valdar sent one of his warriors to watch over them while rubbing his chin and studying the etchings on the ground.  “I will grant you privacy for this, but I will ask for clarification as to why.”

Tiffany wasn’t sure he understood the meaning of privacy in that regard, but as someone who had likely had authority for a long time, he probably wasn’t used to secrets in his clan, or it wasn’t a part of his culture; either way, she gave him the only response she could.

“That is something for My Empress to disclose; it is not my place.”

“Ahh.  I can understand that.  I will ask her, then.”

He made a sweeping gesture that brought all of his men away, leaving only the undead as she swiftly got to work.

Snapping her fingers for Witch Fire to spark to life, she scooped up a few mushrooms from a pile, extracting the liquid to coat a yellowish moss called Snaptoe.

One had to be careful with the plant since it got its name from the hidden barbs within that carried a powerful poison that had very similar symptoms to Yellow Fever and required the Plant Caller’s careful touch to remove.  Apparently, many a ri’bot had died from not exercising caution in the areas it grew.

Spreading out the two strips of her tank top, she spread a line of mud across it with her thumb and crushed what remained of the dried mushrooms over it as Adoncia returned with the two skeletal items.

“Perfect timing!”  she beamed, tossing them in her fire; they twitched, guided by her magic, as the digits linked together to form complete hands, binding the moss to the appendages.

Gently holding up the cloth, filled with the mixed mushroom dust, as Adoncia stepped away to give her room, Tiffany carefully extracted the liquid from a nearby flower to layer the bones with the powder while mumbling the incantation.

“Spore and body of two mixed Lesser Panacea toadstools, coat this vessel with the mark of thy protection.”

She lowered the flame and shifted her legs to a more comfortable position to place the cloth on the connected ritual Esmerelda had carved into the wood-like floor, placing Her Empress and High Queen’s diamond bodies on separate palms, each earing to their proper side.  She twisted a few cut stems into a rope and began the short warding ceremony.

“Close thy protective fingers around my masters; defend them against the blight that seeks to corrupt their spirits.”

Weaving her magic into the mushroom-dust and moss-coated skeletal hands, she watched the symbols flash with orange light, rising to imprint on the cloth and bones as the spell wrapped around the fingers.

The yellow moss’ pale glow increased with the pink toxin it carried now flowing down the fingers as the hands closed around the diamonds, orange fire causing the unified symbols to shine on the closing fabric.  Finally, she twisted the top and took the cord she’d twined to bind them into warding hex bags.

Done…  That should buy me at least eight hours to come up with a cleansing ritual.

Studying the floating wards, she frowned, now taking the time to probe further into the dark energy assaulting her mistresses, nose creasing upon noticing a third party.

So, this Scarlet Hand performed an enhancement ritual to strengthen the Whispering Shade’s reach.  The simple solution would be to take The Empress high into the atmosphere to weaken his influence and snap his connection, but we don’t have that luxury at the moment, which means…

Rising to her feet, she brushed off her knees and took the bag to tie them to the loop of her belt before motioning with a finger for her book to jump into the air, hovering before her.

Carlos, Adoncia, and Audrey fidgeted nearby, making her giggle.  “Yes, The Empress and High Queen are now protected for the time being.”

Relief came to their sagging bones, and Tiffany flipped to the next page, her flames licked the parchment to trace formulas and ingredients she’d need while reflecting on the things around her, developing her next ritual—it wasn’t going well.

I don’t have a potent enough linking element…  Just carving it in the wood won’t provide the structure I need.  While I can seal it in my grimoire, I need salt, blood, and stone.  I’ve bought us time, and there are some potent ingredients here to act as…  No, I need something living…  A dying sacrifice to draw the entity into.

“Hmm.”

Using the second and third pages as a drawing board to tweak the steps and potential ingredients, she reflected on the best environment to obtain them; it was possible in a jungle environment, but the storm could be a hindrance.

Valdar appeared to see she was done with the ritual since he returned with his guard.  “Success?”

“Indeed!”  she chimed, turning to him.  “However, I need more.  Do you—”

Tiffany paused as the Nexus returned to life; the fiend was loosening his grip in some places to put more pressure on others, making her smile when Quin’s shockingly feminine voice came to her.

“Queen Tiffany, how is The Empress?”

She is doing better than I hoped, it seems.

Valdar caught her expression, following her focus to the giant ape near the containers, who was keeping her former—and quite upset—husband caged.  “Do I what?”

Her vision shifted to Esmerelda and Nicole as they returned, the soaked and shivering blonde smiling ear to ear while holding a bag full of ingredients and making Tiffany pause.

“One moment, if you would.”

Quin, are there any volcanic areas in the valley?

Everyone’s focus snapped to the giant ape as she held up one of her arms to point them to the north.  “Kel’mal’tha is built upon a tectonic divide.”

Ooh.  Mysterious!  Mika, are you finished?

“Yes, Queen,” she grunted, and Tiffany’s eyes sparkled when she saw the sinew and muscle beginning to grow on the woman’s skeletal frame; she was leveling up and had increased her Grade.

Excellent!  Keep Edmon sealed up for now.  Provide him some food and water, Adoncia.  We are going on an adventure!  Quin and Garu, I require you both; we are going to this volcanic area.  Is there a place with mud pits and colorful pools of bacteria?

Quin suddenly didn’t sound so confident.  “Umm.  I… think so?  As I understand it, I have been dead for some time, so things could have changed.”

We shall see!

Her attention returned to the eager and energetic girls, welcoming the pair back while using her Witch Fire to remove the water from the girls’ bodies in seconds; once they were totally clean—as if just taken a shower—Tiffany clapped her hands together with a chime in her voice.

“Are you ready to join the Coven Circle as my assistant and maid, Esmerelda?”

“Mhm!”

“Where would you like the brand?  It doesn’t matter where, but it will be some time before you can utilize your magic without it, meaning, if it is damaged, you will be cut off from your powers until an Intermediate Apprentice can reconnect the seal.”

The girl blinked, lips drawing in while scanning her figure.  “Umm… probably on my inner thigh, then, since it’s probably a place I’d try to take care of.”

“Not a bad choice!  It is going to hurt—here, bite this piece of wood.”

She took a deep breath, determination on her young face while nodding and taking the stick she offered, clamping down on it before pulling up her shorts.

“Ready,” she mumbled, closing her eyes.

Flames forming the magical seal to bind the girl’s will to the spark of magic hidden deep within her soul, she took the circle with its six thin, petal-like patterns inside it to the blonde’s skin, making her flinch and whimper as it was searing not only into her flesh but her spirit—it only took a moment.

“Done!”  she chimed, snapping her fingers to extinguish the flames.

Face red and puffing out hot air, tears were in her orange eyes as a light inside them seemed to flicker—a sign of the girl accessing her magic as it settled in—yet there was a pained smile on her lips; it still took several seconds before her jaw was slack enough to remove the stick.

Tiffany had already moved on to other avenues, though, Quin and Garu heading toward her as she addressed Valdar.  “We need to make a short field trip up north!”

Swiftly discussing what she needed, Valdar wasn’t thrilled to traverse such a large distance—thirty-two kilometers by his measurement, or how it was translated to her—through Clanless territory and in such a storm, but Tiffany assured him it was needed, and she only had seven and a half hours to accomplish it.

Valdar couldn’t risk leaving for such an extended period, and Tiffany figured they’d move faster without him in any case.  The issue would be the assassin since they were likely still keeping a watchful eye now that Garu had returned; apparently, she was a slippery one.

Not wanting to waste time, Tiffany gave orders to keep things orderly and vaguely explained to the humans that their savior was currently battling some malignant force deep within the planet and would be victorious shortly.

Engaging Roman, she frowned as he gave her the short and sweet gist of what he saw, making her frown.

“As I saw it, the secondary force of the orange toads made up of their elite core is now involved with the Scarlet Hand without their Chief being aware…  All of this was a plot to not only weaken Elinor’s hold over you but make you attack them in order to have an excuse to come in force rather than wait since Elinor is… preoccupied.”

Tiffany cocked her head, pondering his analysis; Butter and The Empress had likely suspected as much, which was why they had standing orders not to go on the offensive.  In the end, the information didn’t matter much to her since her job was to bring it to her superiors and offer her advice.

“Very well.  I’m sure The Empress will have words for you in time to come.  You may go now!”

He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck before giving her a side-long, blind stare as he took off his glasses to show utterly white eyes.  “I will wait for you to return with your master…  You’ve changed, which is not what I expected.  How The Empress responds will determine my future.”

“Hehe.  Presumptuous, but okay,” she mused, waving him off.

She placed Gwen—the redhead she’d saved as Elinor’s mother—Gloria, and Virgil in charge of the humans in her absence.  Quin scooped Esmerelda and her against her chest with a few items as Garu scouted out ahead, keeping an eye out for a specific furry beast he could mark for the gorilla to capture alive when they found their ritual spot.

Taking to the trees, the ape used her free two legs and hands to swiftly navigate the dense jungle with its colossal trees and thick vines that were perfect for the quen’talrat.  Mostly protected by the beast’s surprisingly gentle body, she made sure the teen had a jacket to help break what rain and wind did get past the gorilla’s cupped hands.

Liquid pooled to a certain extent, soaking their bottoms, but it wasn’t that terrible for Tiffany as the hours passed and the ape navigated the dark, stormy jungle, night setting in.  She couldn’t see a whole lot beyond the thick veil of mist, but eventually, they made it to some kind of clearing, and her hopes were verified—they’d reached this world’s equivalent of Yellow Stone National Park.

Geysers, hot springs, mudpots, travertine terraces, and fumaroles would be everywhere in this region, giving her a massive pool of diverse thermophiles and minerals—it was a witch’s paradise!

Dropping a quivering and fatigued Esmerelda in a cave Quin found, she quickly got to work extracting the necessary ingredients from the pools.  Even her natural defenses and undead physiology could be damaged by the acidic and superheated liquid, so she was careful in her approach, using Quin’s long arms to hold her over key areas as she fished for materials with Witch’s Fire.

She squealed with excitement upon discovering methylmercury: liquid metal with endless uses for witches.  It was a byproduct of the bacteria in the pool and was practically liquid gold for rituals.

Taking a healthy amount while sorting through the millions of different types of thermoacidophiles, she was saddened to see many of the complex parts of the ecosystem dying; a slight change in temperature could kill all of them, and the storm was doing a number on the colorful layers, but she found everything she needed.

Garu discovered the large, furry creature she required, with Quin going to wrestle it back to the cave—she needed it alive—and noted that the assassin was hovering nearby, keeping tabs on them, but Tiffany made sure to have a little gift in case she did attack them—courtesy of Esmerelda as she waited for Tiffany to get the proper ingredients; a proud moment for the girl and her first hex.

To add to her delight, the girl had explored a bit—brave or stupid didn’t matter to Tiffany; the girl was expendable, after all—and she’d found a heated, quite poisonous stream that was also filled with many minerals that the new witch had used with her far weaker Witch’s Fire to extract salt, calcium, and sulfur from.

Finally, we can perform the ritual.

Drawing the complicated, advanced ritual that took up more than five square meters, she had Garu cut the belly of the whimpering animal Quin kept in place to extract its pumping organs; using her magic to keep the cells alive, she placed them in opposite circles with the piles of salt.

To complete the preparations, she set her book at its center, spreading the methylmercury across the parchment, and placed the two weakening hex bags housing her two mistresses atop the second and third pages; this seal would be held together by her grimoire and make it impossible for anything weak to moderately powerful to infiltrate the Nexus again—a firewall of sorts.

Pointing the tired but happy apprentice witch to a large circle to kneel inside, she breathed in deeply and wrote in the air with fire the words for the girl to repeat with her.  Tiffany would handle the channeling itself and only needed a secondary witch for the resonance effect.  Esmerelda only had to remain conscious and continue the chant until the ceremony was complete

“Repeat with me…  By eight paths of blood—linked with the base of bone—powered by life; extract the evil found within to purify the host and return it to the soil from which it came.”

The air hummed as a pressure shot from the seal, and the lines burst into orange light.  Both diamond earrings lifted off the ground with her book, and though it couldn’t be seen by the naked eye, Tiffany could sense the dark entity being extracted as she directed the magic.

“Darkness lost, and purity gained; protect these sacred artifacts with impunity that will ward off all infestations.”

Half the pinkish-white salt around the octagon slowly turned black.  The resonance in the air between them gradually increased, releasing a stream of wind that howled through the tunnels, making Garu and Quin back away a few steps.

The air condensed into a gale, scattering the excess materials they’d gathered throughout the cave and whipping their hair into their faces.  Each white line of calcium spiderwebbing with black symbols, and the magic infused the design into the stone floor.

“Bind this spell with liquid metal and in the Witch’s tongue—be cinched in the pages of an eternal artifact.”

Using her magic, she wrote the spell in her grimoire with the methylmercury, the organs starting to wither as the linked vitality they still held was consumed along with the withering animal, flesh desiccating.  The now dark salt dispersed with the wind as the octagon ritual sunk into the floor, blackening the stone three inches deep with its design.

After several more seconds, the wind and vibrating air died down; her grimoire closed, ritual complete as the now-exposed diamond earrings slowly dropped to the leather cover.  Esmerelda swayed and collapsed, losing consciousness, yet there was a smile on her pretty face from the high of channeling so much magic.

Tiffany took a deep breath before dropping to her butt and stretching out her neck.  “That was a bit more intense than I thought it would be,” she moaned, still feeling the coursing magic rushing through her veins as Garu moved to support her.

Bringing her free hand up, she watched it tremble for a moment.  “I haven’t experienced channeling that much energy before; it’s to be expected.  I am fairly young, despite the prowess The Empress infused me with.”  A bright smile lit her cheeks while studying the blonde, hair obscuring her face.  “Sadly, she’ll be chasing a high like this for a long time without results.”

“It’s done?”  Quin whispered, moving to the edge of the faintly glowing design, which was burned into the stone floor.

“Yes, The Empress is free…  We’ve won.”

Chapter Twenty: A Family Bound By Death

A cool breeze pressed against Elinor’s skin, howling wind and thunder mixing with the pattering of the heavy rainfall following as she opened her eyes to the outside world.  She stood firm, her figure reformed in a flash of green flames, and she was greeted by her two undead lieutenants and mother.

Noticing the same clothes she’d worn before her artificial body was destroyed in her mother’s arms, only cleaned, and seeing the smiling, orange radiance in her mother’s gaze, Elinor didn’t say a word as she helped her dress.

Butter reformed her own body, fluttering over to Quin to land on her left shoulder and initiated a private conversation to hear the report, leaving Elinor to come to terms with the apparent loss of her mother.

Once dressed, she observed the ritualistic practices around her with the dead husk of a creature her Monarch of Witchery has used to expel the evil entity.

Not too far away lay the blonde-haired teen that had sat behind them on the bus.  It felt like forever ago, even though it had likely been three days at most since they’d arrived in the town.  Now, they were trapped on this planet, and she was the only hope this human colony had left.

Tiffany fidgeted with her fingers at her front, Elinor’s mouth tightening upon seeing her ripped shirt and the underside of her black bra.  It was a coarse reminder of the question left by the Shade; she didn’t want to ask it, but she had to deal with reality.

Elinor’s focus centered on the steaming flow of water passing over the tannish stone of the cave they were using for shelter as she moved toward the noise of the dripping water and thunder outside.  Her mother followed and stopped at a distance to observe the vertical downpour and flashes of lightning.

Pain pricked Elinor heart as she held her trembling fingers at her back to keep them in check; Tiffany stopped behind her to start braiding her hair, only exacerbating the emotion frighting within her breast.

Speaking through the Nexus while enveloped in the solemn scene, a light spray of mist brushed against her face; she asked what was on her heart—the question she dreaded.

How much of my mother is left in you?

When the witch answered, her voice tightened Elinor’s jaw; it was a voice she’d connected to her entire life, yet the cadence and emphasis were somehow a tiny bit off.

“I have most of her memories… such as how she used to braid your hair.  Unfortunately, Empress, those feelings of familial ties and maternal love have been corrupted, and mmh… are, from what I can tell, beyond repair.  I am your mother only in appearance and memory.  I am sorry…”

It took a few moments for Elinor to swallow the response.  It is nothing for you to be sorry about…  It is corruption, though.  My mother was not erased?

Tiffany seemed to know where she was going because a pained note came to her voice.  “Yes… but you must understand that the creature the ri’bot call the Whispering Shade has left his imprint on my soul.  I will never be what you knew to be your mother.  I am your subject—a member of the Royal Court—and my life is only dedicated to serving your needs.”

Closing her eyes and breathing in silence for several minutes, Elinor’s vision opened to view the hurricane again.  I will not force you to act as my mother, but it will be challenging for me to change that image of you.  My father… is going to be heartbroken.  What do you feel toward him?

“I… view him as someone that is important to you; therefore, he is important to me to protect,” Tiffany hesitantly returned, no doubt attempting to navigate the sticky situation as best she could.

“As I said, my objective is to build your dream and empire… to see you blossom.  So, I suppose you could say there is a modicum of your mother within that spectrum.  I do not quite understand it myself.”

Elinor’s teeth ground together.  There were no tears, only hatred and the thirst for vengeance that coated her black heart with ice.  Are you capable of loving someone else?

“Eh-hehe.  I will say… we should take that on a trial basis.  I am still discovering precisely who I am as a person after the corruption.  Oh!  I have found a hobby in creating a school of witches and warlocks, among other things your mother loved to do, such as researching the ecosystem.”

A melancholy smile lifted Elinor’s mouth while recalling her mother pouring over data, videos, and other materials given to her by colleagues, excited to tell her about all the boring things she was discovering and researching.

Very well, time will tell.  In any case, this means war against the Scarlet Hand and Shade.  I will have my pound of flesh…  Give me your report.

Elinor found a modicum of solace in the storm outside as she observed the seemingly desolate landscape of clay and stone, heavily saturated with minerals, all while listening to everything that had transpired.

Currently, Carlos was supervising everything back at the camp, and things were quieting down.  She sighed upon hearing the witch had stuffed her former husband into a trailer full of dead bodies, but time had been tight; still, Elinor was a little pissed the mother-turned-witch didn’t even try to take the time to explain the situation to her father.

By the explanation Tiffany gave, it was obvious the Scarlet Hand was trying to force her into a conflict with Krava as a reactionary method.  They wanted to take her out of commission in a struggle with Shade, then have her undead retaliate since she was attacked.  Luckily, Butter’s standing order had prevented that since she’d swiftly concluded that was the results before they’d been cut off from the Nexus.

She’d fallen right into their trap in resurrecting her mother and creating a bridge that Shade could use to infiltrate her Nexus and spirit.  Elinor knew she couldn’t act on the chilling impulse in her heart just yet, but in time, she would exact her revenge.

On the plus side, her citizen count was rising, meaning she didn’t need to be so worried about her [Death Pool] or [Undead Pool] sizes for a time.  Converting people to her empire would be far more efficient in that area rather than dumping her stats into it.  That left the question, what should she move into next?

Elinor’s brooding gaze fixated on a ri’bot that appeared just within view beyond the haze of rain.  Garu pointed the orange-skinned young woman out, her narrowed pink irises centered on Elinor as she allowed the elements to beat against her glistening skin in the darkness, only visible due to [Darkness Vision].

A red palm print almost appeared tattooed onto her chest with an infernal, vertical eye that held a supernatural light within it.  Despite the ominous mark, she merely sat in a crouching position, glaring at her.

Stopping Garu and Quin from going out to meet the warrior, Elinor remained in her standing position, staring the new cult member down.

Krava’s experiment in allowing the Scarlet Hand to do their ritual had opened his tribe up to the entity that backed them, and considering the creature had power between multiple worlds or dimensions spoke volumes as to who they were up against.

The Scarlet Hand and Shade…  Our enemies are increasing.  Both seem to be restricted, though, which gives us time to organize, but war is coming.  Krava may find his decision to entertain the human cultist over me will be his undoing.  Regardless, we need to prepare.

After a time, the woman vanished, likely heading back to report that she’d survived Shade’s spiritual assault, and Quin prepared to return to the sanctuary Nicole had made with the Plant Callers’ support.

Elinor sat in Quin’s hands with the storm beating against her body, despite Tiffany’s concern, Butter resting on her shoulders.  The blonde teenage witch Tiffany had taken was unceremoniously carried by the giant ape, barely a concern; she would be unconscious for a time.  Even if only Tiffany had exercised her mana, just resonating with it had utterly drained the budding witch of her own.

She discussed what needed to be done with Tiffany and Butter, stopping at the edge of the jungle as Quin brought their attention to the north, spiking their interest.

Elinor peered past the veil, water running down her forehead as Quin used her body to shield her from the sharp gales, yet nothing could be seen beyond the hurricane.  Kel’mal’tha, you say…  There is a great fortress city made by your people there?

“Yes, Empress,” the feminine gorilla confirmed with enthusiasm.  “I can guide you to the location.  Perhaps the Ke will see you!  I’m sure he would love to meet someone of your aptitude; he is a great seeker of talent.”

She didn’t respond—Quin was still considered a child among her race—the girl hadn’t yet heard the fate of her people and empire.  To her, the ruler of her nation was a legendary hero, likened unto a god.  It must be unthinkable to think someone so powerful had died.

We will make a trip when we have more information, she whispered, having the ape turn back to the sanctuary.  If there were anyone lingering in the ruins of the place, she didn’t want to risk an attack when in such a vulnerable position, besides, Valdar would have the answers she sought.

Studying the massive trees and branches that bent and swayed under the heavy winds that Quin protected them from, Elinor reminded herself that this was an entirely alien world.  Tiffany seemed to be in a dream, glowing orange eyes sweeping their environment and wanting a sample of it all to examine.

Her focus eventually drifted to Esmerelda, held in Quin’s grip; Tiffany had to remind her of the girl’s name since she hadn’t bothered committing it to memory on the bus.  It was a bit surreal to see how much she’d changed after the Seed and her sister’s awakening inside of her.  So many questions swirled within her regarding Butter, but she had other things to focus on right now.

They took a far more relaxed path to the camp now that time wasn’t against them, and possibilities spun in her mind while Butter and Tiffany went back and forth on the functions of her teaching capabilities as a member of the Royal Court.

It made her realize how critical the role was in her empire and why her extra slot to appoint one was so important: anyone appointed to a Royal Court position would be taken to their maximum Grade and Rank.

She had no illusions that there would never be a human that could start at Uncommon Grade—her mother was no exception, only raised as such thanks to the Monarch title.  It seemed the requirements for a species were too high off the cuff.  Mind returning to more pressing matters, she felt a spike of worry jab her side upon reflecting on how her father might act when she returned.

Resigning herself to accept whatever her dad wanted to help him through his grief, she took the back seat in the conversations to brood in silence, primarily listening to Butter and Tiffany as Garu and Quin discussed past grievances against each other.

After hours in the storm, they finally returned to the shelter, privately prompting Carlos to trigger the doors to be opened from the inside since the protective area had been completed in their absence.

Elinor could see the visible relief on the humans’ faces when she entered, resting atop the four-armed gorilla’s hand, sopping wet but maintaining her poise.

Upon further examination, she saw Nicole making an effort to draw on Adoncia’s whiteboard to illustrate concepts she wanted to be put into action with the Plant Callers.  The young German girl appeared to be coming out of her shell after having been given so much attention by the amused and curious ri’bot Mystics.

The sleeping areas and plumbing seemed to be supervised by Gwen, Gloria, and Virgil, who had taken charge once Tiffany had introduced them to Valdar, furthering the living situation for the humans.  They were quick to redivert their efforts to talk to her the moment she entered the area, however.  In fact, everyone stopped what they were doing to see what action she’d take.

However, Quin took her right to the skeletal coach, where her suitcase had been left, and she ordered her former mother to put on something more befitting of her new title; she did not want to see people fixated on her mother’s soaking underwear.

There was only room enough for three to maneuver comfortably in the tarped, hollow creature, so only Audrey went inside to support them as Adoncia took the unconscious girl—who her Tiffany claimed was her new apprentice, Esmerelda—to Gwen to be looked after.

Cleaned up and in a new change of garments, Elinor exited the coach with Tiffany to a small crowd of people, yet Valdar, Nadraca, and Fennel were naturally the ones in front.

The blue-skinned elder chuckled, sweeping her appearance.  “You have succeeded in combating the Whispering Shade, I see.”

“An unpleasant experience,” she stated, causing mumbles to be spread about her battle with the mythical entity.  “I understand there is much to attend to, but I have directed Garu and Quin to handle the typical things that require direction or answers.  Queen Tiffany and I will be engaged for a short time.”

Fennel worked around his jaw with what Mika said was an impressed expression.  “First, you stare down the legendary Elder Chief of the Lethix, and now you live after crossing blows with the Whispering Shade…  You continue to raise my opinion of you, Empress.”

“Indeed,” Nadraca mumbled, tight eyes shifting from her to the diesel her father was no doubt inside.  “However, you seem to continue stepping on my toes…  The human you have trapped inside was claimed by the Clavex, yet those you placed in charge will not tell me why you have stolen him.”

That Nadraca knew what a male and female human looked like now told Elinor she’d been watching them carefully.

Addressing the disgruntled woman, Elinor sighed.  “Yes, High Priestess, I will have a private conversation with you shortly…  As you can imagine, circumstances have been quite unfavorable as of late.  We must wait for this storm to die down to split our separate ways, in any case, so I implore you to be patient a bit longer.  Now, if you’ll excuse me…”

She nodded to each expedition leader before moving past them toward the diesel.  Yet when commotion ensued, Quin spoke up, and more than one person was shocked by the soft-spoken gorilla girl’s voice as Butter directed things through her.

Steeling her resolve, she glanced to her left at her new Monarch of Witchery as they walked; Elinor had been examining the woman’s emotional state ever since they left the cave, yet not once had she seen the light her mother once held.

This woman—the Queen of Witchery—was cold, curious, and held a sadistic twist in how she viewed the world that her mother would have been appalled at.  If it were for the empire, this new version of her mother would commit any crime, and there was no low she would not stoop to.

Carlos opened the hatch to allow them inside, her father’s eyes squinting from being in the dark for so long, jaw tight as he tried to identify who had come into his cage.

“What do you—Elinor!”

She smiled as her father lurched forward to embrace her, fingers soon rising to her face to scrutinize every inch of her while peppering her with questions, shooting hard glares at his wife soon after, yet once he paused to catch his breath, Elinor took his hands to redirect his focus.

“Dad… I want you to listen to me carefully.  Can you do that for me?  Allow me to explain what is happening before asking anything more.  It will be… difficult to accept, but I’m still here for you.  Okay?”

Fright took the place of relief and anger as he glanced between them.  “What—no, I’ll listen, but… you are my little girl—you are my annoyingly goth-obsessed Elinor?”

“Haaa.  Hehe.  Yes, Dad.  Have I changed a little since I got these powers over death?  I think so.  Still, you are my dad, and I love you,” she whispered, trying to show him a cheery face that her heart didn’t reflect as the thunder and rain sounded above them.

“I love you, too…  Tiffany?”

“Eh-hehe.  Not exactly,” she chimed with a strained grin.  “Give The Empress some time to explain, dear.  It’s not as bad as it seems!”

Elinor wanted to shoot her new monarch; to her, it certainly wasn’t, but to them, it was huge.  Yet, as Tiffany explained, her mother made the decision to relinquish her humanity in order to save her daughter, and they had to honor that decision.

“Where should I begin?”  Elinor whispered to herself, showing a melancholy expression.  “Well, I suppose from the beginning…  Dad, I died.”

Her Cuban father’s tanned face turned whiter by the minute as she explained the last sixty hours, the things she’d had to do in order to gain the leverage she had in the ri’bot community, and the ultimate fate of the woman they both loved.

It took more than an hour for her to get through the full account, Carlos making sure they had privacy as Butter kept things moving in the background, sending Mika—as a newly appointed Staff Sergeant—into the hurricane with Adoncia and Audrey to level the maids up and regain their physical attributes in an attempt to take on more leadership roles.

Apparently, they had to reach level 5 in order to advance to Common Grade, where they’d be hard-stuck until reaching Rank S, which came from performing their assigned duties within the empire.

When Elinor finished her tale, her father’s teary eyes shifted between the corpses around them and the chipper, orange-eyed witch.  “You’re… really not my Tiffany?”

“Mmh.  As The Empress said, it’s… complicated, dearie.  Hehe.  I have her memories and all the lovely times you shared together—oh, she adored you and how protective you were of your daughter—but I’m disconnected from all of it, like viewing someone else’s life.”

Her father stared into Tiffany’s outwardly bright but dispassionate irises before streaming out his stress in a long sigh.  “Sweetie… I need some time to… to process this.  Heh.  You’re growing up right before my eyes, but I guess you had to…  Heh.  I feel like such a failure.”

Elinor rubbed his arm comfortingly before he pulled her in for another hug, knowing it would be rare that he’d be able to show that outwardly affection moving forward since she had to keep a strong image.

“I know you feel that way, Dad…  Yes, the Scarlet Hand manipulated you and Mom into taking me on this trip; it’s their fault, though—not yours—and we will take our revenge.”

Her father drew away, trying to show a strong face.  “Haha.  Emotions are so bizarre; this is—was, I guess—usually your mother’s department…  Tiffany…”

“Mmh?”  The witch tilted her head with an edge of curiosity.

His eyes didn’t blink and his tone held no shred of doubt as he stared into her illuminated eyes.  “If my wife is in there…  I’ll find her.”

“Hmm?  Hehehe!  Well, you’re most welcome to try,” she smirked, showing a bit more of the nefarious fiend that had imprinted into her soul.  “It might be fun having you chase after my skirt.  Who knows what trouble we can get into, hmm?  How exciting!  Well…”

The woman clapped her hands together with a cheery note in her throat before winking and pointing a finger his way.  “Now that that is settled, there is so much I need to do.  If you’ll excuse me, husband!  Oh, uh… eh-hehe.  Is it okay to tease and poke, Empress—too soon?”  she winced.

Elinor was about to say it was absolutely too soon when her father shocked her, showing a small smile.

“By all means, Tiffany, be yourself…  My Tiffany was actually a little devil when we were private and loved to tease me, so tease away.”

“Oooh.  See, this is why she loved you so much,” she giggled, looking him up and down as if she wanted to dissect him.  “I don’t know if The Empress really wants to hear about how much of a little devil her mother was, Edmon,” she mused, breaking away with laughter.  “Now to start a cult of my own; oh, the fun to come!”

Unsure how to exactly take what she’d just witnessed, Elinor centered on her father, still watching his former lover leave with a song in her throat.  “Are you okay, Dad?”

Her father ran his fingers through his messy dark hair and shook his head, eyeing the corpses surrounding them.  “No…  I’ll work through it, though, and… give me some time to think.  I’ll get back to you, dear…  I love you.”

Leaning in so he could kiss her forehead, his attention lingered on her crown for a short time before shaking his head.  “You have a lot on your shoulders.  I don’t think it will take long for me to…  Find me when you have time, honey.”

“Alright…”

Giving him one more comforting hug, he laughed, commenting on how cold her body was, which, it wasn’t alive, and was a construct entirely of Death Energy, so it wasn’t like she had any heat.

She left the box, knowing her father would return to Nadraca’s camp and that she was intent on purchasing all the humans inside of it.  Almost all of the minor tasks in setting up her empire over the next few days were being handled by Butter through Tiffany, Garu, and Quin’Alse.  Carlos remained close to her father in case there were any further troubles.

Looking up at the bright, twinkling flowers that spotted the ceiling, radiating light for them, she scrutinized all the work Nicole had put in with the other human leaders.  Now, all she needed to do was speak to Nadraca.

Elinor felt the somber pick of the loss of her mother on her path toward the pure green ri’bot camp, sparking notice from those within as they brought her approach to their leader’s attention.

She met the sashed and silken-wrapped priestess with a few of her guards; the damage she’d caused to the woman’s chest had been restored by her channeling-based Mysticism.

“Am I to assume you have finally taken the time to speak to me?”

Knowing Nadraca was likely quite upset by being disrespected almost the entire time she’d been a part of this expedition by the other clans, Elinor had an angle of attack.

“Despite what you think of me, I believe we will be wonderful business partners,” she said with a charming smile.  “Why don’t we find a comfortable place to chat?”

“We shall see…  I am skeptical you can offer me anything I do not already possess from our earlier bartering and what is still up for the taking.”

Elinor only chuckled at the statement; the ri’bot really did have trust issues when it came to dealing with other clans, but she was not a ri’bot.

Motioning to a few wooden chairs they were using as hangers for drying the soaked sink, she prompted Carlos to swiftly find some string that they could use, examining everything the Clavex had stolen from the humans.  Most of the humans were men, reflecting on the toad woman’s earlier comment about fishing.

She explained the use of the seats before taking one, waiting for Nadraca to sit opposite her, not thrilled to be in this discussion but also not wanting to be left out of critical information in the bartering to come.

Crossing her legs, Elinor went straight for the throat.  “You are a lover of fabrics—silk, cotton, heh, polyester—you seem to be the only clan interested in fashion.  I am quite intrigued by that notion.  Care to explain?”

Nadraca’s focus darted to the items that were now being hung up, hands tightening in her lap while her clansmen listened in passing, attempting to eavesdrop.

“The Nalveans are a race of etiquette and proper dress; the quality of one’s garments is very important to the station, personal expression, and status of those that wear them.  Specific folds indicate many things, such as mourning, a search for a partner for the night, or the desire to be left alone.”

Elinor’s eyes sparkled at the information.  “How difficult is it to come by quality garments?  Who supplies them?  There must be a robust market for such products.”

The woman crossed her hands in her lap, which appeared to be a sign of nervousness to the toads.  “It is… quite difficult to cultivate, and only a few City-States in the empire have the means and methods to produce such wares.”

Lips curling, Elinor hummed.  “So… there is a monopoly or cartel that is at play?  It sounds like there is an expansive economy among the Nalveans, which I am quite interested in.”

Leaning forward, she folded her fingers to draw the toad’s confused gaze.  “What would you say if I could create fine fabrics of all kinds for you to sell to the Nalveans?”

She now had all of their attention, and she’d learned a few nasty rumors from Mika about the clan that gave her a solid way forward.

“You can grow, harvest, and process these plants I have heard mention of?”

“I have experts in all kinds of things, and humans are quite adaptable when you understand how to work with them, especially when enhanced by my abilities.  I can create Mystics, after all.  Although, correct me if I’m wrong…”  She paused, brow furrowing while glancing between her people nearby.

“As I understand it, you are in debt to the Nalveans for offering you land and a place in their empire, providing security that has continued to sink your tribe into a deep hole you can never seem to escape, which… is why you hope to secure enough goods in this raid to make a dent in that debt, correct?”

Nadraca’s fingers were now knotted.  “It… has been challenging to keep our debt even over the past several decades.  What are you offering me?  Clearly, you want the humans since they are valuable to you in creating Mystics.  Why are you bringing up our debt—an insult?”

Elinor chuckled.  “Nadraca, obviously, I’m telling you I can free your clan from the hopeless pit your grandchildren’s grandchildren won’t be able to overcome…  Instead of sending your humans back to the capital, leave them with me, and let them pay off their own debt of life under my stewardship.  You may even send someone you trust to oversee the exchange and progress.”

A hiss came from the woman as she stood and walked a few paces away, rubbing her chest before turning back to her with a glare.  “You are a pitsnapper; your words are like sweet poison!  You would have me believe you can free my entire clan from their debt; what is this timetable you are playing on—a century?  You can’t die and seem immortal, but we are not!”

Studying her agitated actions, Elinor figured she still held a bit of a grudge for embarrassing her.  “How long?  Hmm.  It’s hard to say; let me get one of my expert’s opinions…”

They all followed her gaze to the singing witch as she spread her propaganda regarding a school of witches and warlocks among the nervous humans.

Tiffany, with Nicole and the Plant Callers, how soon do you think we can have a batch of silk or linen of some kind grown, harvested, and processed?  I’m assuming there are dark magic methods you can employ.

“Ooh!  That’s a fun project.  I do think I’d enjoy gardening!  Hmm.  If it takes us a month to get back to Valdar’s clan, and there are accommodations, among other things…  Six months to a year is a healthy estimate.  If we expedite it… perhaps four months, depending on factors.”

Elinor repeated it, making Nadraca’s jaw slacken.  “You would… have a shipment ready for us in such a short time after only just arriving in our world?”

“Hehe.  Mysticism helps with a coven of witches and warlocks entering my ranks.  As I said, I am very adaptable.”

Rising to her feet, she glanced at her father, who had a look that said he was ready to talk.  By his face, it was exactly as she’d anticipated, making her black heart ache.

“Think about it, Nadraca.  A few fairly worthless humans to you could be given to me to completely eradicate the yoke around your neck.  I’m more than willing to negotiate further, but until you are free, they are still your slaves—excluding my father—I will have him without negotiation.  You will understand shortly.  It’s a very generous offer…  Don’t let grudges doom your clan.”

Elinor left her speechless and her mind in a buzz as she went to her dad, knowing it didn’t matter anymore if she did reveal his identity.  Showing a sad smile, she burned his face in her mind as the ri’bot around them watched nervously, unsure what to do with Nadraca still in a whirlwind at her words.

“You’ve made your decision?”

“There’s no other way for me to still be your father and protect you,” he said with a helpless shrug.  “My darling girl, I swear to you.  I’ll get your mother back… somehow.  Turn me into one of your undead.”

Closing her eyes, chills ran down her spine as she breathed out the stress compressing her lungs, yet she only hesitated for a moment before accepting her father’s will.

Tiffany, can you create a potion that will kill my father without pain?

“How morbid!  I love this turn of events.  He’s so cute, thinking he can turn me back into his wife.  I’m getting butterflies!”

Tiffany…  Elinor groaned.

“Oops.  My apologies, Empress.  Truly, it does make my heart quicken a bit, though.  It’s nice to be wanted, even when it’s not really me he wants.  Hahaha!”

She internally cursed at the witch her mother had become, yet the woman had the brew mixed and ready within minutes, showcasing her skill with the things they’d already gathered for her previous ritual.

Holding up the washed plastic cup she’d borrowed, Elinor frowned while taking it and smelling the concoction; strangely, it held the scent of raspberries and oranges.

Her dad took it without hesitation, offering her one last smile.  “I love you.”

Knowing Shade couldn’t attack her again, she made sure the witch watched for his gathering presence, yet it didn’t come.  Her father’s eyes sagged, legs giving out, and he fell into a deep slumber he would never awake from, veins turning black, yet before the process could complete, she raised him back, using her last Court slot.

Her green flames tinted blue, infusing into his body to remold her father into the man he wanted to be: her protector.

[Undead Raised as Monarch of Fortification]

[Edmon Valera: Monarch - Elite Defender Core- Uncommon-S - Death Knight - Ice-Bound - Lv.1]

[Monarch Slots: 0]

[Monarch of Battlements Unlocked - The Frozen King]

[Elite Defenders Advanced Classes and Subclasses Available]

[Student of the Sword and Shield Available]

[Student of the Sword and Shield Advanced to Instructor of Fortification]

[Instructor of Fortification Advanced to Iron Citadel]

[Mounted Combat Available]

[Aegis Order Available]

[Knight’s Steed Available]

Cobalt irises opening, a light mist came from her father’s illuminated eyes as he rose to his feet, veins glowing with the lingering energy coursing through them.  He smiled at her and took a knee.

“My daughter, I swear to protect you for eternity.  Now… I suppose I should choose a mount…  Is that how this works?”

Tiffany giggled, looking at the Death Knight as if he were a snack to gobble up.  “Oh, was that mount comment aimed at me?!  My, Edmon; I know this was your wife’s body, but—”

Elinor gave her Witch Queen a tight expression at the internal comment, making her cut off with a forced laugh.

“Kidding!  Kidding!  Oh, we’re going to have so much fun!”

However, her father seemed to feed into it, making her look at him in disbelief as a wry smirk lifted his mouth while appraising the witch.

“If you’re offering, at the very least, it would be nice to keep you close.”

“Sweetie!  You’re going to make me blush,” she snickered, arms crossing under her bust. “You are as fun as I recall…”

Elinor sighed, glancing between her father and corrupted mother.  A family in life and death…  Haaa.  Butter, thanks for the distraction.

Her twin squealed with excitement as she swooped in to join the family.

“You should have told me you were going to raise Dad!”

“Dad?”  her father asked, glancing between the golden butterfly and her.

Right, Elinor mumbled.  I did glaze over that topic…  So, meet Butter, the twin I ate in the womb… apparently.

“Hello, Father!  A family conquering the world!”

Tiffany’s face shone.  “I love that image.  The empire will only continue to spread until The Empress stands above even the gods!”

Chapter Twenty-One: A Battle Won; A War to Come

Elinor allowed Butter to introduce herself to the father she never knew and moved toward one of the chairs she’d used to talk to Valdar, deep in thought as the sobering storm beat against their newly created shelter.  Her unique looks, along with the whispers of what she had done, drew quite a lot of attention from the throng of humans and ri’bot, yet no one disturbed her while she brooded.

Nadraca would require more time to consider the pivotal decision that could shape her entire clan, possibly fretting over the fact she shouldn’t be in this position or making these calls; however, it wasn’t like she could pass them on to her Mother Superior.  So, the High Priestess sat on a wooden stool, reflecting on her options.

Overall, Elinor had done everything she’d initially set out to accomplish.  She had her foundation and a foothold in this alien world, albeit with some enemies that needed dealing with, but that would come in time.

Her focus wandered between girls her own age, including the one she’d saved from being gutted, sitting together and whispering to one another.  Surprisingly, they even giggled from time to time, seemingly able to find something to brighten the hell that was thrust upon them.

I should be like them…  A teenage girl, thinking about boys, cliques, and hobbies… but I’m not.

Elinor’s mind turned to the seed that Butter had referenced when they first met, the one that had corrupted her spirit and killed her.  She still had the skeleton of her old body since the blonde was convinced she would be able to utilize it to regain a physical form.

Ever since that moment, something changed inside of me… or maybe it was revealed.  Roman and Virgil are right: I don’t act like a typical sixteen-year-old girl.  Yes, certain aspects of my personality haven’t changed in the slightest, yet my thought process has definitely matured.

Sensing Butter, Tiffany, and Edmon winding down, Elinor finished pondering her next goal; she had to push ahead, and her [Rising Empire: Budding] Feat gave her the means to swiftly expand while her newly founded Court could take many tasks off her plate.

Carlos, help Butter and my father secure a suitable mount from the few dead horses that were brought back; you were a rancher, correct?

“I was, indeed, Empress!  Right this way, My Lord.”

She could feel her father’s discomfort at the title, yet knew he had to get used to it if he was going to properly represent her developing nation; it was no different than any other political title, in any case.  He was a governor, and people could recognize him as such.

Butter was bubbling with excitement.  “Ooh!  Yes, and while I’m at it, I can begin scanning all the dead for the best candidates.  One second; let me grab Virgil so we can start laying out the list he compiled of those to be raised first.”

A small smile lifted the corners of Elinor’s mouth.  As overly bright and cheery as her golden sister was, Butter did know how to work and lead—of course, they were supposed to be twins, so she had to live up to some expectations.

You read my mind.  We will reserve a third of our slots for those on the list on priority; the rest will be resurrected by need and position we need to be filled.

“We are on the rise, Priss!  I’ll look for the best candidates to take their place in the Serving, Military, and High Courts… and maids—lots and lots of maids.  After all, they also need a break to spend time with their families.”

Tiffany’s smirking eyes were on the Death Kight’s back as he exited to meet up with the terrorist.  “Well, I have a whole world ecosystem to keep me busy, sweetie, so I’ll be excusing—”

Actually, I have another task for you to prepare for, Elinor smoothly interjected, drawing the Witch Queen’s orange gaze.  Is it possible to create a megaphone or voice-amplifying effect with your rituals?

“Hmm.”  The woman folded her arms under her bust, spinning in a slow circle and making her new black, shin-length dress wrap around her legs.  “I’m sure I can come up with something, given a bit of time.”

Work on that, she ordered, glancing up at the myriad of glowing flowers that radiated light for them.  I want you and my father to deliver a speech to all of the humans.  I believe I’ll be able to negotiate for all of them at this point, and it would be good to have some way to disperse information.

The Witch Queen absently fidgeted with her ponytail, pulling the slightly messy clump out to reconstruct it.  So, walkie-talkies are preferred…  Oh!  I should be able to repurpose the devices they brought to function off some other source of energy than electricity.  Give me some time to research it!  Now, what source of power could we use?

With her Royal Court now engaged in setting up her next course of action, Elinor’s attention turned to the other ri’bot camps and her undead beyond the safety of the shelter.  Mika, Adoncia, and Audrey were off on a hunting expedition to secure meat, fruit, and other forms of extra food—all of which may be confiscated by Tiffany for whatever occult purposes she might need them for.

The only thing left to do was gather the three expedition leaders and hash out the final deal.  Everything up to this point had been negotiations, and now she was in a position to finally set it all into stone.

Garu and Quin were taking care of communicating between the various ri’bot supervisors and Nicole to make the space livable as the night progressed.  Many of the humans would more than likely be retiring to bed soon, and quite a few had already, but there was still much to be accomplished.

Her primary objective was to strengthen her hold over her citizens, persuade them to trust her, and, eventually, develop that into a sense of belief in the empire they were building; no kingdom was built by a single person.

From what Carlos told her, the actual population of the town was just over six thousand; naturally, they wouldn’t catch every person or household in the vicinity.  This left her with roughly a thousand two hundred bodies, not including animals, and the three thousand living citizens—she could work with that.

She needed to promote repopulation, of course, but doubted that would be much of an issue since the people would be drawn together and form bonds in the alien world.  Still, from what she learned in biology class, the diversity of genetic pools would become an issue over time, and she had an eternity to live.  Then again, magic existed, and perhaps they’d discover a solution in due course.

She swept the throng, taking note of the stats the rancher had given her.  There was a surplus of women overall, making up the bulk of the living since they tended to be more submissive, and it was even worse with who was taken.  As could be expected, it was the opposite for the corpses, meaning her undead pool would make up mostly males in the end.

Roughly two thousand one hundred women and nine hundred men… more boys and elderly than men, and three hundred of the total are infants below the age of four.  It’s going to be rough to travel through the jungle…  It may take us more than a month, and it’s a lot of mouths to feed.

Eyes tightening, she watched the stacked bodies continuing to be taken out of the tractor-trailers; each had been packed to the brim.  A lot of the dead women would join her serving court since she needed a good number of staff to manage things, which would likely make people aggravated due to their scarcity.  More undead were required as soon as possible to begin foraging the jungle for their travel needs, humans would just be the beginning.

She rose to her feet upon seeing Nadraca’s glare, no doubt debating if she should send someone over or make the journey herself.  Butter was still going through every corpse with an anxious crowd more focused on her father’s passage through the field of bodies, hoping their loved ones would be returned.

Elinor gave her twin the freedom to begin the resurrection, having gained a modicum of trust in her High Monarch—her twin was slightly useful, she had to admit.  With every new addition to their empire, belief would spread, giving her more Intelligent slots to fill in a cycle.  She would get to know them on a more personal level as time went on.

Not wanting to waste her time going between three parties, Elinor went to a nearby Delthax warrior and prompted him to gather the three expedition leaders to the location when they were free—it was time to solidify their plans for the future.

Returning to her chair, she made small talk with Valdar as he left Nicole in the hands of his Plant Callers to inquire about her plans to feed so many mouths and the dangers on the trip back to his territory.

Elinor slowly guided the conversation toward the north and the fortress Quin’Alse mentioned, causing the elder to go silent for a time while observing the giant silver-furred ape move about the camp, relaying Butter’s orders or directing humans to various activities with Gwen’s guidance.  Thanks to her [Prose of the Potentate] skill, the four-armed ape acted as her loudspeaker with her naturally booming voice.

Valdar slowly began to unfold the stories of his youth just before the Fire Wars began, shuddering as he thought back to the times.  He’d never seen the horrifying White God that was Ke’Thra’Ma, yet he heard all the terrified mutterings, having only been old enough to serve as a supply runner and messenger during the War of Sorrows when the quen’talrat were united under the iron rule of their Ke.

According to Quin, Ke stood for ‘He Who Stands Above All,’ the devastating ape had apparently never seen a wound mar his fur, seemingly indestructible—Quin couldn’t accept that he was gone.  Yet, Valdar had heard the stories of those that managed to escape the fortress when the Crawling Shadows swarmed and the quen’talrat Bloods split into their own factions again.  They’d fled, scared after seeing the state of the White God and the damage the burrowing fiends had done to him.

Still, despite the horrific state of the colossal ape, Valdar heard less than ten percent of the most elite forces among the united races made it out of that battle, yet it turned the tide, ending the Ke’s reign and ushering in the start of the Fire Wars—the extinction of the quen’talrat.

As for their fortress city, it remained mostly intact, at least, so far as Valdar knew.  The Crawling Shadows had created just enough chaos to allow the company to enter and retreat before suffering the same fate as the struggling apes.

However, all he knew of the place since was its reputation and the omen told by one of the other great races that a calamity would arise should any of them take the area for themselves, so it was left abandoned.  Despite most species being too scared to even approach the city, he’d heard rumors that semi-intelligent scavenger-like creatures called Yaltha’ma now inhabited the area.

To Elinor, it sounded ripe for the taking, with the potential for powerful soldiers waiting to hear her call, but their conversation came to a halt when Nadraca and Fennel joined them.

The Roxim High Warrior stood instead of taking a seat like the disgruntled woman.  “What is this final deal I’ve heard about?”

Motioning to Nadraca, Elinor smiled.  “First, what is your answer, Nadraca?  I will swear it in front of Valdar, and you know he is a man of his word.”

“Hmm?”  the wrinkled blue toad scratched his arm.  “What does she speak of?”

Playing with her pendant, the woman streamed out a long breath.  “You can produce fabric to be molded by our tailors in four months to a year?”

Fennel clicked his tongue in what appeared to be a whistling gesture.  “Wow.  Big business for Nalveans, I hear.  Hehe.”

Valdar made a similar impressed sound as she nodded.

“I will speak plainly, Nadraca…  If there is a silk cartel among the Nalveans, I do expect there to be retaliation when some, as they might see it, lowly ri’bot slaves step on their toes, which is why I will be sending Garu and a few others to support you.  I must have an understanding of how the Nalvean Empire functions.”

Elinor sat back with an amiable tone, crossing her hands atop her lap.  “Send a few of your people to oversee my operation, if you must.  I highly doubt you will be able to replicate it due to my Mystics, but so they can send reports back on how things are going.  I will be utterly transparent with you.”

Working around her jaw, a growl came from the toad’s throat.  “You… do not have a license to do business with the Nalveans, nor a foundation with them.  So, you will be using us as a middle tooth to go through our already-established relationship.  Am I correct?”

“To start with, yes,” she relented.  “That being said, I am willing to continue to trade with you below market price so that you can make a return on your investment and sign a contract.  I am a believer in one’s word, and I believe documentation is required when making propositions like this.  You are leasing the humans to me, and their freedom… is your freedom.  How does that sound?”

Valdar wore a small grin while rubbing his chin.  “Too good to be true, Empress, and this contract of under-market prices will persist for how long… or will there be renegotiating once freedom is secured?”

“I am not stupid,” she chuckled.  “Once they and you are free, we will renegotiate the terms, but protection is also given in this contract.  As I said, I am going forward with the assumption you will be entering a ruthless industry.  Is this an unfavorable deal for me?  Yes, but there is no other way I can convince you to give me what I need.  What will it be?”

Nadraca closed her eyes and rubbed her chest where the grenades had gone off, working through her grudge.  “I accept your terms… with one exception.”

Crossing her legs, Elinor could guess what that was.  “Which is?”

Vision opening, the woman glared at her.  “The long creature that controls the water will go to the Nalveans; as you said in regard to your father… it is non-negotiable.”

“Hmm.  Let me offer you some advice,” Elinor slowly whispered, focus shifting to the slumbering and bound snake woman.  “From what I have found concerning her, she is a sadistic sociopath that revels in the pain of others.  I do not believe she will make a good gift to the Nalveans, and it could come back to bite you.”

Releasing a long sigh, Elinor resigned herself to the potential conflict.  “Still, should that happen in the timeframe of our contract…  I am obligated to protect you until you are free, but I will add a clause.  If the Nalveans expel you, then you are technically free, and thereby, so will the humans be to join my empire as citizens.”

Fennel leaned to the left, considering her offer.  “I have never heard of a more one-sided deal.  Haha!  She could kill you all here with the army she’s gathered and take them herself, light lickers.”

Elinor presumed the insult was in reference to the artifacts that they clung to as the woman’s nose twisted with agitation at the blatant disrespect the Roxim showed her clan, but Elinor came to her defense.

“On the contrary, Fennel, if I did that, I’d lose all of the respect and support I’ve built from Valdar.  Though, I am not so unbending as Ke’Thra’Ma in acknowledging the benefits of working with others.  Why waste effort and resources on conquest when I can gain far more through trade and negotiation?”

He grunted, looking away while considering her words.

“Do we have a deal, High Priestess Nadraca?  The humans’ freedom for yours?”

“I… can only speak to the modicum amount of influence I have in my clan, and I hope the Mother Superior will support me, but…  Yes.”

Knowing she wouldn’t budge on the sadistic prison warden and not particularly eager to deal with the trouble she was bound to incite among the other humans, Elinor considered it a partial win to dump her on the Nalveans.  In fact, she could pose a potential threat to them as time went on that her empire could solve, further indebting them to her.

“Excellent.  Now, I will also require two pairs of garments for each of the humans, which will leave you plenty to trade to give the Nalveans a taste of our future merchandise,” she added at her scowl.  “I will only take what the humans need, and I have an Ambassador that will soon be raised to support you on your return.  I am sure he will be useful.  I will have the contract written up soon enough.”

Brushing past the topic and turning to Fennel, she started to push a little more on redirecting the purpose of this tournament he was so eager to participate in.

“Ahem.  As to the Roxim…  How about you bring your leader to discuss the topic of revitalizing your clan at this neutral sanctuary in three months’ time from today’s date?  It will give me enough time to stabilize things in Valdar’s territory and gain a better understanding of the Valley itself with its clans.”

Fennel’s smile widened.  “Will you bring the Elite Hunter?  My Chief will want to see her prowess himself and the one who holds her leash.”

“Certainly,” Elinor chimed.  “As we bargained, weapons for everything else, and we can go over that in the coming days as we wait for the storm to die down.  We are all in agreement?”

They all accepted, causing a huge weight to lift off Elinor’s shoulders.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me,” she said, rising to her feet.  She had only needed Valdar to be present so he could understand her direction and goals while reinforcing her word.  “I have many things to attend to…  Ah, and I need your warriors to go with quite a few companies of my undead to show them the ropes of hunting and navigating the jungle.  I look forward to working with you all!”

Her cheery demeanor became neutral as she left to spot the dozens of skeletons erupting in emerald flames.  Humorously, Butter was going back and forth, her subordinate butterflies working overtime to deal with the cost.  Her sister had identified several key figures who would become quite important in the long run, including a US State politician candidate that had come on the bus ride to garner positive news-press.”

Klaus Klossner, Emelina De la Vega, and James Escobedo, is it?  Elinor asked as all of the recovering souls straightened at her approach—the notifications having come through earlier, along with many others.  Around them, their loved ones nervously fidgeting, unsure what to do in her presence and likely struggling to associate the undead with the people they had known.

Klaus Klossner: Serving Court - Poor-S - Ambassador - N/A - Lv. 1

James Escobedo: Serving Court - Poor-S - Head Butler - N/A - Lv. 1

Emelina De la Vega: Serving Court - Poor-S - Head Maid - N/A - Lv. 1

Theresa Pecha: Serving Court - Poor-A - Assistant Head Maid - N/A - Lv. 1

Angélica Tesoro: Serving Court - Poor-A - Maid - N/A - Lv. 1

Valerie Meyer: Serving Court - Poor-B - Maid - N/A - Lv. 1

The three didn’t stumble in their responses, voices clear and precise, James giving a woman in her mid-fifties a parting hug: his wife, who looked awkward at best as she received the skeleton’s affection, and would also be shocked to see her husband returned to his youth in the coming days.

“Yes, Empress.”

“Indeed, I am.”

“May I be of service?”

It had been less than fifteen minutes since they’d been raised as Butter continued to go down the list of people to enter their empire due to merit via the initial assault on the Hub-Crystals.

Walk with me.  As for the rest of you, she commented at the others as Butter casually introduced them to the empire, continuing to raise more before using the caged animals to restock their energy.  Learn quickly; there is much to be done in a short time, and the sooner you fall into line, the sooner you will regain your youthful body.

Smiling at her father in passing, he nodded, focus returning to the beautiful black Percheron warhorse as he examined the Nightmare that had become his steed.  The ominous steed radiated a faint aura of death, his eyes frothing with the same blue mist as her father; both could summon a set of night-black armor with sapphire gems encrusting its thematic design.

Accompanied by the flaming skeletons, Elinor made her rounds to observe everything that had transpired since their arrival, speaking to the three newly appointed leaders with particular skill sets.

I understand it will be challenging since you have a wife, James, but I will need you to support Ambassador Klaus on his mission in the Nalvean Empire in the next few days.  I want you to pay close attention to their rules of etiquette and customs.

Elinor’s tight mouth lingered on a father and his daughter, who were playing tic-tac-toe in a small patch of mud with their fingers.  It may last several months before I can relieve you, but I will send someone you can train when available.

He didn’t hesitate.  “May I explain my absence?”

“By all means, inform her of the important role you will play.  Are there risks?  Of course, but Garu, Klaus, and yourself will be instrumental in helping us plant our roots within a well-established empire, giving us resources we otherwise couldn’t obtain.”

“I will spend what time I can with her…  I was told that to regain my ability to speak, I would need to go on hunting parties and serve my calling within the Court.  Is that correct?”

It is, Elinor bluntly replied.  Any questions, Klaus?

The skeleton shook his head, voice deep and displaying more life than she expected from the politician.  “No, Empress.  I’ll figure things out on my own time and get more info from the… Clavex is their clan name if I recall.  I suppose I should ask the Monarchs for rules of etiquette within the empire?”

A thoughtful hum shook in Elinor’s throat as her focus drifted up to the tall skeleton; he’d been joking through a private channel with the Head Maid beside him, trying to get her to laugh.

I have no restrictions as to who you want to… date, so long as it is consensual.  I have a feeling my father and Tiffany will set more of an example of what is acceptable, she mumbled, trying to block out the witch’s flirtatious plucks through the Nexus at her father.

As for you, Emelina, I need you to organize a method for all of the humans to select two pairs of workable garments for them to take care of because it is all they will have until we can produce our own.

The three accepted their mission and broke away, leaving Elinor to stop in front of the center area, where all the humans were now being ushered away by Carlos to various areas or to join loved ones.  She glanced at Roman, who sat nearby, dark sunglasses hiding his eyes.

“Thoughts?”  she whispered, observing the bustling activity of her rapidly building forces and waiting to see what the legendary blind general had seen with his mystical sight.

A silence followed for several seconds as the man smiled.  “Cunning, ruthless, and adaptable…  You aren’t the same girl I saw on the bus, but, heh, I guess I’m not the same man I was either.  It’s interesting, no?”  he hummed, stroking his beard.

Elinor chuckled, spotting Tiffany performing some kind of ritual that had many curious as they watched her.  A flash of orange light on the wood collected into a flame-eyed crow, causing the children to gasp and clap at the magic show.

A familiar?  Elinor asked through the Nexus, waiting for Roman to speak his mind.

“Indeed!  Currently, I can summon a few different creatures, but crows have their advantages in scratching symbols.  It will be especially helpful with the network I need to make this speaker system you want to be fashioned.  I have wonderful reception from witch and warlock candidates!  You must train them up young.  Hehe.”

Her father’s amused voice followed.  “She’s trying to show off because most of the adults are scared of her, and who doesn’t want to be a knight?  In other words, we have a bet, and I’m getting more recruits eager to pick up a blade, so she’s attention starved.”

“Humph.  I am not an attention whore!”

“Your words, not mine,” he chuckled.  “Do all the magic tricks you want, but a lot of parents saw how you treated the last girl.  Maybe be a little more gentle and you’ll see a better turnout.”

“Yes, well…  I didn’t have many options at the time.  By all means, coach me, sweetie; show me how to charm the ladies,” she snickered.  “Wait… I didn’t mean it—Edmon!”

Laughing inside at their bickering and flirting, Elinor’s attention was snatched by the blind man next to her as he grunted and rose to his feet.

“I will stay for a few more days to get better acquainted with the languages, and then I’ll set off on my own to explore a bit…  We’ll probably meet again in the coming months when I find what I’m looking for.”

Elinor sighed, reading between the lines.  “So, your goal is to uncover the truth behind the Scarlet Hand and their interest in us since I’m taking care of everyone else and setting up a city you can fall back to when needed.”

Walking away, she felt content with the exchange; they would be tentative partners moving forward.  “I look forward to hearing your stories, old man.”

She looked up, hands clasping behind her back while spinning to observe all she’d won: they had a sanctuary in the jungle to be thankful for, clothes, and food.  Nicole had brought them clean water and light as the rumbling storm outside beat against their wooden fortress.

Quin’s massive presence gave the humans security, while Edmon and Tiffany’s schools provided them with hope at gaining power of their own to stand proud rather than cower as a victim.  Carlos and her two first maids were members of their community, distributing answers, even if only through whiteboards at the moment.

Finally, Elinor was their stable rock, always in control and fighting for their survival to the point of conquering death to return the lost.  Belief in her budding empire was rising with every loved one brought back into a mother, father, or child’s arms.

A new host of skeletal maids dispersed on Butter’s orders as Elinor listened to the rain and wind through the small openings that brought fresh water, several making their way toward her to provide a chair, asking how they could be of service.

Directing them to a few projects, Elinor sat in her chair and closed her eyes, entering her inner world to the sounds of a piano as she folded her fingers in her lap and stared at the blue-flamed fireplace, enjoying a sense of peace for what seemed an eternity.

I’ve won the first battle.  More will come.  I need to be ready.

She would need to level—lots and lots of leveling—to build their supplies and strength for the fools that would rise against her immortal empire.

Room coming back into focus, she began plotting the rest of their journey to Valdar’s territory and everything they’d need to set up their own temporary base in this world that was now their home.

She would claim this land—even this planet if need be.  Her empire would rise, it was certain—inevitable.  She would crush the enemies beneath her heel, whether it be Krava, the Scarlet Hand, or even the Whispering Shade; she expected it would take as much, and many more would stand against her.  This was her empire.  And her rule would not be denied.

Chapter Twenty-Two: Only The Beginning

The powerful gusts of the storm beat against Dalria’s dark orange skin as she stood at the edges of the forbidden land of the quen’talrat; she kept herself low to not get thrown off-balance, observing the cave her targets had entered.

Tremors vibrated through her bones from the flashes of Supreme Chief Ulsa overhead, but now she was beginning to doubt the stories her mother told her.  A frown touched Dalria’s three-toothed mouth when the undead Ethereal Clan’s scout came to the mouth of the opening.  She sunk lower in her crouching position to evade notice, allowing the pelting rain to obscure her.

A surge in the gale blocked her view of the deadly ri’bot, giving her the chance to scratch an itch that came from the crimson tattoo the human creature had made.  She hadn’t believed her clansmen, yet the second her fingers caressed the symbol, a shiver ran down her spine, and she saw something indescribable.  A truth of blood, bone, and carnage beyond the veil of reality imprinted on her consciousness.

All her life, she’d believed in the supreme chiefs.  Dalria had taken steps to become the first female Xaria in the Komath since her great-grandmother’s time, but all of that felt meaningless from the moment that creeping eye laid sight on her.

Hand leaving the mark, she waited patiently, and the cave opening came back into view.

Burn my tongue, she cursed to herself.  Her teeth sawed into her bottom lips as she scowled at the imperious human; somehow, the thing had seen her past the darkness and rain.  Not even the Whispering Shade could kill her…  What are you?

A deep hum picked at her mind, making her itch like the brand on her chest; the darkness was seeping into her thoughts, yet she wasn’t as frightened of it now after experiencing the brand of the Scarlet Hand.

You failed.

“Did I?”  Volcanic heat rubbed against Dalria’s throat from his intrusive, entertained voice.  “Hmm-hmm.  To one such as yourself, perhaps I did.  Such wonderful fun to be had in the future.  Preparations must be made, and pieces moved across the world, but I am quite satisfied with the time I spent with the young empress.  What will your new master think?  Hehehe.”

Its presence drifted away like the wind, leaving her muscles restless and her thoughts irritated.  She wanted to charge in and kill the green-eyed undead abomination until it stayed dead.  It’d be so easy; she looked so weak.  The looming quen’talrat and ri’bot scout made her think otherwise, however.

Her gaze fixated on the white-skinned, blue-spotted scout.  A boy a whole four years younger than her—barely a teen at the age of six—yet a beginner scout of the Ethereal Clan was able to match her—an entry-level Xaria.  All of the tales Chief Krava told about the legendary and dangerous ri’bot clan were made starkly clear in his resurrection.

It wasn’t fair!  She’d trained every minute of every day since she could reason.  Yet this young toe-jabber seemed just as powerful as her.  The superior genetics of being born into a stronger clan made all of her blood, sweat, and tears feel worthless.  The Chief was right; if this Elinor human could bring back undead even more powerful than these already imposing figures…  Dalria shuddered.  There would be no future for their clan if that happened.

Having confirmed the undead girl’s survival, she went for tree cover to return to her unit.  She was the only one who could evade the Plant Callers’ wide sensory net they’d cast after the clanless attack—an attack she’d forced the small nomadic band to make at the threat of their loved ones.

Naturally, she’d ordered the hostages to be dispensed with the moment the small number of fighters launched the assault.  They’d only served as a distraction to give her the chance to hit one of Elinor’s parents to accommodate the Whispering Shade’s request.  Frost fingers, even that had ended in total failure—she hated failure.

A crash of noise sounded overhead, followed by dozens more, hidden behind the canopy, yet she pressed on without hesitation.  Weaving through the branches, it didn’t take her that long to bypass the fortress the Plant Callers had somehow fashioned.  Teethless Mystics truly were terrifying when left unchecked.

Arriving back at her band of fifty High Warriors, all under her command, she saw the Speaker of the Eye huddled within the hollowed portion of a dead tree; exiting the storm and relieving her next in command, they all waited silently for her report.  Not a soul in her unit hadn’t taken the mark after she’d taken it.

The human known as Jennifer huddled near a fire they’d somehow managed to make, shivering and clutching one of the shiny objects she’d had them take from the pile of goods; she’d had her snatch a few items before they’d vacated the area.

“Heh.  I’m guessing she’s still alive by your expression,” she whispered, somehow wearing what she’d come to know as a smiling face on humans.  “So, she raised her mother, and I’m guessing her father will be next, judging by his personality.  It seems we’ll have to move to the next plan.”

Heran placed his hand over the tattoo on his chest with a shiver.  “Not even the Whispering Shade could kill her; what if the undead creature cannot be slain?”

Jennifer’s vision narrowed while staring into the small fire, the pattering of rain coming into the foreground for a few seconds in the uncomfortable silence.

“We have to kill her now that she’s off my planet…  Lady Revilla wills it; it shall be done.  There are options.”

Dalria grimaced, thinking about how she should report this to her superior.  “Chief Krava will be very cautious of the mark, even if I vouch for him to receive the vision.  Our clan is no stranger to rituals, but they are slow in adopting new ones.”

A small tilt came to Jennifer’s mouth as she hugged her covering tighter.  “Oh, I think Chief Krava will come around…  We can’t wait for that to happen, though.  So, you’ll need to find us new members, Dalria.  Lady Revilla has sent me a dream…  There are allies receptive to her touch in the eastern Great Clans.”

She looked between them, voice holding laughter.  “This is only the beginning.”

End of Volume Status Sheet

Bio

Name: Elinor Valera

Age: 16

Gender: Female

Height: 168 cm

Seed Style

Type: Mythickin

Class: Lich

Subclass: Empress

Level: 7

Stats - Stat Points provide a set number increase that is then multiplied by the Grade value.

Primary: Secondary - Grade - Points

Force:

Power - Low - 0

Strength - Low - 0

Defense:

Toughness - Above Average - 0

Resilience - Low - 0

Dexterity:

Speed - Low - 0

Agility - Normal - 0

Quickness - Low - 0

Energy:

Constitution - Maximum (5 DO per point) - 5

Stamina - Below Average - 0

Endurance - Average - 0

Tenacity:

Elemental Resistance - Above Average - 0 (excluding Life Element)

Physical Resistance - Below Average - 0

Control Resistance - Extremely High - 2

Penetration - Low - 0

Base Feats - Function as a standard kit for the Seed holder, acting as the core foundation of their abilities.  All Feats have a grade of Roman numeral I to X and can be advanced through achieving specific conditions.  Tier Levels increase from F to S, and require use to build.

Feat and Grade - Type - Tier Level - Branch - Linked Feat - Price (Death Orbs)

Primal Force X - Base Passive - S-tier - Mythickin - N/A - N/A

Increases EXP Growth Rate

Death Pool II - Base Passive - F-tier - Lich - N/A - N/A

Increases Elinor’s base Death Orbs to 10

Butter’s Seed Purification Number

69/2,500

Current Maximum

50 Death Orbs (10 + 25 + 15)

Life Tap II - Base Active - F-tier - Lich - Butterfly Linked - 1 DO

By linking Life Tap to Butterfly, the ethereal insects can be used to drain the energy of multiple creatures or increase the draw from a single source.

Darkness Vision I - Base Passive - D-tier - Lich - N/A - N/A

Grants increased ability to see in non-magically created darkness.

Imperial Majesty X - Base Passive - S-tier - Empress - N/A - N/A

Imbues Elinor with the poise and temperament of her high station.

Monarch of Death II - Base Reactive - S-tier - Empress - Prose of the Potentate Linked - 1 (Resummon)

The symbol of Elinor’s power (a crown).  Grants all Intelligent undead the ability to communicate with one another through the spiritual Nexus; it currently has a 2.5-kilometer radius.  It can remain active for 9 hours if the crown is destroyed.

Raise Undead II - Base Active Cluster - F-tier - Empress - Butterfly Linked - Adaptive Price

Allows Elinor to raise her undead; the higher the Grade and Tier, the more she can boost their starting Tier-Level and unlock higher Grades.

Raised Undead

Grade - Initial Price - Daily Upkeep Price

Intelligent

Poor - 2 - 0

Common - 4 - 0

Uncommon - 8 - 2

Rare - Locked

Unintelligent

Poor - 2 - 0

Common - 4 - 0

Uncommon - 8 - 1

Rare - 10 - 3

Undead Pool I - Base Active Cluster - A-tier - Empress - Rising Empire Linked - Adaptive Price

Increases the army size of Elinor.

Current Number

Intelligent - 90 (12 + 78)

Unintelligent - 274 (40 + 234)

Equipped Feats (3/3) - Feats that can be swapped out if desired, though there is a number of slots that each Feat takes.

Phylactery I - Passive - S-tier - Lich - N/A - 2DO - 1 Slot

The container of Elinor’s sealed spirit: a black diamond earring, with Butter inside the resonating side.  Has a daily toll of one Death Orb per spirit, required at the end of the planet’s night cycle (30 hours).

Butterfly II - Link Feat - C-tier - Lich - Life Tap/Raise Undead Linked - 1DO - 1 Slot

Extension - Butterfly II: Extra Wing - Permanently adds [two] butterflies to the total available to be summoned.

This grants Elinor the use of [four] butterflies that act as units that can be slotted into multiple areas; they cannot leave Butter or Elinor’s side further than 10 meters.  It was selected by Butter so she could have a body before Elinor gained control over the System when first changing.

Artificial Body I - Active - D-tier - Lich - N/A - 1DO - 1 Slot

A body molded to fit Elinor’s unconscious image of herself that is composed of Death Energy and will collapse if taking a certain amount of abuse, including bodily, elemental, and environmental, alongside physical exertion.

Achievement Feats - Function as bonuses for fulfilling hidden requirements or by reaching certain milestones, such as reaching Level 5 and solidifying the Seed into one’s soul.

Feat and Grade - Type - Branch - Linked Feat - Price (Death Orbs)

Prose of the Potentate II - Passive - Empress - Monarch of Death Linked - N/A

Allows Elinor’s subjects to perfectly understand one another while Monarch of Death is active, giving all those affected the ability to speak and read any language [Current Max: Two] of an intelligent minion linked with this Feat.

Restriction: One day [subject to the planet implemented on] is required to change languages.  Modified by the subject’s grasp of said language.

Currently Linked

Slot 1: Garu

Slot 2: Quin’Alse

Rising Empire: Budding - Passive - Empress - N/A - N/A

Elinor has begun an empire, and all empress’ require subjects.  For every ‘living’ citizen that views her as their sovereign, she receives an enhancement to her [Minion Pool] and [Death Pool] Feats.

Current Citizen Count:

786

Buffs:

10 Citizens = +3 to Unintelligent and +1 to Intelligent Undead

50 Citizens = +1 to Maximum Death Orb

Unlocks two Monarch Title Slots for the Royal Court

Current Increase:

Intelligent Undead + 78

Unintelligent Undead + 234

Maximum Death Orbs + 15

Military Court Command Structure

Empress: Full Command

High Monarch: Full Command

Royal Court: 2-5 Generals - 75,000 Units

[Ranks Currently locked]

Lieutenant: 2-4 Staff Sergeants - 40 Units

Staff Sergeant: 2 Sergeants - 10 Units

Sergeant: N/A - 5 Units

Empire Separation of Courts

Empress

High Monarch

Royal Court

Serving Court (Hand) - Military Court - High Court (Law)

Supervisors - Lieutenants - Commoner’s Courts

Team Leader - Staff Sergeants - N/A

N/A - Sergeants - N/A

Elinor’s Minions

Royal Court

Edmon Valera: Monarch - Elite Defender Core - Uncommon-S - Death Knight - Ice-Bound - Lv. 1 - Elinor’s father

Tiffany Valera: Monarch - Witchery Core - Uncommon-S - Witch - Occultist - Lv. 2 - Elinor’s corrupted mother

Military Court

Lieutenant (Uncommon)

Quin'Alse: Army Core - Uncommon-B - Elite Warrior - Fire Brawler - Lv. 1 - Young Elite Hunter quen’talrat

Garu: Secret Core - Uncommon-D - Hunter - N/A - Lv. 1 - Young Ethereal Clan ri’bot scout

Staff Sergeants (Common)

Carlos Sánchez: Secret Core - Common-B - Terrorist - N/A - Lv. 4 - Retired resistance boss

Mika: N/A - Common-F - N/A - N/A - Lv. 7 - Roxim torlim warrior

Serving Court - Differs in the Military Court in that their primary role is for serving and not combat; they can gain Classes and Subclasses to support their Empress as time goes on.

Embassy

Klaus Klossner: Poor S-tier - Ambassador - N/A - Lv. 1 - Upcoming US politician

Court Serving Staff

Antonietta Briseno: Poor-S - Cook - N/A - Lv. 1 - Mother and restaurant owner

James Escobedo: Poor-S - Head Butler - N/A - Lv. 1 - Husband & service worker

Emelina De la Vega: Poor-S - Head Maid - N/A - Lv. 1 - Retired cartel assassin

Theresa Pecha: Poor-S - Assistant Head Maid - N/A - Lv. 1 - Mother, wife, & singer

Luisina Aristizabal: - Poor-B - Doctor - N/A - Lv. 1 - Critically sick doctor

Valerie Meyer: Poor-B - Musician - N/A - Lv. 1 - US influencer, fashion model, & violinist

Angélica Tesoro: Poor-A - Maid - N/A - Lv. 1 - Columbian military sniper

Adoncia Vences: Poor-B - Maid - N/A - Lv. 3 - Has a younger brother.

Audrey Guerra: Poor-B - Maid - N/A - Lv. 3 - Old terrorist bomber.

Aileen Banks: Poor-C - Junior Maid - N/A - Lv. 1 - 12-year-old German child

Federico Fallas: Poor-C - Butler - N/A - Lv. 1 - Hotel serving staff

About the Author

SME is a serial author that unites most of his works within the same narrative framework, allowing readers to see pieces of a vast literary web of connecting stories.  A few of these weekly chapter releases include:

The Oscillation

Undying Empire

Pokesync (Fun Fanfiction)

A Tail’s Misfortune

Powerful entities from these series can make surprise appearances, and there is a comprehensive structure of boundaries between each universe that the readers discover through SME’s various works that some have coined ‘the SMEverse.’

Most of SME’s works are available to be read for free on the serial websites SME posts to weekly, if the reader keeps up to date.  As volumes complete and the next volume begins, the completed volume is edited and moved to Kindle Unlimited.

He also makes available advanced chapters and the ability to help shape his words through his supporters on Patreon, who can offer input and support in developing these complex worlds and stories.  Polls and other non-weekly stories are occasionally posted there, as well.

SME loves input and interacts regularly with the community in his Discord, encouraging people to help him in making these tales better.  For those interested in discussing the stories or providing further input, he encourages them to join the Discord.

Discord:
https://discord.gg/Cvah2P4GDD

Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/AuthorSME

All stories by SME are generally released, chapter by chapter, every week for the reader’s entertainment.  Enjoy!

Special Thanks

First, and foremost, I’d like to be the stereotypical author and thank my mother, who has encouraged me to write since my first werewolf story when I was 13 years old.  She helped me work with my dyslexia with names and many other literary issues I had as a teenager, providing me with tutors and support.  I can never thank her enough for that.

Second, my editors, readers, and patrons—many, all three—who have supported me for years and helped me to grow as an author.  I’d especially like to single out Val, Vongrak, Dakon, and SKY, who, among many other proofreaders, have helped to catch the mistakes every author makes and provide feedback I have found invaluable.

Val has helped to shape me as an author throughout many years, and is always there to bonk me on the head (jokingly, of course) whenever my dyslexia pops up or theory craft.  They are my Pokemon battle expert that I go to when writing my fun fanfic.  As a true supporter of my works and stories, I cannot thank them enough.

You can usually find the degenerate in the Discord, and they’re always willing to answer questions and welcome anyone into the community with Dizzy Me! and N0verCl0cker.  There are also a lot of fox lovers (Shard, as the Keeper of Fluffy Tails) due to the A Tail’s Misfortune readers, which always make me smile.

I’d also like to thank all of you that have made it this far for supporting my work.  I hope you have enjoyed the experience.  ^_^7