AuthorSME

  Sitting atop Quin, Elinor had her portable throne climb the stony hills that divided the jungle from the volcanic wastend. Tiffany was salivating over the many materials this area could provide her, and that certainly was a promising prospect, but that would be in the future.

  She transferred to one of the goril’s palms for Quin to raise her up to study the deep and vibrant valley. The lingering signs of the hurricane misted the ndscape, obscuring portions. It wasn’t long before her gaze had wandered to the looming quen’talrat city to the north.

  In the silence that took them, Elinor watched the fog that veiled the mountain range behind the bck fortress. Valdar had been right; something atop those colossal, snowy peaks fed on the storm.

  She put all of that behind her, though, organizing things into priority lists with the distant rumble of the dying tempest. For the time being, Elinor contented herself with burning the misty vision of the early morning valley into her soul. She could reconstruct it in her sanctuary with Butter ter for further examination.

  Once satisfied, she turned her attention to Quin, having the giant ape return them to the long caravan of her recently acquired citizens. Elinor busied herself by speaking to the quen’talrat through the Nexus on their journey.

  I know it must be a shock. What was life like when you lived in that colossal fortress?

  “I didn’t know anything else, Empress,” the fairly young child whispered, making sure to keep her secure on one of her hands along their slow trip back to the group.

  “Everything was already built when I was born, and quen’talrat are born to fulfill a purpose. My purpose was to be a great Elite Hunter, like Amra’Cora!”

  I see. You looked up to this Elite Hunter?

  “She is the fifth daughter of the Silver Queen herself, Empress, and some say her father was the Ke!”

  Young quen’talrat rumors in this Elite Hunter school you attended?

  “I was only trained for five weeks… I volunteered to push back the invaders! My parents were against it, but… I had the right under the w to make that decision. Then I… I died. How could the Ke die?”

  Elinor didn’t respond right away; her question wasn’t necessarily aimed at her. Quin was searching for her own answers and soce to her failure. It wasn’t as if Garu had taken Quin down himself, either; he’d been in a team of three that had ambushed her. Of course, none of that mattered in Quin’s mind since her glorified god battled armies alone and without a wound.

  All of the tales Quin and Valdar told regarding the White God, from his rise to power, feats, and inevitable fall, were just that to Elinor. Until she had more solid evidence, everything she learned was pending.

  Yet, there was one thing that plucked at the back of her mind like the inescapable buzz of the jungle insects and wildlife. Ke’Thra’Ma was on a rocket to the top, and no one could stop him: well, no one but Shade. It all aligned too perfectly for the other races, and from what little she’d learned about this world’s history in the past week, there was an uncomfortable pattern that linked together.

  We will find out the truth in time, Quin; there’s no need to dwell too heavily on that subject. As of now, you are my Elite Hunter, and I will give you the glory and high expectations you seek.

  “Yes, Empress! I will not fail again!”

  Quin’s terrifying roar and passage through the jungle amused Elinor. Despite its ferocity and bone-shaking sounds, to her transtion Feat, it was the cry of a female child.

  Returning to the pack, Elinor left much of the administration to be handled by her courts while she pondered the bigger picture. Butter was given the power to identify who they required to continue to provide new services for their budding empire and raise them.

  Her High Monarch of the Evening Star had become quite the asset. It was still challenging for her to fully view her as a sister, but her father had gone all in.

  After careful self-inventory, Elinor could see herself possibly growing slightly jealous of the attention she was being given. Then again, she also was his direct supervisor, and she would not give Butter the satisfaction of discovering her sister’s annoyed feelings.

  Her former mother was amusing enough to watch. In a way, she could see a pattern her father was pying that strummed the Witch Queen along like an instrument. He appeared to have the woman calcuted to a science on how much sck to give to make her go crazy.

  Cool-headed, offhandedly sarcastic, and the subtle jabs of comments that he knew would stick inside her mind, her father worked a charm and game she didn’t know he possessed. Tiffany, on the other hand, was struggling to find a hold since many of the traits that made her father fidget came from her more tender side.

  Wildly, it almost seemed like her father was forcing her to cultivate more of this side the Witch Queen was uncomfortable with. Sure, she could fake it, to an extent, but her father was swift to poke holes in her facade that caused a complete colpse and made her storm off in a huff; not that she could escape in her mind or undead heart.

  Elinor observed the operations of her kingdom from above for the next three weeks, always seen yet rarely making contact with the humans or ri’bot. She did spend a certain block of time each day speaking to Valdar to obtain further insight into whatever plot was on her mind in the moment, but the direction of her empire had to be pnned meticulously.

  The actions she needed to take were simple in and of themselves; it was the manner in which she executed them and in what order that mattered. Elinor had to enter a grand stage where kingdoms and powerful entities pyed, which required a lot of pnning and forethought. Shade had given her many ideas in their brief encounter and conversation.

  He had to work in a slow and meticulous way due to his inability to enact things in a direct way, but she wasn’t limited by that. Although, he had the advantage of interacting with people across the entire globe, and potentially beyond it. Shade was her long-term adversary.

  On the other side of the coin was the Scarlet Hand. Unlike Shade, they could make deals and craft connections to counter her in the short term. Luckily, Elinor had positioned herself in a way that put them on the back foot. She just had to maintain that lead.

  What Elinor won for her empire in resources and influence, Butter and her Royal Court could then take over. Her path was setting the direction and paving the way for them to build.

  Looking back, it was simir to how she ran the cheer squad when she had been captain. Initially, she’d had resistance from the older girls, but her accomplishment of winning the Junior High Cheerleading Championship spoke for itself.

  Sadly for them, she’d moved past cheerleading after her sophomore year and into her more ‘macabre phase,’ as her mother had put it. After some thought, perhaps it was her abandonment of the team that had caused the tension between her and her old friends, who struggled without her leadership and work ethic.

  Elinor had to dismiss these distracting thoughts every so often, yet it did serve as a warning to remain vigint in her goals. She came to the conclusion that Butter’s influence had more than likely been the draw to cheerleading in the first pce. Her heart was set on something else: the unusual draw she felt to the concept of death, empires, and security for herself and others.

  Throughout the weeks it took them to reach the Wixum Cn’s territory, an allied tribe to the Delthax, Elinor’s vision shifted.

  She wasn’t blind to the struggles, tears, and whispers of the humans as they traveled the ancient jungle, teeming with dangers with every step. Humanity had evolved to shape its environment to its needs, not traverse nearly impassable terrain with roots the size of rigs and trees towering over the redwoods of Earth.

  What Elinor figured would take them three weeks turned out to be nearly five, and that was only to reach the rge ke shores of the Wixum’s primary settlement. If they were to reach the Delthax’s, it was still thirty-five kilometers to their destination, across a rge river and a steep hike to the cliff shelf they lived at. Basically impossible.

  Butter brought up the concern to her as they finally reached what constituted civilization amongst the ri’bot, causing the humans to cry with joy. Unknown to the band of exhausted and famished humans, they’d already been in contact with the Wixum for some time via scout runners.

  They’d informed their chief that their very rge group would be reaching them within the month, but that had kept showing signs of dey. At the moment, Elinor was impressed by the preparations the cn of turquoise-colored ri’bot had made for their arrival; it almost seemed too generous.

  Of course, Valdar’s agitated comments regarding the allied cn over the five weeks gave her an insight into why. What he saw as a burden and growing concern for the eventual colpse of these people that would affect his own, Elinor saw as a golden opportunity for them both; it was all about perspective.

  Legs crossed with her hands in her p, Elinor waited in the tree line for every st human straggler to make it into the cleared and open spaces of the cn. Butter, Edmon, and Tiffany organized into their own assigned roles to accomplish what she’d id out earlier.

  The witch circles were performing ‘homework’ of sorts, finalizing some of the communication rituals that would allow them to speak across a rge area. Elinor had ordered its creation, which Tiffany then shoved off to her school’s students as practice.

  A few more extreme Witches and Warlocks had even advanced to a more teaching role, such as Esmeralda, to help the beginners.

  The blonde ran her own little coven of girls that showed the most promise in rising to a more senior position. Tiffany really just wanted one of them to reach the level of a real instructor for her school other than just ‘bright students’ that could support the ‘dumb’ ones.

  Edmon’s Aegis Order was coming along swimmingly, with Gloria overseeing the women, and Virgil, the men. Elinor could feel Tiffany biting the brim of the big witch’s hat Edmon forced her to wear with spiteful competition; not that she was particurly compining about the accessories.

  The truth was, he was just more charismatic and connected better with humans. It was funny to see him giving her lessons on recruitment, and his suggested angle of the Witch using familiars as a selling point was doing work. And that was even more fuel to make the Witch Queen want to cry in frustration at needing the man’s help.

  Elinor’s gaze only lingered on the two groups before spotting Valdar and the Wixum Chief meet; he would speak privately to her for a time and introduce the situation before inviting her to the discussion. It would be quite the diversion from where he believed the conversation would go, which was all a part of Elinor’s pn since she didn’t want to expin herself twice.

  Scanning the Wixum settlement, she made a note of the partially rebuilt dam that had been destroyed by the storm. According to Valdar, this cn had been dwindling in military might significantly over the st several decades, and the reason was somewhat his fault.

  In brokering peace with the Wixum’s chief three generations back, Valdar unknowingly sent these people in the direction of industrialization and craftsmanship.

  He had somewhat of a fling with the chief at the time—their current chief’s great-grandmother—which was a spicy topic among the ri’bot warriors of the past, or so the elder joked. He shared with her the ideas and visions he had of their cns that could bring them into a more advanced civilization. It had stuck with him after talking with so many of the great races during the Fire Wars.

  Unfortunately, his cnsmen were far too stuck in the old ways at the time, and hers far too eager to jump on board. Due to this, the Delthax became heavily militarized, pushing into it with every passing generation in order to guard not only their borders but the Wixum’s, as well.

  It wasn’t as if this was a completely one-sided union, though, since the Wixum provided much-needed food and supplies to the cliff-based Delthax. Sadly, it had soured many tongues with the loss of life and somewhat stagnated popution of the Delthax while the Wixum flourished in numbers.

  Elinor could see why, with the Wixum’s more eborate construction techniques that resembled primitive human designs she’d seen in history books. However, almost all of these structures had been completely devastated by the hurricane since they hadn’t been built to handle such winds or waves from the ke.

  Still, the Wixum appeared happy as could be since their lives were far from lost. Their more aquatic and weathering capabilities as a species allowed them to survive such disasters where humans would most certainly die. It did provide a rather fortuitous opportunity, though.

  It took almost an hour for the st of the elderly humans, helped by her undead, to finally reach the outskirts, along with those that had lost limbs or that were afflicted with other disabilities. Tiffany said she had future rituals that could alleviate such conditions, which had drawn more than a few to her banner and citizenship.

  Gwen, as the primary individual who had taken over majority leadership amongst the living, and Lucky, her Serving Court’s acting publicist to act as the liaison between the living and dead, were organizing parties to support those that were worse off.

  The pair were growing somewhat close with the witty undead man’s caring ways and attention to detail in easing the overworked redhead’s load. Gwen generally wasn’t the type to shun what she thought were her duties with those that put their trust in her.

  Yet, Lucky had a way of twisting her around in a pyful manner that made her accept his help, which included one interesting night when he’d organized a dance. Carlos would have joined, but he was too busy with Mika cleaning up roving bands of cnless seeking to steal their goods.

  As Tiffany put it: more bodies to be raised and information gleaned from those who returned with their intelligence intact. Of course, that was just before Edmon performed a surprise attack, sweeping the squealing witch off her feet to join the festivities, complete in witch’s garb as he’d instructed her to wear.

  Upon recalling that amusing night, she sent an internal prompt to Lucky to facilitate something simir; it would be a good introduction to this cn and lighten the mood for when she eventually took the stage. There was plenty of daylight left, as well.

  Quin brought her to Valdar when they came back into sight, and he gave her a high-handed gesture that signaled he’d done all of the preemptive work in expining the humans and her undead’s presence.

  The very few, and rather mediocre, Wixum military’s legs were quaking at the approaching, silver-furred quen’talrat. Quin’s rge feet left imprints in the wet mud, and almost everyone’s gaze was fixated on her. Although, Elinor somewhat expected as much would be the case; it happened every time she went through the camps, casting a web of whispers about what her purpose was in her visit.

  Chief Yimara did her best not to look nervous as Quin lowered her to the more solid grass of the area the two leaders walked. According to Valdar, Yimara was quite unprepared to be a leader of such a massive cn and territory at the ripe young age of thirteen.

  It confused Elinor a tad, considering the ri’bot saw adulthood at the age of eight. The reason was likely more to do with her mannerisms and leadership style than age, though.

  She wasn’t nearly as confident in her military prowess. So, she’d given the task to another ri’bot warrior, who had abused power and made working the Wixum borders a nightmare for the more experienced and battle-hardened Delthax.

  Elinor knew how to handle people like that since it was rampant in school; there had always been some girl trying to usurp her authority in whatever activity she was in at the time.

  Touching down on the soil, Elinor gave the woman a respectful gesture against her chest, using three curled fingers with her thumb and pointer held slightly upward to the bright heavens. “Hello, Chief Yimara. I’ve heard so much about you. Shall we talk as you show me around your settlement?”

  “Eh… yeah,” she mumbled, returning the gesture and acting nothing like the proud Valdar beside her. “The Former Chief tells me you have proposed a pact, which Chief Kalix and I must ratify the terms of… I don’t quite understand everything he told me, though.”

  “Allow me to crify, then. Shall we?” Elinor asked with an amiable tone, gesturing at the areas where her people were gathering fallen tree limbs and items to continue the restoration of their facilities.

  “Right…”

  Valdar kept his peace since, in essence, his task was only to introduce them as leaders. Now, he was only in an advisory position to be called upon if needed. He used his staff to hobble along behind them, waiting to be welcomed into some part of the discussion that required his input.

  Hands csping behind her back, she took her normal, confident posture, standing tall with her shoulders square and chest out while observing the damage.

  “It seems the storm has devastated quite a bit of what you’ve built. Was that supposed to be a fish farm?” she asked, vision darting to a pce being given most of the attention near the ke.

  “I don’t understand this… farm word,” Yimara said, enthusiasm now brightening her tone at the subject. “If you mean an area to cultivate and grow fish, then yes! My predecessor and mentor had seen something simir in the Forbidden Caves when a child and wanted to replicate them. Heh. It has yielded some success, but we think there are some improvements that can be made this time around. Are you familiar with them?”

  The corner of Elinor’s lip curved at the inquiry. She studied the prime areas they could expand upon; Tiffany and Edmon were going crazy with construction pns, using the mud to argue about how best to use the space.

  “Hmm. My engineer’s knowledge is… extensive. You’re speaking of Former Chief Vivine, who died a year ago and left you the mantle to carry on? A curse upon your line, as I’m told.”

  Yimara’s two teeth on either side of her mouth drew in, pressing against her skin but not drawing blood; it was a touchy subject.

  Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the look Valdar gave her that asked, why in the Supreme Chiefs would she bring up that subject? Obviously, the one who told her this private detail would have to be him.

  “Are you… insinuating that it would be better for someone else to lead the Wixum since all of my family lines are cursed to die at the age of thirty? It is not an uncommon opinion, even amongst my own cn.”

  “I’m not suggesting anything of the type,” Elinor neutrally replied, gaze drifting around to view the thousands of Wixum citizens and tradesmen, busy going about their work. Her illuminated, emerald irises gradually settled on the nervous woman, no doubt fixating on her every action. “Do you believe it is true?”

  She flinched, rubbing her arm. “I… have to live up to my mother’s expectations—carry out her dreams for our cn. It doesn’t matter what I believe.”

  Elinor’s smiling eyes darted to Valdar’s hardening fist; clearly, this young woman was not ready for this taxing job of making the hard decisions. That was just perfect, though. If she was willing to give up the power of the military, of all things, to some loudmouth, then she could guide her in the right direction.

  “Is that so?” The chief’s fingers fidgeted against her shoulders as Elinor’s cool stare returned to her. “Then I’d like to help you, Yimara.”

  “Huh?! Y-You’ll support Chief Vivine’s vision?” Her unsure eyes darted to Valdar and back to her. “No one has offered to help me. All I have had is opposition in the past year.”

  Valdar cleared his throat, goosebumps spreading across his arms. “Empress, what are you plotting? I’ve learned to read your facial expressions over the past six weeks. What kind of support—you aren’t pnning on staying here and not meeting my grandson?”

  “No need to fret, Valdar,” Elinor soothed, making Yimara shiver at how she spoke to the revered Former Elder Chief. “I will be joining you, but my empire will set its roots here amongst the Wixum. At least, for now.”

  She brought one hand out from behind her back to gesture at the bnk canvas across the nearby grassnd, ancient trees, and vast, rich ke and wide rivers filled with all kinds of aquatic creatures.

  “Dams and fish farms are only the tip of the spear, Chief Yimara. With the knowledge my empire brings, I will build up the Wixum alongside the Delthax to be beacons of hope within this cruel valley. Electricity, machines, tools beyond your imagination, Yimara—the quality of life improvements that will put these other great races’ civilizations to shame! All sparking from your loyalty to your mother.”

  Yimara’s eyes were wide with the emphasis and mysterious future her enigmatic words sparked in her primitive mind. Elinor painted these great inventions that her mother had inspired as only a foundation of something far grander as she spun it back on the young chief.

  “The Wixum may have lost their Mysticism, yet your open mind will give way to something these… weak-minded individuals who oppose you cannot even fathom. Yet, you saw it—the vision your mother so craved. Accept my Court as support, Yimara, and no one will dare challenge your mother’s vision again.”

  Elinor chuckled, drawing her attention back to her as Valdar reflected on her approach. “There’s no need to decide now, Yimara. Go, join King Edmon and express to him your mother’s legacy; he will show you how our goals align. Great things are ahead for the Wixum, Yimara. Will you join me in realizing what Great Chief Vivine saw when she gave you this future to see fulfilled?”

  “I, umm… Wow. No one has ever offered me so much. I’m, heh, a little overwhelmed, Empress. The Former Elder Chief said you were convincing, but… I don’t know.”

  “One only needs the truth,” Elinor whispered, motioning her toward Edmon and Tiffany, still discussing which facilities and machines needed to be crafted first with all the bor and foundation the Wixum had. “Speak to King Edmon. He has an extensive background in engineering and architectural design. Exciting things are coming, Yimara. Exciting times.”

  “Hmm.” The chief forced a ugh. “You do make it sound exciting. I will need to deliberate on it a bit further. Thank you… for seeing the genius in my mother’s desire to see us never go hungry again. Often, much of our food goes to the Delthax.”

  Valdar’s wrinkled face softened. “I… didn’t know. Why did you never bring up any shortages?”

  “Hehe. There are rumors as it is that the Delthax are looking for any sign of weakness to invade and ensve us… not that I believe you would do such a thing, Former Elder Chief. If you’ll excuse me. If only I could appear more confident… Ugh. Confidence!” she hissed, rubbing her forehead. “Huh?”

  Elinor smiled and stepped forward, putting pressure in pces to fix the woman’s posture to resemble what she saw Nadraca use when going about business matters; female and male-dominant positions might be different among ri’bot culture, after all.

  “You have been strong, Yimara. Allow me to help build upon your dream. I’m sure you will see how beneficial I can be to the Wixum soon enough.”

  “Humans are… very strange creatures—in a good way,” she corrected with a nervous ugh, trying to learn from Elinor’s brief corrections to her posture. “I will give your proposal serious thought.”

  “Excellent. In the meantime, I have arranged for music and dancing to take pce in the evening. I hope you will enjoy the festivities. My people are quite exhausted, but the threat of fun of any kind can get them motivated, given their terrible circumstances. Thank you for your time, Chief.”

  They made the same respectful gesture before the woman broke away to engage Edmon; he’d been preparing for the encounter.

  Valdar watched her leave with a frown, rubbing his chin with his free hand. “You move at a frightening pace, Empress. I suppose the Wixum does meet many of the requirements for avaible nd and craftsmen to supplement your need for additional bor. The fact you are keeping the bulk of your people here might be of concern for my grandson, though.”

  “Mmh. Yes,” Elinor calmly said, observing the many working parts of this rebuilding area; it had gone as well as she’d expected. “Think of the benefits, though. I’m sure you’ve already foreseen me taking over the warriors of the Wixum; it’s only natural since they’ll oppose such drastic changes that Yimara will put forward.

  “Hehe. Indeed. I am but a spark for something that was bound to happen, but, instead of Yimara that is the one overthrown, as you’d feared…”

  “You will be put in the prime seat of power,” Valdar concluded with a sigh. “Yimara will hand many of her responsibilities to your Court since they are actually quite competent, allowing her to put all of her efforts into the construction of all these inventions her mother fixated on.”

  His nose twisted in disdain while looking at the overweight warriors of the Wixum, zing around and lightly harassing builders with jokes. “These pathetic… children would fold like a leaf in front of Quin alone.”

  “Quin?” Elinor giggled, breathing in the crisp air as Theresa began to py a somber tune on the grand piano, drawing a crowd of the fascinated Wixum warriors; they weren’t even aware that the notes foretold their own downfall. “At this point, Mika’s pets would sughter all of them without her lifting a finger.”

  Valerie’s curly blonde locks swayed beside the dark-haired pianist, slow violin joining the notes, mesmerizing the throngs of ri’bot with their magical lulby that pulled on the mind.

  Familiars from the Witches and Warlocks darted across the fields, sky, and ke, gathering resources their owners required. Edmon’s knights organized in their units, practicing defensive formations and sparking more interest amongst humans and ri’bot. Her influence was spreading by the second from her various courts and divisions: human and undead.

  “I’m handling problems your grandson sees as critical infrastructure weaknesses. Your boys and girls won’t need to take such dangerous positions with my undead acting as sentries. Food, supplies, and resources you don’t even know you have will be harvested and carefully managed to provide influence where you had none before.”

  Valdar chuckled, leaning against his staff. “Devious as ever, Empress. You’ve thought this through quite thoroughly.”

  “Hehe. Don’t py dumb with me, Valdar,” Elinor accused, shooting a smirk his way. “You’ve known me long enough now to know exactly what I’d do when presented with this opportunity, which is why you provided me with so many details regarding the Wixum. You’ve concluded that Tiffany can break whatever ‘curse’ is on their chief, which is why you gave me that method of attack.”

  “Mmm. Not necessarily,” he whispered back, his focus on the now very enthralled Wixum Chief, who was in awe at the things Elinor’s father was expining to her. “I know my grandson, and he’s stubborn like this father.

  “You needed a certain amount of victories and support from the Wixum to make him want to obtain your influence over the Wixum without incurring negative feelings from the other elders. Of course, you knew as much from the discussions we’ve had, which is why you didn’t simply come out and take the Wixum by force when they’re clearly ripe for the taking.”

  Elinor’s small smile grew. “A short-sighted victory that would incite the ire of the Delthax, make the Wixum resentful, cause my own citizens to fear me, and make me an easy target for all the surrounding cns to band together to attack me on all sides until a winner holds cim over the remaining nd. I’m not that stupid… which is why you’ve supported me.”

  Valdar sighed, shoulders slumping. “Is it that obvious at this point?”

  “Hmm. You see an end of an era is upon the valley. Sooner than ter, the other great nations will expand, or another threat like Ke’Thra’Ma will strike, and the ri’bot won’t survive. You’re not only concerned about your own cn, as a mark of your well-respected status among the community.”

  She turned to face him, pearly teeth fshing in the overhead sun. “No, you want to unite all of the cns, yet you don’t have the support…”

  “Until now,” he finished, rubbing the back of his neck with a groan. “I’ve heard the whispers of the jungle of your might and seen you maneuver out of a seemingly impossible situation. I fear if I didn’t push for my vision now, it would never come about, and I don’t care if it’s the Delthax… or your empire. I want a future for the ri’bot, and I see that possibility with you.”

  Elinor held out her hand, making the elder chuckle and take it; he’d learned about the ‘strange’ human custom. “I look forward to working with you, Valdar. Now, I must break the terrible news to my citizens that they won’t be swimming across terrifying river currents and climbing the steep mountain rises to reach your home.”

  “I’m sure they’ll be heartbroken.”

  Knowing what to expect from the conversation Edmon had with Yimara, Elinor made her way to the temporary, makeshift stage that her builders had been tasked to create. Just in front of the area, her musicians had gathered a rge congregation of ri’bot and humans, resting from their exhaustive journey.

  The rituals had been completed, enough people gathered to spread the news, and anticipation for whatever the stage was being constructed for to infect the curious local craftsmen cn. Quin met Elinor on her path, and she sat on the goril’s palm, the sizable quen’talrat pulling everyone’s attention.

  The swaying melody her Songweavers produced came to a stop as Elinor took the stage, Tiffany already in position with a microphone. Introducing her, a deathly silence took the throng as the Witch Queen spoke through the spelled device to all those that could hear.

  “Salutations, dies and gentlemen—ri’bot and human—undead and the living. To those who are unaware of who we are, we are the Undying Empire. A collection of the living and dead, all in service to our great and unholy Empress! In ri’bot culture, an Empress is simir to a Great Chief, ruling over many other cns… but our Empress is so much more. Now, give your undivided attention to the Supreme Monarch of the Dead.”

  Mumbles followed her expnation as Elinor took the offered microphone, giving it a few seconds for the crowds to hush.

  “Chief Yimara and the Undying Empire have come to an understanding. First, as your Empress, I will be the bearer of bad news,” she said, pausing for a time to let them stew.

  Her gaze drifted between the tense humans who listened and were gathering, fearful expressions filling the clustered groups; she could already see some beginning to tear up and cry at the expectation of being forced to continue their march.

  “You will not be continuing to the Delthax encampment thirty-five kilometers past river and mountain but remaining here to set roots for our empire. We are here to support Chief Yimara and lift the Wixum to technological heights even beyond Earth with the Mysticism I grant. We have found our home.”

  Faces turned red one after another as weeping and thankful prayers were heard throughout the area; mildly surprised, she realized many of which were directed right at her.

  [Level Up - Level 15]

  x3 [Skill Points Added]

  x11 [Skill Points Avaible]

  x2 [Feat Extensions Avaible]

  x1 [Refinement Point Avaible]

  3x [Equipable Feats Avaible]

  1x [Feat Slot Added]

  x1 [Stat Modifiers Avaible]

  x1 [New Branch Feat Avaible - Lv 15 Perk - Utility, Attack, or Defense]

  [Total Follower Count Requirement Met]

  [Current Follower Count: 1,358]

  [Rising Empire: Budding] Advanced to [Rising Empire: 1st Petal]

  Somewhat taken aback by the wealth of information Butter reyed to her from inside their diamond home, Elinor waited for the weeping humans and confused ri’bot to settle down.

  Finally! I best get the festivities started so I can look at these properly.

  “They’re good, Priss!” Butter sang. “I do wonder what Perk you’ll pick this time. Oh, but no one is ranking up in their Grades. Hmm. Hurry up!”

  Honestly, you’ve grown so bold since Dad’s been paying attention to you.

  “Maybe, heh, because I finally get to hear all the stories about you I didn’t grow up around. Well… aside from in your belly.”

  Are you calling me fat? Elinor mused with silent mirth. In any case, I’ll leave in the morning with Quin and Garu. Your job will be to discover this Secret Cave I’ve recently heard about. It sounds promising.

  “Ooh! I get to go on an adventure?! Ahh! Thank you, Priss! Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

  Hehe. Don’t get too excited. You still have a lot to do.

  “Count on me, Sis!”

  Elinor was surprised at how the non-sarcastic or biting comment made her feel a tad warm inside; perhaps Butter was growing on her, after all.

  AuthorSME