Esstrey rummages about through the guts of a liquidator, the man in question was hit by a shot from a lich that went wide, and then happened upon some Black Snow. The flesh died where the spell hit, and now dead flesh fights living flesh, as the host hasn''t died yet. The fighting across the city died down, and hope for a quick victory against Malencia with it. Something Esstrey is reveling in right now, as she occasionally looks to her tied up prisoner sitting in the corner of the storage room. Doing surgery in storage rooms is surprisingly useful, as the storage of organics usually includes keeping it away from a filthy environment full of disgusting things like fungal spores, raccoon guts, and zealots. Not that her current environment lacks any of those things, but the spores are Jesse''s and the raccoon guts were carried in by a kobold-sized liquidator.


    The zealot tries to say something through his gag as some blood almost spurts on Esstrey''s face, but freezes just before it makes contact. She just gives the paladin one of her signature Big Smiles?, knowing that whatever the paladin wanted to say was an insult. The reasons that he''s close to Esstrey are quite numerous, attempted suicide, being strong, having actual holy power. Not the budget variant left behind and used by local zealots. Esstrey doesn''t need to be a detective to figure out what''s going on, first a crystal being escorted by the strongest group of people on the planet, then holy knights to go with it all. Another god is interfering.


    Crendell enters Esstrey''s shed at that moment, followed closely by Zha''klos, Cathy, Jesse, and Sofia. She could tell he was speaking with Zha''klos outside, no doubt not wanting to enter alone. A quick gesture to a table with seats is enough to tell them why she summoned them here.


    "I have gathered you all here today not just for a discussion on what to do with all these prisoners, but some other matters as well. I have relied on each one of you at least once so far, and plan to do so in the future. First thing''s first, I offer each of you a single wish that I will grant if it''s within my means to do so. I''m sure there''s no need to specify just how much is within my means." Crendell and Jesse look nervous, with Cathy and Sofia looking impassively, but Zha''klos is quick to jump at the chance.


    "I want designs from your world, I want to know what it was like. Weapons, infrastructure, production, historical records, the whole set." Or in other words, the secret to the environment that could create beings like Esstrey. Not the titanic mermaid queen Esstrey, but the cold and calculated Spetsnaz Esstrey.


    "Done, but I will not be divulging any knowledge related to nuclear weapons. Weapons of mass-destruction... well, let''s just say that if we release the genie from that bottle, we will not be able to put him back in." Zha''klos opens her mouth prepared to pressure Esstrey on the topic, but decides that whatever the mermaid considers to be ''mass destruction'' draws too much attention for her purposes.


    "I want my position as leadership of humanity under your banner to be a permanent arrangement." Crendell moves quickly after Zha''klos, not wanting his wish to be invalidated by something done by someone else at the table.


    "Done, I''ll... organize the requirements needed for a permanent military junta under liquidator leadership, I''m thinking of liquidator garrisons whose chain of command could all be traced back to you so no one can declare independence from you without having to fear the people standing guard outside their room." It''s the best solution either way, and it could even be encouraged if the alternatives seem so much worse.


    "This one... this one [requests/asks/begs] the lady for the same thing the lady did when we first met on this planet." Esstrey thinks hard for a moment, trying to remember what Cathy is referring to. Eventually she makes up her mind, floats over to Cathy, picks her up, and-


    Kisses her on the mouth located on her face. Crendell diverts his eyes in shock, Jesse holds a hand to her chest, Sofia tilts her head in confusion at the reaction of the others, and Zha''klos whistles like she''s watching a particularly entertaining show. After some seconds, Esstrey finally puts Cathy down, who begins to melt into a puddle of herself. Esstrey floats back to her seat, goo still around her mouth.


    "Alright, who next?" Jesse looks in abject fear between Esstrey and the Cathy-puddle, suddenly extremely aware that she is up for her wish soon.


    "I would like all the adamantine, present, past and future." Sofia deadpans her wish, completely ignoring the puddle that is starting to bubble a little.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    "That''s fine, what about you, Katherine? Anything you want?" Esstrey taps her spine, indicating that when she meant everyone in the room, she really meant everyone.


    "I am fine, I do not understand you materials with your base desires, understanding that is my want, which you will grant." Katherine speaks from Esstrey''s mouth as confident as ever, making it clear she never needed Esstrey''s offer.


    "I uhh... I think I''ll just be takin'' what Zha''klos is having." Jesse is still staring at the Cathy-puddle, having a hard time getting her thoughts in order.


    "Now on to the next order of business, this little paladin seems to be from a different planet, and the reports I gathered about paladin presence from Zulie indicates there were plenty of them. Now I''m not familliar with the local emblems, but I''m sure one of you is familliar with this." Esstrey holds out the pommel of a shortsword, on the pommel is a symbol of a light shining on the land below. Crendell and Jesse go quiet at the sight of the symbol, and Zha''klos snatches it out of Esstrey''s claw to get a closer look. The three of them are all well-versed in politics for a variety of reasons, but only Zha''klos dares show any sign of recognition.


    "The Order of Melthazar, why are you here? I thought all of you had a treaty specifically against this type of intervention. If you guys are here, then I''m sure the... others are also present on this planet, tell me did you plan to do the same here as you guys did to-" Before Zha''klos can interrogate the paladin further, the short amount of time ungagged is instantly used by the man to interrupt her.


    "Foul beings like all of you need to be purged with utmost haste, if this planet burns alongside you all so be it, it would be a better fate for the innocents here." There''s a certain lack of remorse in the man''s voice, Zha''klos somehow seems somewhat ticked off by it.


    "Bunch of fucking hypocrites, you occasionally destroy some planet, but if the last planet to rank up, and this planet is any indicator, you are all going to destroy every planet that suddenly becomes valuable aren''t you?" Zha''klos''s voice carries a tone of disgust, her personal doctrine for conquering is anathema to the style of the core worlds.


    "If such a planet isn''t full of heretics, salvation can be earned by the locals. Brynya is simply too corrupted, just like Earth was." As the last words leave the paladins mouth, the temperature in the room drops by multiple degrees as moisture in the room gets close to freezing temperature, the blood of all beings also runs slightly slower. Cathy is quickly reforming, and taking her distance from the table.


    "Did you say Earth just now?" Esstrey''s smile is strained, and she''s behind the paladin now. A claw holds the paladins shoulder, and she''s doing her best not to dig in. The paladin for one notices the change, and seeks to take a verbal stab on his captors.


    "That''s right, Earth. Are you from that place? Your foul existence would make sense then, we didn''t even need to bring weapons capable of killing everyone to the planet, those people had enough to kill themselves five times over. I heard it was through bombs that could be launched all over the planet, if only they weren''t corrupted, they could have been an excellent addition to Melthazar. Are you mad? You must be, do your worst you disgusting fish, you will get nothing useful out of me." For a moment Esstrey ''massages'' the man''s shoulder with her claw, his clavicle feels brittle under her hold, but if he wants her to do her worst...


    "Don''t you worry, I will certainly do my worst. Since you seem to find my people''s self-destruction so amusing, I will take great joy myself in watching you be the demise of your own people. It''s merely a shame you won''t be aware to see it." Confusion reigns across the table for a short moment, as Esstrey backs up her words. A bright white light shines from the palm of her claw, making the man shudder. The spell has a tough time going through his internal reserves, but he has been exhausted for a while now. It''s Esstrey''s pool of magic against his, and he doesn''t stand a chance. He goes unconscious, and his body starts to change. Skin becomes scales, hands thicken and sharpen, his head morphs to accommodate the longer face. The end result looks somewhat like a lizardman, but far more savage.


    [Failure to defeat [The Nightmare] has culminated in additional horrors! The [Mazurian Plague] now stalks the land, seeking to turn all into it''s army!]


    [The Central Governor] alerts the worlds of Esstrey''s action, dooming Malencia to a few paths. One [Mythical] being could be hidden, but [The Central Governor] just marked Esstrey as a high priority for everyone. She was always strong, but the mythic classification had always felt undeserved to those who knew her. Perhaps her designation was never meant to be strong on its own, but instead worsen the situation for everyone over time.


    Esstrey for her part simply unties the Mazurian, telling him to write down everything useful he knows about Melthazar and its order. The lizardman bows, and leaves the room, leaving the others to stare in shock. Even Cathy didn''t know Esstrey would ever be pushed this far.


    "Crendell, prepare for an offensive in the direction of the capital, speed is now our only ally of importance. Jesse, set up a railway station in that direction as well, I''ll write the theory on how it works. Cathy and Sofia, I need you two to design more advanced weapons, Sofia should know enough about them. Zha''klos, I need you to bring me the prisoners, all of them. They want to watch a world burn? Fine."