《Body and Soul》


 1. ~Inferno~

    ¡°It is said that the Inferno of Orwen was the underlying cause of the Great War. Without Orwen, the empire was too weakened to oppose its enemies.¡±


    ***Orwen, the magical city***


    ***Slave***


    ¡°Come on. Grunt a little. I don''t like it when you take it in silence. And wriggle your butt. It''s as if I am doing a corpse.¡±


    I do as ordered, figuring that it will be over faster that way. It''s not like I am able to disobey his commands anyway. Nemus holds me down by my neck, pressing my face onto the cold stone table. His other hand is bending my arm back, pinning me down. His brutal attention doesn''t even get me off as he slides in and out of me again and again. It just hurts. I feel the bile rising up my throat, but I hold back.


    ¡°Yes! That''s it.¡± He increases his efforts, tightening his grip. In the fits of passion, he shows his true nature and turns into nothing more than a panting, grunting animal. At last, he pushes deep inside me, releasing his vile seed. He tightens his grip to hold me still and almost dislocates my arm in doing so.


    ¡°Phew! You are still the best bitch. Not even my wife can compete with you. Too bad that you are barren. I would love to have a few children with your blood. You''ve a huge magical talent inside you. Our children would be magnificent.¡± He steps away and pulls up his trousers.


    I get back to my feet and push down my skirt. Tonight I''ll have to drink a lot of gurza root to kill off anything that might grow inside me. I just hope that he never realizes the fact that I am always buying a lot more of that ingredient than he actually uses for his experiments.


    And hopefully he''ll never phrase his wish for children as an order. I touch the slave collar around my neck and shudder at the thought. Today, he came too close in doing so. I wouldn''t be able to take preventive measures if he had made it a direct order.


    Nemus throws a pouch with gold at me and I catch it. Then he turns to leave the room. ¡°Go and buy everything we need for a weather ritual. The city''s agricultural minister wants it to rain tonight. The drought went on for too long, and don''t use the money for anything else.¡±


    The magical chains around my mind tighten and I feel the compelling need to do as I was told.


    I hold the pouch in my trembling hands and leave the room through the servant¡¯s entrance. Once outside, I follow the narrow staircase down the wizard¡¯s tower. On my way, I encounter one of the other slaves. It¡¯s the redhead. I don¡¯t have a name for her. She has been a slave since she was born.


    Like me.


    With empty eyes she sweeps the staircase, going through the motions like a robot. I¡¯ve a silent suspicion that the mind behind those brown eyes is gone since a long time ago. Unlike me, she never had the advantage of an education. Or knew any other life. For her, there is only the golden slave collar around her neck and following orders. Those are the two constants she will ever know.


    I highly doubt that she would be able to survive on her own, even if the slave collar is taken off.


    I press past her and stop in the kitchen. Nemus ordered me to get ingredients, but he never said that I couldn¡¯t take five minutes to treat myself. I take one of the gurza roots from my stash and throw it into a cup, then I head to the stove and pour some boiling water into the cup. The servants always keep hot water ready. Just in case that the master might need it for tea, or one of his rituals.


    The cook is a fat, old man. He is also a slave, so he doesn¡¯t oppose my infiltration of his kitchen. Nobody ever told him to keep others out.


    Seeing that I used some of the water, he stops cutting vegetables and heads over to refill the keg. I step aside, so that I am not in the way. After a minute, I down the contents of the cup in one go. I have to do it while it is still hot enough to almost burn my throat. My tongue feels singed, but I''ve done this often enough to know that it only feels as if I¡¯ve burned myself.


    It¡¯s better this way because it numbs my sense of taste. Otherwise I wouldn¡¯t be able to drink the bitter chemicals inside the gurza root. I¡¯ve tried several times, but the taste caused me to vomit, making the entire exercise pointless. This way, I can at least keep it down.


    Feeling a little safer, I head further down the tower until I reach the ground floor. There, I equip myself with a heavy cloak. Nemus likes his female slaves to run around topless and with pierced nipples. He even chose golden chains especially for me. But given the choice, there is no way that I would go out on the street like this.


    If I could, I would also hide my head inside the hood. But the slave collar has to be visible. As much as I abhor it, it¡¯s my best protection on the streets. Nobody would attack a slave with a golden collar. Not even the lowest of muggers. The gold is a symbol of high status. As the city¡¯s weather-mage and a member of the city council, Nemus has enough power to send a little army after anyone who damages his property.


    And that¡¯s essentially what I am¡­ property.


    Having made sure that the collar is visible, I head out of the tower and onto the street.


    Behind the high wall which surrounds the tower, I hear the delighted screams of the three little brats. They are probably torturing their nurse with their spoiled behaviour. Nemus already tried to make me the nurse of his brats. It would¡¯ve been easier for him to have a quickie. To my luck his wife was totally against having me anywhere near her children.


    I think she even wanted me executed for looking better than her. But Nemus didn¡¯t want to lose his sexdoll, so he banished me back to the hidden passages of his servants. There, his wife wouldn¡¯t see me and he could still order me to serve him when he felt like it.


    I turn around and head down the street, towards the market. It¡¯s just a short distance, but I already know that it¡¯ll be late evening when I return. The vendors aren¡¯t exactly eager to serve the slaves quickly.


    Slaves have time. They¡¯ll wait and be there, even if it takes half an hour until all the other customers are served. They will not change their minds and search for another shop.


    On my way, I survey the street and notice the happy faces and playing children. This is Orwen, the city of mages. The Empire¡¯s most powerful city. An economical wonder that¡¯s holding the Allied Lands and the Murian Sociocracy at bay. With this city as a choke-hold to the biggest pass in the Trestian mountain range, the Empire doesn¡¯t have to worry about its enemies on the other side of the mountains.


    And all this power is built on the shoulders of those who hide themselves in grey robes, with pretty collars around their necks. We are slaves, not just of the body, but also of the mind.


    When one of the free people looks my way, I quickly avert my eyes. I am just another slave. Nobody has to pay me any attention. Quickening my steps, I seek to arrive quickly at the first vendor. Once there, I step in line with a few other slaves.


    None of us have something like a shopping list. We have to remember everything we want to buy, because it is a rare slave who can read. Nobody ever bothered to teach me more than I had to know. I was born and they put the collar onto me because my mother was a slave. The one who sired me didn''t bother to claim me as his offspring.


    Sometimes, those with magical powers are happy to have powerful heirs. I wonder how this life could have turned out if I had been claimed. Sadly, it''s equally helpful to have an untrained mage as assistance. Someone who can be used as a magical battery. Who would exhaust his own power if there are others to exploit?The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    When it''s my turn, I rattle down a list of ingredients and hand the vendor his money. Nemus has a running contract with this vendor. It saves him some coin. The young man, who is just an apprentice, heads into the store to gather the goods.


    After a few minutes, the vendor returns. I''ve only eyes for the merchandise. A shudder of satisfaction runs down my spine when I receive the materials.


    That''s the other side of the slave collar. It doesn''t just punish, but also rewards the wearer. This can become an addiction. I''ve seen slaves who were freed of their collars, but put them back on of their own accord. This is the most important argument in favour of the current system. I¡¯ve often listened to Nemus and his political friends when they had a chat about politics.


    While I don¡¯t believe that I know everything about this world, I know more than enough about the Empire and the state of Orwen. Including their approach on slavery.


    The current masters are saying that those who become addicted to the collars don''t deserve freedom. They are just junkies. It doesn''t matter that nobody ever wants to take a collar off after wearing one for an extensive amount of time. Not even a so called master. The collar might break everyone at one point or the other.


    I want to believe that I am not addicted, that I am stronger than the spell. But I can¡¯t be certain.


    I could simply reach up and open the collar now, just to have my head blown off. It''s not like the designers of the collar didn''t consider that there might be some strong willed individuals who might resist the collar''s temptations.


    Instead of giving in to the impulse, I head on to the next vendor. Someday I''ll do just that. I¡¯ll take the collar off and end this miserable existence. But only once I lose all hope of freedom. I may do it in front of a large crowd, screaming some defiant words. Just to show them that their system isn''t perfect.


    It''s late evening when I return to Nemus''s tower. Just as I anticipated when I left. Orwen''s streets are clean and well lighted by magelights, even at this hour. The basket with the ingredients became heavy after hours of waiting, so I feel glad when I return home.


    Home? How sick. I have to remind myself not to think of this place as my home. It¡¯s a prison. Otherwise I might as well give up and accept my fate.


    Back at the servant''s entrance, I press my hand to the door and it opens. The enchantment on it recognizes me as a member of the household. Once inside, I hurry up the staircase to the summoning chamber. Nemus is surely already waiting for me. Today there are no stars in the night sky, which means that it is clouded. Perfect weather to force a little rain.


    I burst into the summoning chamber, feeling a rush of excitement over fulfilling my master''s orders.


    But Nemus isn''t alone. Two men in black clothes are facing him and the large window is broken. Did they climb up the tower and invade through the balcony?


    My hesitation and my noisy entrance cause a chain reaction of events.


    The trespasser who is closer to me whirls around and his short sword flashes towards my throat. Had I not worn the collar, he would''ve taken my head in one, clean swipe.


    The blade hits the collar with the heavy, clear sound of metal on metal. It slides off and cuts into my throat. I drop the basket and gasp in pain. The impact alone felt as if it could''ve broken my neck.


    Stumbling backwards, I fall.


    ¡°Fuck! Just a servant!¡±


    Nemus uses the distraction to throw a spell at the man who was facing him. Green energies surge away from my master¡¯s hands and the assassin screams in pain when the curse hits him. The one who attacked me returns his attention to Nemus and charges, just to take a fireball straight to the chest. The miniature explosion opens him up and splatters blood all over the place. It goes without question that he dropped like a felled tree. Nobody who has his heart gouged out would keep walking.


    Nemus returns his attention to the first attacker, but he isn''t a threat any longer. I am not sure which curse Nemus used, but the man is a twitching and writhing mess with foam in front of his mouth. Something that attacks the nervous system.


    The wizard studies the scene with disgust on his face. ¡°Who would be stupid enough to send mundanes to assassinate me!? It''s almost an insult!¡±


    I crawl back to my knees and feel for the wound on my throat. In my panic I try to stop the flow of blood. Then I realize that the cut can''t be that deep. If the big artery had been cut, I would''ve lost consciousness in mere seconds.


    I was incredibly lucky.


    Nemus notices that I am still alive, but he doesn¡¯t even bother to look after the wound. ¡°Get up and inform the other servants. We have to perform the ritual tonight, or the agricultural minister will whine to me all day long.¡±


    He turns around to study the damage which the assassins caused. They trampled over the filigree runes which are embedded in the floor. Nemus always stresses not to step onto them, since he needs them to channel his mana. Without them, he would be unable to influence the weather.


    Nemus didn¡¯t reach his position through skill. He is just a skilled politician with many influential friends¡­ And enemies, as it seems.


    I stare at his back, then I look at my bloodied hand and flex my fingers to a fist. Strange. There is no compulsion to follow his command. Fingering my neck once more, I realize that the assassin¡¯s short sword bit almost completely through my collar and bent the metal.


    He somehow destroyed the collar without triggering the explosion.


    Despite the pain, my grin widens and turns feral. I reach into my reservoir of power and send the energy through my body. Nothing happens. My power doesn¡¯t get drained away or slip out of my grasp! I¡¯ve complete control over my body! For the first time since I was born!


    I reach for the assassin¡¯s short sword and get to my feet. It¡¯s a little heavy, but I had a harsh life as a slave. There is no reason that I can¡¯t handle it.


    Pointing the weapon at Nemus, I advance with measured steps. There is no reason to alarm him. Just five more steps. Three. Two. Noticing my approach, he turns around, but it is already too late. All I had to do was to stretch out my arm and the sword sinks into his belly. He stares at me, not believing what I just did.


    My smile widens and I shove the sword deeper until the hilt stops it from sinking in further. Nemus grabs my arm and tries to cast a spell, but the pain makes it impossible for him to concentrate. Just to be sure, I send out my own power to cancel any spell he might try. By simply flooding the environment around him with my energies, I can make it harder for him to cast spells.


    I¡¯ve always been much more powerful than him. That¡¯s why he used me for his weather magic.


    I lean in closer and my beautiful voice sounds cheerful for the first time in my entire life. ¡°I''d always imagined how it would be to do that. Do you know that belly wounds hurt the most and take the longest to cause death? I¡¯ve seen it many times on the market when people wanted to punish their slaves.¡±


    I twist the sword and pull it out. Nemus crumples to the ground, writhing in pain. ¡°Y- y- you¡­ don¡¯t have to do this!¡±


    ¡°But I want to!¡± Angling the sword, I stab it into his jewels and he howls.


    ¡°On further thought¡­ a man might hurt there more than in his belly.¡± I stab him a few more times. Just to make sure that he knows that his shaft will never rise again. ¡°Ah, but it just feels like this isn¡¯t enough. Punishing just you feels so pitiful. I¡¯ve to take the whole picture into account. This whole city. The whole damned system! But I¡¯ll start small. With this city. And your family will be collateral damage.¡±


    A mad laugh escapes me. What are a few humans to me? ¡°Eighty years. No, eighty-seven years, you sick bastard!¡±


    He whimpers and tries to get to his feet, but I slash at his legs. Then I point the tip of the sword at his spine and stab at his neck. His legs immediately go limp. ¡°Haaaarrgh...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be a sissy. This is still going much too fast for you. I actually wish I had the time to heal you up and do it all over again.¡± I drop the sword and head over to his working table. The same table on which he raped me this morning. I don¡¯t need much for this spell. Just three bowls to gather their blood. Three sacrifices to power the battle magic.


    I hum as I work. First, I gather the blood of the two assassins, then I slit Nemus¡¯s wrist to gather what¡¯s left in him. He is still whimpering, barely alive. It won¡¯t take much longer now, but I certainly won¡¯t ease his death.


    Bending down, I grab his ankle and pull him to the middle of the room. Then I arrange the other bodies at the necessary positions.


    With religious zeal, I get to work and use their mixed blood to draw the necessary runes and symbols around the three men. On their skin, on the ground around them, connecting them in one large ritual. One part of the spell seeks out any power that¡¯s within reach. Another ignites the mana in a simple ignition spell. The third keeps repeating the spell formation over and over, casting it on new, random targets, eventually overwhelming their defence.


    It¡¯s a rather simple spell. Just three sacrifices to fuel three lines of code.


    When I return to Nemus he is still alive, to my utter surprise. He coughs up blood and his eyes are on the last rune. ¡°It¡¯s wrong. You haven¡¯t set an ending condition. Don¡¯t dabble in things you have no experience with. Magic is dangerous!¡±


    I giggle and pat his forehead, smearing him with even more blood. My hands are red and there is a metallic smell in the air.


    ¡°Oh, Nemus. That¡¯s why you never became more than a weather mage. The beautiful thing behind the Inferno spell is that it ignites someone¡¯s mana. And then it jumps to the next person and the next¡­ you get the idea. It¡¯s a magical disease. And as long as there are enough people with the gift, it won¡¯t stop! Orwen is the perfect place for it. With so many gifted people in one place, some are bound to have no defences ready. The whole thing might run out of control before anyone can stop it. This world is rather sloppy when it comes to magical defences.¡±


    ¡°Nooo,¡± he wails.


    But I don¡¯t listen. I place both hands on the rune and start feeding it my mana. Let this entire place burn! Let them cry and wail in agony. And if I survive, I¡¯ll punish the rest of the world too.


    The rune ignites under my fingers, burning my skin. I don¡¯t take my hands away. I¡¯ve to feed everything I have to the spell. Otherwise it¡¯ll take me too.


    Slowly the fire spreads and consumes Nemus. His screams alerted someone who is now banging on the door. Then the other bodies join him. The whole room is fully ablaze when the fire turns blue and even hotter. And I still keep my hands on the rune, ignoring the sizzling of my flesh.


    After a while I notice the blue, roaring flames on the other side of the window. At the edge of unconsciousness, I listen to the screams of people as they are taken by the Inferno.


    My only response is to smile. ¡°Burn, Orwen. Burn.¡±

 2. ~Ashes~

    ¡°The streets were filled with ash and charred corpses. Nothing was left untouched.¡±


    ***The Ruins of Orwen***


    ***Slave***


    The silence is so wonderful. Normally, someone always makes noise in the slave quarters, so being able to sleep a little longer must be a gift from the heavens. I shift in my sleep, still deep inside the world of dreams.


    Then I move my fingers and bright pain flares up like an explosion. I scream and sit up, immediately awake from the pain and the rush of adrenaline. Pain! So much pain! ¡°Gaaah!¡± I sit up and look at my hands, but they are inflamed, burned ruins. The skin was burned away and raw flesh is the only thing that remains. Then I remember what I did.


    Surveying my surroundings, I find myself in Nemus''s tower. The three charred and burned corpses are still on the floor. Just a small, protected area around me wasn''t touched by the flames. My throat feels dry and raspy, so I have to gulp several times before I can moisten it with some saliva.


    ¡°The spell worked.¡±


    I get up, wincing at every movement. By using just my elbows, I manage it somehow. My hands hurt so much that cutting them off feels like a less painful solution to my problem.


    The wizard''s tower was conjured from a single piece of stone, so the building took the inferno with stoic ease. I feared that the heat might become enough to damage even the tower. Another factor for my survival was the broken window, which is sufficiently big to let in enough air. It kept me from suffocating. It also helped that I was in the highest room of the tower. Even now, the wind keeps up a nice air circulation.


    The stone mage who summoned the building did a good job.


    The summoning room itself is a charred mess, but I am interested in the storage area which doubles as Nemus''s office. The door to the office is charred, but the heavy security enchantment wasn''t the only thing that secured Nemus''s treasures. The door itself was made from fireproof material, the wood of a krebin-tree.


    At first, I try to kick the door open. It would¡¯ve been nice to go easy on my hands, but the door doesn''t budge. Then I notice that the security enchantments are gone. All mana was burned away by the inferno spell. That leaves the door unlocked and unprotected. There is just one small problem. ¡°Which fucking idiot installed a doorknob on a safety door?¡± I never noticed this serious design flaw before I burned both my hands.


    I use all my willpower to pry open the fingers of my right hand. It doesn''t work at first, so I try again and again. The dry crust above the flesh breaks and blood starts flowing freely from the newly opened wounds. When I finally place my hand on the doorknob, hot tears trickle down my cheeks.


    Turning the knob requires another act of will, but the door opens. I shudder at the thought of repeating the procedure with my other hand. Normally, I would use magic to heal myself, but I am completely drained.


    I''ve no idea how long I slept, but my mind feels so dull that I don''t want to attempt something dangerous like healing magic. So many things can go wrong when a mage uses magic on their own body. Even the strongest wizards of this city went to specialized healers for their rejuvenation treatments. Otherwise they wouldn¡¯t stay young and healthy.


    Besides, there is an option which is almost as good as healing magic. I step into the room and sigh in relief upon seeing that the contents were largely spared. The intense heat singed a small area around the safety door, but nothing flammable was close enough.


    At least Nemus was dutiful when it came to the correct storage of his wizardly belongings. Some of the chemicals in here can be quite dangerous, so it would be criminal not to store them properly.


    I walk to the shelf with the various potions. First, I choose one which assists in numbing pain and disinfecting wounds. Pouring the clear and cool liquid over my hands feels like pure bliss. The pain is replaced by a prickling sensation. My hands feel a little numb, but that''s okay as long as the pain is gone. I take the time to clean the burns as well as possible.


    Feeling more confident in moving my fingers, I take a healing potion and drink it all. Then I open one of the big bottles with regenerative salve and push both my hands into the yellow substance. I don''t know the exact recipe, but I''ve seen it work wonders many times. Handling the salve in such a way will make it useless for further use, but there is more than enough of it in this room.


    Nemus always stored a large stock of medical equipment because he was a poor healer.


    The salve won''t heal me immediately, but the burns will heal in days instead of weeks. The nature of the wounds could''ve killed me in case of an infection. That should no longer be a possibility. I simply have to keep my hands clean from now on.


    I search the shelf with my eyes until I find some clean bandages and gloves to take care of my hands. First, I bandage myself. Then I pull the gloves over the bandages to keep everything clean. Once I''ve had time to rest, I can heal myself. But from now on I am on the run. Who knows what else might happen? I don''t want to lose my hands.


    With that done, I down one of the mana elixirs. Like the salve, it won''t replenish me immediately, but it''ll bring my mind up to speed and help me to regenerate once I sleep. I immediately feel clearer. Alchemy is far from being almighty, but it helps.


    Having used all the drugs which might help in my state, I turn my attention to other issues.


    Ransacking this entire room of everything that''s useful is the next item on my list. My eyes wander to the big, leather backpack. The thing was enchanted by a wizard of the tenth circle with spacial magic. It cost Nemus a small fortune to acquire it.


    On all the worlds I''ve been to so far, such items were standard equipment for every traveller. Not so on this world. Here, the magic to manipulate the space and volume of a three dimensional room is a well kept secret. The few people who know the enchantment can make tons of money by selling their items in limited quantities. Maybe I''ll make the knowledge public once I am out of here.


    It would be fun to watch their economy crumble when, practically overnight, even poor people can easily transport huge amounts of wares wherever they wish. It makes a huge difference when even a lord''s servant can pack up all of his belongings and leave overnight.


    The backpack needs a quick check for damage because it was left in storage for a long time, but the spells on it are untouched. Now assured, I start filling the backpack with everything that''s small enough to fit inside. The shelf with the potions and medical equipment is first, as they strike me as the most useful items.


    I follow up with most of Nemus''s tomes and his wizardly equipment. I find a dagger and a fitting belt to carry it. It was meant for sacrifices, but having a good knife is never wrong.


    What I leave behind isn''t of worth or of immediate usefulness to me. The most important treasure is a large dragon rib. It has the size of an overly large staff and is slightly curved. Dragonbone is one of the most sought after materials on this world. It can be weighed in gold.


    It¡¯s not really the bone of a dragon, but a sturdy metal-carbon alloy. There are very few places in which it can be found. Sadly, this world¡¯s metallurgy isn¡¯t able to reproduce the material. Yet.


    It''s receptive to magical energies and highly durable. Only the best enchanted steel can even hope to scratch something that''s made out of dragonbone and enchanted. Wizards prefer to use dragonbone because it is easier to place permanent enchantments on it. It''s also a status symbol for anyone with magical abilities. A magic user with sufficient skill can shape dragonbone with his mind.


    Nemus had the money to buy dragonbone. He did so by wasting it on this huge piece, just to find out that he is too incompetent to shape the material. I found it funny. He tried for months and all he managed were a few small enchantments. Too proud to walk around with an oversized rib as a staff, he hid it inside this room and never mentioned to anyone that he bought it.


    I am sure that I can put it to good use, once I have the time to shape it.


    I walk around the room, sad that there isn''t any basic survival equipment. After I am sure that there is nothing of value left, I shoulder the backpack and head out. On my way down the stairway, I find out that the rest of the tower is a mess. When something crunches under my boot, I realize that I stepped onto the burned bones of a small child. I smile at the thought that both of Nemus''s brats turned to ash.


    Nothing can stop me from enjoying my new freedom.


    The clinking of golden chains around my neck and on my boobs reminds me that I still look like a sex slave. I remove the piercings from my nipples to get the chains off of me. Then I shove them into the backpack. They are pure gold, so they represent money. Wherever I go, I''ll need money.


    The collar itself doesn''t come off, since the sword-strike bent the opening mechanism. I''ll have to take it off once I regain my strength.


    After some further investigations of the various rooms, I have to admit that the rest of the tower burned out completely. Even the family''s treasure chest was just a large piece of metal which was fused with the ground. I didn''t even try to reclaim it with my wounded hands and without magic. I am sure that it would''ve involved a lot of pain.


    Outside, the streets are filled with ash up to my ankles. The ash is still hot in some places, but the air is clean, except for the strong smell of burned flesh. The wooden buildings are completely gone and even the ones which are made out of stone took a lot of damage. It''s rare to find a building that looks like it can be restored. I walk the streets with the hope of finding something that was left untouched. What I want are clothes and survival equipment.


    On my way, I loot the corpses of several wizards for coin. They are easily recognizable because of their metal trinkets, but all I get are molten lumps of gold and silver. My loot represents a lot of money, but there is no way to use such currency as money at the next city. Everyone would suspect that it came from here.


    After half an hour, I have to admit to myself that my search for decent clothes is a waste of time. The city is in a worse state than the wizard''s tower. Nemus''s storage room was protected against magical accidents. Unless I find a store with similar standards, it''s unlikely that I''ll find anything of use in this huge pile of ash.


    To my knowledge, there is just one place left which surely has at least something of worth to me. I make my way past burned corpses towards the mage citadel. The main government building of Orwen. There I''ll find the city''s greatest treasure, a huge mana stone. It was used to harness energy for the city. Lighting the whole city with magelights took a lot of power. Having an artefact of such strength will help me in my endeavour to take revenge on this world.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    On my way, I encounter not a single soul, which surprises me. I suspected that there would be at least some survivors without magical talent. But the city was so charged with energy that everything flammable was incinerated.


    The citadel itself holds another surprise for me. Compared to the tower, the citadel fared much worse against the flames. It almost looks as if the huge building was torn apart from the inside out. I carefully enter the ruin and search for the reason behind the damage. The tower was in relatively good shape, so I thought that the citadel would have fared at least as well. It was also created with magic after all.


    I find the blue mana stone where it is supposed to be. It stands proudly on its pedestal where the Great Hall was located. Strangely enough, no debris fell onto the area. It looks like this was the centre of the explosion which tore the building apart.


    My steps quicken, but upon coming closer, I realize that my spell was more effective than I thought. The mana stone was a head-sized piece of aquamarine with golden runes embedded on its surface. Now, a huge crack has split it in two. I realize why the citadel looks even worse than the tower. My spell jumped from person to person until it found a huge amount of mana within the stone.


    The heat was so intense that it blew up the citadel and even damaged the legendary artefact. I sigh and put down my backpack. Then I store the stone away. It''s magical properties might be gone, but maybe I am able to repair it.


    At least this place looks like the epicentre of the catastrophe. The Empire will think twice before they use another mana stone in one of their cities. It might give the enemies of the empire an edge. Nobody will connect the catastrophe to Nemus.


    I shoulder the backpack and turn around, just to come face to face with the tip of a staff. It hits me on the forehead and for a short moment the lights go out.


    ¡°What''s wrong with you Marv? Can''t you see that she is a slave? And a sex-goddess on top of that. How can you damage such a face? It''s a sin!¡±


    ¡°Aw, shut up. Don''t you find it strange that she is the only survivor we encountered so far? Get her up and we''ll bring her to the captain.¡±


    Rough hands grab me at my arms and haul me back to my feet. Then I am dragged across the ground.


    ¡°Take the backpack. I am sure that she is a looter.¡±


    I groan and open my eyes. The left one feels swollen and I can''t open it completely. Though I can see enough to judge my situation. My assailants are four soldiers in imperial red and blue uniforms. They wear light leather armour.


    I could curse myself for my lack of attention. It was so clear that someone on the outskirts of the city would survive and call for help. There is a garrison just a few hours towards the border. They must have sent people to investigate as soon as they heard about the inferno.


    They pull me towards the big plaza in front of the citadel, where a man on a lemu is waiting. My head is still ringing, so I don¡¯t put up a fight.


    Lemus are the most important riding animals in this world. They are essentially big, green lizards. The captain looks highly displeased upon noticing the approach of the first soldier. ¡°Didn''t I tell you just five minutes ago to search for clues? Nobody allowed you to return before an hour of searching.¡±


    ¡°Yes, captain! But we captured a survivor.¡± The man who struck me with his staff points at me. I think they called him Marv.


    ¡°She looks like a slave, but she was at the centre of the citadel,¡± adds the soldier who has my backpack.


    They bring me in front of the captain and he studies me with displeasure in his eyes. ¡°Definitely a slave. Look at her collar.¡± He dismounts to take a closer look at me. ¡°What about her hands?¡±


    One of the soldiers pulls off the glove with the bandages and I scream in pain. He definitely wasn''t gentle.


    The captain pulls a grimace. ¡°Must hurt like fuck. Force her to her knees. I''ll heal the wounds. It won''t be pretty, but at least she won''t die on the way back to the garrison. If someone wants to use her later on, they can bring her to a professional in order to clean up the scars.¡±


    They force me down to my knees with my hands towards the captain. Marv rips off my other glove, causing even more pain. I silently swear to myself that Marv won''t survive the day. The captain mumbles a few words and I feel his magic latching onto me. I am still weak, so it''s unbelievably hard to mount any sort of defence. Then I scream and wriggle in pain as the healing magic accelerates my body¡¯s natural healing abilities.


    I try to wriggle away, but the soldiers hold me in place, showing absolutely no mercy.


    The captain''s healing spell is indeed third rate healing magic. All it''s good for, is to quickly patch someone up during a battle. My skin crawls back up my hands, and scars over in less than a minute. They are still holding me when the captain is done. He didn''t even bother to clean my hands, so my skin grew over some threads from the bandages. It will take me days to even out the damage he did with that spell.


    Suddenly he frowns and steps closer to lift my chin. His eyes latch onto the damaged collar. ¡°She is-¡±


    I scream and lunge forward, biting into his hand. Pushing against my captors, I bring my legs forward and close them around his hips. I move my teeth in a sawing motion and blood fills my mouth. Being so close, I feel his mana pool and siphon off as much as I can.


    ¡°Get her off! Get the mad bitch off of me!¡± He screams and weakens while I get stronger, the soldiers scream, everyone screams. Except for me; I have my mouth full. They try to separate us, but I hold onto him like a leech that found a source of blood. I drain his energy and send it through my body and to my muscles.


    I lock my legs even tighter until there is a satisfying ¡®crack¡¯!


    The soldiers don''t have any magical talent, but the captain had enough mana for me to work with. The guy with the staff batters it onto the back of my head once, twice, and a third time. With the fourth attempt it breaks. Now that I have at least a little magic, it doesn''t bother me at all. All I have to do is to channel mana through my body and to my skin. This basic defensive move is enough to stop most normal attacks.


    I force my hands together and throw off the two guys who are holding me. The captain falls on his back, hitting me with his free hand. I land on top of him. Seeing the tip of the broken staff next to his head, I grab it and jab it into the captain''s throat, just to rip it out sideways. His eyes widen in shock and disbelief, but he quickly loses his consciousness when his blood pressure drops to lethal levels.


    I open my jaw and spit out the blood, then I get to my feet. Having dealt with the only real danger, I turn around and throw myself at Marv.


    Taking away his broken staff is like wrestling away the lolly of a child. He holds onto it with all his might, but he isn''t a magician. I jab a finger deep into his eye and wriggle it around, mashing up his brain.


    Then I notice that the guy who has my backpack is running away. I throw the broken staff at him, propelling it forward with a little kick of force magic. The piece of wood turns into a horrifying projectile and rips right through his leather armour. It goes completely through and out the other side. He falls and stops his own momentum with his face on the ground.


    I turn around and face the two who were holding me. They are in the process of getting back to their feet, so I kick the left one, sending him back to the ground. The other draws his sword, but I crush his windpipe with a spell, causing him to drop the weapon.


    Then I draw the dagger from my belt and ram it into his chest. Pulling it out, I barely avoid the spear of the other guy. He is still on his knees, but didn''t accept defeat. I throw the dagger and it embeds itself in his throat. He gurgles and in his panic he pulls it out. Exactly the wrong move.


    While he gets back to his feet, I walk backwards and out of his range. Not giving up, he follows me five steps. Then his eyes turn upwards until only the white is visible. A moment later, he topples over and lies still.


    I survey the scene for several long moments. ¡°Shit. There is no way to cover this up. Whoever finds this will think that the soldiers encountered the one who caused this.¡± Or maybe I am too paranoid. They could''ve been attacked by bandits who came into the city in order to loot anything of worth. But mere bandits wouldn''t manage to kill a mage like the captain. He was weak and badly trained, but a mage is a mage.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± I curse and hurry to gather all my things. All I need are a few days of recovery and small fry like these guys aren''t even a problem. But no! I wake up to freedom and am attacked right away. No rest for the righteous!


    I cover myself with the captain''s cloak. In my paranoia, I gather everything I touched and strip one of the men for his clothes. If I don''t get decent clothes on a silver platter, then I can at least improvise something with his uniform. Though the ridiculous red and blue will stand out anywhere. I even hack off the captain''s hand, the one I bit, and stuff it into my backpack.


    During the entire procedure, the stupid lemu watches me with big eyes. I wish that lemus were carnivores. Then I could have fed the hand to him instead of sullying the backpack. But no! Lemus have to be herbivores! Just my luck.


    For a change, I don''t get interrupted by returning soldiers, but I am still painfully aware that there must be more of them out there. A plan takes form in my mind and I decide to be bold by using the stolen uniform. Then I mount the lemu.


    The plan was to ride out of the town as if it was my right to do so, waving off any soldiers I encounter. Apparently, the lemu doesn''t know the plan, since it doesn''t move an inch. ¡°Go! H¨¹hopp! Yala!¡± I give it the spurs, but nothing helps. ¡°Run, or I''ll cut off the tip of your tail!¡± The stupid animal is in charge and it decides not to move at all. ¡°I hate everything that''s bigger than a cat.¡±


    Then I notice the two long tentacles which are coming out of the side of the lemu''s head. They are more like earlobes, but I remember seeing riders holding onto them when they rode through the city. I reach forward and grab the two appendages, finding out that they are more like leather than flesh.


    When I pull, the lemu jumps forward and almost throws me off. Clenching my teeth, I hold onto the animal. It''s legs flail in a comical motion as it runs, but the saddle stays relatively still compared to the erratic movements of the rest of the animal.


    On my way out of the city, I encounter only one group of soldiers. They call out to me, but they are too far away to identify me. I simply wave a hand to reassure them and ride on. The lemu and I leave the city without further complications.


    In the north of the city, in direction of the garrison, I notice an army camp. Of course, I do my best to stay as far away as possible and guide the lemu into the forest which covers the foot of the Lahil mountains.


    My first goal is to leave the empire. I have to train in order to regain all my power. Once I''ve recovered from my existence as a slave, the people of this world will learn what it means to anger a being like me. But first I have to escape the soldiers. It would be too comfortable to ride along the foot of the mountain and hope to sneak past the garrison. After Orwen''s fall they will be on high alert. I have no illusions about taking that route without getting into trouble.


    That leaves the way directly across the mountains and into Alliance territory. I''ve heard that there are some paths which can be taken by small groups, but not by an army. Unfortunately, I never got to see the world outside Orwen, so I have to play it by instinct.


    My attention turns to the large satchels which are hanging down the lemu''s flanks. And with some luck I even stole some survival equipment from the captain.


    But I manage to abstain from checking the satchels. First, I want to put as much distance as possible between the soldiers and myself. Instead of taking a path through the underbrush, I opt for the wide and open areas. After all, I''ve no idea how the lemu deals with problematic terrain. In my eighty years as a slave I learned a lot about the world, but I did so by listening to conversations. Not by experience.


    My greatest fear is that my imperial accent will cause me trouble in the Alliance. But from what I heard, they use the same language. That''s a small relief.


    I ride for the rest of the day, always keeping a wary eye on what''s behind me. Something tells me that someone must have seen me when I left the city. I had to cross a large piece of open fields and I can''t believe that the army didn''t have the city watched from the outside while their soldiers went in.


    But maybe they had other worries than to hunt down a single mystery person. Maybe my ruse worked so well that the watchers didn''t even think to investigate a lone soldier who rode into the woods. ¡°Maybe they thought I am just a deserter. That the Alliance would catch me anyway on my way over the border.¡±


    I try to make up reasons for the lack of pursuit as I make camp in a well protected part of the forest''s underbrush. After making sure that my fire can''t be seen from more than a few metres away, I cook the only food I have.


    The captain''s hand.


    The satchels had a tent, cooking gear and a mattress, so I won''t get cold during the night. Sadly, my paranoia didn''t allow me to stop and hunt for food. But it seems like nobody is coming after me.


    The lemu lies down next to the fire and watches me with huge, accusing eyes. It''s as if he wants to tell me that killing its master and then eating him is totally unacceptable.


    ¡°You are not going to give me a lesson about morals.¡± I won''t waste a piece of perfectly fine flesh when I am tired and beaten. I have to use every chance I get to regenerate. And that means that I won''t go hungry even for a single day if I can avoid it.


    I''ve already committed cannibalism in my life. Many times. As long as human meat is cooked well, it''s bearable. A little chewy and a lot of skin, especially on a hand, but that''s okay.


    When I am done, I settle down and look at the night sky with its many stars. That''s the only beautiful thing about low-tech civilisations. They all have these impossibly bright stars without all the light pollution from nearby cities.


    I close my eyes and sleep like a baby. Today was the best day in my life.

 3. ~Borderland~

    ¡°Living always meant killing the weak.¡±


    ***Borderlands***


    ***Slave***


    The next morning, I wake up with the rising sun and feeling well rested. I even feel almost like a human being. After relieving myself, I get the camp cleaned up and drink one more mana potion. The one I drunk yesterday helped and I think that I am now up to stretching my magical muscles. The fact that I drained the captain also helped in restoring my energies.


    Afterwards, I invest the time to gather enough firewood to fill the remaining space inside the magical backpack. I doubt that there will be any wood on the mountain and I want to use my power for something else than to heat up stones.


    But first, I want to get onto the mountain and reach open terrain. I am on the run and I shouldn''t dismiss the possibility that I was followed. They could be searching the forest right this moment. Once I am on the mountain, I''ll be able to see an enemy coming from far away. I am much more comfortable with that than with being jumped in this forest.


    On my way through the forest, I take it slow this time. I use every chance to catch small critters like birds, rodents and other animals which draw my attention. The biggest one that shows itself is of the size of a small pig and looks like a cross between a bunny and a deer. I don¡¯t know what it¡¯s called, but meat is meat. Animals are easy to hunt with magic. All I have to do, is to pick up a pebble and head-shot everything that shows itself.


    Sadly, the animals of the forest must have a hidden communication network. By midday, not even the birds come close enough for me to shoot them. Nobody ever said that wild animals are stupid. But I am satisfied with what I have. My catch should be enough to keep me fed for three or four days. That''s more than enough to cross the mountain.


    As I travel higher, I leave the trees behind and then the underbrush is replaced by grass and moss. I am heading across the right flank of the mountain, towards a ridge that looks easier to cross than the high peaks. My position allows me a nice view of what''s going on beneath me.


    Orwen is quite some distance behind me. The black, charred scar in the land is huge. With over two hundred thousand citizens, Orwen was one of the biggest cities in the known world. It was located at the mouth of a large valley between two mountain ranges. These mountains are separating the Empire from its enemies, the Alliance and the Murian Sociocracy.


    With a standing force of over fifty thousand soldiers and a whole city filled with mages, Orwen could hold the valley against anything the Alliance might throw at the empire. Now that Orwen and its army is gone, the entire region is a large vacuum of power. The door stands wide open for the Alliance to walk in and take the valley. If they secure the area on the other side of the mountain, they are in a perfect position to strike deep into the heart of the empire.


    My eyes wander over the valley and onto the advanced garrison which is holding the border. Without the city behind them, they''ll have to retreat sooner or later. The other option is that the Empire sends support from the surrounding villages. Though such support will be costly and would deplete the villages¡¯ resources sooner or later. Orwen''s magical infrastructure was unique.


    The no-man''s-land between the garrison and another set of buildings on the Alliance''s side is interesting. The blighted land is marred with craters and mud. ¡°So that''s the Eternal Battlefield?¡± I mumble. People often talked about the stretch of land between the empire and the Alliance.


    The Empire and the Alliance have been in a de facto state of war for generations. The mountains are separating the two sides, so the conflict is restricted to this easily passable valley. Leading an army over the mountains was tried many times, but even if you do get an army to the other side, supplies become a problem. Such attacks are usually repelled within a few weeks.


    As I watch the scene, a lance of fire shoots out of the garrison and strikes a spot on the battlefield, creating another crater. I am too far away to see their target, but I suppose that it was a lone scout who raised his head too high and was seen. A large mass of people would be easily recognizable. I wonder how long it will take for the Alliance to realize that the garrison is on its own. Once they do, they¡¯ll surely gather troops to overrun the imperial position.


    I urge the lemu on and we continue on our way up the mountain. When I find a wind-protected cleft between the rocks, I set up camp. I am still below the snow-zone and I want to use the first light tomorrow to cross that area in one go.


    In the remaining time I can use the chance to improve my equipment. First thing on the list is to improve my clothes. The uniform I am wearing is flabby in some places and tight in others. Another important point is to break the lock of my collar. I accomplish both tasks in a reasonable amount of time. Breaking the lock is actually the easier one.


    I am not a good tailor, so the improvised robe and trousers I end up with aren''t exactly the work of a designer. The most important point is that the new clothes don''t look like an imperial uniform. I spend a lot of time with modifying all my gear, removing any sign of the imperial military. Then I bury everything that¡¯s compromising under a large piece of stone.


    When I am done, the sun is already setting and I am tired. But there is one more thing to do. I rummage through my backpack, disappearing inside it with my whole upper body. Then I pull out the large dragon rib. I pat the lemu''s head. My companion settled down next to the campfire. His warm body is a nice pillow to lean against. The downside is that he stinks.


    In this case I don''t care because I don''t smell good either.


    I settle down and study the large piece of bone. It''s large, but not enough for a full set of equipment. Maybe I should make one weapon and something that protects my vital areas? I close my eyes and infuse the bone with my power. Then I form a clear image of what I want in my head.


    It takes a while to get it right, but it''s a good training. After an hour of failed attempts, the bone starts flowing like clay between my fingers. First, I form a piece of moderate chest armour. It''s not very thick, but the sturdy nature of dragonbone should give me enough protection. All it has to do, is to protect me from a lethal blow when I get caught off guard.


    When I am at full strength, I should be able to heal most wounds that aren''t instantly lethal.


    I reinforce the area where my heart is located. Another vital point that¡¯s important to me is my spine. I design a set of interlocking plates which run downwards from the back of my neck. At first I have problems connecting the plates without restricting my movement, but it¡¯s just a matter of time until I¡¯ve solved the problem to my satisfaction.


    Instead of a helmet, I opt for a white mask. I am working with limited materials, so encasing my whole body with armour isn¡¯t an option. I chose the mask because it protects my face. Additionally, since it is in front of my face, it¡¯s easier to enchant it with various detection spells like night vision and enhanced senses.


    Lastly, I am faced with my ruined hands. They are so mangled that I actually consider cutting them off and regrowing everything from scratch. Sadly, that isn¡¯t an option in my state. I wince and pull one of the fibres out of my skin. These idiots should¡¯ve cleaned the wounds first.


    With having access to a freely mouldable material, an idea strikes me. I search for a large, flat stone, of which there are plenty, and cut my finger. Then I draw the magical circle which is supposed to fuse the dragonbone with my skin.


    I can heal myself and get a permanent upgrade at the same time.


    My first idea to create something like armoured gloves quickly goes out the window when I have a better idea. I can avoid the whole design problem if I instruct the spell to create scales. The magic doesn¡¯t care how big or how small I make them, so if I make them as small as possible, I should be able to retain my sense of touch. That¡¯s vastly superior to a clunky glove.


    I fiddle with the details of the ritual until I am satisfied, then I place a generous piece of dragonbone on the stone with the magical circle. I drew the circle with my own blood, so using the circle to guide my magic must be possible. With both of my hands on the stone, I invoke the spell.


    At first, nothing happens. Then the bone starts flowing up my hands and I feel a prickling sensation as the magic fuses the bone with my skin and evens out the scarred tissue.


    Normally, healing the scars would have taken me days, but the spell practically rebuilds my skin as a whole.


    After a few minutes, the pull on my magic stops and I inspect the result. From afar, my hands look almost normal, because the scales are so small. I have to hold my hands very close to my face in order to see the scales. The only issue is that my hands are now paler than the rest of my body. And my fingernails are completely white.


    Hmmm. The spell replaced my fingernails completely with dragonbone. I admit that I didn¡¯t think about my nails when I created the spell matrix. What happens when they grow? A shudder runs down my spine. This experiment could have gone horribly wrong!


    A spell matrix that isn¡¯t guided down to the last detail can do anything. In this case, it covered for the missing instructions by fusing the bone with my nails. I¡¯ll have to observe carefully if this creates problems later on.


    I swear to myself not to use my own body for experiments while I am tired. There should be enough unwilling guinea pigs in this world. No reason to risk my own life.


    Another idea comes to mind and I concentrate. My fingernails lengthen a little. Not unreasonably long, but the normal, long fingernails of a woman who takes pride in such things. Then I strike at the stone in front of me and create five deep scratches. A smile steals itself onto my lips. ¡°I guess I am the only female in this world who doesn¡¯t have to worry about split or broken nails.¡±


    Okay. That sounded entirely too cheerful. The whole ''freedom'' thing is fucking with my mind.


    The scales are now covering my arms up to my elbows. I could try to protect my whole body in such a way, but the risks don¡¯t outweigh the gains. I am quite sure that this form of protection isn¡¯t as sturdy as five millimetres of solid dragonbone. And in case that it turns out that something went wrong, I can still cut off my hands.


    I study the remaining piece of dragonbone. It¡¯s about fifty centimetres long. If I make it hollow, it would be enough for a staff. Ok, maybe not. More like a quarterstaff. I could use it to make a full helmet out of my mask, but a real weapon would be nice.


    After my long slavery, I have to retrain all my weapon-skills anyway, so the choice of weapon comes down to what I prefer. Most magic users I know of would choose a staff.


    In absence of a clear idea, I simply allow my creativity to run rampant. What I end up with, is a strange combination of a sceptre and a sword. It has an oversized handle with a straight blade attached to it.


    I am not happy with the outcome, but I feel too tired to go on. The sun has already set and the fire is my only source of light, so I decide to call it a day. I lean back against the lemu and close my eyes.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    The new dawn wakes me up. I yawn and stretch my limbs, then I climb onto a nearby rock to take a look around. There is no change to the valley and I can¡¯t sense anyone nearby. After a last look at the blackened spot where Orwen was, I hurry to get all my gear ready.


    I attach the white mask to my belt and pack everything else into my backpack. The sceptre-sword-thing I created is another matter. I sigh at the sight of it. This is by no means a practical weapon. I have to copy a real weapon once I reach the next town.


    The lemu doesn¡¯t protest when I urge it to climb the mountain instead of going down into the forest. Luckily, I found out that it is quite content with eating the firewood I brought with me. I honestly forgot about the stupid animal. No wonder that the lemu became the dominant draught animals on this world.


    A map which I found inside the satchel is also a big help. Not only does it show imperial positions and cities, but also quite a few border towns of the Alliance. Once I get down the mountain, I¡¯ve to pass through a high moor. That will take me about a day. On the other side is Tarin, a border town which doubles as a garrison for troops. It¡¯ll be a first test of my ability to function in society.


    The lemu stops on a small snowfield, facing a cliff. It¡¯s about a hundred metres high and would pose a serious problem to any normal person. I smile and place a hand on the lemu¡¯s neck. Then I use force magic to negate our weight.


    Of course the animal panics as we float upwards and over the edge, but I ignore it. The lemu can¡¯t do anything except flail with its limbs. What greets me on the other side of the mountain is a beautiful, green land with many forests and grassy fields. There is also the high moor which I have to pass before I reach the city.


    I land us on a scree which is stretching out above the high moor. The slope looks like the lemu can take it from there on. Letting go of the magic feels better than I anticipated. Apparently, my little trick scraped at my limits. I really have to learn how much I can do.


    Using magic isn¡¯t an exact science. No mage knows exactly how much power they are able to wield. It¡¯s a lot like using a muscle. No bodybuilder can say how many times he can lift the bar. He might manage it ten times on an average day and only eight times if he has a bad day.


    I lean forward and wrap the lemu¡¯s earlobes around the wrists of my hand. ¡°Now it¡¯s your turn while I take a nap.¡±


    Closing my eyes, I allow the lemu to find its own way. I found out that the animal will keep walking approximately straight forward while someone holds onto the strange appendages. A very convenient thing for the rider.


    Except for some pauses, I spend most of the day in the saddle and allow the lemu its own pace. I am afraid that it might wreck the animal if I push it too hard. It turns out that my estimation of distance didn¡¯t take the terrain into account. We advance slowly and I have to re-estimate my arrival at Tarin. It¡¯ll add another day to the trip.


    It¡¯s at the end of the second day when I notice that I am not alone in the moor. The traces of magic are faint, but there are at least two other groups shadowing me. I do nothing to inform them that I know of their presence.


    One of the two groups is rather large, with at least three magic users and seven normal people among them. They are also the ones who are clearly following my trail. But they aren¡¯t what concerns me. The second group behind them could be much more troublesome.


    I had the better part of the day to try out my mask¡¯s boost to my senses. The second group has at least four strong magic users and a fifth person who feels strange. It may be one of the rumoured ability users which I heard about. Back in Orwen, I learned that there are several sorts of gifted people in this world. The two largest groups are magicians and ability users. Ability users can¡¯t use their mana pool freely, but their instinctive grasp on magic allows them to master certain aspects of it beyond imagination. One might call them masters of a single field, hence ability users.


    Given the right ability, such people can be quite dangerous.


    In the evening, I notice that the lemu is getting tired. Since I don¡¯t want to abandon the good natured animal, my only choice is to make camp in a well hidden area. I have to hope that my followers are just following my tracks and don¡¯t actually sense my magic. But if they do, it would mean that I have to fight them anyway. Possibly in the dark when I am tired.


    I don¡¯t like the odds.


    And there is also the second, stronger group which is following behind them. With a little luck I might get the chance to play them against each other and escape. Though if they are allies I am surely fucked.


    ¡°And another day of choosing between bad and worse. I hope you appreciate that I want to keep you for a while longer, stupid animal.¡±


    I pull at the earlobe and reach for the mask to put it on. My vision sharpens instantly and I feel a slight tug on my magic. It¡¯s just enough that I don¡¯t want to wear the mask permanently, but the buff which it provides during a battle is worth it.


    I trace a finger through the air and erect two barriers. One against physical objects and a second one against magic. Then I pull the hood over my head and wait for my pursuers.


    The larger group catches up soon afterwards. They are riding on their own lemus and appear out of the moor''s dead underbrush. The normal warriors encircle me in a choreographed move which tells me that they''ve done this many times. But I intentionally stopped next to one of the boggy areas. So unless one of them wants to risk getting stuck, they can¡¯t surround me completely. I like it to have a free back.


    ¡°You were right about the fresh tracks. It¡¯s just sad that we caught a freak. Hahahaha!¡± One of the three magicians speaks to a man without any magical talent as far as I can tell. Unlike the warriors, the magicians kept their distance.


    I raise the sceptre and lower my voice, hoping that my imperial accent isn¡¯t too deeply rooted inside me. That one sentence told me that the Empire and the Alliance have some quite different sounding inflections. ¡°What do you want?¡±


    A rather dirty looking individual chuckles. ¡°Look! The chick is trying to intimidate us. Don¡¯t worry honey. I would recognize a woman¡¯s curves under any coat. Why don¡¯t you take off that freaky mask? We might even leave you alive if you satisfy us.¡±


    I feel the corners of my lips curling downwards and abandon the deep voice. ¡°If I have to touch you at all, then it''ll only be to spill your innards all over this moor.¡±


    One of the three magicians makes a short gesture to shut up the other two. ¡°She is a mage, so don¡¯t make mistakes.¡± He turns to me. ¡°Gal, let¡¯s speak clearly. I feel that you are powerful, but I don¡¯t think that you can take all of us. Especially not if the three of us block your spells while our people drag you off your mount.¡±


    I shrug. ¡°You can try, but I wonder how long it will take you? Maybe the party which is following you since this morning catches up by that point. They are just a few minutes behind you.¡±


    One of the other two mages turns to face their leader. ¡°See? I told you that someone is following us!¡±


    The leader stops him with a gesture. ¡°Stop your fantasies! The city would never send soldiers up here to protect some stupid miners. They aren¡¯t worth the money. You are just imagining our pursuers!¡±


    So they aren¡¯t in league with the other group. I grin beneath my mask. If I am not totally unlucky and got followed by two groups of bandits, then I don''t have to fight the second group.


    He points at me. ¡°Get her!¡±


    Two of the mages blast me with their pure power, which causes a prickling sensation all over my skin. Their attack doesn''t cause me any harm, but I have to admit that it is a very effective method to stop me from using magic. It''s the same technique which I used on my former owner.


    It''s simplicity makes it so useful. The whole concept is to flood the area with your energy in order to stop anyone from creating a spell matrix. If this is done by a strong enough individual, the interference makes it almost impossible to cast a spell.


    I pull on the lemu''s earlobe and roll myself off the animal as it charges into two of the bandits.


    Staying low to the ground, I use my sceptre to poke the leg of another lemu. The animal screams and throws off its rider.


    ¡°Again! She is still using body enhancement.¡± The mages double their efforts. It''s a lot harder to stop someone from using his power internally. With the three of them, they might even manage it. Normally, they would have to get personal to attempt to subdue my internal magic. In this case they have numbers on their side.


    I pull my dagger and throw it at the mage who was able to sense their pursuers. He strikes me as more competent than the leader. Given enough time, he might come up with something to stop me. The dagger hits his shoulder and he screams, but doesn''t go down.


    Though, he got distracted and the magical pressure eases, creating a chance for me. I propel myself forward and hack at one of the mounted bandits, opening a big gash in his thigh. Except for the two bandits who were thrown off their lemus by my companion, they are still on their lemus. I decide to use that and retreat into the bog.


    One of them decides to follow me, but his lemu gets stuck in the morass and falls. The lemus are too heavy, so their feet sink much deeper into the muddy ground. I just have to hope that I don''t get stuck myself.


    The bandits grumble and get off their mounts. Then they follow me on foot. The first one who comes into reach turns out to be a decent swordsman. We trade a few quick blows and it becomes apparent that I am not his equal.


    He locks blades with me and tries to wring the sceptre out of my hand. The fact that he is trying to take me alive costs him his life in turn. They may stop me from using magic, but they can''t completely shut down something as simple as moving mana through my muscles. I am still stronger than a normal person.


    I lash out and rake my fingernails over his face, clawing out his eyes and a lot of flesh. He screams and goes down.


    Somehow, I can free my weapon and swing it like a mace at the next bandit. The first one was a seasoned warrior, so I won''t take my chances in another battle of skill. By swinging my weapon with all my might, I can keep them at a distance.


    He is quick and manages a shallow cut on my forearm. But the scales rob him of his triumph. He doesn''t draw blood. Another quick jab scrapes over my mask. A third cut on my left thigh draws blood. On the other side, all I have to do is to land a single blow and he will go down.


    That''s when an arrow digs itself into the neck of the unwounded subordinate mage. He fumbles at his neck and gasps for air until he falls out of the saddle. I immediately feel the weight on me lessen. My swings become quicker and more powerful. The bandit who is fighting me also realized that and a hint of fear appears on his face.


    Several bandits turn to face the five people who are rapidly closing in on our location.


    The leading mage turns to face the new threat. With that, the wounded mage is the only one who keeps me in check. But he alone isn¡¯t enough to even the fight with the normal bandits. My sceptre flies from left to right and my opponent somehow redirects and evades by pure instinct. Then he can''t keep up any longer and my weapon cleaves through his chest.


    One of new arrivals, a guy in plate armour, charges right into the bandits and collides with the leader. Their lemus moan in pain, but the knight stays in his saddle. He raises his sword and points it at the leader. ¡°Ray of light!¡±


    A sudden flash of light leaves me blinded. I curse at the stupidity of using such a spell. Did he intend to kill me? The bandit who was facing me wasn¡¯t affected at all. If it hadn''t been for the sensory input of my mask, the third bandit would''ve overwhelmed me right then and there.


    More arrows fly and those bandits who are able to, hurry to find cover. The archer is a blonde with long ears. A genuine elf.


    Another new arrival enters the fight with unexpected ferocity. He is a short man with a halberd. His physique has more in common with a barrel than with a human. But that doesn¡¯t mean that he is slow. His halberd whirls around like a deadly whip, creating silvery after-images. One of the bandits gets too close and is cleaved in two.


    I recognize the fourth person as the one who felt strange. It¡¯s a brunette woman with long, furry ears. She whistles and a large bird which rested on her shoulder sets out to attack the bandits. Besides the lemu, there is also a rather large wolf at her side.


    The last person is a man in a combination of leather armour and a robe. Unlike the others, he holds back and watches the fight.


    Upon realizing that they are losing the battle, the wounded mage-bandit yells out a spell and gestures at me. I raise my hand and pour all my power into my barrier. Not a second too soon, because blue lightning bolts shoot straight at me. But they dance harmlessly over my shield and create a blue, rippling effect as the two spells interact.


    I clench my teeth in concentration and redirect the energy into the water. The two bandits who are with me inside the bog scream and twitch as the energy fries their nervous systems. That¡¯s when an arrow hits the last mage in the back and he falls out of his saddle.


    The bandit leader fell a few moments earlier against the guy in plate armour. The knight stuck his sword through the bandit¡¯s chest.


    Without combatants, the battlefield is suddenly very still. Except for moaning behind me. I turn around to find the man whose face I scratched stumbling towards me. He is blindly feeling around, searching for something to hold onto.


    I take the sceptre with both hands and lop off his head in a single, clean strike. Breathing heavily, I return my attention to the five people who helped me out. The only question in my mind is if I have to fight them too.


    The lean man who held back earlier, rides closer and smiles. He has short, brown hair. ¡°You don¡¯t have to fear anything from us. I am Tristen, the leader of this party. We have been hunting these men for two days. May I know why you are out here in the wilderness all alone?¡±


    I mull for several long moments over his words. Then I lower my weapon just a bit. ¡°Call me Joyce. I am a miner.¡±


    Tristen raises his eyebrows. ¡°Excuse me, but aren¡¯t you a mage? Why should a mage mine for copper ore in these mountains?¡±


    I lower the sceptre and try to imitate his accent. ¡°I am not mining for copper. I am using my gift to search for crystals and other valuable minerals. The profession is quite lucrative if I don¡¯t get mugged by bandits.¡±


    His eyes wander over the bodies which are swimming in the bog all around me. Then he grins. ¡°Looks more like you are the one who mugged them.¡±

 4. ~Others~

    ¡°A monstrous mind inside a beautiful body.¡±


    ***Borderlands***


    ***Joyce***


    Tristen clears his throat. ¡°Allow me to introduce the others.¡± He turns around and points at the idiot in plate armour. ¡°That¡¯s Brian, a paladin.¡± The man takes off his helmet and reveals blonde hair and a freckled face.


    I squint my eyes at the idiot who almost killed me. He doesn¡¯t even have the courtesy to greet me properly. Instead, he just waves his hand at me.


    Tristen points at the small man who looks like a barrel. His face is as stocky as his body and he wears his brown hair in a single, long braid. ¡°That¡¯s Halberd, pikeman. Though he wields his halberd like an axe.¡±


    The little man raises his stubby nose and grunts. He returns my glare. ¡°Before you try to turn my name into a joke... They call me Halberd because you surface people can¡¯t pronounce my real name.¡±


    Next, is the woman who commands the wolf and the bird. Her pointy, furry ears are a mystery to me. Her curly hair has several shades of brown. Totally unlike any human I¡¯ve ever seen. Now that I get a closer look, I also notice a big crossbow on her back. ¡°This is Kiara, beastmaster and our tracker.¡±


    I eye the grey direwolf with suspicion. I am no friend of dogs. They are simply too submissive and always expect their master to solve their problems. The bird is equally worrisome. It¡¯s huge and looks like an eagle, but it¡¯s completely black. Nobody seems to be troubled by the fact that the freaky animal is picking out the eye of a dead bandit. It gulps and the eyeball is gone.


    ¡°Lastly, we have Faevalur, or just Fae.¡± Tristen gestures at the blonde archer. ¡°Fae is pretty good when it comes to sneaking around, so calling her a rogue is as good as anything else.¡±


    I nod and return my attention to the beastmaster. I get a strange vibe from her. She is neither a magic user, nor a normal person. In Orwen, I met such people from time to time, but they just rushed past me on the streets. I never got the chance to meet one of them.


    It also seems like they have no problems with beings from different races. At least they didn¡¯t see the need to point it out. Back in the empire, especially in Orwen, there are only humans. Belonging to another race automatically lowers a person¡¯s status below a slave¡¯s. Actually, animals get a better treatment than most non-humans.


    Contrary to the Empire, I¡¯ve heard that the Allied Lands are made up by a multitude of races. Now I get to see it with my own eyes.


    ¡°I understand.¡± I wade out of the bog and head to my lemu. He took two of the bandits out of their saddles, but I don¡¯t see any wounds on him. ¡°You survived. I didn¡¯t expect that.¡± The lemu lowers his head as if he is dissatisfied that the bandits didn¡¯t get me.


    Having checked on my equipment, I return my attention to my new acquaintances. Tristen, Fae and Kiara are watching me, while Halberd and Brian started the gruesome task of collecting the heads of the bandits. ¡°Do you get paid for those?¡±


    Tristen raises an inquisitive eyebrow. ¡°Indeed, even though it isn¡¯t much. We are adventurers and are travelling through this region. The nearby city gave out a quest to stop the bandit attacks. Since our party has the necessary set of skills, we decided to earn some coin while we wait for our equipment to be repaired.¡±


    He studies me for several moments while his men are busy with chopping off heads. ¡°Excuse me if this sounds too intrusive, but what¡¯s a lonely beastman miner doing out here. You look like you went through a lot. It doesn¡¯t fit the fact that you are carrying a weapon made of dragonbone.¡±


    And I already look suspicious. Great!


    There is even more dragonbone on me than he can see. The armour is mostly hidden under my torn clothes. I look down at my own body. The bandits managed a little more than a few cuts. They turned my poorly made outfit into nothing more than rags. If I add the dirt of my travels, blood and the bog¡¯s mud, I really look like a beggar.


    But I can steer the conversation to safe waters.


    I fixate them with my eyes. ¡°I just returned from a two month journey through these mountains and intended to sell my goods. Searching for minerals takes a lot of time and sometimes I need even more time to unearth them. It¡¯s a hard life, but I chose it of my free will and it earns well. The fact that I was attacked by bandits didn¡¯t help. And I am not a beastman. How would you even get the idea?¡± I take off the mask.


    That causes a few raised eyebrows. Tristen points at my hands. ¡°They look strange. I thought you are from the lizard tribe.¡±


    He has good eyes. I make a dismissive gesture. ¡°That¡¯s a protective spell. I fused the dragonbone with my skin.¡± There is no reason to lie about it. In Orwen there were many wizards who used magic to enhance their bodies.


    Now it¡¯s Fae who doesn¡¯t want to drop the issue. ¡°That¡¯s a high level of skill. A little too high for a wandering mage. Are you sure that there isn¡¯t more to your story?¡±


    I snort and swing myself up into the lemu¡¯s saddle. ¡°I don¡¯t think that my story is of any concern to you. My lifestyle forced me to wield my powers perfectly. Otherwise I would already be a rotting corpse in the wild.¡±


    Tristen smiles again. ¡°Forgive us. We didn¡¯t expect to encounter anyone out here. If you are willing to wait for a few more moments, then you can return to the town with us. It¡¯s much safer that way.¡±


    I play with the thought. In the end, I have to agree that it would only benefit me. These people might let something slip that helps me later on in my role as a miner. I can hone my story with them and they can show me the easiest way to Tarin. Hell, I already look suspicious. ¡°Fine, I guess that I can wait for a few minutes.¡±


    Kiara smiles. ¡°I like her. It would never cross her mind to take shit from us, even though we saved her life.¡±


    I purse my lips. ¡°Who says that you saved my life? The way I see it, I baited the bandits for you. I could have run away any time I wanted, but didn¡¯t want to give up on my lemu and the work of two months.¡±


    ¡°Your greed could¡¯ve cost you your life.¡± Halberd returns from his work with a jute bag. The red stains on it are growing, so I can guess at what¡¯s inside. ¡°And you are a miner for a living. Are you sure that you aren¡¯t a dwarf? If you were a little shorter, I would ask you to marry me.¡±


    ¡°No, thanks. I¡¯ve already had my share of men for this lifetime,¡± I grumble, shutting him down.


    ¡°Let¡¯s stop prying into Joyce¡¯s business. It¡¯s getting dark and we have to find an appropriate campsite.¡± Tristen gestures at the setting sun which is disappearing behind the mountains.


    I fall in line with the rest of the group and we ride until we find a dry piece of land. It¡¯s the most I was hoping for in this area. Brian is the first to dismount. He is the least talkative of the entire group. I wonder why that is. All in all, I talked very little with them. Though I paid a lot of attention to their bickering.


    Tristen is the one who is in charge of talking and calling the shots during battle, though he isn¡¯t the leader of the group. They are more of a democracy when they aren¡¯t fighting.


    I find out that they are travelling the allied lands as adventurers. Currently, they have the intention to make their way to the capital. An assignment brought them close to the border. Since the army has a firm hold on the borderlands, there isn¡¯t much money to make. Many tasks which would be handled by adventurers are taken care of by the army. The group¡¯s biggest issue is finding a solid solution to their employment problem. Being an adventurer doesn¡¯t seem to be a lucrative business in this region.


    Or they simply aren¡¯t good at their job. That raises the question why they are calling themselves adventurers. They seem more like common mercenaries to me.


    I finish setting up my tent and join them at the campfire. ¡°Why did you even wander into this region if there isn¡¯t much need for adventurers?¡±


    Halberd is the one who supplies me with a satisfying answer. ¡°Greed. A merchant paid us a hefty sum to be escorted to Tarin. We took the contract despite the fact that we would have to deal with our return ourselves. It may sound like we have financial problems, but that isn¡¯t true. It¡¯s just that pure travelling without being paid must be seen as a loss.¡±


    Brian nods and, for the first time, speaks more than five words. ¡°That¡¯s why we took so much money from the merchant. He also had to pay for our journey back to one of the big cities. Tarin is just a crappy border-town without a gate. The only reason it is as big as it is, is that there is a garrison and the copper mines. Without the threat of the Empire, Tarin would be just some small village. It¡¯s too close to the Empire.¡±


    I nod and bite my tongue to keep myself from sounding too annoyed. ¡°Tarin has no gate? What a let down. I thought they have one.¡± Gates are magical wormholes which connect the big cities with each other. I could¡¯ve travelled directly to the alliance¡¯s capital. My stolen map showed Tarin as an important military position, but that¡¯s probably only because the town has a few hundred stationary troops.


    Fae raises her eyebrows. ¡°Only big cities and military fortresses have gates. Where would you get such an idea?¡±


    And another screw up. Note to myself, don¡¯t question the positioning of gates.


    After a few moments I come to the conclusion that it would be very stupid to place a gate so close to the front. Gates are important military assets. If an enemy takes over a gate, the whole network could be compromised. Only heavily defended fortresses would have a gate. Certainly not a small garrison like Tarin.


    I sigh and try to sound disappointed. ¡°In my search for minerals I started at the southern coast and travelled north, following the mountain range. I don¡¯t know this part of the country, so when I met another traveller in the mountains, he pointed me towards Tarin. He said that it¡¯s the biggest city within reasonable distance, so I simply assumed that they have a gate.¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    Kiara narrows her eyes and pets the big bird on her shoulder. She pulls out a jar and screws off the lid. Then she feeds the bird with an eyeball. I shudder at the sight. The wolf is somewhere out there in the dark and strolling around the camp. ¡°How many people can you meet in these mountains anyway? They are the border to the Empire.¡±


    I smile. ¡°Smugglers, spies, bandits, deserters, miners¡­ And apparently adventurers. The list is long and most of the folk are of the unsavoury sort. But that¡¯s exactly why there is a lot of money to make in this region. I found some places where I just had to bend down in order to pick up some easy money.¡±


    They look at me with interest in their eyes, but I decide to end the discussion. I fake a yawn and stretch myself. ¡°I¡¯ll excuse myself for today. The attack forced me to use a lot of magic and that made me tired.¡±


    Tristen smiles at me. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about guard duty. We¡¯ll take care of that.¡±


    ¡°Thanks. That¡¯s unexpectedly nice of you.¡± And it also means that they don¡¯t trust me. I head for my tent and crawl inside. Once I am lying on my mattress, I detach the mask from my belt and place it over my face. There is no way that I¡¯ll let my guard down tonight. They might seem like decent people, but the possibility of easy money could convert anyone into a thief and murderer.


    I went with the background of a miner because the bandits mentioned that there are copper mines in this region. The downside is that my story also implied that I am returning from a long trip of searching for minerals. Which means that my backpack is full with valuable raw materials. The funny thing is that this little aspect is true. I stole a lot of stuff from my old master.


    I close my eyes and allow the enhancing enchantments on the mask to do their work. A few moments later I can listen in on the conversation of the others. They lowered their voices, but none of them seems to think that I am capable of listening in.


    ¡°So? What do you think about her? I don¡¯t buy her story.¡±


    ¡°She certainly looks like someone who spent a few weeks in the mountains. And we saw that she can take care of herself.¡±


    ¡°I think she¡¯s dangerous. She was holding the bandits at bay on her own. As soon as we showed up and turned the tables she even advanced on them. That takes guts and skill, especially since they weren¡¯t bad fighters. I think they were ex-army. Probably deserters. And the last one whose eyes she scratched out¡­ She didn¡¯t think twice when she decapitated him.¡±


    ¡°She is also on her last leg. Have you seen the dark rings under her eyes? Either she hasn¡¯t been sleeping for three days, or she recently depleted her mana pool. That¡¯s dangerous for a mage. I wonder what forced her to do that.¡±


    ¡°There are dangerous things in these mountains.¡±


    Oh, yes. And one of them is me.


    ¡°All of you are right. She seems capable and surely didn¡¯t tell us the full truth, but who would do that? She just met us and most of the folk in these mountains aren¡¯t nice people. Just keep an eye on her tent tonight. Tomorrow, we reach the town and then we part ways anyway.¡±


    ¡°Just makes me wonder why she told us so openly that she is carrying around a lot of valuables. A test? She must be pretty confident that she can take us.¡±


    ¡°She probably thought that if we are also bandits, then we would¡¯ve tried to take her stuff as soon as the competition is out of the way. And she already mentioned that she cares about her lemu. After seeing her blocking that spell, I believe her when she says that she can easily escape on her own.¡±


    They continue spinning their conspiracy theories for a whole hour. In the end I decide that they really are what they told me, so I allow myself to close my eyes. I didn¡¯t lie when I said that I am tired. The mask should wake me up when someone comes too close.


    A little electrical jolt wakes me up. It¡¯s my mask¡¯s emergency alarm. I try to slow my breath as someone enters my tent. The mask tells me that it¡¯s Fae, but I don¡¯t stir. I want to know why she is inside my tent.


    The tent isn¡¯t intended for more than one person to sleep in. The other woman is forced to go to her knees as she crawls closer. There is no other choice for her. Once she is close enough, she places a hand on my shoulder. ¡°Hey-¡±


    I reach up and place my elongated fingernails at her throat. ¡°You have ten seconds to explain why you are in here.¡±


    ¡°Easy! Easy. We called out to you, but you wouldn¡¯t wake up. I drew the short straw and had to wake you up. Had I known that you are that pissy in the morning, I would¡¯ve sent in one of the lemus.¡± She raises her hands, showing me her open palms.


    I access the mask''s voice record and verify her words. They indeed called out to me, but I slept like a log. ¡°Sorry. Just don¡¯t crawl up to me when I am asleep.¡±


    ¡°Do you always sleep with that mask?¡± She asks. ¡°As a mage, you should know that magical deprivation is dangerous and you look like you almost died from it recently. Normally, a case like yours should stay in bed for a few weeks, but you run through this wilderness and sleep with an artefact on your face which is clearly drawing on your power. Are you trying to kill yourself?¡±


    I take the mask off and glare at her. ¡°Getting knifed while I am asleep is also dangerous.¡±


    She smiles and crawls backwards out of the tent.


    I close my eyes and draw a deep breath. Then I get up and hurry to pack my things when I realize that the others are ready to depart. Ten minutes later we are on our way and I use the chance to rummage through my backpack. I pull out a healing potion and a mana potion. Then I down them like a person who is about to die of thirst.


    ¡°Those potions only postpone the inevitable. I hope you know that they can¡¯t keep you going indefinitely.¡± It¡¯s Fae again. She rode up next to me to strike a conversation. Seems like she declared it as her task to butt in on my business.


    I scowl at her. ¡°Thanks, but all I have to do, is to stay in the saddle until we arrive at Tarin. Once I am there, I¡¯ll sell some of my materials and take an inn to sleep for three days straight.¡±


    I don¡¯t like this elf. And I don¡¯t like the beastwoman either. My eyes wander to Kiara. Her strange otherness gives me the chills.


    Fae¡¯s next attempt is unexpectedly blunt. ¡°You can sense that she is an ability user. You always single her out when she sends commands to her pets. That¡¯s rare among mages. As an elf, even my natural affinity for magic doesn¡¯t allow me to sense her from afar. You seem to be extremely sensitive, even for a mage. Would you tell me how old you are? You must be young if you haven¡¯t learned to shield yourself.¡±


    Am I really such a bad actor? She learned a lot, just by watching me. Maybe it wasn¡¯t such a bad idea to travel with them. At least I learned that I have to be a lot more careful once I am in the town. Fae is showing me the shortcomings in my background story. I return my attention to her and tell her the blatant truth. ¡°I am about to become eighty-seven. And my sensitivity is exactly why I prefer the wilderness to cities.¡±


    There she has it. I even told her the true age of this body. With that information she would never get the idea that I am a former slave from Orwen. Normally, nobody would give a slave a rejuvenation treatment, but Nemus didn¡¯t want his special sextoy to get flabby and wrinkly.


    Fae raises her eyebrows. ¡°That surprises me. Most wizards of your talent make a name for themselves and take up residence in a big city.¡±


    ¡°Well, I am not most wizards. Is this interrogation over?¡± I ask.


    Her expression darkens. ¡°I am sorry if it felt like that to you.¡± She allows her lemu to fall behind and creates some distance between us.


    Nobody disturbs me for the rest of the way. The others chat while I follow them in silence. It gives me time to think about a lot of things. Mainly about the state of magic in this world. They are stuck in a medieval age. The pinnacle of technology is a double purchase pulley. Everything that¡¯s taxing is handled with magic.


    It surprised me to see that while they use magic for almost everything, their magical development was also held back. Without a scientific method, they never discovered rune coding or complex enchantments. Basic magical matrices and rituals dominate all schools.


    That¡¯s why they weren¡¯t prepared for the inferno spell. All their defences were aimed at large scale attacks, not something small which spreads like a living organism. Rune coding is totally new to them, which means that I have to be careful when I show off my skills. I don¡¯t want to let the cat out of the bag too early.


    And I probably shouldn¡¯t underestimate them either. They may prefer rituals and simple spell matrices, but those they''ve developed to perfection. A perfect example is the mana stone which powered Orwen. It¡¯s a mixture of ritualistic magic and spell matrices. I was utterly baffled when I saw it for the first time.


    It¡¯s like seeing a steam engine with fifty thousand PS! In a world with technology, nobody would ever get the idea of using such an approach. But they did it and their solution worked!


    The Inferno spell only worked because it took them off guard. It would be too nice to travel the world and set everything ablaze, but I am sure that some mages survived Orwen. If they watched the spell in action, then they have an idea of how it works. Breaking up a self replicating spell matrix isn¡¯t too hard, so I guess that they¡¯ll soon have protections against such attacks.


    I am afraid that I already released dangerous knowledge, but I didn¡¯t think in my newly won freedom. No more. I¡¯ve to be cunning and crafty in order to change this world.


    While I debate with myself on how to proceed, our surroundings slowly change from wilderness to actual farmland, until we arrive at Tarin. Calling it a city is a stretch, but I guess labelling it as a big town is feasible.


    The group decides that they¡¯ll go directly to the adventurer¡¯s guild in order to get rid of their stinking heads. I learn that the guild is located near the garrison, which is at the city¡¯s southern gate. My own goal is to find the nearest merchant and sell as much stuff as I can. For that reason I need a merchant and those are most likely at the marketplace. It doesn¡¯t really trouble me when I wish them goodbye. Their heads started stinking after half a day in the sun.


    Tarin¡¯s buildings are widely spaced and the street is broad. I appreciate that on my way to the market. It isn¡¯t hard to find, since all I had to do was to follow the main road. Once I am there, I am confronted with a large marketplace and dozens of stalls. I am uncertain how I should find someone who would buy the stuff which I took from Nemus.


    My worries turn out to be unnecessary when I notice the large board on the building which towers over the market. ¡°Merchant¡¯s Guild.¡±


    I make a beeline for the guild and bind the lemu to a post in front of the building. Then I enter and take a look around. There are several receptionists who are taking care of the wishes of customers. I choose one who is free and approach. It¡¯s a young, blonde man and he scowls when he notices how dirty I am.


    I ignore his displeasure. ¡°I want to sell raw materials in large quantities. Who do I have to talk to?¡±


    He tilts his head and regards me with a sceptical expression. I already start to doubt his competence when he starts speaking. ¡°Which sort of material are we talking about?¡±


    I go through the mental list of what I took from the storage room. ¡°I can offer about a hundred kilogram of quartz, fourteen of pure sulphur, a few rubies and diamonds. There is also a pretty big stalactite if an enchanter needs a focus.¡±


    His expression turns friendly and he pulls out a list from under his table. ¡°These are the current rates at which we buy minerals.¡±


    I study the list for a while and give him my verdict. ¡°Fuck you. Those prices are extortion. I get that the copper price is very low in this region because the mines are so close, but that doesn¡¯t mean that you can use the same dumping prices for every mineral.¡±


    His face stays expressionless. ¡°Look, lady. I don¡¯t know from which hole you crawled out of, but we are practically sitting on top of a mine. They flood the market in this region with minerals. If you don¡¯t want to sell at the going rate, then I can¡¯t help you.¡±


    Fuck that! I¡¯ve taken care of Nemus¡¯s materials for over sixty years. I¡¯ve a very good idea of this world¡¯s economy and a quarter gold coin for a kilogram of haematite is outright slavery. I start speaking very loud and clearly. ¡°Copper ore is found in certain underground deposits. It¡¯s often found together with lead and silver. Never with-¡±


    A dwarf shoves the receptionist to the side and takes his seat. He came out of nowhere, but his clothes identify him as another member of the guild. ¡°How can I help you?¡±


    It seems like my behaviour drew attention. The negotiations with the dwarf were tough, but in the end I got fair prices. It turned out that he is the guildmaster. He even paid me fifty gold pieces to keep my mouth shut. Being three hundred gold richer, I leave the guild and guide the lemu to a nearby inn which looks like it costs a lot of money.


    I still have most of the stolen materials, but I deemed that three hundred gold will be enough to buy lodging, equipment and consumables. Once I¡¯ve taken care of that, I¡¯ll be on the way to the nearest gate and from there my path leads me to the Alliance¡¯s capital.


    Entering the inn, I prepare myself for yet another verbal battle. But the woman who checks me in doesn¡¯t even comment on my dishevelled state after confirming that I have money. She simply takes the gold and gives me a room after my lemu got a place in the stable. Apparently, it¡¯s normal for travellers to look a little winded. So why is it not acceptable to appear like that in the merchant¡¯s guild?


    I¡¯ve to ask once I am rested. My room turns out to be small, but it¡¯s clean and there is a real, magically-operated bath. That¡¯s probably the reason why they charge a whole piece of gold for a week¡¯s stay. I lock the door and secure it with a chair. Then I check the window.


    Satisfied, I clean myself from the grime and the blood of the recent days. Then I throw myself onto the bed and am instantly asleep.

 5. ~Tarin~

    ¡°Take a moment to think.¡±


    ***Tarin***


    ***Joyce***


    I awaken for the third time since I checked into the inn. It has been three full days, and I slept like a log for most of the time. The room service brought me food and I found out that I can even order them to get me a simple set of clothes. The maid told me that I have to go out and buy any fancy stuff by myself.


    Sighing, I get up and ready myself to get something done. Three days of rest were more than enough to get me back on my feet. I am not in my prime, but neither do I feel like I have to bow down to any random adventurer.


    After ensuring that the pouch with the gold is safely around my neck and under my clothes, I head out. It would be embarrassing if a pickpocket steals all my money. Firstly, because I am better than a random pickpocket and secondly, because I would have to get my property back. Not a good way to start my new life. In order to take revenge on this world, I¡¯ve to be smart.


    The innkeeper gives me a few directions and points out the good shops before I leave. There are several things I want. On my way across the marketplace, I pick up several luxury items like soap, shampoo, scissors, but also non-perishable food like rice, noodles and other stuff. The list is long and before I know it, the morning is gone.


    I shift my attention to clothes and raid the vendors until I get the feeling that I can live for a month without having to wash something. A bra is a necessity in order to feel like a human being. The last vendor on my purchase spree looks extremely happy when I place three gold on the counter and shove the pile of clothes into my backpack. Then I leave before she can comment on the fact that my backpack doesn¡¯t bulge.


    There is a distinct possibility that my backpack caused some suspicion regarding my identity. I tried not to get involved in any discussions, so I mostly just paid the asked price and left without haggling.


    My new dress-code consists of long, wide trousers, which almost look like a skirt. I¡¯ve looked around, but there isn¡¯t much choice regarding female clothes. A coat with a hood and a long-sleeved shirt finish the outfit. I chose everything because it¡¯s easy to move in and because it fits over my existing armour. I¡¯ve no need for something that will rip in my first battle.


    The next stations are the real money burners. Armour, crafting materials and weapons.


    The recommended blacksmith turns out to be one of those burly men who think that women should stay in the kitchen. We''d been haggling for more than ten minutes when Tristen enters the shop. He smiles upon recognizing me. ¡°Joyce! Long time no see. Wow, you cleaned up nicely. You are beautiful. What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°I always was beautiful!¡± I point at the stupid blacksmith. ¡°I am trying to tell him what I need and he is refusing to work for me.¡±


    The burly, idiotic blacksmith crosses his arms in front of his muscular chest. ¡°And I am telling you that the type of plate armour which you want doesn¡¯t make any sense. If I make it as thin as you described, then it doesn¡¯t provide enough protection.¡±


    I imagine curling my finger around his neck. Then I could squeeze until his eyes pop out. ¡°I told you that I am a mage! I¡¯ll enchant it and it will be stronger than the stuff you are selling to the normies!¡±


    The blacksmith squints his eyes at me and tries to argue further, but Tristen interferes. ¡°Lark, why don¡¯t you follow her orders. Joyce is a seasoned veteran. I¡¯ve seen her fight. She isn¡¯t some new adventurer who will go out and get herself killed at the first opportunity. Your reputation won¡¯t suffer because you make her thin armour.¡±


    Lark huffs. ¡°Fine! But it¡¯s strange. What about the weapon? Any other extraordinary wishes?¡±


    My left eye twitches involuntarily and the thought of levelling this town crosses my mind. All I need is a silent corner and a few random pedestrians. Then again, inferno won¡¯t be nearly as effective in Tarin as it was in Orwen. I just have to take one look around to see that there are much more people without a gift in this town.


    I am aware that the blacksmith will remember me because of my behaviour, but it can¡¯t be helped in this case. I need equipment. I use my hand to indicate my own height. ¡°I need a rod of your best steel, as long as I am tall. The springy stuff, not something that bends out of shape. And give me one of those tower shields, I¡¯ll modify it for my own purposes.¡±


    Lark grinds his teeth. ¡°Missy, you don¡¯t make any sense. If you want a staff or a spear, oakwood is the best choice.¡± But he relents and walks over to his forge, ignoring all the weapons. He chooses a steel rod which seems to fulfil my criteria and hands it over to me. ¡°Such a thing is much too heavy for a-¡±


    I snatch it away from his meaty fingers and whirl it through the air. My test strikes bend the rod, but since the steel is springy, the rod isn¡¯t reshaped permanently. I nod. ¡°That¡¯ll do. I Just need something that can withstand a few earnest blows.¡± I turn to Lark. ¡°What about the shield?¡±


    Lark closes his mouth and turns his attention to Tristen. The other man looks at the blacksmith with a smug expression on his face, but then his expression turns concerned as he faces me. ¡°I understand that you are using your magic to boost your powers. But what happens if you run out of steam? You won¡¯t be able to wield that thing without magic.¡±


    I draw the sceptre from my belt and attach it to the metal rod, using my power to encapsulate the metal with the dragonbone. Then I attach a long spearhead to the weapon, turning it into a mix of a halberd and a spear. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll enchant the entire thing to weigh less. And if I run out of magic while my opponent still has power, then I am doomed anyway. That¡¯s the way things go in a magical duel.¡±


    Tristen whistles while Lark¡¯s face turns red. Tristen shakes his head. ¡°I¡¯ve heard that really skilled mages can shape dragonbone, but I didn¡¯t think I would ever meet one.¡±


    Lark points at the spear-thingy, which I created on a whim. ¡°Th- That¡¯s just cheating! Why do you even need to bother me if you can just form dragonbone according to your wishes?¡±


    I snort. ¡°Because dragonbone is rare and I don¡¯t have nearly enough for my purposes. Now, do I get the armour and the shield? And why do the two of you know each other?¡±


    Tristen makes a circling gesture with his hand. ¡°Oh, we don¡¯t really know each other. I only know his name because he repairs my group¡¯s equipment. Everyone says that Lark is the best blacksmith in this town.¡±


    Lark puffs out his chest. ¡°Right! And don¡¯t worry. You will get your armour and your shield. Tomorrow! I just need your measurements.¡±


    I raise an eyebrow. ¡°That¡¯s fast. You aren¡¯t going to cheat me, are you?¡±


    The blacksmith bristles. ¡°I would never cheat a customer! It just so happens that I¡¯ve paladin armour. The previous owner got herself a new one, which doesn¡¯t mean that the old one is bad. She just upgraded to a heavier version, but you said that you want it to be light. I just have to do a few repairs and refit the armour to your sizes.¡±


    All I want are some thin metal plates which I can enchant. But I guess that buying a proven set saves me a lot of time. I glare at the blacksmith. ¡°Don¡¯t even think about groping me!¡±


    Ten minutes and a few threats on Lark¡¯s life later, I am out of the shop. My equipment will be ready by tomorrow. I simply left Tristen to his own problems and told him that I¡¯ve a lot of things to do.


    Which is true.


    ¡°This town is much too small,¡± I grumble. Tristen and Lark won¡¯t forget the scene I made. Right. Next goal is the merchant¡¯s guild. I orient myself and start walking. The building isn''t far away and since I already visited them, I have no trouble finding it.


    I enter the entrance hall and approach the first receptionist who is free. It''s a human woman, but as soon as I am in front of her, the guildmaster appears and takes over. ¡°Hello, Miss Joyce. How can we help you?¡±


    I glare at him. ¡°How did you know that I am here?¡± He must''ve jumped up and ran as fast as he could as soon as I stepped through the guild¡¯s entrance. His office is in the upper floor. I know that because he invited me there for private negotiations when I threatened to reveal his little spiel with the various prices of raw materials.


    The dwarf clasps his hands together and smiles. ¡°My people have their ways. You are quite beautiful now that all the grime and blood are off your body.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t try to flatter me!¡±


    ¡°You should be glad that I recognised you. Three days ago, you looked like a beggar.¡±


    A few more seconds of giving him the evil eye don''t get me anywhere. He keeps smiling, so I decide to continue with my own business. ¡°I heard that a caravan is going to leave the town. They''ll travel to the next big city with a gate? Hormundad?¡±


    He nods. ¡°You are quite right. This humble mining town is located between the mountains, which separate us from the Empire, and the Marshwoods, which are infested with dangerous beasts. That''s why the Merchant Guild organized a caravan to transport goods to Hormundad.¡±


    Yeah, he didn''t have to go into such detail. ¡°I want to join the caravan as a passenger. What do I have to do for that?¡±


    He starts fidgeting. ¡°I am sorry. The caravan doesn''t take any passengers. This is a pure trading expedition.¡±


    ¡°That''s a joke, right? I can''t pay you to ride along?¡± I ask.


    He shakes his head. ¡°We''ve had quite a lot of trouble with bandits. They must have inserted their own people into the caravans and attacked once the goods are far away from the military¡¯s influence. You can take the next caravan which is going to depart in a month. They''ll take passengers with them.¡±


    I gape at him. Then why are Tristen and his party using that caravan to get back to civilisation? ¡°You are joking, right? What if I simply follow your people?¡±


    Again, he shakes his head. ¡°The guards would attack you. You either have to be a merchant, or a guard. Otherwise there is simply no way to go with that caravan. This precaution isn''t foolproof, but there is no way around it.¡±


    The solution is easy. ¡°Then I''ll join your stupid guild. Where can I sign up?¡±


    The dwarf sighs. ¡°I am sorry, but that''s also no solution to your problem. You would need full membership, which is only achieved after a month on probation.¡±


    That''s a bad joke. ¡°Don''t mess around. You really want to tell me that I''ve to sit on my hands for a month and wait for the next caravan?¡±


    ¡°I am afraid that those are the facts. Of course, you could try to join the adventurers and join the caravan as a guard. I''ve heard that their terms of admission don''t include a probationary month. Though it might be a little hard to pass their test until tomorrow. One can always try, yes?¡±


    Maybe I should set his hairy ass on fire, but that wouldn¡¯t help me to join the damned caravan. I could always try to travel alone, but the bandits taught me that I shouldn''t overestimate my powers. And I lived in a big city until now, so I''ve no idea how strong the monsters actually are. Books are fine and good, but they can''t really convey a level of strength.


    ¡°Miss? Are you done?¡± A customer from behind me touches my shoulder. I look at him and he steps back. ¡°Sorry.¡±


    I turn back to the dwarf and smile. ¡°I''ll try the adventurers then? Their guild is near the garrison?¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°Take the main-street until you reach the garrison''s entrance, then you turn left and walk two blocks. There is no way to miss it.¡± The dwarf nods and offers me his open palm as if he is expecting a tip for the information.


    I decide to teach him a lesson and turn away. ¡°Never hand out information before you get paid. And as you said yourself, there is no way to miss it. So why even charge for such petty information?¡±


    Snickering, I leave the building.


    ¡°Cheapskate!¡± The dwarf calls after me, but he doesn''t sound angry.


    I follow the main street away from the market, entering a residential area. There are much less shops and vendors in this part of the town. Nothing much to see. Just one wooden building after the other. Most are just frame-houses with logs placed on top of each other. It''s rare to see a house made out of bricks. There are no signs which identify them as businesses, so I assume that they are privately owned. With much less people on the streets, I make considerable headway.


    After a few minutes, I reach the garrison. The military complex is easily recognisable because it''s guarded by soldiers. From the outside, it looks like nothing more than a fenced area with a lot of barracks for the soldiers. But since I don''t intend to join the military, I don''t pay much attention to the structure.


    From there I follow the dwarf''s instructions until I reach a large building which has similarities with the merchant''s guildhouse. ¡°They probably have some kind of theme going on,¡± I mumble and enter, pushing open the huge door.


    Inside, I find a large saloon which looks a lot like a bar. In the back is a staircase. It leads to a second level. To my right is an elevated arena which is encased by a metal fence. The whole area is taken up by long rows of tables. They are occupied by a menagerie of people from different races.


    To my left is a long bar with several waitresses behind it. Looks more like a pub than a guildhouse.


    A beastman who is more beast than man whistles upon seeing me. He is inside the arena and obviously waiting for an opponent. ¡°Hey, Hottie! New here? Don''t you want to enter the ring with me?¡± He laughs and is joined by his spectators.


    I ignore them and head to the bar. One of the waitresses greets me with a smile. ¡°What can I do for you? Do you want to post a quest?¡±


    Do I really look like I would pay someone for doing my dirty work? ¡°I want to join the caravan which leaves this shagged town tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Oh!?¡± She studies me as if she just noticed the weapon on my back. It¡¯s hard to hide a staff. ¡°The merchant caravan? Are you an adventurer? I need proof that you belong to the guild.¡±


    ¡°I am not an adventurer,¡± I answer.


    ¡°Then I can''t help you. The guild only provides security.¡± She shrugs.


    ¡°What do I need to join the guild?¡± I ask, annoyed that I''ve to pull every piece of information out of her nose. ¡°Once I am an adventurer, you can sign me up for the caravan, right?¡±


    ¡°Newbies.¡± She rolls her eyes. ¡°Sure. Everyone can join. But you start as a level zero. You need to be at least level one to take a protection quest.¡± She bends under the counter and retrieves a piece of paper, together with a metal plate. ¡°Your name and abilities here.¡± She points at a few empty lines on the document. ¡°Then you press your thumb to the metal plate. It''ll read the document and assert the truth of your testimony. Then you can take the plate to identify yourself in the future. The document is for us. We''ll copy it and send it to the capital in order to finish the registration.¡±


    So this thing will test if I am saying the truth? Then I better don''t lie. I start filling out the sheet of paper, being as vague as possible with my answers. ¡°Then how do I become level one?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you have to prove that you can deal with monsters. Bring us a direwolf''s teeth or a goblin''s ears. Of course you need another adventurer to be your witness. I doubt that you''ll manage to do that until tomorrow morning. Someone will have to follow you around and that isn''t cheap, unless you have a friend.¡±


    Where was I born? Don''t know. I was born in a carriage. It''s true. I was a slave since my birth and nobody ever bothered to tell me who my parents are or from where they originated. My earliest memory is of being bought by Nemus. So I am not really lying when I say that I don¡¯t know.


    I press my thumb to the metal and feel a small tug on my magic. I brace myself for mental intrusion, but there is no attack on my mind, just a general assessment on my feelings and if I am feeling comfortable. Seesh... I could have lied to the sky had I known that the truth test is so rudimentary.


    The card displays my name, abilities, and my level. Zero. I smile and pocket the card. Then I turn around and survey the room. There must be someone in here who I can pay to follow me into the wilderness. Then I can kill something and we hike back.


    ¡°Come on! Is there nobody who wants to face me in unarmed combat? What a bunch of sissies!¡±


    The beastman inside the arena spreads his hands and taunts the spectators. He is some kind of werewolf. I chew on my lower lip and place my backpack with the spear on the bar. ¡°Look after that. If something is missing when I come back, I¡¯ll take it out on you. And the thing is spelled, so don''t even try to open it.¡±


    I walk over to the mob and force my way to the arena. People start murmuring while I climb up into the arena. The beastman is also more than a little surprised. ¡°Hottie, I meant another ring when I invited you.¡±


    I jump down on the other side of the metal fence and rub my hands. ¡°Don''t worry about me. I just need a quick way to become a level one adventurer. A ruffian like you seems like the perfect candidate.¡±


    The werewolf points at himself and snarls, showing off his huge, pointy teeth. ¡°You really think that I would help you to become level one? Do you know who I am? I am Chaz, level four adventurer and one of the strongest unarmed fighters! Though, I think you can persuade me to follow you into the woods if you offer a little more than coin.¡±


    I shake my head. ¡°I think you are misunderstanding something. They said that I need a wolf¡¯s teeth.¡± I point at him. ¡°You are the monster.¡± Then I gesture at the audience. ¡°They are the witnesses.¡±


    Chaz blinks and says nothing for a few moments. The room turned completely silent.


    Then he shakes his head. ¡°Are you weak in the head? Do you know what level four means? You are a zero! And worse, you are a mage! Magic doesn''t work inside this ring. This arena is for fighters! You can''t do anything except using your inner mana manipulation.¡±


    I shrug and crack my knuckles. ¡°I am not worried about myself.¡±


    The beast shakes himself and gestures for someone at the edge of the ring. The man touches a rune and a blue dome of light envelops us. I can also feel the magical interference which is supposed to stop me from casting spells. It''s much weaker than what the three bandits did to hamper my magic.


    Chaz approaches and casually swipes at me with a clawed hand. I block and reply with a kick to his guts, testing out my new boots. The beastman is thrown backwards into the force field which lights up with blue waves of energy.


    He felt hard when I kicked him. So he must also be a mage, or he has an ability. More likely the latter one. He doesn''t feel exactly like Kiara, that''s why I am not sure.


    Chaz shakes his head and gets back to his feet, a low growl in his throat. ¡°I''ll carve you up good!¡± Claws slide out of his fingertips and he blurs. I realize that he is much faster than me and force my power to my skin in order to shield myself. Something strikes my chest and I stumble backwards into the forcefield.


    A furry paw appears in my field of vision and I duck, rolling away. Holy shit! He is a fast one. Something hits my ankle and swipes me off my feet. Two fists come down at my face and I am battered into the ground. The crowd cheers and Chaz walks back into his corner, raising his hands to receive his praise.


    I cough and get back up. ¡°Where are you going little doggy?¡±


    Chaz turns around and looks at me as if I am a ghost. I charge him and get beaten down by a paw. We repeat this several times until I notice that he is slowing down. He uses his speed much less and starts avoiding me. I, on the other hand, invested everything I have in my defence.


    When he starts avoiding my blows instead of lashing out at me, I can''t hold it in any longer. I start laughing.


    ¡°Mad bitch!¡± Chaz lunges and I stop him with my palm to his chest. For the first time since I started this, I feel my strike connect. I quickly follow up by sinking my knee into his side. A quick left, an uppercut, and my fist draws first blood.


    It¡¯s exactly like I thought. Most warriors lack the mental discipline to ration their magic. All his hopping around caused him to run out of power before I did. And that¡¯s essentially the end of the fight.


    He looks disoriented, but is still up for more. His huge jaws open and he grabs me in an attempt to bite. I react by shoving my entire fist down his throat. He bites down and starts choking, but the scales on my arm stop him from penetrating my skin.


    ¡°Ew! Stop slobbering onto me!¡± I call out and use my left fist like a hammer.After getting a thorough treatment on his right eye, he lets go and stumbles backwards. His guard is down.


    It''s the golden opportunity I was waiting for all along. I strike out, hitting him with both my palms in the chest. At the same time, I channel all my mana through my arms, back and legs. My whole body is behind this strike. He flips backwards, twice, and lands on his back.


    I walk over and step on his chest, then I grab his upper canines. They are big enough to allow me to use my index and middle fingers. With my thumbs as leverage, I break them out of his upper jaw. He howls and covers his snout with both hands, whimpering like a little whelp. Rowing with all his limbs, he crawls away from me into the next best corner, emptying his bladder on the way.


    I wrinkle my nose at the smell. ¡°That''s why I hate dogs. At first they are all snarly and alpha, but as soon as they get their butts kicked it''s over.¡±


    Someone deactivates the barrier and I notice the grave silence in the room. But their mental problems aren''t of my concern. I swing myself over the arena''s fence and return to the bar. This time, the people give me the proper distance when I walk through the crowd.


    The same barmaid watches me approach. Her smile is clearly forced.


    I place the two bloody teeth on the bar. ¡°Two wolf teeth and a lot of witnesses. Can I get level one now?¡± I add my metal card to the bloody offer.


    She doesn''t stop smiling. ¡°I don''t think that Chaz counts as a legal questmonster.¡±


    I turn around and look at the beastman who is being treated by several mages. ¡°He said that he is level four. I am sure that means that he is stronger than the average beast in the wilderness?¡±


    The barmaid''s expression falters. ¡°That''s true, but Chaz is not a wild beast. And you need someone who vouches for you.¡±


    I want to give her a snippy reply, but a man in a white robe interrupts me. ¡°Excuse me? I am a healer. Could I have those teeth? Sticking them back in is much easier than growing new ones.¡±


    ¡°Only if you make them crooked,¡± I answer, but nobody laughs. So I sigh and gesture for him to take the teeth. The healer takes the teeth and hurries to his patient.


    I return my attention to the barmaid. ¡°I am not so sure about that. I-¡±


    Another person interrupts me by placing a hand on my shoulder. I recognize her. It''s Kiara. She grins, showing me sharp and pointy teeth. ¡°That bastard had been making advances on me since we returned. Sooner or later I would have fucked him up myself. I vouch for you.¡±


    The barmaid''s right eye starts twitching. Then she is interrupted by one of her colleagues. ¡°Don''t always be such a stickler to the rules. Rank her up and be done with it, Melissa. The test is about proving someone¡¯s ability to fight and she clearly showed that she is stronger than a level four. She is a mage and fucked up Chaz without a single spell.¡±


    The human blonde steps next to the barmaid and fiddles with a chain. There are several metal plates on it. When she finds the right plate, she presses it onto my card and the level changes from zero to one. ¡°Have fun with level one.¡±


    I nod and take the card back, then I grin at the barmaid, showing her my bloody hands. ¡°Do you have a place where I can wash off the blood? Oh, and sign me up for the caravan.¡±


    The barmaid points at a door and I follow her directions.


    Kiara follows me. ¡°You are joining the caravan?¡±


    I nod. ¡°It''s the quickest way to the next city with a gate. The other possibility would be to travel alone, or to wait for a month. There is no way that I would wait in this town for a month, just to join the next caravan. I have business to conduct and for that I need a place with more infrastructure.¡±


    She smiles. ¡°I see. I almost didn''t recognize you, I might add.¡±


    ¡°You mean because after cleaning myself, I look like a human being?¡± I ask. We enter a large restroom and I head for the wash basin. ¡°Neat. They even have running water!¡±


    Kiara shrugs and watches while I wash my hands. ¡°You seem to be no less dangerous. The clean clothes make you look like nothing much. Chaz probably thought that you were just a pretty babe who wanted to play adventurer. At least until you started beating him up with your bare hands.¡± Her long, bushy ears twitch.


    I grunt and dry my hands.


    ¡°Do you want to hang out? Fae will soon return from an errand. We could play cards and get better acquainted,¡± Kiara offers.


    I study her expression to guess at her intentions. ¡°Why would we want to do that?¡±


    She shrugs. ¡°We''ll be on the same caravan. The journey takes three weeks, so we are bound to work together. Knowing each other helps. And I''ve seen that you are strong. It''s never bad to have someone powerful on your side.¡±


    I play with my hair and consider her words. There are a lot of possible interpretations for her actions. ¡°So you are saying that there might be trouble? And not from bandits or monsters, but from within the caravan?¡±


    Kiara shrugs. ¡°We''ll be in the middle of nowhere and people are stupid. Our charges aren''t one company or group, but a ragtag team of merchants who pooled their resources to travel safely with protection. You have to keep in mind that they could decide to run off in different directions any time they see a benefit in it.¡±


    I close my eyes. ¡°What did I get myself into? I thought it''s safer to travel in a caravan.¡±


    ¡°I didn''t say that it will happen. I just pointed out that it can happen. My party witnessed it many times. All I am saying is this, it''s good to know that someone strong is on your side. And there is the added circumstance of bandit attacks. Two caravans disappeared without a trace.¡±


    It¡¯s that bad? The stupid dwarf failed to mention that. ¡°Fine. I guess I''ll join you for a while. But not for long. I have to buy a carriage.¡± I scratch my head.


    She raises both eyebrows. ¡°A carriage?¡±


    I nod. ¡°A small one. I hate riding and the less time I have to spend in a saddle the better!¡±


    She laughs and leads the way out of the restroom. ¡°What else do you have to buy?¡±


    I shrug. ¡°Actually, I think that¡¯s it. Tomorrow I¡¯ll get my armour and then I¡¯ll head directly to the southern gate and wait for the caravan to assemble.¡±


    The werewolf looks a lot better when we return to the bar. The healer is still trying to attach the canines, but the idiot isn''t crying any longer. I ignore him and follow Kiara to a booth in the far right corner of the room. It pleases me that I can have my back to the wall, so I happily take one of the seats which are facing the bar.


    Once we are settled down, I decide to return the conversation to the issue at hand. ¡°So you want to propose an alliance in case something goes wrong while we travel with the caravan. What would that alliance look like?¡±


    She shrugs. ¡°Nothing complicated. We just have to show a united front to anyone who wants to do something stupid. Like turning around or leaving the caravan. There are so many things which can go wrong, it''s hardly possible to play through every scenario.¡±


    I nod slowly. ¡°So you want that I show my assistance if there is trouble between your faction and-¡±


    She raises her hand. ¡°All I ask for, is that you don''t play the neutral party. Today you''ve shown everyone that you are a decent fighter. At least you are someone who shouldn''t be ignored. I don''t expect that you can sway an idiot''s mind, but sometimes having one more powerful person behind you is the difference between life and death.¡±


    I grunt. ¡°I can''t promise that I''ll be on your side. What if you are the ones who want to do something stupid?¡±


    She smiles. ¡°Oh, I wouldn''t worry about that. We''ve often travelled with such caravans and after a while you learn to differentiate the stupid moves from the smart ones.¡±

 6. ~Departure~

    ¡°That¡¯s why I don¡¯t take a piss in the dark.¡±


    ***Tarin***


    ***Joyce***


    I stay with Kiara until Fae joins us, then we talk about our lives.


    It was hard, but I think that I spun a believable lie about my birth in a small village. My parents were no mages. They spent their short lives as simple farmers, so it was a surprise when I developed magic. The talent skipped a generation from my grandmother''s side, who was a well known hedge-witch. She had no proper training, but knew enough to recognize my ability.


    After my talent surfaced, I apprenticed first with my grandmother and then with the wizard of a nearby coastal village. The settlement was too small to be shown on any map, which isn''t that rare. Without technology, cartography is a very obscure skill. Only aristocrats of large nations have access to detailed maps. There are also a lot of illegal settlements which are only known to locals.


    My talent with earth magic made it possible to make a pretty coin and pay for my apprenticeship.


    My teacher had a mediocre talent, which explained why he was living in an unimportant village. But he taught me the necessary skills and I soon left his tutorship to fend for myself.


    I travelled the world and picked up spells and knowledge wherever I managed to get my hands on them. My parents have been dead for a long time. I have a whole bunch of relatives in my old home, but no connection to them. They are all normal villagers without magic or the money to pay for youth preservation spells. I didn¡¯t want to watch them grow old and die, so I packed my things and left when my parents died.


    At the end of my story I almost believe it myself. I just hope that I don''t forget the pile of lies which I dished out.


    Kiara and Fae gave me their stories in return. Kiara had a normal life with her tribe until her talent surfaced. When it became clear that her ability was strong, her tribe sent her to the military academy as tribute to the Alliance. There, she got a proper education. She served for three years on the Eternal Battlefield between the Alliance and the Empire.


    There, she met Fae and the others, who have similar life-stories. Though Fae is an exception. All of her people have at least a little magic. The elves select the people who have to join the military at random. Apparently, every race has to add a certain number of soldiers to the Alliance''s armies, but they are always taken from the big cities. So my own story isn''t that far off.


    After they had served their time, the five of them decided to become adventurers. Their military service earned them good coin, but not enough to live happily ever after. So they simply continued with the business which was drilled into them. Their plan is to continue on as adventurers until each of them has enough money to realize his or her dreams.


    In Kiara''s case that''s to buy enough land to start a farm. She wants to breed her beasties and find a nice, strong man to knock her up and have a family.


    Fae wants to open a magical shop in her home-town. At an age of over a hundred years, she already has enough funds to realize her dream at any time. But she wants to stick with the others until they reach their goal.


    I allow myself an hour of idle chit chat with the two of them, but then I say my goodbyes. There is a distinct possibility that I''ll have to endure this every evening from tomorrow onwards. Sadly, they are still suspicious of me. It was clear that my story wasn''t as sound as I wished it to be.


    I just hope that they¡¯ll explain it away with me not trusting them.


    On the way back to the inn I stop at the market place and buy the smallest and sturdiest carriage they have. It''s a two wheeler with not much in terms of loading capacities. But what got me hooked on the thing are the two large springs which cushion the undercarriage.


    That''s something my sore ass definitely needs. After a few days in the saddle, my butt had started hurting like hell. This body is far from untrained, but the muscles which are necessary for riding are totally different from what''s needed in daily life.


    It''s handy that the merchant who sold the carriage had it delivered directly to the inn, so I simply returned and hit the sack after a nice and long bath. Probably the last one for the next few weeks. Oh, how I loathe medieval societies.


    The next morning, I get up early. There is simply no way that I''ll miss my ride. After concluding my business with the inn, I double check my room and my equipment to make sure that I forgot nothing. Then I head out to the eastern gate where the caravan is supposed to meet.


    To my surprise I find out that many adventurers had the same idea. I am greeted by a crowd of at least sixty people. There are some who are definitely merchants, but most are adventurers. I find Kiara and Fae with their group among them, but I don''t approach and stay with my carriage. Nobody pays me any attention, so I simply sit and wait.


    When the official meeting time is a few minutes overdue, a dwarf in heavy plate armour shoves his way through the crowd. He is flanked by a beastgirl and a man. Each of them carries a large barrel. In front of the crowd, they plant their barrels on top of each other, then they help the dwarf get on top of them, so that he can look down at us.


    The dwarf''s physique makes it look like he is the third barrel. This causes a lot of chuckling from several people and I have to admit that the whole scene looks a little hilarious.


    ¡°Shut up! Or I''ll squash you like the flies you are! I am the one who decides if you can stay or if you have to go home!¡± He looks around until everyone is silent. ¡°I am Norwick! I and my party are level nine adventurers and we are the ones who are in charge. Do you understand that?


    ¡°I hope you do, because I won''t mention it twice! We are organizing the adventurers and we''ll decide if you get paid at the end of this mission. If I say at the guildhouse that you didn''t jump when I ordered it, you don''t get paid.¡± He speaks very slowly. ¡°No money. Understood?¡±


    He clears his throat and looks around. ¡°So, before we do anything else, we have to give you sorry lot your assignments and check who is here. Make a line and if you have companions with whom you work well, approach me as a group. Tell me your name and your specialities. I want at least two strong parties. My group will take the lead of the convoy, another keeps watch for stragglers and a third party stays in the middle.¡±Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Oh, man. I can already tell that this tour won''t be easy. But at least it seems like someone with a plan is in charge. I would seriously consider to try my luck on my own if we had ventured out as a large mob. Sighing, I get off my cart and head over to join the line.


    It takes a while until it''s my turn in front of Norwick. The dwarf already assigned a group of six people to keep watch of the middle of the caravan. Kiara, Fae, Tristen, Halberd and Brian were taken aside. I assume that he wants to use them as the tail-light.


    Most of the lone fighters were assigned as bodyguards to their own merchants. They¡¯ll be spread out all over the caravan. It''s clear that Norwick intends to use the larger parties as core groups. In case of an emergency, the other adventurers can assemble around them. A complete party is also less likely to splinter because of an ambush.


    Instead of forcing Norwick to ask me questions, I decide to shorten the procedure by providing all the answers. I already had more than enough opportunity to listen in on the most common questions.


    ¡°Hi, I am Joyce, level one adventurer. I am good at body magic, but my forte lies in a wide field of spells. If you want something destroyed in a flashy manner, I am your man, eh, woman! I am also better than most at reconnaissance.¡±


    Norwick raises his bushy eyebrows, but his harsh face doesn''t show any other reaction. ¡°You are the chick who beat up that sorry excuse of a level four and became level one in a day. Hmpf, you are probably stronger than level four. Do you feel like you can keep up with level five and level six adventurers?¡±


    I am not sure? ¡°I''ve no reference to go on.¡±


    ¡°Make a barrier, a large one.¡±


    ¡°How larg-¡±


    I don''t get the time to finish my question. Norwick jumps up into the air, much higher and farther than I would have expected from someone with such stubby legs. I throw up my hands and weave a quick barrier against physical objects. Blue energy flares and a flat disk with a diameter of five metres snaps into existence. The dwarf bounces off with a grunt and lands rather unceremoniously.


    But he is instantly back to his feet and charges the barrier with an impressive battlescream. My barrier flickers when he uses his entire body as a ram. Swearing, I see myself forced to enhance the barrier with a second layer. Then he starts pummelling the shield with his fists. At the third strike he stops and grunts with satisfaction. After considering me for a moment, he gives the barrier a loving pat. ¡°Good barrier. You''ll join Tristen''s team. They are missing a mage.¡±


    I drop the barrier and nod, scowling inwardly. After yesterday''s discussion with Fae and Kiara, I found them to be tolerable, but the paladin in their group is a nuisance. What was his name? Brian. I need to have a word with him about using his flashy light spell. ¡°I''ll do my best.¡±


    Then I head over to the waiting group. With me, they are now a complete team of six, just like the other two parties. I try to smile upon approaching them. They were close enough to listen in on my assignment, so I get straight to the point. ¡°Hi, seems like we are comrades from now on. Do you have any particular wishes about my role in the party?¡±


    Tristen clears his throat. ¡°Greetings, oh beautiful mage. And yes. We already have Halberd and Brian as our front-line bruisers. Together with Kiara''s pets, they pretty much cover our close combat needs. Kiara can fight by herself, but she mostly relies on tamed monsters. Fae is our only real ranged fighter. She can imbue her arrows with magic and has some impressive magical abilities, but she is not good when it gets personal.


    ¡°Ideally, your role would be to stay with Kiara and Fae to cover them with that barrier of yours. It would be great if you can cast a few area of effect spells, but the barrier alone will make the battle much easier. Until now I always had to dart back and forth to assist Kiara and Fae in tight situations. As a rogue, I show my full potential when our ranged fighters don''t get knocked over by a single enemy who manages to close the distance.¡±


    Wow! That was a long speech, even from Tristen. I smile. ¡°I guess that I can do that. I only wonder why Norwick assigned me so eagerly to your group. There are several other mages as far as I observed.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but nobody who can create a barrier as strong as yours. Do you see that guy over there?¡± Fae points at a man in red robes. ¡°He is a level five and would''ve been assigned to us if you hadn''t shown off with your barrier. Unlike you, he is a glass cannon. We don''t need that in our party configuration. Most of the others are just level two or level three. Small fry. The only other mentionable mage on this adventure is the demoness in Norwick''s party. She is a level ten and probably the only one who can match your defensive capabilities.¡±


    Halberd nods. ¡°Norwick is from the Iron Anvil family. They are good fighters and no fools who judge an adventurer just by his level. Given enough time, anyone can rise in level. After seeing your fight with Chaz, he probably determined that you can complement our group. Otherwise Norwick would''ve been forced to assign a whole bunch of fighters to assist us. The other choice would''ve been to assemble a completely new group. But given the available people, that group would be weaker than ours is now. He wants someone strong to take the rear.¡±


    I shift uncomfortably. ¡°Is all this preparation really necessary? It feels as if we''re expecting a large scale attack.¡±


    Kiara shrugs. ¡°I told you that this trip won''t be fun. Whoever attacked the last two expeditions was strong. Better to be prepared than to be sorry.¡±


    I guess that''s true. ¡°Then I''ll go and get my cart.¡± I am sure that all three men in the group were surprised by my declaration, but I ignore them. It takes just a little while to return with my possessions.


    Halberd shakes his head. ¡°How do you intend to fight on that thing?¡±


    I look at the cart. ¡°Not at all? It''s for transport. I hate riding. When I mined in the mountains, I also used a cart. Unfortunately, it broke down a while ago. When I have to fight, I''ll jump off and use my body magic to run. Over a short distance, I am much faster than any lemu.¡±


    The dwarf shakes his head. ¡°You are a strange one, lass.¡±


    We talk while Norwick organizes the rest of the carvan. It takes until midday until we are assigned to our position at the rear. It''s our job to look out for dangers and to alert the leading group if there is trouble with the merchants. Norwick''s biggest concern is that some idiot decides to rest while the caravan travels on, something that happens quite often according to him.


    I use the chance to make some modifications to my new armour and to my weapon. Both of them won''t do me any good in their current state. First are the enchantments to lighten their weight. Then I add magical defences and barriers to increase the defensive capabilities.


    All of that could be easily achieved by casting spells, but having an enchanted item saves time and concentration. All I have to do, is to feed it power. The same applies to my mask. I keep working in my cart while the caravan travels east.


    The fact that I busy myself with work also saves me from committing additional blunders which could impede my chosen identity. During the first day, we have to stop the caravan several times to wait for stragglers.


    It becomes better on the second day. But I suppose that''s only because we entered the dark Marshwoods, which cover a large distance of our treck. Not even the laziest merchant wants to stay behind in this forest. The trees are high and their trunks are too big to put my arms around. I can immediately tell that this is an old forest.


    The underbrush restricts our vision and in some places the trail narrows down to the width of my cart. The environment is depressing.


    Several times, something brushes just at the edge of my senses. I dismiss it the first two times, but at the third I am sure that I didn''t imagine it. I put down my chisel which I used to engrave runes into my shield. Looking around, I focus my attention on Kiara. ¡°Do you sense anything? I feel like something is following us at a respectful distance.¡±


    She nods. ¡°Yes. It''s a fellbear. I am tracking it with Tonto.¡± She gestures at the black bird which is following us by flying from branch to branch. So its name is Tonto? What a cheerful name for a pet which eats eyeballs.


    Kiara turns around and studies the trail behind us. ¡°I don''t think that it''s an adult one, otherwise it would''ve attacked a while ago. This is a youngster who searches for easy prey. It won''t attack unless someone separates from the caravan.¡±


    For a moment I consider to ask what a fellbear is, but I dismiss it. It would just show that I don''t know much about the world outside a city. If the animal attacks, I''ll find out.


    So I return my attention to my work until the last daylight fades away and the caravan puts up camp on a glade. The adventurers camp at the perimeter, while the merchants get the comfortable and safe spots in the centre.


    The sky is clear, so I don¡¯t bother with a tent. Instead, I sleep on the carriage.


    Our first night in the Marshwoods passes without incident and I wake up when the morning sun teases me awake. I grumble and get up, just to witness a commotion. Several adventurers are having a wild discussion with Kiara and several others in the middle of it.


    Norwick is eyeing them with his arms crossed in front of his chest. He doesn¡¯t look happy.


    I slide off the carriage and yawn. Then I try to find out what¡¯s going on. Upon reaching the group of people, I notice the corpse on the ground. It¡¯s a man, at least I think that it¡¯s a man. Hard to tell with all the blood and gore. The leather armour was ripped open like the packaging of a Christmas present. Something took its time and chewed off all the fleshy parts, including the face.


    Well, I¡¯ll be damned. Looks like the night wasn¡¯t so uneventful after all. And I slept right through the fun!

 7. ~Marshwood~

    ¡°Govern your fear or it governs you.¡±


    ***Marshwood***


    ***Joyce***


    ¡°I don''t see how this is my fault! I told everyone that we are trailed by a predator. So what can I do when that idiot goes outside the perimeter to take a piss!?¡± Kiara screams at the adventurers.


    A certain werewolf puts up a smug expression. ¡°You are supposed to be a tracker. And Miles left the caravan in your part of the perimeter. It would''ve been your duty to stop him.¡± Chaz looks around and gets agreeing nods from the others. That encourages him to press on. ¡°It would''ve been simple to order him back to the camp.¡±


    Norwick doesn''t say anything. He balances his large battlehammer on his shoulder and stares at the corpse, massaging his temple. I can only imagine how humiliating it must be to lose a subordinate just two days after the start of this trip. We didn''t even cover a fourth of the way.


    I clear my throat. ¡°I think that this is a clear case of natural selection. And who says that ''Miles'' went out for a piss? He must''ve been very sneaky to get past Kiara''s pets. I don''t believe that she would''ve overlooked someone who walked out of the camp.¡± I turn my attention to Chaz and squint my eyes at him. ¡°And how do you know that he sneaked out through her section of the perimeter? Why not a neighbouring one?¡±


    The werewolf grinds his teeth. He didn''t bother to shave, so he looks a little wild despite being in human form. ¡°Because it''s the shortest way out from our campsite.¡±


    I scratch my own chin and am reminded that my body isn''t troubled by a beard. ¡°Is there anything outside the camp that would warrant going out alone?¡±


    One of the adventurers coughs. ¡°There is moonshade in these woods. Properly dried and ground to powder, the plant can earn good coin at an alchemist shop. It would be a nice addition to our payment for protecting the caravan.¡±


    I raise both eyebrows and try to sound as pleasant and as female as possible. ¡°Enough coin to warrant a sneaky solo run? Enough coin to be careful about who knows of something so valuable? Was Miles familiar with herbs and remedies?¡± I don''t need to have proof. I just have to plant the seed of doubt in their minds.


    Everyone looks at me as if I just transformed into an Angel. Okay, maybe I overdid it, but eighty years as a lust-slave are hard to shake off.


    ¡°Stop leeching on her, you fools!¡±


    Norwick startles the male adventurers out of their trance. And a few female ones. I really have to be careful about putting up such acts. The other women are scowling at me.


    ¡°Yes, Kiara should''ve spotted him. But the truth is that had I caught him outside the perimeter, I would''ve killed him myself! No matter the reason! Everyone knew that I forbade tours outside the camp.¡± Norwick waves his large hammer at us and stomps his foot onto the ground. ¡°Bury the remains and get ready to depart. If I catch someone disobeying me, he''ll do this trip without payment!¡±


    He stomps off and leaves us behind. The others disperse, including Chaz who sneers at me. The members of our party stay behind, except for Halberd who wasn''t present from the beginning. I suppose he is with the lemus.


    Kiara runs a hand over her forehead and sighs. ¡°Thanks for stopping the witch hunt.¡±


    I shrug. ¡°I worship the god of reason. He doesn''t take lightly to fools and people who prefer not to think. I am just glad that I didn''t have to mention my second theory.¡±


    Tristen tilts his head and invites me to go on. ¡°Why would it be troublesome to mention your second theory?¡±


    I sigh. ¡°If you really want to know, though I think that a lot of people will have their suspicions. It''s not like everyone surrendered their brain to Norwick''s authority when they joined the caravan. You mentioned bandit attacks and two missing expeditions. Compared to previous ones, the rules for joining this caravan were tightened. Miles could''ve tried to inform someone of our location. Maybe we are lucky that the fellbear snacked him.¡±


    Fae cringes. ¡°I see why you didn''t want to mention that. The last thing we need is that the members of this caravan start suspecting each other.¡±


    Brian sighs. The huge man turns his attention to the bloody remains of what was once a human being. ¡°I guess I''ll start digging. Yuck!¡±


    I point a hand at the corpse and form a spell matrix. Then I channel mana through it and a jet of flames shoots out. I direct the flames to the corpse. Fire magic is a matter of optimizing the oxidation process of the molecules. What most people don''t understand, is that fire magic is just a form of disintegration. It lowers the strength of molecular bonds.


    A fireball spell is just a spell formation which splits air into oxyhydrogen gas, which quickly burns and turns back to water. Most mages don''t get the spell matrix right, so it burns and looks like a fireball while they shoot it at the enemy.


    I adjust the matrix and use force magic to channel the air away from me until the flames turn blue. The colour of flames is an indicator of how hot a fire is. Orange to yellow means just a few hundred degrees. Blue is around a thousand, while grey to white is above that and ranges up to millions. That''s why stars like the sun are white.


    There are other reasons why flames can change their colour. Some minerals change the spectrum of light when they burn, but in this case I am just burning air.


    After a few seconds, the corpse is crispy and most of the flesh is gone. I stop the spell and step closer. Putting my work to the test, I lightly kick the corpse''s left leg with the tip of my foot. A part of it crumples and the leg breaks off.


    I smile and turn to Brian. ¡°There, now you can make a neat pile of bones and bury everything in a small hole. And please be careful with that light spell of yours, blinding allies is never a good thing.¡± Too late I notice their wary expressions. Did I fuck up? Is this something that shouldn''t be possible?


    ¡°Ahem, that was better than a fireball.¡± Brian shifts his weight uncomfortably from one leg to the other.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    I try to lighten the mood by making fun of the situation. ¡°Fireballs are ineffective. The explosion causes the spell to snuff itself out, which means that most of the power goes to waste. All I did, was control the very same spell matrix to prevent that.¡±


    Turning away, I rush to my carriage. I clearly did something outside their understanding. Great! And the other adventurers and merchants are watching me too. Why didn''t I just leave the stupid paladin to his work? I am sure he could''ve dug a grave in no time.


    I return to my carriage and try to look busy with my work. The others leave me alone until the caravan continues on its way. We form up at the rear and Brian uses the chance to strike a conversation. ¡°I wanted to say thanks for making the whole burial issue less messy, but what did you mean when you said that I should be more careful with my light spell?¡±


    ¡°When you guys ''saved'',¡± I emphasise the word, ¡°me from the bandits, you charged in and blinded them with a spell. Only my mask prevented me from being blinded. Try not to hit allies with your magic.¡±


    He blushes. ¡°I am so sorry. I didn''t realize that. I just saw them attacking someone and charged in.¡±


    I snort, but since I''ve to stay with them, I probably shouldn''t be a sorehead. ¡°It''s okay. Just don''t do it again.¡±


    Tristen rides closer. ¡°How is your work going?¡±


    I blink and return my attention to the shield. ¡°I enchanted the spear and the armour. The shield is also ready. I am just making a few final adjustments to the enchantments which lighten the items.¡± And I am adding a few extras, but the others don''t have to know that.


    ¡°Did you learn from an enchanter?¡± Fae asks from her position at the rear.


    I nod. ¡°I''ve had enough time to pick up a lot of knowledge. I regard myself as a seeker of wisdom. Every time I get into a big town, I use most of my earnings to raid the libraries for new things.¡± At least that''s what I''ll officially do from now on.


    Halberd snorts. ¡°So that''s why you are gathering rare minerals for money? Woman, you could be the headmage of a kingdom''s court. Instead, you waste your time with us on this road. What about having a lot of money and a nice life for a change?¡±


    I snort and tap my temple with a finger. ¡°Always remember. They can take your money and your clothes, but they can''t take what''s up here.¡±


    The dwarf shakes his heads and allows his lemu to fall back. It''s clear that he doesn''t share my opinion.


    We travel for the rest of the day. During the night we camp between the trees. I can sense that the people are a little moody because of what happened yesterday. But Norwick and his team do a great job in keeping everyone in check.


    The night passes without incident and we travel for four more days. All the time I sense something brushing just past the edge of my senses, but Kiara reassures me that the fellbear is still on our trail. The first success encouraged it to follow us in hope of catching another unwary victim.


    On the fifth day, the caravan comes to a sudden halt. I hear screams from the front and stand up on my cart to see what''s going on.


    Tristen reminds us of the potential danger. ¡°Defence! Make sure to keep an eye on our surroundings! What''s going on at the front isn''t our business.¡±


    Thankful for the reminder, I turn my attention to our immediate surroundings. I put on my mask and grab the spear. That''s when I sense them. Several auras are quickly approaching from our right. And it doesn''t look like they''ll give me the time to put on armour.


    Kiara gasps and readies her crossbow. She must''ve found them through her connection with the bird. ¡°Goblins!¡±


    Brian and Halberd dismount and put up a united front. They are joined by Kiara''s direwolf.


    I aim the spear at the underbrush from which our attackers will emerge. Channelling my power, I charge a strong spell to start the battle with something strong. The dragonbone on the tip of my spear starts glowing in a blue light.


    Then the first creature emerges from the bushes. It''s brown and about a metre in height. Armed with a club and a buckler, it looks more like an ape than a man.


    I release the spell and blue lightning arcs towards the first few attackers. Wood splinters and earth is thrown up. Most go down, but four get through the lightning arc. A loud ''twang'' from Kiara''s crossbow sends a bolt into the chest of a goblin and two quick arrows from Fae deal with another two.


    Suddenly alone, the remaining goblin charges right into Brian''s and Halberd''s waiting arms. They chop it to bits in the blink of an eye.


    That''s when the main force breaks out of the underbrush. I call for Kiara and Fae to stay next to me, then I raise a barrier against projectiles. Brian casts a light spell in order to blind the enemies. I note with satisfaction that he only blinded our enemies this time. He and Halberd charge and meet the attackers head on.


    Cursing, I send a wave of kinetic force against three goblins who made it past the two warriors. The creatures are picked up and sent back into the melee.


    Fae stopped shooting after she killed her first two targets. Now she aims her bow at the large group which is surrounding Brain and Halberd. The arrow is glowing in a green light and brimming with power. ¡°Get down!¡±


    She lets the arrow fly and our two fighters throw themselves into the dirt. The arrow passes right above them and explodes in a circle of green energies and splinters. The explosion is restricted to a tight ring, which means that the space right above and below the arrow is spared. The group of goblins takes heavy casualties. But one of them makes it through, despite his lethal injuries, and tries to smash in Halberd''s head.


    To Halberd''s luck, the wooden club doesn''t do much against his metal helmet. The dwarf kicks his attacker away, then he jumps to his feet and skewers the goblin with his weapon.


    The direwolf rushes in to take advantage of the downed foes.


    My barrier blocked most of Fae''s spell, but now several little darts draw my attention. They are impacting my shield without doing much. Guessing at their origin, I turn to our left and use the flamethrower spell to torch the bushes next to my cart. Four of the creatures reveal themselves, blowpipes in their hands.


    Some horn is blown in the distance and our attackers retreat without hesitation. Those who can, grab their wounded or fallen comrades and run back into the forest.


    The attack is over as fast as it began, and all that''s left are the moans of the injured. My own heavy breaths join in and I lower the spear. The weapon worked well and fulfilled its job as a focus. I feel dizzy from using so much magic and sit down on the cart.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Fae asks with a concerned expression.


    ¡°I''ll be. Just out of breath from using so much magic.¡± I close my eyes and lean back. ¡°Just a few minutes.¡± I feel the dizziness from overexerting my magical muscles. Yes. I definitely should train. My master used me for his weather rituals, so I am not completely out of shape. But I definitely need to get stronger. I am not used to channelling so much power at once. ¡°Why didn''t I sense the little fuckers?¡±


    Kiara readies her crossbow for another shot. ¡°Their warriors don''t have any magic. Only the leaders of a raiding party and shamans have auras. That makes them the perfect sneaks.¡±


    I watch as Kiara¡¯s bird lands next to one of the dead goblins and starts picking at the corpse''s eyes.


    Tristen appears out of the bushes, the head of a goblin in his hand. ¡°I took out the raid leader and used his horn to signal their retreat. Is everyone okay?¡±


    ¡°We are fine,¡± Brian answers.


    Halberd returns to his lemu. ¡°Do you want to say that they didn''t retreat of their own accord?¡±


    ¡°They didn''t. That''s why we have to get the caravan going. We have to get out of their territory.¡± Tristen pulls at the earlobes of his lemu and the animal carries him quickly towards the front of the caravan.


    I press my eyes together and force myself to shake off the dizziness. ¡°I''ve never heard of goblins attacking in such a large group.¡±


    ¡°They don''t!¡± Kiara calls out. She seems to be a little shaken.


    ¡°Unless two tribes unite under a strong leader. I''ve heard of such things. Normally, they are too busy fighting each other, but from time to time a leader is strong enough to control more than his own tribe. Then they attack traders, or even small villages,¡± Halberd explains.


    Brian shakes his head. ¡°That explains what happened to the other two caravans. The merchant guild thought that those caravans were taken by bandits, but the goblins were behind it all along.¡±


    The cart in front of mine starts moving and I urge my own lemu to go on. The animal does as ordered, but not without protest. I''ve no idea about the state of the rest of the caravan.


    Fae shakes her head. ¡°It still doesn''t explain how they are managing to take one caravan after the other. I admit that this caravan has thrice the number of guards, but the goblins must have had casualties with the previous caravans. We certainly gave them a bloody nose.¡±


    ¡°We didn''t get away unharmed and I am not so sure that they wouldn''t have taken us anyway if they had kept coming.¡± Kiara points at a carriage which was looted and tilted over. Someone pulled it off the path. The owner and two adventurers are lying next to it, dead.


    Tristen returns from the front of the caravan. ¡°We''ve lost eleven adventurers and two merchants. Norwick decided to go on, instead of turning around. He doesn''t think that we can escape them anyway. According to the maps, there is a riverbed a little further down the path. At this time of the year it should be dried up, so it should be an easily defensible position for the night.¡±


    I groan. ¡°Does he think that they will come back!?¡±


    ¡°They will and I don''t want to be caught a second time on a narrow path through the woods.¡±

 8. ~Marsh Riverbed~

    ¡°There would be no change without defiance.¡±


    ***Marshwood***


    ***Joyce***


    We practically race through the forest. Before the attack, the caravan kept going at a leisurely pace in order not to stress the carriages. It seems like that philosophy went out of the window. I feel a little better after ten minutes of following the carriage in front of me, which gives me the chance to use my brain.


    I wince. ¡°Don''t the goblins know about the riverbed? They live here. What if it''s a trap?¡±


    ¡°It is a trap.¡± Halberd nods. ¡°But we have no other choice than to walk right into it. The trap already closed around us.¡±


    ¡°What? Why?¡± Kiara stops the maintenance of her crossbow and glares at Halberd.


    The dwarf sighs. ¡°We have four choices. We could stay right where we are and fight inside the forest. That''s something which the goblins do on a daily basis, so I am sure that they would have the advantage. We could turn around and travel back the way which we came. The glade from last night¡¯s campsite is still there and it offers at least some free space.


    ¡°We could take a hike in the woods and get picked off one by one. It would be a bloodbath. There is no way to hide our tracks with all the merchants in tow. Maybe a single person who is a skilled ranger or scout could get away, but not the whole caravan. And what do we do then? I don''t want to take my chances with the wilderness.


    ¡°Lastly, we can go forward. The riverbed is near and it offers solid ground. We can concentrate our forces, instead of having to fight in a long line while our foes use the underbrush to their advantage. If the merchants were out of the picture, I would take my chances with a forest battle.¡±


    He frowns. ¡°Maybe it will still come to that. If we abandon the carriages, we gain mobility.¡±


    I don''t argue. At least it seems like he thought it through.


    Surprisingly, the goblins leave us alone until we reach the riverbed. The river is huge, but shallow, and more than a kilometre in width. The Marsh runs right through the Marshwoods. During summer, it dries up and leaves a long stretch of rocky terrain behind. When the snow melts, the melt water from the surrounding mountains fills the river, which in turn floods the Marshwoods.


    Nobody dares to travel during that season, as it''s almost impossible to get through the mud.


    I study our situation from different angles and with detached emotions. The fact that we left the forest gives us the ability to see our enemies coming. We are bigger and stronger than goblins, so we have the advantage on a battlefield. But why did they give us this chance in the first place? I survey the riverbed. ¡°At least it doesn''t look like they will break a dam to wash us away. The river is much too wide for that.¡±


    Fae chuckles. ¡°It would be a lot of effort just to kill off a single caravan. And I never heard of goblins being good builders. And since they want the goods, it wouldn''t help them to ''wash us away''.¡±


    I grunt and search for other traps, but even my magesight doesn''t reveal any magical traps. I take off my mask and relax a little. ¡°Whatever they''ve planned, it doesn''t look like it will hit us immediately.¡±


    At the front of the caravan, I notice Norwick ordering everyone into a rough circle. They use the carriages as barricades. I frown, still not understanding why the goblins allowed us to leave. Yes, Tristen tricked them to break off their attack early. If he hadn''t done so, we would''ve taken a lot more casualties. But the goblins could''ve easily reorganized themselves for a second attack.


    ¡°What''s the point of attacking us, when they allow us to escape afterwards?¡± I ask.


    Brian answers my question. ¡°They want us to take a defensive position. Whatever they¡¯ve planned, they want us all in one place.¡±


    I grind my teeth. ¡°Maybe we should try to convince Norwick to press on. Fuck this riverbed. What if we travel through the night?¡±


    Halberd shakes his head. ¡°They would pick us off one by one. Goblins can see in the dark and there is only forest from here on. Once night falls, they have the advantage.¡±


    That''s when we notice the drums. They are all around us. In the forest behind us and in front of us. They are loud and sound ominous.


    While the others are watching the forest, I manoeuvre my little cart into the ring of defenders. This time I''ll put on the armour. I pull off the top piece of my robes, which leaves just the tight under-shirt and the dragonbone armour beneath it.


    ¡°Wha- Wha- What are you doing!?¡± Brian almost chokes upon seeing my curves. What''s his problem? I am not stripping.


    ¡°Getting dressed for the occasion! Don''t ogle me, you leech!¡± I grab the breastplate from the small loading area behind me and strap it on. With Fae''s help, I am ready shortly afterwards. There is just no way to join the mask with the armour''s helmet. Given the choice, I choose the mask. I''ve put a lot of effort into enchanting it.


    The drums aren''t subsiding, even after an hour of waiting. Norwick passes by and gives us instructions for the inevitable attack. The demoness in his party is expecting a large scale magical attack, so we should ready our defences.


    I debate with myself whether I should try to pull something out of my hat or not, but any spells I can come up with would reveal my knowledge. I never learned enough about this world''s large rituals. All I picked up from Nemus is weather magic. Hm. Weather magic.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    As the setting sun disappears behind the mountain, I jump off my cart and run to the sandy part of the riverbed. I pick up a piece of driftwood and prick my neck with a nail, drawing blood. Then I cover the tip of my improvised wand with it and channel a little magic through the item. It gets warm, but it holds without blowing up in my face.


    Hastily, I scratch out the necessary runes as I make my way around the camp. I am almost done when I get interrupted by Norwick and a woman with horns on her head. The demoness, I suppose? Why are they called demons instead of goatpeople? Aren''t they just hybrids like all the other beastkin?


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Norwick asks. The woman smiles at me and decides to reprimand me with her slightly haughty voice. ¡°It would be nice to inform us of a large-scale working.¡±


    Her smile revealed sharp teeth, so I change my impression of her race from goats to... something else.


    ¡°Passive weather influence to encourage the formation of mist. If we stay here through the night, it might be helpful if our enemies don''t see us either. The mist won''t be too thick, but with a little time it will reduce everyone''s vision to not more than twenty metres. It''ll hardly inconvenience our warriors, while the goblins will loose a lot of their advantage,¡± I explain.


    Norwick raises an eyebrow. ¡°Go on.¡±


    I ignore them and finish my work twenty minutes later. It feels like the drums are closing in on us as the light fades away and the mist rises. The riverbed isn''t completely dried out. There is still a small trickle of water here and there, so my subtle spell does its job without further encouragement.


    Without a better idea of what to do, I start whistling a tune and head back to the others. They are still at the perimeter where I left them. Halberd is holding his halberd, pun intended, while the others are eyeing the darkness. A few weak light globes are cast to illuminate the camp.


    I notice a few pearls of sweat on Tristen''s forehead. He grunts and draws his sword. ¡°These drums are driving me crazy. What''s their game?¡±


    ¡°I''ve experienced that before.¡± An old adventurer to our left shakes his fists. ¡°Goblin wardrums. They have a shaman who is using them for a large working. The closer the drums get, the more fear they will instil in us. And if the shaman is powerful enough, we''ll be so frightened that we can''t even fight back when they attack. I''ve seen it during the Goblin War.¡±


    A man next to him slaps the old man on the back of his head. ¡°Shut up and concentrate your magic on your mental defences.¡±


    I bite my lower lip and concentrate on my protections. There is indeed something brushing against the mental defences which I worked into my mask. It''s so weak that I didn''t notice it. Just a suggestion. The old man is right.


    I study the faces of the adventurers. There are sixty-four of us and most look like they will cower down in fear any second. Turning around, I find that most of the merchants without magic are already at the point of hiding themselves under their carriages. They can''t even run and are immobilized by their fear.


    Tristen steps back and starts shaking. ¡°Guys, I am afraid that I am no good at this. My teacher always told me that my mental defences suck.¡±


    Scowling, I draw my dagger and take Tristen''s hand. ¡°Hold still!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    I etch a ward into the back of his hand. He winces, but doesn''t protest. Even as the blood flows.


    ¡°Channel your mana through your hand and you will be fine.¡± I look around, bloody dagger in hand. ¡°Has anybody else problems with withstanding their mental influence?¡±


    They shake their heads. Apparently nobody else wants to get cut.


    We wait as the drums close in all around us. Then figures appear in the dark and a hail of stones, arrows and spears rains down on us. I raise my shield and aim my staff, shooting out a bolt of energy.


    The enhanced vision of my mask gave me a good idea of my target''s whereabouts.


    The following explosion causes yelps of fear and lights up several goblins. Other adventurers use the chance to take a shot, but not nearly enough. I realize that I am the only one who can see far enough. The others don¡¯t have a clear target.


    Slowly, the drums close in. They are loud, but one is louder than the others, somewhere to my left. It feels like it is empowering the rest.


    The goblins repeat their attack and the rain of projectiles starts claiming victims on our side.


    ¡°Advance! They will wear us down if we allow them to take shots at us! Advance! Close the ranks.¡±


    Norwick''s voice echoes over the battlefield, but nobody moves. They are too enthralled by the drums. I try to shove Brian forward, but the paladin is rooted to the spot. Tristen isn''t able to move either. My rune helped as long as the shaman wasn''t close enough, but now the rogue is shaking again.


    A group of goblins charges our perimeter somewhere to my right. Norwick tries to rally his men. ¡°Fight you sons of bitches! Don''t let the drums get to you!¡±


    At least it seems to have some effect, as I hear the sound of steel on steel and battlecries. The sound of war. But it''s all too late. We are inside their trap and if this goes on any further we are all doomed. Norwick and his party might be able to withstand the spell, but they alone won''t win this.


    Another rain of projectiles drops down on us. Some adventurers shoot back, but their aim is miles off. Then a group of goblins charges our line. They immediately break off and retreat when they are greeted by arrows and magic. It''s clear that they are just testing us. They want to know if we are ripe for the picking.


    ¡°Aw, fuck it! I am not going to die here!¡± I step around Brian and run into the darkness.


    ¡°Joyce!¡± Fae calls after me, but she doesn''t follow.


    It''s good like that. I have my own problems. The source of this ritual is the shaman and I am fairly sure that he must be near that strong concentration of magic which I sense to my left. The fear-spell must end.


    ¡°I''ll kill you little pests. And if I die, I''ll come back to haunt you!¡± I laugh haughtily. They have no idea that my threat is a real possibility. It''s unlikely to reincarnate twice on the same world, but it has happened before.


    I channel energy from my surroundings, but this time I just draw it in. Magic is the ability to shape energy. A mage doesn''t have to take it from his own power. He or she can also absorb it. Me taking in energy causes the temperature around me to drop, which in turn allows more water to condense in the air. The mist thickens, lessening my range of vision.


    Several shapes appear in front of me and I barrel right into one of them. The goblin is thrown to the ground and I go on, ignoring the rest. Their angered cries follow me and something is deflected by my armour. I raise the shield behind me to cover my head. It would be a shame if one of those shitstains gets a headshot achievement by killing me.


    The drum is close. I covered about fifty metres and ran into just one group of enemies. There must be less of them than we thought. The goblins are completely relying on their fear magic to pick off the adventurers. But the drum and the shaman will surely be protected.


    My hunch is confirmed a few steps later when a large shape appears out of the mist. The drum is huge, at least four metres in height. Taking notice, the goblins scream and point at me.


    I aim my shield forward and charge, channelling magic through my entire being. Bodies bounce off of me like toddlers. But there are too many and my momentum is stopped. I sidestep a club and stab the owner. Dodge, kick, roll, block, my movements are suddenly commanded by instinct and necessity. There is no time to think.


    The figure at the huge drum intensifies his efforts in an attempt to chase me off.


    Close enough. I aim the staff and channel my magic for one last blast of power. As I release the spell, one of the little buggers throws himself onto my staff. The spell goes wide and hits the large carriage which is holding the drum.


    Unperturbed, the drummer continues his work and I howl in rage as several of the stinking creatures throw themselves onto me. Something pierces through my thigh as one of the goblins finds a weak spot between my armour plates. Changing the grip on my staff, I hurl it at the figure and nail him to the drum.


    With the ritual interrupted and the drum damaged, the spell''s energies unload in a single, large explosion. The carriage is torn to shreds and a large piece of the drum is hurled upwards. Held down by an enraged mob of goblins, I grin and raise my shield in defiance as the large piece of debris comes crushing down on us.


    Unsurprisingly, my last word in this world is a scream of pain.

 9. ~Squashed~

    ¡°There are painful ways to die, and then there are painful ways to live.¡±


    ***Marshwood***


    ***Joyce***


    This is new. Being squashed is different. I''ve been stabbed, blown up, poisoned, eaten, strangled, torn to pieces, that one hurt, ah, not to forget the little incident with the nuke. No, being squashed like a bug is definitely new.


    So why have I not been reborn? Did the reincarnation wheel glitch? Did I die in my mother''s womb? That would suck. It''s dark and I can''t move. Oh, wait! I can wriggle my hand.


    ¡°Joyce!?¡±


    Someone is calling my name and I feel another hand taking mine.


    ¡°Get that thing off of her!¡±


    I realize that I can''t move because something heavy is lying on top of me. I am still holding my tower shield, its slightly curved, so it allows me just enough space to breathe. The weight shifts and I scream in pain as the broken bones shift inside me. Suddenly, there is so much light. Someone takes away my shield. It protected the upper part of my body against the wreck of the drum.


    Then several unknown people are around me and someone pulls the mask off my face. That was a mistake, since one of the mask''s enchantments suppresses pain. With the mask gone, the full sensation of all my injuries comes pressing down on me.


    Risking it, I look down and notice that my legs didn''t do so well. Yep, being crushed sucks! But I am alive. Seems like I don''t get to redo the whole growing-up thing.


    One of the healers places a hand on my forehead and I feel an unbelievable urge to sleep. Better not to disappoint him by deflecting his spell.


    ***Marshwood***


    ***Fae***


    I take off the white mask and turn it between my hands. Joyce always clung to it as if it was her last lifeline. What a strange woman. Every time I thought that I¡¯ve figured her out, all my theories are thrown out of the window. The spellwork on this mask is far beyond anything I¡¯ve ever seen. Not even the enchanted villages of my people can compare to it.


    I shudder at the memory of finding her under that piece of debris. Just her hand was looking out and I already thought that she was crushed. Then, despite all odds, her hand wriggled.


    Still not believing it, I put on the mask and a storm of sensations almost overwhelms me. Stupid. I am like a child with a new toy. I can hear the mouse in it¡¯s den. I can see the deer in the underbrush as a flaring light of whirling energies. This artefact allows me to see mana itself. And by simply wishing it, I can have it show me other things. I realize that Joyce must¡¯ve listened in on all of our conversations.


    Focusing on Tristen in front of me, the mask illuminates his beating heart and energy pathways light up all over his body. And I thought that it must be hard to see anything with this mask on. I theorized that she was conducting some sort of wicked training.


    A treasure like this would allow a mage to unravel the nature of magic itself.


    My eyes wander to Joyce¡¯s broken body on the cart next to me. The healers managed to keep her alive. Barely. If she survives until morning, they might be able to save her. But first they have to rest. The battle claimed a lot of casualties.


    It¡¯s good that I got my hands on her items before anyone else did. Any other mage would¡¯ve gone nuts over such a discovery. But my people always emphasize the importance of thinking through every step before we take action. I am sure that Joyce doesn¡¯t want to share such a secret.


    The question is, is Joyce the one who made this artefact? It¡¯s likely. And do I want to make an enemy of someone who can create such a wonder?


    I slip the mask into her magical backpack and study the woman who is on the brink of death.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ***Marshwood***Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    ***Joyce***


    I wake up to the rattling of a carriage. Groaning, I open my eyes and sit up. The first thing I notice is that my legs are whole. I wriggle my toes. Oh, the wonders of healing magic in a medieval world. And whoever healed me did a really fine job. It seems like I don''t have to bother with rehabilitation. Who would ever get the idea to research real medicine in a world with magic?


    ¡°Joyce! You are up!¡± Kiara''s voice draws my attention and I look up. She manoeuvres her lemu closer to the carriage. ¡°You were out for three days. The healers said that you were about to die when we found you. It took them two days to fix all the broken bones.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡± I ask and touch myself. Someone else was manipulating my body. Better to make sure that they did good work. Is my chest bigger than before? No. I am surely imagining it. Who would waste his time with enlarging breasts if there are broken bones to fix?


    Kiara''s expression turns serious. ¡°We wanted to hear that from you. You ran off into the dark and then there was this large explosion and the fear was gone. You saved all of us.¡±


    I pick my ear and try to get the strange, tingling sensation away. Then I give her the short version. ¡°The whole caravan was succumbing to the ritual, so I went out to search for the source and killed the shaman who was powering the spell. The drum was his focus point for the ritual. It blew up and then I was out for the count.¡±


    She nods. ¡°We assumed something like that. With the fear gone, we charged the goblins and killed a whole bunch of them. The battle lasted the whole night until they retreated. It looks like the ones who were blown up also gave the commands, so it took them a while to realize that their strategy failed. They retreated when the morning dawned, but we lost a lot of good people.¡±


    Her expression turns sour. ¡°We are down to thirty-two.¡±


    ¡°We lost half of our people?¡± I gasp. If I hadn''t risked taking out the shaman, we would be goners. ¡°How many goblins were there?¡±


    She shrugs. ¡°We didn''t take the time to count. After looting the corpses, we departed and haven''t stopped since. A few of the merchants also died. Some goblins got to them when we broke formation to round them up. We''ve eighteen merchants left. Norwick is really pissed about it. Can''t blame him for it. The whole expedition will be a black stain on his career as an adventurer.¡± She shakes her head.


    I get to my knees and test my legs. ¡°But who can blame him? He did his best. Everyone thought that bandits took the other caravans.¡± I notice my backpack and open it to search for some decent clothes. They dressed me in nothing more than a nightgown.


    ¡°The adventurer''s guild isn''t much different from the military. They will listen to his report and then some smart ass will come up with a totally unrealistic plan of how it could''ve been done better. Doesn''t matter that he wasn''t at the scene. Maybe they will rank his party down, maybe not. That''s why we never take the responsibility for such huge expeditions. It''s much easier to be just a grunt.¡±


    I nod while I put on pants and a shirt. ¡°Where are the others?¡±


    ¡°Brian, Tristen and Fae are with four other adventurers a few carriages behind us. They are looking out for goblins, but the little monsters haven''t tried anything since the riverbed.¡± She lowers her head. ¡°Halberd joined his ancestors.¡±


    I look at her and it takes a moment to get her meaning. ¡°I am sorry to hear that. My condolences. I suppose he was a good friend?¡± I only knew the dwarf for a few days, so it would be a lie to say that I mourn his death.


    She nods. ¡°We always joked that at some point he wouldn''t run fast enough with his stumpy legs. But that''s the life we chose. We know the risks in our lifestyle. There is no point in complaining about it.¡±


    Yeah. Sucks when you have just one life. Not that reincarnation is much better. I still lose everyone I care about when I die.


    ¡°Your mask and the spear are inside your backpack.¡±


    I turn around and glare at Kiara.


    She smiles. ¡°Don''t worry. We won''t tell anyone that it''s magical.¡±


    ¡°We?¡±


    ¡°Fae and I, of course. We cleaned you while you were unconscious. We found out when we searched for clothes. I am sorry for rummaging through your things. Though I have to ask, why do you have a broken slave collar inside your backpack?¡±


    I quickly look around, but nobody is within hearing range. Killing Kiara and Fae might be a slight overreaction. And they fixed me, cleaned me. Maybe I can lend them just a little bit of trust? ¡°It''s to remind me of bad times.¡±


    She nods and draws her own conclusions. ¡°I see. Everyone has things which they don''t want to talk about.¡±


    I finish dressing myself and decide to redirect the conversation to another topic. ¡°What about my armour?¡± I pull the mask and the spear out of the backpack, then I retrieve the dragonbone breastplate and the spine protection. Both are broken or crushed in several places.


    Kiara winces. ¡°It''s a total loss. We kept the dragonbone, since Tristen said that you can repair it. The lower part of the armour is scrap metal and the upper half is so dented that it wouldn''t fit. It saved your life. A little less sturdy and your upper body would''ve been crushed. And there is no way to survive that.¡±


    I see. Maybe I have to thank the stupid blacksmith for insisting on real armour. Back when I requested the set, I didn''t manage to come up with a scenario in which a sturdy armour would make a difference. In some way, the piece of debris landing on top of me saved my life. Had it not fallen on me, the goblins would have killed me, regardless of my armour. There is always some weakness to stab a dagger through.


    ¡°I''ll meld the armour right away. Oh, boy. Look at that. Makes me really happy that I had armour. Imagine how it would be to have your bones broken like that.¡± I try to joke and gesture at the broken breastplate.


    Kiara pulls a grimace. ¡°Your bones were broken like that. The armour just barely allowed you to keep breathing beneath the debris.¡±


    I concentrate on the breastplate and fuse one of the cracks. ¡°Wow. So that''s why it hurt so much.¡±


    ¡°I''ll fall back and inform the others that you woke up.¡± Kiara loosens her grip on her lemu and I nod in acceptance.


    ¡°I''ll use my current status as a wounded person to repair this.¡± I wave my hand and return my attention to the armour.


    During the rest of the day, the others take turns in keeping me company. They are still tasked with guarding the rear. Norwick looks a little miffed when he pays me a visit, but surprisingly he thanked me for taking out the wardrum.


    All in all, I notice that the adventurers are looking at me with different expressions. There is reverence and admiration in their eyes. I really hope that they won''t spread some insane story about my heroism. The last thing I need is to become famous right away. My plans include a certain amount of fame at some point, but not so early in the game.


    Officially, it takes me another day to recover. Then I rejoin the others at the rear. Not a single goblin showed itself during the entire time. Tristen and Brian are of the opinion that the goblins won''t come back. Strong goblin shamans aren''t exactly common and they won''t dare to attack a caravan without the shaman''s backup.


    But we still keep an eye out for pursuers. Fae is sure that the guild will post a goblin suppression quest as soon as the caravan reaches Hormundad. I can''t wait to reach something which resembles civilisation.


    One day later, we finally leave the forest, which is replaced by seemingly endless fields of grass and small meadows. Afterwards, the mood within the caravan rises noticeably. I myself am no exception to that. The forest''s trees kept giving the impression that someone or something is watching us.


    It''s only then, that Kiara finally takes a break. According to her, the fellbear had followed us all the way to the edge of the forest. When I asked why it didn''t eat all the dead goblins at our battlefield, Brian was nice enough to inform me that fellbears only eat fresh meat. They don''t go for corpses.


    I use the time to study some of the old tomes which I snatched from Nemus. I also make some adjustments to the books and forge plans for my arrival in the city. Great things are about to happen.

 10. ~City~

    ¡°At the beginning of many big organisations stands just an idea.¡±


    ***Hormundad***


    ***Joyce***


    It took us another week to reach the city. The others weren¡¯t exactly in a good mood. Halberd¡¯s death was a shock for them. There wasn¡¯t much I could do about it, except for keeping my mouth shut. But they were in the military and their life as adventurers isn¡¯t less risky. I was sure that they would cope with it in time.


    The overall mood in the caravan was bad. Everyone had lost someone. We started the expedition with over a hundred people and less than half are arriving at our destination. I wouldn¡¯t call that a successful campaign.


    So it was a good thing that we didn¡¯t run into more problems. There was one attack from a pack of lizard-like monsters, but Norwick and his people handled them without breaking a sweat. The things were nothing more than dumb animals. According to Brian they are very common on the Horm Plains.


    That¡¯s what the landscape which lies behind the Marshwood is called. It consists largely of meadows and gentle hills which are covered by copse. The area and climate are perfect for growing crops, which is why the Horm Plains are also called the granary of the Alliance.


    Hormundad is a relatively large city with about two hundred thousand inhabitants. Thanks to magic, this world is better off than a medieval one without it. They have less health and food problems, which allows for a larger population. But that¡¯s only as long as they have enough healers and magicians.


    Having strong magical powers comes with responsibilities and a lot of attention.


    That¡¯s why I¡¯ve to be careful not to get involved with local politics. There¡¯ll be no way around it, but if it happens, I want to be the one who has all the cards in my hands. The last thing I need is to be used against my will. The Alliance has laws against slavery, but that doesn¡¯t mean that they are the good guys. I am sure that their high society has its own ways to keep commoners under their thumb.


    It turn my thoughts to my surroundings. Hormundad is a pleasant surprise. The streets are clean and the tall buildings are made of marble. Most of them have two or even three stories, and the architecture reminds me of the Roman style.


    My original plan was to head directly to the capital, but that might not be a good idea. Hormundad is large enough to provide everything I need. Setting things in motion is surely easier if I start from a satellite town, instead of the capital. The ones who are in power will have less time to react if they don¡¯t notice my operations.


    The first step are rumours. I was afraid that it would take a long time for them to spread, but in a city as developed as this one, there has to be a decent information network.


    And in case that someone follows the trail of the rumours, they¡¯ll be guided to a town which is close to the border. They won¡¯t get suspicious because the information popped up out of nowhere inside the heart of the alliance.


    I follow the caravan to the adventurer¡¯s guildhouse, where we¡¯ll get paid. The inside is surprisingly similar to the one in Tarin. The only difference is that it isn¡¯t made of wood, but of stone.


    When it¡¯s my turn to get paid, I am pleasantly surprised by the fact that Norwick suggested to increase my status from level one to level two. Apparently, my performance and a positive recommendation by an adventurer above level five are enough. Having received the mediocre payment, I turn away from the counter and find Tristen, Brian, Fae and Kiara waiting for me.


    ¡°What are your plans from here on?¡± Kiara asks. ¡°We thought about using a gate to travel north. Someone needs a few guards to examine old ruins in Abasin Valley. We thought that you might want to join us?¡±


    I smile. There is no choice but to disappoint them. ¡°I am sorry, but I have other plans. I need to sell my goods. With a gate around, I expect to get decent prices. And then I¡¯ve to do some research on where to go next.¡±


    Fae nods and hands me a communication crystal. It¡¯s a fist-sized piece of blue glass. The shape is rectangular and it¡¯s about two centimetres in thickness. ¡°This communication crystal is keyed to ours. Let¡¯s meet up if our paths come close to each other.¡±A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    I nod and study the item. Communication crystals are like modern mobile phones, though they come with a few disadvantages. They can be used to talk to anyone within the network, but it¡¯s hard to add more people to the group. I assume that they gave me the one which belonged to Halberd. ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll try to pay you a visit once I¡¯ve my things in order.¡±


    Fae smiles. ¡°Please do so, I am sure that we¡¯ll meet again. The world is a small place for people who live as long as we do.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s smaller than we want it to be.¡± I clear my throat and allow them to hug me. There is nothing more horrible than emotional farewells.


    At last I am free and outside the guildhouse. With that done, I decide to turn my possessions into as much money as possible. I should have enough to set up a small business. After asking several peasants for directions, I stand in front of the merchant guild.


    I stay there for a few minutes, imagining several scenarios of how this could play out. Before I enter, I take a walk around the block. There is a distinct possibility that I might have to run very fast before the day is over.


    Having memorized the streets, I decide to jump into the cold water and enter the guild. Once inside, I head directly to one of the accountants. ¡°I have to speak with the guildmaster.¡±


    The lanky catkin youngster looks at me with obvious distrust in his eyes. ¡°Are you a level eight merchant? Otherwise you need an appointment to see the guildmaster.¡±


    ¡°Do I?¡± I ask and ignore the fact that he is clearly looking down on me. I channel magic and cast a basic privacy ward. By creating a weak shield around us, I dampen the sound of our voices. It won¡¯t be hard for anyone to break the shield, but that¡¯s not the intent. ¡°I want to sell goods which cost at least five thousand gold on the open market. Are you authorized to handle that much money?¡±


    He stops smiling and shakes his head. ¡°I¡¯ll go and get the guildmaster.¡± He gets up and leaves the counter. It¡¯s a good thing that the previous guildmaster informed me of a few basic rules regarding the merchants.


    I wait until the boy returns. He guides me into an office on the upper floor. The room is big and luxurious. The large window behind the large desk allows a good view of the city centre. I smile at the gnome who is sitting behind the overly large desk, then I turn to the young accountant and watch him with raised eyebrows.


    It takes five full seconds until the young catkin gets it into his head that his presence isn¡¯t wanted.


    After the door is closed behind him, I cast another privacy ward and take the seat which is obviously intended for customers.


    The gnome looks a lot like a dwarf, but his physique is lankier. The eyes are bigger and too round for a human. He studies me with interest. ¡°Is the privacy ward really necessary?¡±


    I smile. ¡°Yes. Your underling is listening at the door and I heard that catkin have good ears. You can call me Joyce.¡±


    ¡°The lad may be a little too motivated.¡± He nods. ¡°You can call me Dorver. I was told that you offer us a large trade?¡±


    I take off the backpack and pat it. ¡°This is a spelled backpack. I¡¯ve a few dozen kilograms of various rare minerals, metals and some other refined goods.¡± I rattle down the list of everything I have. The only things I don¡¯t mention are the molten gold, the books and Orwen¡¯s power stone. ¡°All in all, I want six thousand gold coins for everything.¡±


    Dorver studies the backpack with greedy eyes. ¡°That¡¯s a lot of money. Enough to buy an estate. And I am not really sure that your goods actually add up to six-thousand gold.¡±


    I nod. ¡°But I don¡¯t want property. I want my own company with ties to the merchants and a contract for future partnership. I want access to your worldwide information network any time I want.¡±


    The gnome chuckles and shakes his head. ¡°Do you understand what you are asking? Only merchants of the highest level get access to our economical data. Even with everything you are offering, you could only buy a few months of access to our records.¡±


    I reach into the backpack and wave three sheets of paper in front of him. ¡°How about detailed instructions on how to create something like this backpack? Use my name to set up a company. I want skilled merchants to work for me. The guild can have a certain percentage of everything the company earns by using these blueprints. That¡¯s the payment for your administration, but the company belongs to me.¡±


    He squints his eyes at the blueprints. ¡°Only the consortium of mages knows how to create spacial artefacts. They have the monopoly on it and they take great care in not sharing the secret with anyone while they hide on their island-chain in the southern ocean. You really want me to believe that you stole the technique from them? They won¡¯t take it lightly.¡±


    ¡°Who said that I stole it? I solved the problem myself.¡± I place the blueprints on the desk between us. It took me four days to reverse engineer a simple version of the pocket dimension spell.


    The gnome looks at me with renewed interest. Up until now it seemed like he was about to throw me out. ¡°Let¡¯s assume that you aren¡¯t lying. This will change a lot of things. Do you realize that releasing this information could topple our economy?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I am completely aware of that. And guess what, I don¡¯t care. I want to make as much money as possible. But I realize that the merchants would become my worst enemies if I release this information on my own. I am just an enchanter who found out how to create pocket dimensions. I¡¯ve no idea of economy. You are being given a chance. A chance to release this information in a controlled manner while making tons of money.¡±


    He glares at the blueprints and crosses his arms in front of his chest. ¡°It sounds as if you are blackmailing us. And who says that these blueprints are the real deal? It wouldn¡¯t matter much if only highly skilled mages can use them.¡±


    I place my hand on the blueprints. ¡°These blueprints contain instructions on how to create a chest. Width of one metre, depth of fifty centimetres and a height of fifty centimetres. The material doesn¡¯t matter. Once the enchantments which I inscribed here are on the chest, it¡¯s inner dimensions will be about fifteen cubic metres. Every enchanter of average skill can place the enchantments and charge them. There is no need to understand the inscriptions. The chest will be fully operational for up to a year, after which the enchantments have to be checked for degradation. There is also a fail-safe function.¡±


    The gnome¡¯s eyes widened during my explanation. He considers my proposal for several minutes without saying a word. I allow him to consider his next steps. After all, I am asking him to become one of the big players in the world.


    It seemed like an eternity, but in the end he clears his throat and tries to correct his clothes. ¡°We''ll need to verify the authenticity of these blueprints.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    He reaches under his desk and pulls out a big stack of papers. ¡°We need to draw up a contract. A good one. A magical one.¡±


    Now I know that I have him. ¡°Of course.¡±

 11. ~Knowledge~

    ¡°The feather is stronger than the sword.¡±


    ***Hormundad***


    ***Joyce***


    The door to the small study opens and Dorver enters the room. The gnome looks at the stacks of documents which are piled up on my desk. He touches a rune to activate the magelight which is supposed to light the room. ¡°It would be a lot easier if you just told us what you are searching for. Instead, you hide yourself inside this study.¡±


    I blink and rub my eyes. The sudden light hurts me since I was using magic to see in the dark. It¡¯s one of the many subtle ways I use to train myself. Instead of relying on the magical mechanisms around me, I channel my own mana to strengthen my ability.


    Since I was interrupted anyway, I close the records in front of me and lean back. ¡°I am not searching anything specific. Just answers to many questions.¡±


    The gnome huffs and closes the door behind him. ¡°We¡¯ve found suitable accommodations for the new factories, but you have to understand that such things take time. We can¡¯t assemble a working company out of nothing. Additionally, this project needs to have several different sites to supply everyone once the demand rises.¡±


    I nod. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I don¡¯t expect a flow of money right away. How long until you actually start selling chests?¡±


    He purses his lips. ¡°Three to four months at least. We have to find trustworthy people. Not someone who will run off with the knowledge right away. It will happen sooner or later, but the more care we put into selecting the staff, the better the company will work. We want to have the economical advantage before we get competition.¡±


    He wants to have the monopoly position. ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± My eyes return to the records in front of me. I didn¡¯t get access to everything. Only the records of this branch are available to me. This means that I know everything there is to know about Hormundad. I also learned a lot of basic stuff regarding the alliance as a whole, but no economical details on the capital or other cities for example.


    But what I learned is enough to make me angry. I suspected it from the start, but with all this economical data my suspicions are as good as confirmed. The Eternal Battlefield was always suspicious to me. There is simply no way that two opposing parties can be in a military deadlock for that long. Sooner or later one or the other side has to develop a decisive advantage over the other.


    But the Eternal Battlefield has existed for a hundred and forty-seven years! These records aren¡¯t definitive proof, but it¡¯s clear that the Alliance simply doesn¡¯t want to commit to total war. It¡¯s much easier to guard the Trestian pass with a few thousand soldiers. The Empire seems to hold it the same way and I suppose that the Murian Sociocracy simply doesn¡¯t care. They don¡¯t have access to the pass and while the Alliance does a nice job in defending it, they prefer to lean back.


    So it¡¯s not surprising that there isn¡¯t a single word about Orwen¡¯s destruction going around. Did the Alliance really not find out? Or are they suppressing the information? The latter seems more likely. I am sure that the merchants would be the first ones to react at the news of Orwen¡¯s destruction.


    Dorver can¡¯t take the silence any longer. ¡°So, what were you searching for? Don¡¯t think for a single moment that I believe your story about being a simple enchanter. You want something and the records you asked for already indicate at what you are looking for. I just don¡¯t understand why you are so interested in Orwen.¡±


    I pat my own cheek and consider the question. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing. I was just extremely surprised that the merchants don¡¯t know about Orwen¡¯s destruction. There are at least some black market affiliations between the Empire and the Alliance, so I didn¡¯t understand why there isn¡¯t a single word about it.¡±


    The gnome¡¯s eyes widen in shock. ¡°Orwen destroyed? But how? When?¡±


    I shrug. ¡°Beats me. I just heard about it from a friend who is a smuggler. According to him, it happened several weeks ago. I decided to wait until the information is verified, but you can probably guess my surprise when nothing happened. Normally, he is a very reliable source of information. Did you tweak the records?¡±


    ¡°Of course not! Your friend must be mistaken. And how should that even be possible? Orwen is the Empire¡¯s largest centre for magical studies. Over three hundred thousand inhabitants. A city like that can¡¯t just vanish!¡± The gnome shakes his head, not believing the story.


    I place a hand on the records. ¡°Then why did the influx of magical artefacts drop by about five percent? I admit that it isn¡¯t much, but the monthly sales were very consistent for years. And suddenly there is a visible loss overnight. I assume that at least some of the goods came from the Empire?¡±


    Dorver steps closer and takes the records away from me. He squints his eyes upon comparing the numbers. ¡°But how?¡±


    I cough and shake my head. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Maybe they tested a new magical weapon and it went wrong? Who knows. Maybe the Alliance is trying to keep it quiet in order to avoid a panic. Just imagine what would happen if someone developed a weapon which is capable of wiping out a city like Orwen.¡±The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Getting to my feet, I pick up my coat and put it on. ¡°I¡¯ll go on a little journey. I suppose that I can inform myself on your progress by visiting any guildhouse?¡±


    The gnome nods and feverishly picks through the records. ¡°Of course. Don¡¯t worry.¡± His mind is clearly somewhere else.


    I grin devilishly and leave the small study. Dorver will surely start his own research to confirm the information. He will ask other guildmasters, who will ask their own questions. Even if the powers who are in charge manage to suppress the information, the rumour mill has been started. It¡¯s just a matter of time until people will send their own spies to Orwen.


    Walking through the narrow corridor, I take the stairway and smile at the guards who already know me. The merchants keep their records in a basement beneath their guild. The basement has several levels, each of them heavily guarded.


    I invested two weeks in order to make myself familiar with the alliance. I sigh and head outside into the sun. Once I am in front of the guildhouse, I scratch my cheek and consider my next steps. It¡¯s much too early to return to the inn, so maybe the library?


    I head over to my lemu and mount it, then I take the main street deeper into the city. Even with the lemu, it takes me twenty minutes to arrive at the library. Hormundad isn¡¯t a small city by any means.


    The library is a large Roman building. Two iron doors between a front of several pillars suggest that the building receives a lot of funds. The library is open as long as the sun shines, but only people who can pay the fee are allowed inside.


    I already visited the place a few times, but except for cultural themes I didn¡¯t find anything of interest to me. Though, it was interesting to learn about the various races which are part of the alliance. The elves have their own kingdom, while the beastmen and humans intermix on a regular basis. They are also the most numerous within the Alliance. Dwarves and gnomes live in little, tightly organized communities.


    The demons also keep to themselves. There isn¡¯t much known about them, but they do their part in defending the Alliance. Nobody dares to protest because of their strong fighters and magicians. There are a few other races, but they are in the minority.


    The old librarian who takes care of the library smiles upon noticing me. ¡°Fiora, I didn¡¯t expect your visit this early.¡±


    I cough and reply with a smile of my own. There was no other choice but to give her a different name. I don¡¯t want them to connect the books to ''Joyce''. It feels wrong to use the old lady, but there is no other way. ¡°I wanted to say goodbye. I got a job in another city.¡±


    Miome curls down the corners of her lips. ¡°Oh! That means that you won¡¯t visit me anymore. It¡¯s so boring without any young people in here. They should just open the place for everyone. Not just those who can pay the fee.¡±


    I pat her wrinkly hand. ¡°My new job involves a lot of travelling. I¡¯ll pay you a visit when I return to Hormundad.¡±


    She sighs. ¡°Of course I am glad that you found something you want to do. Forgive an old hag like me for being so grumpy.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Say, is there a possibility that the library buys books? I¡¯ve a few which are too heavy to take with me.¡±


    Miome tilts her head ever so slightly. ¡°I am afraid that we don¡¯t have the funds to buy anything. And even if we did, only books with new knowledge are allowed to be added to the collection. We have to review them before we take them. But if they make the cut, they will be added to every library which is affiliated with us.¡±


    ¡°Oh, but that¡¯s fine. The books have belonged to me for a long time and I¡¯ve the feeling that I know them word by word. They are good books on magic and other fields. I would hate it to sell them to a merchant. If some collector gets his hands on them, they would just gather dust.¡± I take off my backpack and retrieve five tomes. Three belonged to Nemus, but now they have a few additional pages. The two thinner ones were created by me.


    Miome bends beneath her counter and takes out a sheet of paper. She starts filling in the document. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then I¡¯ll make sure that they are processed correctly.¡±


    I smile and wait until she has everything stored away. Then I say my goodbyes and leave the library with the promise to visit her. My lemu is obediently waiting in a side street next to the library. I always leave it there because it¡¯s convenient.


    When I enter the street, I immediately know that something is wrong. There are no people, and two men in dark clothes are blocking the narrow street on the other side. I turn around and find two more behind me. They clearly followed me. ¡°This is surprising. I expected the trouble to start much later. I just wonder how they caught on?¡±


    The two men approach me and one of them draws a sword. ¡°Don¡¯t make problems. Come with us and you have a chance at survival.¡±


    I take a quick look behind me and find out that the other two are also advancing on me. Their hoods make it hard to see their faces. ¡°I am not inclined to follow four dubious men. There is just too much trash on the streets. A woman has to be careful.¡±


    They don¡¯t argue and raise their hands. I feel myself being picked up and thrown against the library¡¯s wall, where I stay stuck like a fly. Okay, seems like the negotiations failed.


    They approach me and the lead figure gestures at me. ¡°Search her for weapons.¡±


    One of them steps forward and I close my eyes. Their force magic isn¡¯t perfect, so I expand my own aura and shake off the spell which is pressing me against the wall. The man in front of me is surprised when I slide back to the ground, but he reacts in time to block the kick which I deliver straight to his guts.


    There is a sickening crunch as his arms break like sticks and he is thrown backwards into his comrades. A gesture is enough to send a crescent-shaped blade of energy at them. The leader throws himself to the ground and one of the others jumps to evade the attack.


    The man whom I kicked and the comrade who caught him are bisected and a cut appears in the wall behind them. I raise my hand to punish the man who jumped and cast the flamethrower spell which I prefer to fireballs. He raises a barrier, but the jet of hot air is enough to do him in. His scream is cut off before he touches the ground.


    I jump forward and kick the leader before he can get back to his feet. His flight is stopped by the wall and I follow, giving him a good treatment with my fists. Carefully avoiding blows to his head, I make sure that his arms and legs are broken before I stop. I can¡¯t help it, I have to admire the fact that he didn¡¯t scream a single time.


    Having established that he is nothing more than trash, I place a foot on his chest and hold him down. ¡°Since you are obviously just grunts, I don¡¯t expect that you know much. But I¡¯ll ask anyway. Who sent you?¡±


    He coughs blood onto my boot. ¡°Isn¡¯t that obvious? You won¡¯t get away with this.¡±


    I lean forward and rip away his hood. ¡°An elf. Which clan?¡±


    He coughs again and smiles. ¡°Finguld. Are you sure that you don¡¯t want to help your friend?¡±


    I step away and send a blast of energy at him, popping his head like a ripe melon. Then I dash back to the library and inside. Everything looks to be in order, but when I reach the librarian¡¯s counter I find Miome on the floor. Her throat is cut and her empty eyes are watching the ceiling.


    I take a deep breath and stretch out my senses to find the one who killed the old woman, but there is nobody. I huff and bend down to close her eyes. ¡°I only knew you for a few days, but I am sure that you would¡¯ve never surrendered a single book to a thief.¡±


    The counter is mostly okay, but several books from beneath the counter are on the ground. The one who killed Miome just took a look at the uppermost books. One of Nemus¡¯s studies on weather magic lies opened on the ground. The murderer didn¡¯t even bother to check the other books. It¡¯s a shame that she had to die by the hands of an idiot. I place the books back inside the compartment and leave as quickly as possible. Maybe another librarian will take them through the process.


    ¡°I am sorry.¡±

 12. ~Jebli Port~

    ¡°There is a fine line between pleasure and pain.¡±


    ***Hormundad***


    ***Joyce***


    I approach Hormundad''s gateway network, silently contemplating the attack. There was no reason for anyone to catch onto me so soon. The operation in Hormundad hasn''t even started yet. Of course, there is a chance that Dorver sold me out, but I can''t believe that. Money talks, and Dorver is about to make a lot of it.


    Let''s assume that it was him. He could''ve apprehended me at any time while I was inside his guild. The basement would''ve been the perfect spot to catch me. Just one exit and a lot of highly trained guards. There was no reason to send a bunch of incompetent fools who attack me on the street.


    That doesn''t make sense.


    The only other people who might know me well enough to suspect something are those guys. Especially Fae and Kiara. They even admitted that they saw my backpack and took a look inside. Who says that they didn''t take a close look at the mask and the spear? I doubt that Kiara would''ve recognized the importance of the mask. She is an ability user.


    But Fae has magic. She is an elf and my attackers were elves. It fits. Fae would''ve recognized that the enchantments on my mask are revolutionary for this world. If she put it on... which can be easily checked. The mask''s most important feature isn''t the ability to enhance the user''s senses, but to record everything which was seen or heard while using it.


    I pull the mask from my belt and put it on. ¡°Replay time-frame. Three weeks ago.¡± The mask switches to a scene of me watching the carriage in front of me. ¡°Next day. Next day. Next day. Next hour. Next five hours. Show next activation.¡± Okay, I don''t remember watching my own broken body lying on a carriage.


    There is Kiara and Brian. Tristen. That confirms it. Fae used the mask. So why did she give it back and say nothing? Why the abduction attempt by the elves?


    Let''s assume for a moment that Fae is what she is, a normal adventurer. I refuse to believe that I was unlucky enough to run into some sort of secret agent. But I know that she was with the military for a long time. She must have at least some status at home. Her loyalty surely lies with her people and the Alliance''s races aren''t as nice and brotherly with each other as it seems on the outside. There have to be frictions. Why else would some of them prefer to live in their own communities? Only the humans and the beastmen live in mixed cities.


    Every good little soldier would give his faction a heads up if he stumbles across something important. So let''s assume that Fae found out about the mask. She feels the necessity to inform her people. What does she tell them?


    ''Hey, watch out for a girl named Joyce. She has these freaky magical items and knows how to fight. Her origins are also suspicious. Might be a good idea to keep an eye on her.''


    Or something along those lines. They put me under observation, but Fae''s report failed to convey the full extent of my powers as a mage. She didn''t know all that much about me. After seeing me interact with the merchants and the library, they start thinking that I am spy and decide to catch me. For whatever reason.


    I doubt that the attack was officially sanctioned by the Alliance as a whole. This was a small group which operated under cover, possibly of their own accord. An official apprehension by the Alliance would''ve looked different. I am thinking about lots of soldiers and people going to jail all around me. Outright killing my contacts only makes sense if they want to hide the fact that they caught me.


    That makes at least some sense. They tried to catch me and to stop anyone from asking questions. Either all the elves as a group, or just a small faction. The elves who attacked me were incompetent, to say the least. Currently, I have to assume that it was just a weak faction.


    Of course I¡¯ll need confirmation for my theory. At least I have a clan name, Finguld. I''ve to find out more about them once I return to the Alliance.


    My breast-pocket vibrates and I retrieve the communication crystal. It''s the one I got from Dorver, so I answer it and feel the privacy ward activating automatically. The merchants sure pour a lot of money into their communication crystals.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Someone tried to kill me!¡±


    ¡°Elves?¡±


    ¡°How did you know?¡±


    ¡°Four of them just tried to mug me.¡±


    ¡°You obviously escaped.¡±


    ¡°I did, they didn''t. Seems like someone found out about my knowledge and tried to snag my expertise. I suggest for you to increase your security detail.¡±


    ¡°Not that early! My people are trustworthy!¡±


    ¡°I am afraid that the leak was on my end. A different project of mine. It had nothing to do with the chests.¡±


    There is some mumbling on the other end. ¡°Don''t worry about me. The merchant guild wouldn''t be worth shit if it would be that easy to assassinate a guildmaster. I am used to assassination attempts. A lot of money comes with a lot of risk. But what about you?¡±


    ¡°I''ll leave the Alliance for a few days. I heard that the northern beaches in the Murian Sociocrathy are very beautiful at this time of the year.¡±


    ¡°You aren''t two timing me, are you?¡±


    I snort. ¡°Never! Just lying low for a while. The elves will think twice about their next actions once the company is running and I''ve made a name for myself.¡±


    ¡°You know... being famous isn''t always a good thing. The elves might be off your back, but you will gain a dozen other enemies.¡±


    ¡°That will be my problem. Is there anything else?¡±


    ¡°No. I guess not. Have fun at the beach.¡± He ends the call.


    I put away the communication crystal and head into the large building which houses the gateway network. The entrance is huge. Large enough for several carriages with lemus, so I take my own animal with me. The building turns out to be a single, large hall. There are several dozen huge, metal rings with numbers above them. And people, lots of people! It¡¯s as if I am at a modern airport.


    A long row of counters with beautiful saleswomen manning them is pretty self-explanatory. I head over and wait until it''s my turn. The human blonde who greets me a few minutes later smiles and waits for me to make the first move.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    ¡°I need to go to Jebli Port, Murian Sociocrathy.¡±


    She nods. ¡°That''s a long jump and crosses into another nation, which costs extra. Thirteen gold.¡±


    Thirteen what! That''s enough to pay four weeks of rent for a room in a good inn! I pull out my pouch and start counting gold coins. ¡°I''ll never understand those prices!¡±


    ¡°Crossing over to other nations costs at least ten gold,¡± the woman chirps happily. ¡°The nations want to limit trade.¡± She hands me a metal plate with a number on it. ¡°Portal 4-2. The gate to Jebli will be active at every full hour. That''s in about ten minutes. You can take the gate any time you want as long as you have this chip.¡±


    I nod and follow her instructions, just to arrive barely in time after getting the numbers wrong. It wasn''t the fourth portal in the second row, it was the second portal in the fourth row. Luckily, the guy who was operating the portal informed me of my mistake.


    The mage who is operating the portal looks over the crowd and instructs us to line up. He wants us to pass through the portal as quickly as possible, once it''s open. After giving us ample instructions and taking away our chips, he presses a few runes at the side of the big metal ring and the air shimmers. Then the scene switches to another hall and he ushers the waiting people forward, myself included.


    Maybe I should research their portal technology. It''s difficulty should be on par with the spacial chests. Though it seems like it takes a lot of energy, otherwise they wouldn''t urge us to pass through so quickly.


    I step to the other side and find myself in a similar hall, although much bigger. The seaport of Jebli is one of the largest ports in the known world. I leave the gateway network and buy myself a map at one of the vendors in front of the large building.


    Guided by the map, I head straight to the largest shipyard. I researched the facility beforehand and made sure that it''s the one with the best reputation. A little helpless, I walk onto the large complex which consist of many different buildings.


    ¡°Okay. Maybe I am a little too green behind the ears? Where is their office?¡±


    A helpful dockworker who overheard me points at one of the smaller buildings. ¡°That one, Lady.¡±


    Oh, sometimes it pays off to be female. I grant him a smile. ¡°Thanks.¡±


    Then I hurry to the indicated building before the man can get the idea to ask me out. I already had to rebuff several people while I was in Hormundad. The adventurers with the caravan didn''t dare to approach me, because they saw my abilities, but that wasn''t the case in a city full of people.


    I enter the house and am greeted by a secretary. ¡°Hello, what can we do for you?¡±


    Let''s just be blunt. ¡°I want to buy a ship, but not a regular one. I want it custom made.¡±


    She nods and gestures towards a door. ¡°You might want to speak with the owner? Take a seat and wait until he calls for you.¡±


    I nod and do as I was told. To entertain myself, I pull out the rough sketch of my wishes in order to study it.


    Half an hour later, the door opens and a fat man walks out. He doesn''t even glance at me and leaves the building. The secretary nods and I enter the room.


    It''s a small office and a man is waiting behind a neatly arranged desk. He is about thirty, has brown hair and a prominent chin. ¡°My name is Lukas, first heir of the Gamblin Family Shipyard. What can we do for you?¡±


    I take the seat opposite from him. ¡°Call me Beatrix. I am a citizen of the Alliance and I heard that your shipyard is the best one in the known world.¡±


    He smiles coolly. ¡°We take pride in our reputation.¡±


    I place the sketch in front of him. ¡°I want something like this.¡±


    He eyes the piece of paper with raised eyebrows. ¡°I am afraid that we don''t have something ''like this''. This isn''t even a proper blueprint.¡±


    ¡°Ah, but that''s why I am hiring you. I want you to create a ship which fulfils these specifications. A transporter, extra sturdy with steel reinforcements.¡±


    He studies my piece of concept art. It''s not much more than that.


    ¡°The ship will be too heavy and too broad. You can''t expect proper speed from something like that. Even if we give it twice as many sails.¡±


    ¡°Well, you can change it. The most important point is the sturdiness. I want it to be as big as possible, while being sturdy enough to beach it. I want to transport goods between places without proper port. There will be no other choice than to risk running into reefs and other navigational hazards.¡±


    Lukas scratches his chin. ¡°That will be costly. We''ll have to hire a few mages to create a steel hull with reinforcement spells. Do you want to transport goods between islands?¡±


    I nod. ¡°Something like that. How big can you make the ship for three thousand gold?¡±


    He does a few mental calculations. ¡°Maybe forty metres? Fifty tops. Loading area may be two to four thousand cubic metres. No, let''s say two if you really want to house such a large crew.¡±


    I reach into my backpack and retrieve a small chest from it.


    Lukas raises both hands. ¡°Oh, wow! Wait! Such things take time and we only start work once we receive the full payment up front.¡±


    Ignoring him, I place the chest on his desk and open it. ¡°Three thousand gold. And if I get the ship within six months, you can keep the chest.¡±


    ¡°Ahem.¡± He looks down at the chest, then he reaches into it. His whole arm disappears inside it. When he retrieves it, he balances a pile of gold coins on his palm. ¡°I am sure we can make it in five.¡±


    ¡°Perfect. Where is the contract?¡± I want to get this done. There are a lot of things to do before I return to the Alliance. Five months may sound like a lot of time but it isn''t.


    ***Jebli Port***


    ***Gregor***


    ¡°Where is my whore?!¡± I call out and take a sip of my bottle. The beer is horrible and this brothel''s service is lacking. On top of everything, the bed is too soft and the room is too dark. I wonder if that''s intentional because they''ll send me some ugly wench? They take good money and then they don''t deliver. It''s clear that I need a better job.


    The door opens and all my complaints go out of the window. I even drop the bottle.


    A black haired beauty with a perfect, hourglass figure steps into the room. She is still dressed, but that problem can be solved quickly enough. ¡°Darling! Turn around and show yourself. You are a diamond!¡±


    She smiles and closes the door behind her. Then she twirls herself around as she steps closer, showing off her body.


    Lying in this bed with such a bombshell in front of me feels like a waste. So I try to get up, but she hops onto the bed and straddles me between her perfect thighs. The goddess runs her hands up my chest and to my neck.


    I do the same with her legs and run my hands up her flanks. I am about to squeeze those perfect bouncers of hers, when her lust inspiring expression turns cold and her hands close around my neck. She squeezes and my air is cut off.


    Choking, I quickly forget about fondling her and try to get her hands away from my throat, but those thin arms of hers are like steel pipes. All my bucking only brings me closer to unconsciousness. Panicking, I try to hit her, but my magic is drained away and something presses me down. It feels like my whole body weighs a few tons.


    It''s a demon in the form of a beautiful woman!


    She turns my face left and right, studying my features. One moment before I black out, she lets go and I draw in a direly needed breath of air. She pats my forehead and rips away my shirt. ¡°You are Captain Gregor?¡±


    I quickly nod. The thought of lying doesn''t even cross my mind. I survived by not crossing those who are clearly more powerful than me. Be it woman or man.


    ¡°They say that you and your crew aren''t against operating outside the law. A quick job as pirates isn''t a problem?¡±


    This time I shake my head. Piracy is punished with death. I would never be so stupid as to admit my deeds in front of a stranger. She would be able to blackmail me.


    ¡°Oh, well. That''s too sad. There must be two Gregors who look very similar.¡± Her hands close around my throat.


    ¡°I am!¡±


    She stops and raises her eyebrows. ¡°You are what?¡±


    ¡°I am the one you are searching for!¡±


    The devil smiles. ¡°That wasn''t so hard, was it? Well, I''ve a job for you and your crew.¡± She reaches behind her and pulls out an envelope. ¡°This contains informations on various accounts with the merchant guild. There are also some instructions for your future job. At this moment, there is no money on the accounts, but in a few months there will be more than you need.¡±


    I nod quickly.


    ¡°You''ll use the money to pay your crew. In five months, you will sell your old ship. Then you''ll go to the Gamblin Family Shipyard. The envelope contains information on a certain Beatrix who ordered a vessel which is fit for your needs. Your new ship is the Levia. This will be enough to identify yourself as her crew.¡±


    She squints her eyes at me. ¡°Follow the instructions inside this envelope to the last detail. Understood?¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡± As if! Once she lets me go, I am out of here!


    A devilish smile appears on her face and she covers my mouth with one hand. Leaning forward, she presses my head down into the mattress. ¡°Then let''s get to the fun part. Sealing the deal, in blood.¡± The white nail of her index finger elongates and sharpens.


    What the fuck is she!? I try to squirm away, but the force is still holding me in place. I was never a strong mage. It''s just enough to keep a crew of peasants under my thumb.


    In response to my movements, she shifts her hips and uses her thighs to hold me still. Her nail closes in on my chest and she stops, thinking about something. ¡°You''ll probably like this a little too much, sicko. You got boner when I started choking you. Just don''t get off while I am working. Okay? I like my pants.¡±


    The tip of her fingernail lowers onto my skin and she starts cutting!

 13. ~An Offer~

    ¡°Benevolence has many shapes.¡±


    ***Jebli Port***


    ***Joyce***


    I take a sip of the excellent fruit juice which I purchased from one of the vendors. Things are looking good and my decision to change cities obviously threw my pursuers off their game. I couldn''t find out that much about the Finguld, but the fact that they lost track of me means that they have limited resources.


    If the whole elven race or the Alliance had been against me, something should have happened. Dorver would''ve been arrested or they would''ve done something against my little company. Maybe search warrants, I don''t know, I am sure that they would''ve come up with something.


    But nothing. In the two weeks I''ve been playing undercover agent, Dorver hasn''t reported anything extraordinary. Except for that one assassination attempt.


    The elves are very guarded people, hiding themselves in their kingdom. I am sure that there are people in the Alliance who have at least some knowledge regarding elven culture, but I couldn''t find them. The only publicly available information on the Finguld is that they are a branch family of the current ruling house. Normally, I would be concerned about this revelation, but further investigations revealed that there are about twenty-nine such families.


    Checking older documents revealed that the number fluctuated a lot over the centuries. That''s odd for people who don''t need magic to expand their lifespans.


    This supports my theory on an internal power struggle within the elven kingdom. I am pretty sure that Fae''s little warning had to go through the proper channels. There would''ve been plenty of chances for someone to get hold of the information. Maybe every elf knows about me at this point. And as I would expect from an internal power struggle, the Finguld jumped at the chance to gain another asset.


    If you take a large group of people, there will always bea few idiots and hotheads among them.


    Waiting really sucks if there is nothing to do. I am just sitting on top of an old cargo box in this alley, and waiting for others to fetch me what I want. It''s just boring. I swing my left leg over my right knee and dangle my foot in the air, looking up and down the alley.


    A lot of the cobblestones are missing, probably stolen by the peasants to repair their houses. Everything is so dirty. How can anyone live like that? Not to mention bugs and diseases. Shouldn''t any normal person prefer a clean environment? It should be pretty obvious not to dump your own excrements where you have to walk through them.


    A street rat enters the alley, but I glare at the child and the orphan decides to take a longer route. The boy had the presence of mind to know that there is going to be a transaction in this place. The people in this district don''t see anything when the law asks.


    This isn''t exactly the safest part of the city, so it pays to have two sets of eyes. One in the front and another one in the back of my head. The mask takes care of that, but I still feel uncomfortable about waiting in a place like this.


    Three weeks aren''t enough time to learn everything about a city like Jebli Port. This place is a behemoth where you get everything your heart might ever wish for. From weapons to resources and medicine. They also have an underground slave market, which is why I''ll give them a little torching. Not a large one, but something which will burn itself into their minds.


    I shudder at the memory of passing all the cages in the canals. Giving all those people a clean death might be the only mercy that''s left to give them. A slaver explained to me that they get their slaves from the Empire. There are those who are too broken to be used by the Empire, but too good to be executed on the spot. It''s them who land here, sold for cheap labour or to be used for other things.


    It''s generally frowned upon, but there are plenty of magical rituals which require the end of a life. There isn''t something like a life force, but those rituals make use of the sacrifice''s brain power in their final moments. It''s like over-clocking the CPU in order to allow a computer program to finish in time. Otherwise it might take too long to channel a large scale spell.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Two men enter the narrow alley and I recognize them. They have a third person between them. Oh, yeah. There are also adventurers for hire who will do anything you ask for. As long as the money is good. Personally, I call them thugs, but this world''s overall dogma puts everyone who does odd jobs for money into the same box. Makes things kind of easy. Why should we differentiate between various kinds of adventurers? Mercenaries, thieves, assassins, personal guards et cetera, all of them commit violence in exchange for money. So let''s call them adventurers.


    The two men drop the elf onto the ground and I throw them a bag with gold coins. The smaller one catches it and checks the contents. After taking a look inside, he nods. Then they leave without a word. Transaction concluded.


    I turn my attention to the woman who is trying to get back to her feet. She isn''t very successful and the bloody nose allows me to guess why. ¡°You really shouldn''t eat inside that restaurant every day at the same time. Way too predictable.¡±


    She tries to focus on me, but falls back to her knees with crossed eyes. ¡°Why are you doing this?¡±


    ¡°Gwiaha Finguld, chief assistant of the consulate.¡± I take sip of the fruit juice and offer her the bottle. ¡°Do you want some?¡±


    The elf glares at me and tries to straighten her nose. It''s a pitiful attempt, which gets her nothing more than pain. ¡°Just wait! When I report this-¡±


    ¡°Nothing will happen,¡± I interrupt and point the bottle at her. ¡°Your family has been naughty. They''ve tried to kill me. Or at least to kidnap me. But I am a reasonable person. I''ll even let you live if you enlighten me on some issues which trouble me. For you to deliver a little message wouldn''t be asking too much, would it?¡±


    That gets her attention. ¡°I don''t know what you are talking about. What do you want?¡±


    ¡°Explain your family''s relationship to the royal house,¡± I ask. ¡°I want to understand how your people think of each other.¡±


    She huffs. ¡°What''s there to explain? They give the commands and we follow. There is nothing else to it. Who are you?¡±


    I take a sip from the bottle. ¡°Call me Joyce. So there are no power struggles? The Finguld don''t want to be the ones who are in control?¡±


    ¡°Everyone wants to be in control! What kind of stupid question is that!? We elves are essentially immortal! Do you want to be forever under the thumb of someone else? There is no other choice but to struggle for power if you want a say in politics!¡± She crawls over to the wall and tries to get up. How hard did those thugs hit her?


    Or is she just such a weakling? I didn''t expect much after watching her from afar. So I decided to do a little outsourcing. Every good company knows when someone else might be better suited for the job. She is just a minion, but a minion who can confirm my theories.


    I nod slowly, considering her words. So it''s that kind of system. They are presenting a united front to the outside world, but there is plenty of backstabbing going on behind the scenes. ¡°Well, that pretty much confirms my suspicions. Thanks.¡±


    ¡°That''s all? That''s why you had me beaten up and dragged through half the district? What kind of crazy bitch are you?¡±


    ¡°There is still the message. I believe you when you say that you know nothing about me. I suppose only the heads of your family know. Just tell them my name when they ask. They''ll understand the message.¡± I hop off the cargo box and approach her, then I grab her at her clothes and pull her to her feet.


    And stick the dagger into her kidney.


    ¡°AAAAAAAAIIERGH!¡±


    She fumbles for the weapon, but I hold her against the alley''s wall until she has calmed down. ¡°Listen. Hey, look at me. Stop being so squeamish. It''s not a lethal wound, at least not immediately.¡±


    Gwiaha turns her attention to me. Her teary eyes are as big as saucers. ¡°You crazy bitch! Why did you do that? You said that you would let me go.¡±


    I nod. ¡°Yes, I said that. Now listen, your people wanted to abduct me because of my knowledge. I suppose that they wanted to use me against your ruling family. Maybe even torture me? The big issue here is that your rulers know about me, but they preferred to play it safe and decided to lean back and watch. Your family''s attack on me went against their orders. Can you follow me so far?¡±


    She nods. ¡°You aren''t just mad, you are delusional! Did some slave merchant get his hands on you and scramble your brain?¡±


    I grab the hilt of the dagger and move it around. Just a little to shut her up. ¡°Okay. Now lets get to the important part. I really don''t want to deal with any of you. Go back to your people, but see to it that nobody but your family finds out about our little meeting. It would be really bad if the ruling family found out about your disobedience. I am offering your family to end this before it gets out of hand. They leave me alone and I''ll leave them alone. Sounds like a fair deal, right?¡±


    I wait until it''s clear that she understood. ¡°Of course, I don''t expect you to just believe me. For that reason, I prepared a little demonstration. You see... This dagger is cursed. That''s why you shouldn''t pull it out under any circumstances.¡±


    ¡°Cursed!?¡± she squeaks.


    ¡°Yep, and it''s a nasty curse. You might just go ''splat'' if the thing gets removed improperly.¡±


    ¡°Splat!?¡±


    I nod. ¡°This little item is intended to give your matrons something to think about. They should assemble their best mages and healers before they try to pull it out. Okay, now that I''ve warned you, could you give me a hand? You have to hold the dagger properly in place. Do you know healing magic? Otherwise you might bleed out before you reach help. Do you have it?¡±


    Her fingers close around the hilt and she nods frantically.


    ¡°Okay. I wish you the best of luck. I am sure that those family bonds will hold true with your kin. Would be bad if you end up as a test subject, used by your own people. Just tell them that you were sent by me.¡± I step back, just in case that she decides to suicide. Getting all bloody in the morning would be bad. ¡°And remember. Splat!¡±


    She starts shaking. ¡°Splat. Got it!¡± Then she turns and hurries down the alley, using the wall to steady herself.


    I watch her go and take a sip from the fruit juice. ¡°Aren''t I a benevolent being? I even try to negotiate for peace.¡±

 14. ~Visitor~

    ¡°Some people are better off dead.¡±


    ***Hormundad***


    ***Joyce***


    I smile vaguely upon stepping into Dorver''s Office. ¡°Hello, I am back.¡±


    The gnome puts down the pencil and looks up at me. He was working on some sort of contract, but when I stretch my neck in order to take a closer look at it, he turns the sheet around to stop me from reading it. It''s to be expected. We are partners in crime, but he isn''t obligated to reveal private information about his other customers.


    ¡°The great inventor is back! Took you longer than anticipated. Five weeks of bumbling about in the Sociocrathy. Did you think about settling down?¡± Dorver¡¯s voice sounds serious, but I can tell that he is teasing me. The regular updates which he gave me with the communication crystal allowed me to learn about his peculiarities.


    ¡°Ah, you know how it is. A new city with new possibilities. Once I started exploring all the opportunities, I couldn''t stop until I was sure that I have seen everything,¡± I explain.


    He nods. ¡°Jebli Port is a big city and an even bigger playing field for all sorts of people. Someone who has no agenda can be easily swept away by all the available options to further one''s goals. I was just worried. You kept your head down for so long. Nobody knew what you were doing and it''s not like you have a permanent residence. I am still afraid that you will just vanish one day.¡±


    I raise a finger. ¡°Hah! That''s exactly what I wanted to talk about. Do you have a place for me? Living in an inn isn''t very comfortable for a person like me. They don''t allow me to change the furniture. When I tried to set up a little workbench they threw me out.¡±


    The gnome coughs. ¡°That''s just to be expected. What kind of accommodations are you searching for?¡±


    I hum and think about it. ¡°Somewhere remote. I need blacksmithing equipment, alchemy equipment. Not too big, I don''t want a mansion.¡±


    ¡°We have a real estate agent in our guild. I am sure that he can find something.¡±


    I smile. ¡°That would be appreciated.¡±


    The next day, I am in my new workshop at the edge of the city. It''s not like I have much, so moving in was a matter of throwing down my backpack and declaring this my new temporary home. I also started working on a few projects, but of course I didn''t get much done. My next feat is intended to force the world to look up to me. I have to be a person whose name is whispered when big things are happening.


    The map in front of me helps me to focus on my goal. I just hope that my time in Jebli Port wasn''t wasted. I''ve laid the seeds for many things, which should bloom into flowers soon enough. Why is it that so many worlds use slave collars? Carving the spell directly into the victim''s skin makes so much more sense.


    But my thoughts are derailing again. Once more I consider the various parties which are going to be involved in my plans. It''s obvious that the Alliance, the Sociocrathy and the Empire will be in the centre of everything that''s going to happen. Their nobility will dictate the events. Especially the Alliance, which is more of a powder keg than I ever anticipated.


    But there is also the consortium of mages on their Islands. I''ve no idea what they''ll do once my company starts selling spacial chests. Nobody who has a monopoly on something will easily give up on it.


    The orks of Westfall are also unpredictable. Westfall is a large desert in the west of the Sociocrathy. Many people are eager to label the orks as the reason for why the Sociocrathy never actively joined the war between the Alliance and the Empire. Having a second enemy at your back is a very good excuse, if not for the fact that the orks lack resources and real weapons.


    The Sociocrathy of today is larger than it was two hundred years ago. The history texts didn''t tell who threw the first stone, but after a bloody war, the Sociocrathy drove the orks from the continent''s northern shores. The orks retreated west, into the desert. Their nomadic lifestyle allowed them to do that. Their culture, which favours the survival of the fittest, created hardy people.


    The ork leaders probably tried to lure the foreign troops into the desert, where they would die like flies because of the harsh environment. But it was a mistake. Instead of following them, the Sociocrathy settled down and created a large network of garrisons at the border to Westfall. There was no point in fighting for a desert, since the Sociocrathy just wanted the fertile coastal areas. The orks started several campaigns to retake their homelands, but each campaign ended in defeat. With each loss, the orks weakened. Without access to metals, their people degenerated to stone-axe wielding barbarians.


    There are also various island chains with little, pirate kingdoms. They will have to play their role, but for now I don''t think that I have to worry about them. But I guess that they could cause trouble if they unite with the wrong faction. I''ve to find a way to prevent that from happening.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    The almost imperceptible sound of a window being opened alarms me. I reach for my mask and draw the dagger at my belt. Seriously? I buy myself a place and someone sends me visitors right the next evening? They must have some connections within the merchant''s guild. Otherwise they wouldn''t have found out so fast.


    I step out of the workroom and survey the short corridor which leads to the kitchen, living room and bedroom. The house is small, but it''s the former property of a high class merchant. There are metal bars in front of every window and everything is warded against uninvited guests.


    So it''s a little surprising that the window to the garden is standing open. I approach as silently as possible, looking out for dangers. But even with my mask, I can sense almost nothing. There is a faint trace of magic around the window.


    It turns out that someone cut out the metal bars and piled them neatly on the windowsill. The fact that it was done doesn''t disturb me as much as the fact that I didn''t notice any usage of magic. Despite sitting practically next door when it happened. I noticed nothing.


    So where did the intruder go afterwards? Or am I dealing with several people?


    Holding the dagger in front of me, I walk past the kitchen and continue onwards after confirming that nobody is inside. When I step into the living room, someone switches on the magelights.


    ¡°Hello.¡± An androgynous voice greets me from the bookcase. An elf is standing in front of it, studying one of the books.


    I aim the tip of my dagger at him. ¡°What does me the honour?¡±


    The elf closes the book and places it back in its place. He turns towards me and smiles. His slim figure can''t hide the beginnings of strong muscles and tendons at his neck. The face is entirely too beautiful, awakening the wish to kiss those lovable lips.


    Lovable? Kiss?


    Something must''ve shown my own revulsion, because the rosy aura around the elf immediately vanishes. It''s replaced by the hardy impression of an assassin.


    The elf bows. ¡°I am sorry if my glamour affected you. Using my ability wasn''t civilised. You can call me Alias, and I am here to apologize on behalf of my people.¡±


    ¡°Apologize?¡± Yeah, right. More like testing me. Otherwise he wouldn''t have used a mental attack on me. I am just glad that I''ve my mask on, or I would be attached to the elf''s lips. This glamour thing of his is strong. But he said that it¡¯s an ability. Does that mean that there is another elf around? Or does he have magic and an ability? Now that would be unfair. Are they already sending me the endboss while I am still level two?


    He gestures to the couch as if this is his home. ¡°Please, take a seat.¡±


    I don''t lower the dagger. He sighs and sits down on the chair which is facing the couch. ¡°I am Alias. I am a messenger and I was sent to apologize on behalf of the ruling house of the elves. Things were handled... incorrectly.¡±


    I slowly approach the couch, but I don''t sit down. Instead, I use the couch as an additional barrier between him and myself. The fact that I can''t judge this guy''s strength worries me. He has his magic completely under control. ¡°Incorrectly? Is that what you call an abduction attempt?¡±


    ¡°The Finguld misbehaved and we are sorry for that. They will be punished. Can we do anything to make it up to you?¡±


    Somehow, he must''ve noticed the rising eyebrows behind my mask, because he gives me an explanation. ¡°Gwiaha told us everything.¡±


    ¡°Oh? I think that I ordered her people to bury the hatchet by keeping everything a secret. So why did she run to the ruling house? She ruined her own family by seeking out your help.¡±


    The elf tilts his head, contemplating his next words. ¡°Gwiaha may be a child by our standards, but she isn''t stupid. She could''ve kept it quiet, but she is just a member of a branch family. It was very likely that her elders would''ve simply taken the dagger without concern for her well being. Had she done that, you would have a point of leverage on the Finguld. The Finguld aren''t in a good political position and the possibility of being influenced by an outsider would have worsened that. It''s very likely that her own family would''ve silenced her anyway.¡±


    Alias purses his lips. ¡°After weighing her options, she decided to plead to the king himself. In exchange for a complete testimony and her own body, the king promised to do everything to ensure her survival. He''ll probably use her as a measly servant until she manages to erase the debt. Though, she is beautiful and her lineage is acceptable. Maybe she will manage to get a promotion to concubine.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I didn''t expect that. Somehow I thought a little more of her. From the way she behaved, I assumed that she would never go against her kin.¡± I scratch my head. This just shows that I am not good at judging people. ¡°So what do you want from me? Didn''t I make it clear that I want to be left in peace?¡±


    The elf sighs. ¡°It''s not widely known, but we elves are almost immune to mind magic. Our race is strong, long-lived and we have magic to boot. It''s hard for any family to find trustworthy individuals. So it''s quite rare to find someone who is willing to barter with her own freedom. The king doesn''t waste opportunities, so he would be thankful if you told us how to remove the dagger.¡±


    ¡°She is still alive and kicking with that thing inside her belly? It''s been over a week!¡± Ouch! Elves are a lot sturdier than they look. ¡°But what would I get for telling you how to remove the dagger?¡± Somehow this farce turned into an issue between the elves.


    Alias rolls his eyes. ¡°It''s clear that you have no idea of elven customs. The king would continue to ignore you, despite the fact that you attacked one of his subjects. If you help him to attain another personal attendant.¡±


    I bite my lower lip. This isn''t going how I want it to. No elves who I can blackmail once my social status rises.


    He gestures at me. ¡°Unless you like to fight off regular visits by elven assassins. Some of them even better than me.¡±


    Better than him? How many of them are there? I''ve the feeling that I wouldn''t survive that for long. At least not alone and in my current state. ¡°You didn''t even try to remove the dagger on your own?¡±


    The elf huffs, which makes him look kind of cute. Damn! No! It¡¯s the glamour again. How does it get past my mask¡¯s defences? ¡°Of course we tried to remove it. But it''s hard to analyse a cursed item which is stuck inside the person who you are trying to save. Did you even intend for her to live?¡±


    ¡°I didn''t exactly give her a high chance of survival,¡± I admit.


    ¡°So what is it? Are we at an impasse with our negotiations, or do you want to fight for your life?¡±


    I circle the dagger around, thinking. The chance to blackmail the elves is already gone, so why should I make them even madder at me? The wrath of a single family would''ve been survivable, but it will get a little hairy if the entire elven kingdom wants my head. ¡°I''ll be left alone?¡±


    He nods.


    ¡°Then I accept your apologies.¡±


    He smirks dangerously. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°You can remove the dagger by twisting it clockwise, once, as you would do with a key inside a lock. Then you turn it further until it¡¯s aligned horizontally with the ground. Then you pull it out. Nothing will happen,¡± I explain.


    He raises his eyebrows. ¡°That¡¯s all!?¡± And his expression darkens. ¡°That¡¯s just barbaric and twisted. Who would design a curse which can be disabled so easily?¡±


    ¡°Admit that you would¡¯ve never thought that it¡¯s so easy. And why should I make a weapon which can be used against me?¡± I wriggle the dagger in my hand, drawing his attention to it.


    He stands up and bows. ¡°Then I¡¯ll take my leave. It¡¯s a pleasure to make business with you.¡± Then he walks out of the room.


    I wait until I am sure that he is gone. Then a thought strikes me. ¡°What about my window!?¡±

 15. ~Art~

    ¡°She was a beauty without equal. Hearts stopped upon beholding her and nobles fell to their knees.¡±


    ***Hormundad***


    ***Joyce***


    ¡°They''ll never control me!¡± I mumble to myself, walking down the streets. My encounter with Alias taught me something very important. And that''s that I''ve underestimated the inhabitants of this world. It''s clear that he has an ability which is able influence the people around him.


    I already knew that ability users can be powerful, but I didn''t expect something as complicated as influencing the minds of others. What if there is someone who can enslave people with a mere thought? Never again! I''ll not be a puppet who dances to the whims of others.


    I bump into a pedestrian. At first, he puffs out his chest, but he doesn''t dare to complain when I glare at him.


    Right after Alias left, I tried to come up with a plan to protect myself from mind magic. This time, the mask was barely enough to protect me. It means that I need a lot stronger protections. I need something which warns me that I am influenced. Sadly, I know only one way to do that. It requires me to rely on another person. Urgh! I could vomit at the thought of what I am going to do.


    Last night, I created two inks, one with a high content of gold and the other one with silver. They should be compatible with the human skin. Thankfully, this world''s people know about tattoos, so all I had to do was to ask around. I need someone with enough skill to tattoo a protection ward directly onto my skin. The ward is complicated and I combined it with a few more functions which should enhance my magical abilities. I need a skilled artist to do that. There is absolutely no room for mistakes.


    Arriving at my destination, I stop and study the shop window. The big letters on the window proclaim the shop''s name. ¡°Zimil''s Tattoos.¡±


    There is a frightening display of dried human skin behind the glass. Everything is covered with artful tattoos. Okay, I have to admit that he is good. Though it disturbs me that he is displaying his skills like that. Did he wait for his customers to die? Or did he pay someone who was willing to be skinned alive? I suppose that a good healing spell can prevent death, even if a large portion of the skin is removed.


    I enter the shop, but it''s empty. Maybe there aren''t a lot of people who want tattoos? The entire room reeks of alcohol, but the disinfecting sort. I would¡¯ve turned around had it been otherwise. ¡°Hello?¡±


    There is a cough from behind the counter and an old man appears from beneath it. He is bald and his skin is covered in tattoos. There isn''t a single spot of normal skin. I squint my eyes to see better. ¡°Are you Zimil?¡±


    The old man coughs again. ¡°Yes, Yes. What do you want? I am busy!¡±


    ¡°I want a tattoo?¡± Isn''t that obvious? ¡°Why are you so old? Shouldn''t you have enough money to buy rejuvenation treatments?¡± Is he lying to me? Everyone told me that Zimil is the greatest tattooist in this town. Even some nobles take him under contract. I assume that someone with such a good reputation has enough money to pay a healer.


    Maybe I should¡¯ve invested the time to search for someone else? It¡¯s not like I don¡¯t have the money to visit another town. But the tattoo just has to fulfil its function, so I didn¡¯t bother to invest too much time.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    His expression turns angry. ¡°If I make myself too young, my hair grows back and then you won''t be able to see the art on my head!¡± He bends forward and points at his bald pride. ¡°The future spiral which I engraved on myself is my masterpiece!¡±


    Considering his reasoning, I nod slowly. There is something like a mandala on his bald head. I can understand... no, wait. That''s so stupid! Why doesn''t he just shave? And how did he tattoo himself on the top of his head!?


    I swallow and place the two bottles with ink on the counter. Then I add a sheet of paper where I outlined the complicated rune system which I want to have. ¡°I''ve a special request. I need that on me and you have to use this ink.¡±


    He looks at the paper and dismisses it. ¡°Bah! My works are pieces of art! Not run of the mill runes like this! Who would want to look like an ork with tribal painting on him? I refuse to sully my reputation with this.¡±


    I clench my teeth. ¡°This isn''t art, it''s a perfectly functional spell. And I need it to be perfect! Every rune and connection has to be exactly like on this sheet of paper. I don''t have the skills to tattoo myself and the thing is too large to fit on an arm or leg, which makes it even more complicated.¡±


    Zimil raises an eyebrow and studies the sheet of paper. ¡°No. Mages! No sense for beauty!¡±


    I take the ink and the paper. ¡°I guess that I''ll have to find someone with a better reputation. I am sorry to have wasted your time.¡± Then I turn around to leave.


    He runs around the counter and blocks my path. ¡°Wait! What are you saying!? That you would rather have some third rate tattooist mutilate your body? Look at you! You are a diamond! Why would you scratch something like that into your skin? It doesn¡¯t even look beautiful!¡±


    I scowl at him. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did you change your mind?¡±


    Zimil claws the air with his fingers as if he is fighting an invisible enemy. ¡°I¡¯ll do it! But I won¡¯t make something so horrible! Let me change it! It could look like an animal! Or a pattern! It doesn¡¯t have to be just runes!¡±


    I draw in a deep breath. ¡°I said that you can¡¯t change the runes.¡±


    ¡°I understand. Other mages had similar requests. I don¡¯t understand it, but I can use normal ink around your design, right? It¡¯s just about the metal inside your ink. I¡¯ll not touch the runes, but I¡¯ll design an image around them. It¡¯ll make it seem like a decoration, not something functional. It will mislead your enemies, should they ever get a look at it.¡±


    Other mages had the same idea? That¡¯s the first intelligent thing he said. ¡°What do you suggest?¡±


    He takes the piece of paper from me and studies it. His attention wanders back forth between the paper and me. After a few moments, he steps forward and takes my hand, studying the white fingernails and the tiny scales. ¡°A stylised dragon! On your chest!¡±


    I hit him! ¡°Pervert!¡±


    ¡°Ow! Stop it! Mercy!¡±


    It takes a while until he has me convinced that he isn¡¯t a pervert. He explains that the tattoo would cover the centre of my chest and the left collarbone, including my left shoulder. That I would be the best spot for a tattoo with the intended dimensions. At some point I simply give up arguing, because I want to get it over with. We enter his workshop, which isn¡¯t dirty like the rest of his shop. It¡¯s surprisingly clean.


    ¡°Your ink won¡¯t really look golden or silver, once it¡¯s beneath the skin. I¡¯ve to work with several shades of grey and yellow. I just hope that you considered the toxicity of such colours? Don¡¯t look at me like that. I have to ask. Think of my reputation if you end up poisoned and drop dead on the street.¡± He draws a few suggestions onto a wooden puppet. Finally, he decides that the design is acceptable, then he gets to work.


    His tools are a magical needle and healing salve. I study the needle before I allow him to use it. The thing is nothing more than a brute force device. It emits a short burst of air which pierces the skin and transports the pigments. He uses lots of healing salve to avoid the issue of having to wait for my skin to heal after applying a layer. I even get a towel which is drenched in alcohol. It¡¯s partly to cover myself and to disinfect the skin. Zibil gets to work as soon as the healing salve numbed the pain.


    Several hours later, Zibil steps back and studies his work. ¡°They are perfect!¡±


    ¡°They?¡±


    He quickly clears his throat and hurries to get me a mirror. ¡°It! It¡¯s beautiful! You have to promise me to advertise my art!¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t strip in front of an audience!¡± I reprimand him.


    He drags a large mirror in front of me. ¡°Wear at least a shoulder free dress!¡±


    I hold the towel in order to cover my chest and inspect the tattoo for mistakes. If I have to rip it off, I¡¯ll do the same damage to him. Though, the art is decent and looks extremely good on me. I want to go as far as to say that I am even sexier than before.


    Most of my reincarnations have been male, but now and then fate throws me a curveball and I end up as a woman. Nobody says that I like it, but I am not depraved enough to deny my gender when I have to play for the other side. Female body, female fashion.


    I smile. ¡°This looks dangerous.¡±


    Zibil nods. ¡°I don¡¯t know why, but the bad-ass, sexy dark-mage style fits you perfectly! Do you want more?¡±


    I look at him and scowl. ¡°Let¡¯s not overdo it! I don¡¯t want to look like a map of the world. What do I owe you?¡±


    The old man shakes his head. ¡°Nobody understands my art. Just give me five gold and we are even.¡±


    I reach into my pocket and give him the money. ¡°You charge a lot for a single day of work.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s art!¡±

 16. ~Dreams~

    ¡°Dreams can show the past and the future.¡±


    ***Hormundad***


    ***Joyce***


    ¡°The proposition to use slaves as soldiers is outrageous. The city council won¡¯t stand for that. Who had the stupid idea? Did it really come from the emperor himself?¡± Nemus shakes his head in disbelief.


    Oleg, a member of his political party, shrugs with his shoulders. ¡°How should I know? Do you think that I am told anything? I am just the messenger. They want you to vote for the proposition.¡±


    Nemus rubs his face with both hands. ¡°Look. I am not an enchanter who creates slave collars. Neither am I a soldier. But even I know that it¡¯s stupid to use slaves as cannon fodder. Slaves are only as good as their training. They don¡¯t magically turn into super soldiers just because they follow orders. A soldier who blindly follows his orders can¡¯t react to a changing battlefield.¡±


    He waves his hands in the air. ¡°To send them against a trained army¡­ It¡¯s the same as sending toddlers against adults. And let¡¯s not forget that slave collars aren¡¯t cheap! We have a lot of slaves, that¡¯s true. But most of the collars are handed down to another slave once the previous owner dies. If we start sending our slaves to war, a lot of the collars will get lost or damaged. We can¡¯t replace them fast enough.¡±


    Oleg spreads his hands. ¡°I understand your doubts, but nobody says that we¡¯ll use run-of-the-mill slaves. This proposition is just the first step to legalize the usage of slave collars in war. Maybe the emperor intends to attach them to captured enemies? Who knows. I imagine that it would be very demoralizing for our foes if they get charged by a unit of their own people.¡±


    Nemus huffs and gestures for me to refill the cups. I step forward and do as ordered.


    Their discussion goes on and on, while I wait with the tea-jar in my hands. Why are they allowed to have a good time while I have to stand at the wall? My legs feel like lead.


    After an hour, Oleg takes his leave and Nemus stands up to bid him farewell. When Oleg is gone, I approach the table to clear away the used dishes. But when I step into Nemus¡¯s reach, his hand shoots out and closes around my shoulder. It¡¯s like he is using pliers! I scream as my shoulder pops out of its socket.


    He shoves me down to my knees. ¡°If you ever again spill a drop of tea in front of a guest, I¡¯ll sell you to a whorehouse! Are my guests supposed to think that I am too poor to buy a proper slave!?¡± He swings out with his foot, aiming at my head.


    I open my eyes and sit up in my bed. The room is dark and it takes a moment for me to remember that I can use my magic. Raising my hand, I quickly cast a magelight and rub my shoulder. It¡¯s still pulsating with phantom pain.


    Oh, right. I got the tattoo. The skin is still irritated. That¡¯s what it must be.


    For a moment, I consider going back to sleep, but I am wide awake now. So there is probably no point in trying. I get up and dress myself, then I head back into the workshop. Orwen¡¯s power stone is still resting where I left it. The crack which is rendering the aquamarine useless runs through the entire crystal.


    I turn it around, but it seems like repairing the damage isn¡¯t possible. I can take out the golden inlay and rebuild the entire thing from scratch. Maybe it¡¯s for the best. As the crystal was before it got damaged, it drew in energy from its surroundings.


    That worked extremely well, but it also deprived the area around Orwen of its power. Many people think that magic, or mana, is some sort of mystical power which is only accessible to people with magical talent. But that¡¯s not the case. A properly trained mage would define mana as every form of energy that¡¯s available in the environment. That may be a source of heat or electricity. Or matter itself.


    Magic is the ability to reshape those energies by using the quantum Zeno effect, also known as the Turing paradox. It enables someone with sufficient talent to reshape the world around him. To bend the physical laws. Most mages do that on an instinctive level. It¡¯s the reason why some are more proficient in certain fields than in others. But simply put, they don¡¯t know what they are doing. If a mage understands what his spell is doing, he or she can cast any spell.


    I sigh and take a chisel, then I start removing the golden inlays which are covering the power stone. The mage who created this thing knew what he was doing. I admit that. I would never be able to create something so powerful with just ritualistic magic.


    But the crystal can be used. Aquamarine is a variety of beryl, which is a mineral that¡¯s composed of beryllium aluminium cyclosilicate. The hexagonal structure of the crystal system makes it perfect to build a magical computer. Or a rudimentary power core. I just have to melt this thing down to remove the impurities.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    I scratch my shoulder. Zimil said that it¡¯ll itch for quite a while. The old man talked my head off while he was working on the tattoo. Maybe he just did it to distract me from the itching. He knew a lot about magical tattoos, even if he has no magic of his own. The ink needs a while to settle beneath the skin. Introducing large amounts of foreign substances to the skin doesn¡¯t come without a price.


    But once the itching stops, the tattoo won¡¯t just be a protection against mental attacks. It¡¯ll also be a control circuit to interface with my creations and to make it easier to channel energy.


    I place the cleaned aquamarine inside a steel keg which was enchanted to withstand high temperatures. This world may lack the technology of other worlds, but magic gave them the ability to further their metallurgical knowledge far beyond what¡¯s normal for a medieval setting.


    Magic also made technological advancements unnecessary. There are simply too many mages in this world. If people have a problem that can¡¯t be solved with muscles, they get a mage or an ability user. There is a large rock on your property and it¡¯s in the way? No problem, hire a mage to blow it up! You have a broken bone? The healer will fix it.


    There is simply no pressure to develop a complicated pulley system, or to study the world in order to use the laws of physics. Oh, there is a basic understanding of how things work. I assume that the consortium of mages is far ahead in that department. There is simply no way to create something like the spacial backpack with experiments alone. It would require an incredible amount of luck to discover spacial magic by accident. They must¡¯ve had an idea of what they were doing.


    While the aquamarine is melting inside the little furnace which came with the workshop, I design a casting mould. It doubles as a magical refrigerator which is supposed to protect the magical circuit which I want to encase in the aquamarine.


    The problem is that metals like gold and silver melt at approximately one thousand degrees. Steel melts somewhere between one thousand three hundred and one thousand five hundred.


    It takes over one thousand five hundred degrees to melt beryl, so I have to protect the circuit. Otherwise it would simply melt away once I cast the power core. If everything works out, the power core should convert water to pure energy. All it takes is a disintegration process and something to convert the energy to a useful form of power.


    I work for the whole day and by the point at which I am ready to crack open the mould, the sun is already setting. The ceramic crumbles under the force of my hammer and I free the power core.


    It¡¯s surface is rough and I lost some of the aquamarine due to the casting process. Though, that shouldn¡¯t be a problem if there are no major impurities which render the magical circuit useless. I carry the hexagonal power core to the big whetstone and start the arduous process of cleaning the surface.


    I could try to use magic, but I am too afraid to damage the aquamarine. The crystal is an eight on the Mohs scale, but it¡¯s also brittle. I assume that Orwen¡¯s power stone cracked in the first place because it was hit by some of the debris.


    It takes four entire days to clean each surface of the resulting prism. My purely aesthetic choice of adding a pyramid to the top and the bottom of the prism means that I have to clean eighteen surfaces. To finish the process, I had to drill a little hole into the top. This had to be done to allow a little water into the core, which functions as the disintegration chamber.


    It would be wrong to call it a fusion chamber, since the power core makes full use of the water, converting a hundred percent of it to pure energy.


    In the end, my arms and my back feel like liquid fire. Even magic can¡¯t protect my muscles from the stress of hard work. But I must say that the result was worth the effort.


    The blue crystal has no impurities and it even allows me to check the magical circuit inside it for damage. After checking everything thrice, I decide that there is no other choice but to test it. Either it blows up, in which case I and a part of the city won¡¯t live long enough to feel anything, or it works as intended and I¡¯ll have a power source which is on par with Orwen¡¯s power stone.


    I fuel the power core with a cup of water and use my own magic to jump start the reaction. At first, there is nothing, but then the crystal starts glowing with a soft, blue light. The tattoo on my shoulder starts itching as the two circuits connect and an interface pops up in front of me.


    Using my fingers, I interact with the hologram and check the power core for malfunctions. I wasn¡¯t able to do more than hard-code a basic control system. For the moment, the magical computer is running on nothing more than BIOS. But that¡¯s okay. I can build on that.


    After a few minutes of giving instructions, I realise that there is mad laughter coming from my mouth. I quickly clear my throat and try to concentrate on my task. When morning dawns, the people of Hormundad will have to look up to me.


    Tendrils of blue energy lash out and start scanning the entire building. Then the ground starts shaking. The crystal began its work of lifting the entire building and a large piece of the surrounding garden into the air. Earth is compressed to rock and a solid basin forms beneath the house in order to hold the biosphere.


    Take that, assassins! I wonder if you have someone who can fly? I start chuckling as I type four words into the interface and add them to the basin which is holding my property.


    ¡°Observe.¡± ¡°Formulate.¡± ¡°Test.¡± ¡°Apply!¡±


    It¡¯s not quite the scientific method, but it should cause a little philosophical discussion. Especially since everyone can see it.

 17. ~Money~

    ¡°They called her a fool who was easily parted from her money. They just didn¡¯t know that it flowed back to her just as quickly.¡±


    ***Hormundad***


    ***Joyce***


    I approach the lemu and join it. The animal is at the edge of my property, leering down at the town beneath us. I didn¡¯t bother to create a fence. If the lemu falls over the edge, then that¡¯s his own problem.


    The animal looks up and flicks its tongue out as if it¡¯s trying to tell me something. I cross my arms in front of my chest and sneer at it. ¡°What? Not enough space to run around?¡± The lemu draws in a deep breath and flops down on the ground.


    Beneath us, the townsfolk are freaked out. It¡¯s not every day that they have a house floating a hundred metres above their heads. Since this morning, they¡¯ve been pointing and screaming, generally doing everything that¡¯s expected of barbarians who are confronted with something which is outside their understanding.


    Some idiots even tried to take me down with fireballs. I already expected that, so I created several barriers to protect my new home. I sit down next to the lemu and allow my legs to dangle freely above the city.


    I refrained from taking offensive action against such attacks. If I look too aggressive, the authorities might decide to do something about me sooner rather than later. Oh, I am quite sure that I¡¯ll have someone ¡®official¡¯ on my heels as soon as I go down there.


    But first I have to get my house ready. I need more materials to create something with the comforts of modern life. There is no way that I¡¯ll willingly live for the rest of my life in a medieval shack.


    I need metals, stone, wood and plants. What worries me the most is a sufficient water supply. The house had a supply pipe, but it got obviously torn out when I lifted off. For the time being, I used force fields to design a large basin which is supposed to gather rainwater.


    Later on, I¡¯ve plans to put up some sails. Then I can gather water directly from the clouds.


    The basin which is holding my property is about a hundred metres long and fifty in width. At its deepest part, the basin reaches a depth of about twenty metres. I¡¯ll change the design in the near future. It¡¯s against my aesthetic ideas to live on a flying egg, but I¡¯ll deal with what I have for now.


    What I am waiting for, is for the power core to finish the creation of the four tubes which run through the entire basin. Then I just have to create a force field which sucks in air at the front and pushes air out at the back. And voil¨¤! I¡¯ve a perfectly fine jet engine. It¡¯ll suffice to get me where I want to go.


    Another change is that I use barriers to create vacuum bubbles which are attached to the basin. I basically turned the entire thing into a huge airship. It¡¯s more efficient than to use force magic to lift the whole weight.


    But before I go, I¡¯ve to talk to Dorver.


    I push myself off and fall towards the ground. Shortly before I impact, I cast force magic and land softly on my feet. The people who were watching me landing in the middle of the market place jump to the side. I can¡¯t help it, a smile steals itself onto my face as I stride through the crowd. They give me a lot of room, proving to me that a mage who has a flying house is respected even without a title.


    When I reach the guild, Dorver is already waiting for me in the reception hall. He looks like he is nervous and gestures for me to follow him into his office. I follow him up the stairs and down the corridor into his room. He must¡¯ve expected me.


    As soon as the door is closed behind us, he explodes, ¡°What were you thinking!? A flying house! Everyone is going mad. They are flooding me with requests to get an appointment with you! And I am sure that the royal court is already on its way to check you out!¡±


    I polish my beautiful nails on my shirt and smile. ¡°They¡¯ll have to get in line. I am a busy person and my latest creation will take a lot of attention until I¡¯ve harnessed its full potential.¡±


    Dorver waves with his short hands. ¡°The baron of Hormundad requested your presence to dinner! You can¡¯t refuse such an invitation.¡±


    ¡°Watch me. I can refuse him and I will. He is just a noble who is in charge of a single city. He isn¡¯t the president of the Alliance. They have to learn early that I am not someone who can be commanded around,¡± I reply coolly.


    The gnome gapes at me, but after a few moments he closes his mouth. ¡°So that¡¯s your game. I can¡¯t say that I approve of your strategy. You just caught the eye of powerful people. People whose arms are long enough to reach you even on that flying island of yours.¡±Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    ¡°An island?¡± I ask.


    ¡°Is it not?¡± Dorver gestures towards the window. ¡°Look at it! It¡¯s a floating island. You didn¡¯t just rip the house out of the ground, you took the entire property with it!¡±


    I snort. ¡°I like to have some plants when I step outside.¡± I am absolutely against having plants inside my house, but a nice little garden is nothing to sneeze at. ¡°Let¡¯s return to the important matters. I need resources like building materials. Metal, marble, wood. Those sorts of things. Where can I get that in abundance and as cheap as possible? We are talking about a large scale project.¡±


    Dorver scratches his head. ¡°What do you intend to do with it? Is it for that flying monstrosity of yours?¡±


    I nod and Dorver scratches his chin. ¡°Normally, I would say that you have a few screws loose, but your company will start selling the first chests soon enough. You will have the money for a large scale project. The problem is that it takes a lot of time to transport all the materials where you need them.¡±


    He looks out of the window. ¡°I have no idea of the lifting capacity of your creation. But I suppose that you could just fly around and buy everything directly from the manufacturers. I¡¯ll give you a map with the locations of mines, sawmills and stone quarries.¡± He walks over to his desk and pulls out a scroll, together with a large bag.


    I take the scroll and the bag. With at least four kilograms, the weight surprises me. It¡¯s clear that the scroll is the map, so I open the heavy bag and find it filled with gold coins. ¡°I didn¡¯t even ask for more funds.¡±


    He rolls his eyes. ¡°Two thousand gold coins with ten percent interest. That¡¯s everything I can give you without having to explain myself to other guildmasters. Have you forgotten that I am managing your account?¡± He raises his hand to stop me. ¡°Whatever you are doing with your money, I don¡¯t want to know about it! It¡¯s very clear that your next question would¡¯ve been about money.¡±


    I try anyway. ¡°Ten percent is a high interest! It¡¯s close to robbery! How can you be certain that I¡¯ve any interest in paying it back?¡±


    In an unexpected emotional outburst the gnome runs to the window and slaps his hand against the glass. ¡°Have you looked at the fucking floating house out there? I¡¯ve heard that the Consortium has things like it and maybe the elves. Do you really want to tell me that you can¡¯t pay back a measly two thousand gold coins!?¡±


    I bite my lower lip and throw the heavy bag over my shoulder. It¡¯s true that I¡¯ve been burning through my funds. Turning two thousand gold coins into raw materials will accelerate my plans greatly.


    Frantic knocking interrupts us and Dorver quickly corrects his clothes. His grey suit became a little disarranged when he ran over to the window. He walks to the door and opens it.


    A man with brown hair and prominent cheekbones enters the room. Two city guards follow in his wake. I notice that he has an expensive taste in clothes. His eyes immediately land on me. The man didn¡¯t even look at Dorver. More accurately, he is checking out my breasts quite blatantly. ¡°I assume that you are the commoner, Joyce? The lord, Baron Tarmo of Hormundad, requests your presence.¡±


    I snort. ¡°Tell him that he can make an appointment.¡±


    That startles the newcomer. ¡°Excuse me? The lord is nobility and you are just an adventurer. You should be glad that he has taken an interest in you.¡±


    ¡°Could you please raise your eyes. I feel dirty when people look at me like that.¡±


    That finally gets his attention, so I continue. ¡°I am very busy and I¡¯ve studied the Alliance¡¯s laws. I am not your baron¡¯s subject and I am not indebted to him, so he can¡¯t order me around.¡± I give him one of my sweetest smiles. ¡°So, please bug off.¡±


    The man starts grinning as if he has me. ¡°Your little magical experiment damaged the city¡¯s sewer system. I am afraid that you owe his lordship at least two hundred gold coins.¡± He gestures at the door. ¡°So would you follow us, please?¡±


    I want to say something, but Dorver steps in front of me. ¡°Excuse me, but two hundred gold coins are a little much, don¡¯t you think? I happen to know the previous owner of the property which you are talking about. The place is very remote. There is no way that the city¡¯s sewer system took a lot of damage. The pipeline to the property in question may have been damaged, but that can¡¯t cost more than ten gold.¡±


    The man sneers at the gnome. ¡°We have a giant hole where the estate is supposed to be. That¡¯s a huge loss in taxes! We have to refill the hole with earth. Do you have any idea how much time that costs?¡±


    Dorver picks his nose, showing his disrespect. ¡°That¡¯s a few months of work with cheap labourers. The rent for the entire property was one gold per month. So lets assume that the labourers need a year to refill the hole with dirt. That¡¯s twelve gold. Let¡¯s be very generous and hire enough workers to use up eight gold over that period. That¡¯s thirty gold, so how do you justify the other one hundred and seventy?¡±


    The man shakes his head. ¡°Then it¡¯s thirty! What does it matter! She is a commoner! Even a top grade adventurer doesn¡¯t earn more than a hundred gold per year!¡±


    Dorver smiles and nods at me. ¡°Just pay them.¡±


    I smile and reach into the bag, then I shove a fistful of gold coins at the man¡¯s chest, forcing him to take it. ¡°Keep the change and buy yourself some sunglasses. Then you can¡¯t offend women with your ogling.¡±


    The man is gaping at me, but Dorver grabs my sleeve and pulls me out of the office. ¡°You have to make a quick exit before they come up with another reason to detain you. I am very sure that this isn¡¯t about money. You should buy yourself some bodyguards. Don¡¯t show yourself in a city before you have a solid group of people behind you.¡±


    I can¡¯t keep myself from grinning. ¡°This is going better than I thought. Everyone wants a piece of me. Oh, and Dorver, are you interested in becoming my treasure keeper?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t I already doing that!? First you need to stop spending everything you earn as soon as you get it! And now make yourself scarce!¡± Dorver stays behind and turns around to stop the man who regained his composure.


    ¡°Stop! Who do you think you are? Detain her!¡±


    But the gnome stands his ground. ¡°What do you think you are doing to a free citizen? You don¡¯t have any grounds to restrain her. Don¡¯t you realize that she is the mage who lifted that huge piece of property into the air!? She could wipe the floor with all of you! I won¡¯t allow any fights inside my guild!¡±


    I turn around to take a look at the scene. Dorver is barring the corridor while the man is shaking his fists in vain. The city guards don¡¯t look like they are particularly eager to do anything that could escalate the situation. Especially not if they have no legal reason to stop me.


    My grin turns wider, like a Cheshire cat, and I keep walking. Things will get really interesting.


    Soon.

 18. ~Journeymen~

    ¡°In those early days, they could¡¯ve crushed her easily. Though, how do you crush something if you don¡¯t know where to find it?¡±


    ***Alliance***


    ***Joyce***


    I lean back in my new lounge chair and noisily slurp from the cup with cold fruit juice. Somehow I got addicted to the stuff when I first tried it. To increase my own comfort, I used magic to cut the chair out of a large piece of rock, then I covered it with a blanket and placed the entire thing in the middle of my garden.


    My attention wanders to the lemu. The animal is chewing on the twigs of a nearby bush. ¡°There is nothing better than being alive, right? The sun is shining, it¡¯s warm, and I¡¯ve a cold drink at hand. All I am missing now is a real bikini instead of these undergarments.¡±


    I gesture at my simple outfit. A bra and panties. The people of this world would flip if they saw me like this. ¡°Oh, and the ocean! I definitely need an ocean!¡± I look around and consider the core¡¯s available power. Well, maybe a pond will do. A small one.


    I call up the interface and adjust the output of the four engines which are propelling my island forward. The first activation wasn¡¯t as impressive as it ought to be. Oh, there was a lot of noise and quite a few people beneath us threw themselves to the ground. The process of compressing air inside the tubes had a little bug.


    But this entire place is a work in progress, so I am not surprised that I¡¯ve to figure out some things on the fly.


    The intention was to make an impressive departure, but I ended up flying circles above Hormundad. It took me an hour to fly roughly straight forward and even longer to program a reasonable control interface for the island. My power core seems to have some balancing issues when it has to handle a lot of tasks at the same time. So I had to clean up the code. I am clearly working with limited resources.


    The computer may be a huge innovation for this world, but the core has only as much calculation power as a small calculator. ¡°I¡¯ve to make some additional cores as soon as possible,¡± I mumble.


    But for now I¡¯ve a map and a basic control interface for the island. I can tell my new home where to go and how high I want to fly. Though, the engines are dragging to the left. It doesn¡¯t bother me for now, but if I don¡¯t check my direction now and then, I would be flying in a very large circle. It¡¯s hard to control the energies which I am playing with.


    My next goal is to gather a group of people around me. They don¡¯t necessarily need to be reliable, but I need to be someone who gives orders. I need my own estate. Otherwise the nobles of this world would just see me as someone who is yet another puppet. I¡¯ve to make it clear that I am one of the puppeteers.


    The first destination is Abasin Valley. The communication crystal says that they are still there. The four of them must be bored to death by now. It has been over a month since they took the job. Guarding some old ruins, sitting around day and night, waiting for something to happen, thinking about god and the world. I couldn¡¯t do it.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    I would go mad. I laugh.


    I take another sip from the fruit juice, then I stand up and walk to the front of my floating island. The sky is blue and the sun is at its peak. There are just a few white clouds to see.


    Beneath me is a seemingly endless grassy landscape. I left the large fields which are located around Hormundad behind me hours ago. From time to time I notice a road or a shack. Small villages are a rarity. Hypnotized, I watch the landscape pass by. This could be a really nice world, if its people weren¡¯t such pricks.


    I am travelling at almost a hundred kilometres per hour. That¡¯s much faster than anyone could follow me on a lemu or by foot. The gate network allows them to get ahead of me, but as long as I stay away from the gates, nobody should be able to catch me. They would need a little army to take this baby down.


    I¡¯ve read that some factions have flying aircrafts. The Consortium, the elves and the demons for example. But they must be rare since I¡¯ve yet to see one of those rumoured vehicles. The empire has them too, but they are a rarity. They require huge amounts of energy, which means that they need a power stone.


    A small dot at the horizon draws my attention. It quickly grows larger and I notice the wings much too late. Right in front of me, the animal slams into the barrier which is protecting my island. I jump, startled by the impact.


    The huge, winged lizard slides sideways and falls to the ground, out of my sight. It was at least thrice my size. Not quite a dragon, but a genuine sceada!


    I watch as the smear of blood is slowly pressed sideways along the barrier. The force field which stopped the sceada isn¡¯t a physical object, so there is no adhesion between the blood and the force field. The reason why the blood stays in place, is that the air pressure is strong enough to press it against the barrier.


    So I am faced with the same problem which modern cars have. I doubt that the local wildlife will adapt any time soon to something like my flying island. ¡°Great! Now I need to design a windscreen wiper.¡±


    And who says that there aren¡¯t bigger bugs in this world? I need to develop anti-air and anti-ground capabilities at the double. I turn around and quickly walk back to the house. At least I found something to do while the island approaches my friends/enemies. Frenemies?


    ***Abasin Valley***


    ***Tristen***


    ¡°


    ¡°

 19. ~Another Tale~

    ¡°A person might be strong, intelligent and charismatic, but is that enough to be a leader?¡±


    ***Abasin Valley***


    ***Joyce***


    I wave to reassure them of my peacefulness. Then I run back into the house and grab a light robe. Throwing it over, I head back to the edge of my property. There is no point in showing up naked.


    Finding the four of them was a game of patience. I wanted my visit to be a surprise, hoping that they wouldn''t check their communication crystals for my whereabouts. For that very reason I didn''t dare to call them and relied purely on my crystal''s tracking function.


    It turned out that the tracking function is utter garbage. To find them, I flew for two days in concentric circles above the forested area of Abasin Valley. All the trees made it impossible to spot their camp until I practically landed on top of them.


    I jump and fall towards the trees. Twenty metres above the ground, I cast force magic and slow my own fall. Everyone is looking at me as if I am some kind of novelty. There are Kiara, Fae, Brian and Tristen, but also some men and women in brown robes, together with a random assembly of various types of adventurers.


    The camp is small, but well organized. Several small tents are placed in three neat rows on a clearing. The surrounding undergrowth is thick and doesn¡¯t allow to see more than ten metres into the forest. I can identify three narrow paths which lead out of the clearing.


    Waving at my four acquaintances, I touch the ground softly. ¡°Hi! I came to visit.¡±


    ¡°She can fly!¡± One of the nearby robed men points at me. He has grey hair and seems to be in his fifties.


    I sniff and raise my hands to mock him. ¡°Oh, no! Look! She can fly! I''ve never seen a mage who can levitate!¡±


    His head turns red, but he shuts up.


    My attention turns to the large keg above the fireplace. ¡°Is that stew!?¡± I walk past Brian and Fae and take one of the bowls to help myself. Tristen and Kiara are ogling me with wide eyes, but I ignore them. There is a spoon on the ground, so I take it and clean it with a little magic. ¡°Hmm. That''s really good! Vegetables. I hate people who throw meat into their stew. Cooked meat is just an attack on civilisation itself. Meat has to be grilled or roasted, not cooked.¡±


    Fae points at the oval which is floating above us. ¡°What is that!?¡±


    ¡°That''s my house! Obviously!¡± I answer.


    All of them shake their heads. ¡°That''s no house.¡± ¡°Obviously?¡± ¡°It''s flying!¡± ¡°Where did you get it?¡±


    I sigh. Seems like I''ve a lot of explaining to do before we can get to business. ¡°I made a pretty coin when I sold all my minerals. So there I sat on all that money and thought that I didn''t want to go back to foraging for rare minerals. I needed a change of occupation, so I created my own company.¡±


    Fae points at my house. ¡°And what about that?¡±


    ¡°Every good company needs headquarters. And what''s better than mobile headquarters?¡± I grin and take another spoonful of the stew.


    ¡°Why are you here?¡± Tristen asks.


    I raise both eyebrows. I honestly didn''t expect the sudden wariness. ¡°Well. Because you guys invited me to visit and because I want to hire you. I need someone to guard my back when I deal with the high and mighty.¡±


    ¡°But we are still under contract. At least for another week,¡± Brian answers sheepishly.


    I shrug. ¡°I can wait. It''s not like I''ve nothing to do. There are a lot of things to improve upon.¡± I gesture at the flying oval above us. ¡°So what do you say? Are you willing to consider working for me?¡±


    The old man who was so shocked about my entrance approaches and clears his throat. ¡°Excuse me, Miss, but these people are working for us. You can''t hire them away from under our noses.¡±


    It seems like he listened in on every word we said, so I decide to make sure to show him what I think of that, answering him with a full mouth, ¡°Who said that? I''ll hire them once their contract with you ends. What are you doing here anyway?¡±Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    ¡°They are inspecting the ruins which are located all around this area,¡± Brian answers.


    ¡°Ruins? You mean the large rock formations?¡± I try to recall what I saw from above. ¡°Ah, so that''s what it is...¡±


    The man in the brown robe glares at me. ¡°What!? Have you seen something from above?¡±


    I shake my head. ¡°Nope. I''ve my own agenda. Why should I tell you anything?¡±


    He shakes his fists, but there seems to be a shred of reason inside him. He forces himself to calm downand says, ¡°I am sorry for my bad manners. I am Scholar Edmund. My conclave is dedicated to finding out more about these ruins. They were left behind by a civilisation which obviously pre-dates the Alliance or any other known nation. We have no name for it, since they didn''t leave anything behind. There are just these huge rock formations, monuments. At the base, the stones are joined together perfectly, but there are no decorations of any kind. It¡¯s a mystery why people who possess such skilful craftsmanship would not leave anything exceptthose monuments behind.¡±


    I nod. ¡°Maybe it was more about purpose than how it looked. Have you tried to sketch out the area on a map?¡± I use a foot to draw a circle into the dirt on the ground. ¡°There are six little hills around this location. They are arranged in a perfect circle. Your camp is close to the largest structure which is right in the middle of the circle.¡±


    The scholar looks at my rough map and furrows his forehead. ¡°That looks like a huge magical circle. Why should anyone need a ritual that large?¡±


    I roll my eyes and take another spoonful of the delicious stew. ¡°Beats me. Maybe they tried to summon a god? Or to end the world? The fact that they aren''t around to tell us their story strikes me as a sufficient reason not to poke my nose into it.¡±


    He gapes at me. ¡°Summon a god?¡±


    I deflate. Is this guy for real? ¡°That was a joke. I don''t know what the ritual was supposed to do. I can only tell that if the circle was ever active, then it was a really long time ago. There is no residue of magic in this place, which should be the case otherwise.¡±


    He squints his eyes at me. ¡°Why are you telling us this? It would cost a pretty sum to get assistance from a Consortium mage who is as well-versed in magic as you seem to be.¡± He looks up at my floating house.


    I am doing it to increase my reputation and to spread my name, so I smile. ¡°No worries. Any mage with advanced knowledge about the arcane could''ve told you that after seeing the site from above. My name is Joyce and I am not from the Consortium. I refer to myself as a free agent of fate.¡±


    I take Edmund''s hand and shake it. ¡°Nice to meet you.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes,¡± he answers, befuddled.


    Then I turn back to the others. ¡°So, how about it? You haven''t answered my question.¡±


    They are still looking at me as if I am the ninth wonder of the world. Tristen is the first one to recover. He clears his throat and nods. ¡°I see no reason why we shouldn¡¯t. Especially because being hired by you seems to spare us the trouble of walking back to civilisation.¡±


    The others nod and the matter seems to be settled. They explain that they have to return to their duties, so I don''t delay them any longer. The group splits up and I am left behind with Edmund. The scholar seems to be happy enough with my help to show me around. I don''t have any additional deep insights for him. The one I had was only due to the fact that I had a slightly different perspective.


    My interests lie in the arcane, physics and machines.


    We take one of the narrow trails and have to walk for a while before he can show me the central monument, which is nothing more than a large pile of rocks. Edmund reassures me that he and his team measured each rock carefully in orderto get an idea of what it was originally. According to them, it was a temple-like structure before it collapsed. He shows me a sketch and I simply take him at his word.


    I was serious when I mentioned that it''s never a good idea to poke one''s nose into unknown magic.


    Since I don''t want to give Edmund any ideas, I never mention that his sketch of the monument doesn''t look like a temple to me. A few lifetimes ago, I lived in a civilisation which called themselves the Cheen. Their mausoleums looked very similar to Edmund''s temple.


    But I certainly don''t want to butt in on his hypothesis, so I keep my mouth shut. This whole archaeology business isn''t my thing. Everything is up to interpretation. They find some old foundation walls and immediately conclude how the whole building must''ve looked like.


    When it comes to the purpose of the building, the ideas get hair-raising and the final result is so far from reality that the original builders would''ve wet themselves.


    Edmund continues his tour and I keep nodding and smiling. The old man is a real scholar. Here I am, a mage who showed up with a flying island, and he is more interested in his rocks than in me.


    It is midday before I can finally extract myself from his clutches. The only thing that remains on my mind is to flee up to my island, hiding myself. I am not sure what I would''ve done, had it taken any longer. Blown up the camp?


    The next morning, I get dressed and return to the campsite, just to find a little storm brewing between the occupants. Most of the scholars are standing in a large group, feverishly discussing something. The adventurers are taking care of their own business, but they seem to be more alert than the day before. Some are even building an improvised palisade around the camp.


    I approach my four friends, who are waiting at the same fire-pit as they were yesterday. ¡°Did something happen?¡±


    ¡°You could say that, though I think that the academics are overreacting,¡± Tristen grumbles.


    Kiara gestures in the direction with the crumbled remains of the monument. ¡°Some of the scholars stayed out late, despite our warnings. They were digging close to the ruins and found something that couldn''t be left until tomorrow.¡±


    Brian finishes the story. ¡°They disappeared during the night. We verified just a few minutes ago that they are missing seven people. Now they are freaking out. Some people simply don''t get it. They hire guards and then they do something stupid, like leaving the protected perimeter.¡±


    He gestures at the green hell which is all around us. ¡°Even if there weren''t all sorts of dangerous critters out there, who would want to hike through the darkness? There is a high possibility that they got tired and headed back to the camp. Maybe they lost the narrow path and meandered into a totally different direction. There is no chance of finding them after the fact.¡±


    I look at Kiara. ¡°Can''t your pets track them?¡± My gaze wanders to the direwolf who is resting next to the fire-pit. The black bird is nowhere to be seen.


    Kiara shakes her head. ¡°I already did my best, but there are so many scent tracks around the site that there is no way to discern the old from the recent ones. My wolf and I checked a two kilometre radius around the site, but we couldn''t find anything.¡±


    ¡°It''s her!¡± One of the scholars forces his way out of the crowd and points an accusing finger at me. ¡°It has to be her! She shows up and one night later we are missing seven people. We went for a month without incident. Strange coincidence, don''t you think!?¡±

 20. ~Turmoil~

    ¡°Can a person be broken?¡±


    ***Abasin Valley***


    ***Joyce***


    The man approaches me with much more confidence than I would have in his situation. His self-righteous demeanour reminds me of a certain person. A weakling who only thinks that he is strong because he is a skilful manipulator of social relationships. As long as he has the group behind him, he will do anything to gain a little more power. Such people think that they can get away with anything as long as the law protects them.


    I don''t even try to defend myself against his accusation, since I am far too angry for that. I snarl like an animal and strike out with my leg, just as he steps into reach. My shin follows a perfect arc and makes contact with his holiest place. It feels soft and I could swear that I felt something pop!


    The man is still pointing at me, a unique expression on his face. The problem is that my lower leg is now caught between his thighs. I hop on my remaining foot, trying to keep my balance. ¡°Let go! Pervert!¡±


    He coughs, but doesn''t react otherwise, so I shove him away from me in order to free myself. Somehow, I manage to reclaim my shin and he falls backwards. Once on the ground, he curls up into a foetal position and coughs again. There is no screaming, no tears. He just lies there and stares at something that''s visible only to him.


    That''s when I realize that this isn''t exactly the superior impression I wanted everyone to have of me. I look around, which confirms that I''ve fucked up. Everyone is looking at me as if I did something wrong. ¡°What!? You saw that he was coming at me! What was I supposed do?¡±


    Oh, great! Now they are looking away. Just grow a spine!


    Kiara clears her throat. ¡°Healers? I think they should take a look at him. Joyce got him really good.¡±


    I decide to change the subject. ¡°Why was he even speaking to me? Where is Edmund?¡±


    One of the scholars steps forward. It''s a woman with brown hair. ¡°I am afraid that the First Scholar is among the missing people.¡±


    I raise an eyebrow. They have ranks? Does each of them get a number? ¡°Then what about the Second Scholar?¡±


    She shakes her head. ¡°She is also missing. And before you ask,¡± she looks down at the man who accused me, ¡°he is Third. I am the Fourth Scholar, Amanda. A- a- a- and I am afraid that I''ve to protest against your treatment of one of ours. You definitely overreacted!¡±


    But she didn''t say that I was wrong. ¡°Okay. I am sorry.¡± Totally not!


    She winces. ¡°That didn''t sound sincere...¡±


    ¡°What do you want me to do? Should I kneel down and give him a blowjob?¡± I ask.


    The man on the ground starts keening and tries to crawl away from me. It doesn''t really work since he is trying to keep his legs close to his body while his hands do all the work. It''s a pitiful sight and I wonder why nobody is trying to help him.


    ¡°I don''t think that he would appreciate that at the moment,¡± Amanda whispers. Then her expression brightens up. ¡°Why don''t you try to help us? It''s a great way to clear your name.¡±


    ¡°I am sure that she was about to do that when you interrupted us.¡± Fae steps to my left and grabs my upper arm.


    ¡°Yes! Joyce doesn''t have anything to do anyway!¡± Kiara links arms with me from the other side and together, they pull me towards the narrow path which leads to the monument.


    ¡°No! Wait! What?¡± I try to protest, but Tristen shuts me up.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Just be silent. We are trying to help you. The situation has to be diffused. Normally, we would be under obligation to protect our contractor and attack you.¡±


    At least Brian tries to defend me. ¡°Though I think that a kick to the private parts is a somewhat grey area. We aren¡¯t paid to assist our contractor in harassing women. Our contract only covers wildlife, bandits and direct attacks on life, freedom or property. The guy would have a hard time to make any accusations stick in a courtroom.¡±


    Fae turns around to look at him. ¡°And it would be great for our reputation! Look! Those are the guards who allowed one of their charges to be castrated in front of their eyes!¡±


    I really want to protest, but they are so caught up in their conversation that there isn''t a single moment to add my own opinion. Although, I have to admit that I lost control when that man charged at me. That wasn''t what I planned to do, but his vehemence surprised me. The sudden outrage at my mere presence also reminded me strongly of Nemus.


    It was normal for my former master to switch within moments from cool and collected to brutal and sadistic. Did my enslavement cause some sort of mental issues? Did I turn into a nutcase? I thought that I managed to come out relatively unscathed, but what if I am only now starting to learn about the long term effects of a slave collar and mental suppression?


    I am still lamenting over my past when we reach the monument. My escort places me in front of a large pit which wasn''t there yesterday. The hole is at least two metres deep and about five metres in diameter. At the bottom of it is a large stone. The exciting thing about it is that there are glyphs all over its surface.


    The Fourth Scholar, Amanda, was taking the lead. Now, she is pointing down into the pit. ¡°That''s what our people are so excited about. This is the first real artefact which we found. We have no idea what it says, but the First Scholar hoped that there is more text on the back, so they tried to dig it up.¡±


    How did they find it in the first place? Do they have some sort of detection spell? It takes a while until I realize that they are expecting something from me. ¡°What?¡±


    Tristen clears his throat. ¡°You are our wizard, so tell us what you think of that stone.¡±


    ¡°Anyone with even a bit of talent can sense the energy which is coming from the thing. Don¡¯t insult me!¡± I squint my eyes at him. Does he have no respect for me? ¡°I suppose that''s why nobody dared to touch it?¡±


    Fae gestures with her hand, urging me to go on. ¡°Anything else? What is it?¡±


    I look at the elf. There is no way that I would just forget that she snitched on me. But not helping them at all also feels wrong. It''s hardly Edmund''s fault that Fae and I have a score to settle. Though, I can do that once she is hired and has no chance to escape.


    I return my attention to the stone and take my mask from my belt. Then I put it on and study the residual energy which was left behind. The whole pit is a single blob of diffuse energies. I take my time in studying every detail. ¡°No idea what the glyphs say, but if I go by the residual energies, then I would say that it''s a short-distance teleportation device.¡± I take off the mask.


    Brian grumbles. ¡°Great. Does that mean that it''s going only in one direction? Otherwise the scholars should''ve returned by now. How do we get the scholars back? Or is the thing simply broken?¡±


    ¡°There is only one way to find out.¡± I use both hands to shove Amanda into the pit.


    ¡°Eeep!¡± She shrieks and falls. As she stumbles over the edge, she turns to look at me. There is a betrayed expression on her face. A light flashes and, with that, the count of missing people has risen from seven to eight.


    ¡°It''s definitely a working teleporter,¡± I nod and jump before the others manage to recover from their shock. Surely, the next thing they would''ve asked of me is to go after the scholars.


    There is a bright light and then there is darkness. Pure, pitch-black darkness. I cast a magelight and walk off the pedestal which is located in the middle of a large room. The ceiling is ten metres above me. The room seems to be a cave, but the floor was levelled and paved with marble.


    ¡°You shoved me!¡± Amanda points an accusing finger at me. She was waiting at the bottom of the pedestal. ¡°I almost died of fear! I thought that the great darkness had taken me! Do you know that people can die of shock!?¡±


    I wave her off. ¡°You aren¡¯t old enough. And you were a convenient test subject.¡±


    Four flashes of light announce the arrival of the other four. They glare at me and Kiara is the first one to complain. ¡°Did you already know that it would work? You wouldn''t just shove a person into an uncertain fate, right!? Please tell me that you knew what would happen!¡±


    I roll my eyes. ¡°Oh, come on. Which idiot would design a teleportation device without safety features? The simple fact that it''s working is enough to tell that it''s safe.¡±


    Tristen nods. ¡°That''s it guys. I''ve won the bet. She is a nutso. Just as I told you.¡± He holds out a hand and the other three place silver coins in his open palm. They grumble reluctantly, but nobody bothers to argue.


    I feel a little hurt, but I say nothing and sit down on the circular pedestal while the others search the room. I don''t pay any attention to them. Something is wrong with me. Why do I give a damn about what they think of me?


    ¡°That''s their digging equipment!¡±


    ¡°We wondered why all their stuff was gone.¡±


    ¡°So they just couldn''t return?¡±


    Another flash of light. And shortly afterwards another one. ¡°No. It works both ways!¡±


    ¡°So where are they?¡±


    ¡°Maybe down that tunnel?¡±


    A deep sigh escapes me. They are like little children. But then a light appears in the indicated tunnel and Edmund appears. A magelight is floating above his head. ¡°Oh? Why are you guys here? Is it already time for dinner?¡±


    I roll my eyes. ¡°And that''s why you don''t report a missing person before twenty-four hours have passed.¡±


    ¡°Joyce! I am so glad that you decided to visit.¡± He rushes over and pulls me to my feet. ¡°You have to see this. The monument was created to mark this cave system. The people of this old civilisation stored all kinds of items down here. There are several little shrines down each corridor, all of them with their own sacrificial offerings...¡±


    And there he goes. His teacher mode is switched on. He doesn''t even realize that everyone is glaring at him. Oh, boy. They look like they are really angry. Angrier than they were at me. But nobody says a word. I suppose that they are waiting until we are out of here? Or is it due to the fact that he is their employer?

 21. ~Old Things~

    ¡°Some mysteries are better left to be solved on another day.¡±


    ***Abasin Valley***


    ***Joyce***


    Amanda jumps in and separates us. ¡°Edmund! Do you even realize what you and the others did? Everyone thought that something happened to you! They freaked out and the Third even tried to frame Joyce for your disappearance! He suggested to pack up and leave, since the area obviously isn''t safe.¡±


    Edmund¡¯s reaction is genuine surprise. He pulls up his eyebrows and opens his mouth, unable to find an immediate response. It takes a few moments before he manages to think of a reply. ¡°Well. That''s a problem. Didn''t I tell everyone that we would be outside overnight?¡±


    She shakes her fists. ¡°Yes, you fool! But when we went to look for you this morning, everything was gone! You could''ve left someone behind to guard the teleporter!¡±


    The scholar clears his throat. ¡°I am sorry. This obviously wasn''t handled correctly. These caves are too fascinating, I guess we simply stopped thinking.¡±


    I smile and step away from them. There is no reason to catch their mental illness, assuming that whatever they have is contagious. ¡°Where are the others?¡±


    Edmund gestures towards the tunnel. ¡°They are exploring the cave.¡±


    ¡°They are alive? All of them?¡± I didn''t want to reveal my feelings like that, but his revelation came as a surprise. Aw, why am I even trying to defend myself? I am simply no good when it comes to human interactions. That''s the plain and simple truth.


    ¡°Why do you sound so surprised?¡± Kiara asks and her expression turns worried.


    I shrug. How should I explain this. ¡°Well, this is obviously some kind of holy place, or even a burial site. If I buried my family in such a shiny tomb, I would do everything in my power to deter grave robbers.¡± My eyes wander to the teleporter and my voice turns cheerful. ¡°It''s obvious that the creators of this place knew enough about magic to create some nasty surprises for people who try to desecrate this place.¡±


    Oops. I hope they didn¡¯t understand that the wrong way. I clear my throat and try to avoid their eyes.


    Edmund saves me from the awkward situation by clearing his throat. ¡°I am thankful for your advice and it may not look like it, but we aren''t total idiots. Everyone has the strict order not to touch anything. After such a long time, the only real danger comes from magical traps. Though, most small spells have surely dispersed by now. If there is something left, then it must¡¯ve been a grand working.¡±


    Tristen''s expression turns dark. ¡°And you really think that a bunch of civilians would follow such orders?¡±


    The scholar nods and tries to say something, but loud screams interrupt him. They are coming from the tunnel and they don¡¯t sound happy.


    Brian curses and runs off into the darkness. Tristen, Fae and Kiara follow on his heels. They didn¡¯t hesitate. Will I get the same loyalty once I am the one who is paying them money?


    Their departure leaves me alone with the two scholars, who have shocked expressions on their faces. Their eyes wander back and forth between me and the corridor. I am faced with the same decision. Either I follow my four frenemies, or I stick with the two intellectual dolts. Okay, Amanda might not be so bad. At least she seems to have common sense.


    Which still means that I would rather stick with the idiots who are running towards the danger than with the idiots who caused this whole situation in the first place. ¡°Sorry, guys.¡±


    I run down the corridor and leave the two scholars on their own.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Twenty metres down the tunnel, I reach a small room with four entrances, an intersection between two tunnels. Tristen is battling a genuine zombie. Okay, calling it a battle is definitely exaggerated. The zombie is trying to bash in Tristen¡¯s head with a large club, while the rogue is gracefully avoiding each blow. He manages to stab and slice the creature from time to time, but the animated body doesn''t care about such wounds.


    The zombie looks like a zombie, but he moves like a real soldier. And I mean the agile kind. The creature¡¯s armour is dusty and made of copper, but seems to be in perfect condition. It looks like an advanced Aztec warrior. The warclub is wooden, but there are a lot of nasty-looking spikes at the end.


    Four of the scholars are huddling at the wall next to me, clearly frightened out of their wits.


    Brian is fighting a second monster in the tunnel to my left, while Fae and Kiara are shooting arrows and crossbow bolts into the tunnel to my right. Holding this position isn''t the smartest move. I grab the first scholar who is within my reach and shove him into the tunnel behind me. ¡°Get back to the teleporter!¡±


    Then I realise that there are more opponents coming down Tristen''s tunnel. The rogue may be able to deal with one or two opponents, but not with the writhing mass of bodies which is quickly approaching this intersection.


    ¡°Tristen, get down!¡± I point my hand down Tristen''s tunnel and unleash the flamethrower. Tristen gets a little singed, but he dives to the side and escapes most of the blast. His opponent gets burned to a crisp and falls. The same happens to the second and third approaching enemy.


    But what comes next is truly intriguing. The following zombies show that they are a little more than their movie equivalents. They pick up the bodies of their fallen comrades to use them as shields against my fire, so I switch tactics and blast them with force magic and energy blasts. Which isn''t quite as effective as roasting them to a crisp.


    ¡°Retreat! Back into the corridor!¡± Tristen crawls behind me to avoid the torrent of spells which I am throwing down the corridor. Brian uses his shield to push his opponent away and retreats while Fae and Kiara do the same.


    I quickly follow them and throw up a barrier to wall off the corridor. Seconds later, the wave of bodies slams against my shield. For the moment they are stopped. ¡°I can''t hold them off forever!¡±


    Brian steps in front of me and holds up his shield. ¡°Oh, Lord of Light! Give me your power and smite the unnatural!¡± A ray of light is emitted from his shield and my barrier breaks. But it doesn''t matter since the zombies are howling in pain. They aren''t killed outright, but every creature which is touched by the light tries to retreat at all costs.


    For a few moments it looks like even Brian''s spell can''t stop them, since the front rows are simply pushed forward by the following reinforcements. But then their advance halts and they start retreating. Then all of them are fleeing back into the darkness beyond the intersection.


    I wait and listen to the sound of many retreating footsteps, but it seems like we actually managed to force them to retreat. Only the bodies on the floor are proof of the attack. Then I slap Brian on the back of his helmet. ¡°Why didn''t you do that earlier!?¡±


    The huge man turns around and smiles apologetically. ¡°My teacher taught me the spell as a last ditch defence against creatures such as these. There are things which shouldn''t be done with the powers that were given to us.¡±


    He bashes the flat of his sword against his shield and the shield crumbles under the impact. ¡°Additionally, this spell isn''t exactly easy on my equipment. I don''t care much about losing a good shield if it allows us to retreat safely, but we should really go now. I won''t be able to perform this feat a second time without a properly prepared shield.¡±


    I reach for the shield and break off a piece of it. It crumbles to dust between my fingers. Okay? Did the spell use the force of the molecular bindings to fuel itself? That''s a neat trick if the user doesn''t have much power of his own.


    We retreat back to the room with the teleporter and are greeted by the scholars. The four who were rescued are frantically trying to explain what happened. Edmund doesn''t look very happy, since they obviously lost two people in the attack.


    ¡°We just followed the main corridor. We didn''t touch anything, I swear! There was this huge hall at the end. It was so large that we couldn''t see the other side or the ceiling. Oleg and Marsha went further in than the rest of us. Then those things came out of the darkness. They swept over Oleg and tore him to pieces. Then we ran. I think that Marsha couldn''t catch up. But I never dared to turn around to look.¡± Another scholar takes over. ¡°It felt like we were running for hours, but these creatures didn''t slow down. And on the way back, we ran into the adventurers.¡±


    Edmund shakes his head. ¡°I told you not to touch anything.¡±


    I raise a hand to voice my opinion. ¡°Excuse me, but if I had created an army of undead guardians, I would place them at the deepest part of the tomb. Then I would instruct them to rush over anyone who comes too close to the place which I want to protect. It would ensure that the trap kills any random tomb raiders. The lack of traps at the entrance was obviously meant to draw in the victims far enough to get them.¡±


    Amanda takes Edmund at his upper arm and guides him back to the teleporter. ¡°It''s clear that our expedition isn''t equipped for this kind of exploration. We need to return with something which can deal with this horde of zombies.¡±


    Edmund gestures with his hand. ¡°But it could take decades to gather enough funds for a second expedition! You have no idea what it took to finance this one.¡±


    ¡°I know. But we already learned more about this ancient civilisation than anyone else ever did! Aren''t two deaths enough to stop?¡±


    The First Scholar visibly deflates. Within moments he looks much older and less energetic. ¡°No, you are right. I have no idea how I can explain the deaths of Oleg and Marsha to their families.¡±


    I watch in silence as the present people use the teleporter. One by one, they leave the tomb behind. Their only accomplishments are a few notes and sketches of the shrines. Oh, and they left two more bodies to add to the army of guardians. I stay until I am the last one to leave. A quick glance down the corridor leaves me unsure of whether I am being watched or not.


    In my current state I''ve simply no interest in exploring this place, but at some point in the future I''ll certainly take a look at what''s so important to justify such a defence.

 22. ~Contract~

    ¡°Contracts are always a serious matter in this world. Especially when they are sealed with magic.¡±


    ***Abasin Valley***


    ***Joyce***


    They filled the pit with earth and left it like that. It''s not a foolproof way to close off the entrance to the tomb, but it''ll be good enough. I assume that the teleportation spell shuts down if one side is blocked.


    On our way back to the camp I study the forest around us. I wonder why the ones who created the monument didn''t stay. This place isn¡¯t that bad, but it seems like there was never something like a settlement in this place. So, was the monument just rarely used, or was it a warning for the future?


    There is probably no point in thinking about it.


    I''ve to deal with my own problems, or my plans will be for naught. For a start, I''ve to create a base of operations which shows that I am not someone who can be pushed around. There is the dangerous possibility that I will look too threatening, which will encourage the wrong elements to act against me. But I have to risk it. Having strong enemies is much better than to drown in small fry, of which there will be no shortage, I am sure.


    ¡°You look so thoughtful,¡± Brian notes, and I realize that he is addressing me.


    ¡°Just thinking about all the wrong things. That''s all. I''ve to further my plans for a great future,¡± I answer.


    He snorts. ¡°You still haven''t explained our new assignment. What exactly are we in for if we take your offer?¡± His question causes the others to look at me expectantly.


    I make a dismissive gesture and laugh. ¡°Isn''t that what you would love to know. I am sorry, but the details of my operation will stay a secret until you''ve signed up with me. Though, I can tell you that your responsibilities will be to guard me. If you have other skills, you can use them for my company. The nature of my business requires us to gather a lot of different people with different abilities.¡±


    They keep pestering me with questions, but I''ve no interest in answering them. There is too much at stake. If I tell them that I already got the attention of a noble like the ruler of Hormundad, they might bail on me.


    We reach the camp and I leave the scholars to sort out their own problems. They look torn between relief and pain about the loss of two of their own. I overhear some of them loudly demanding to break camp immediately.


    Instead of listening to it, I retreat to my flying island in order to work on the control interface. Such tasks are never truly done. There are always bugs to fix and features to add, be it for safety or other things.


    I also prepare the guest-rooms of my humble abode. The house has a whole second floor which I never used. With four people it will become crowded, but I am about to change that. We just need to get some materials and workers.


    The next morning, I return to the campsite and find out that everyone is packing their things. Tristen, Brian, Fae and Kiara are already done, while the scholars and some of the adventurers are taking their time. ¡°Is there a problem? I thought that you will stay at least for a few more days?¡±


    Tristen nods. ¡°That was the plan until the scholars decided to end the expedition. They will return to their institute. Since you are right here, we''ve struck a bargain with Edmund to end our contract early.¡±


    Brian cringes. ¡°In other words, we''ve paid them what we owe them.¡±


    Fae laughs. ¡°Yes. That''s Brian. A paladin through and through, but when it comes to money he is on the other side of the fence.¡±


    I clap my hands together. ¡°That''s great, so you are ready to work for me?¡±


    Tristen raises a finger. ¡°There is just one little issue about...¡±


    ¡°Payment!¡± Kiara finishes for him.


    ¡°That''s not a problem. I''ve had someone prepare the contracts for me.¡± It pays off to have a merchant guildmaster as a friend. Or should I call him a partner? I reach into my robe and pull out the folded papers which allow us to enter a magical contract. It''s common practice in a world like this one. All arrangements of real importance are sealed with magic.


    The contracts are partly mind magic and partly conditioned seals. Strictly speaking, the magic used is similar to the one which is used with slave collars. Though the distinct difference is that both parties can break whatever the contract specifies. The imposed punished for breaking a contract can be anything from a broken nose to death. But most contracts are just made to check if one party is violating the rules. Another good thing about contracts is that there is no forgery. A contract is created by mixing the energy signatures of two people, which are like fingerprints. I wouldn''t say that it''s impossible to fake an energy signature, but it would be extremely difficult.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    I hand them the documents. ¡°Take your time and study them. For now, they are the standard version for core employees of my company. I''ll go and say goodbye to Edmund.¡±


    While the four of them are taking a look at the documents, I head over to the scholars. They aren''t especially quick about packing their things. I find Edmund with the man whom I gave a very special treatment. The guy pales and quickly retreats when he notices me approaching.


    Edmund turns to me and smiles. He looks tired. ¡°Joyce, how can I help you?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I just wanted to say goodbye. I hope I didn''t interrupt anything important,¡± I explain.


    Edmund shakes his head. ¡°It''s nothing. In fact I am glad that you got him off my back. He is just a little man who is trying to advance his own career. I am glad that he doesn''t want to be in your presence.¡± The scholar smirks. Then his professional expression returns. ¡°I hope that we''ll see each other again? The Institute of Knowledge would surely be an interesting place for someone like you.¡± He looks up at my home.


    I offer him my hand. ¡°I''ll take a look if I am nearby.¡± We shake hands and I return to my new employees.


    The four of them are still studying their contracts with pale faces. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± Please, let there be no mistake. I''ve a huge stash of these documents.


    Kiara points at her contract. ¡°There must be a mistake! Seven gold per month is too much!¡±


    I raise an eyebrow. ¡°I can give you the simple worker version if you don''t want to be core employees. Workers only get fifty copper a month.¡±


    Just as expected, they shake their heads and quickly sign their contracts. I take the documents back and fold them together. Then I touch my left shoulder and call up the control menu of my island. ¡°Are those all of your things?¡± I point at their four lemus. The animals are packed with equipment.


    Tristen nods. ¡°The only question is, how will you get us up there?¡±


    ¡°Just stand close together. Get everything into a five metre radius around me. Ah, and Kiara, you might want to get your bird. There is a barrier around the island. The animal will get hurt if it flies against it,¡± I instruct.


    Kiara whistles and pats her upper leg. Her direwolf comes closer and the bird lands on her shoulder. When everyone is in position, the island picks us up with force magic and we float upwards. Fae squeals and Brian turns an unhealthy shade of green. Seems like the paladin has a serious case of motion sickness.


    We land in the garden and I call up the map. Then I set our next destination.


    Sawood Village is nothing more than a single, big sawmill. It''s located at the northern part of the Marshwoods and according to Dorver''s maps, it has just over two thousand inhabitants. They are the source for most of the wooden products in this region. Be it planks, trunks or furniture. Most of it comes from Sawood.


    ¡°Oh, wow. You have a real house up here!¡± Tristen calls out.


    ¡°It looks more like she lifted an entire property into the sky,¡± Fae mumbles.


    I nod. ¡°Don''t worry. We''ll take care of appropriate accommodations for you. This is just the beginning. First we''ll visit Sawood to get some cheap workers and a few skilled craftsmen. Then we''ll make a round trip to various mines and quarries to gather resources. We have to stay on the move until we''ve enough people to show everyone that we aren''t to be taken lightly.¡±


    Fae''s voice sounds worried. ¡°Joyce, just who are you and what exactly do you have in mind? We signed the contract. Isn''t it time for some answers?¡±


    I turn and look at the elf, then I smile. ¡°My ultimate goal is to live a long and peaceful life. A life which seems to be impossible without power. For that reason, this place has to grow as strong as it can get. I''ve already set up a company with the merchant guild. They will trade with spacial chests, which will get us a lot of money and attention. The nobility already has an eye on me. That''s why I have to establish my position before anyone can make stupid demands.¡±


    Smirking, I make eye contact with Fae. ¡°Isn''t that correct?¡±


    She looks at me, not understanding. Then a light switches on and she starts stammering. ¡°I- I-¡±


    I wave her off. ¡°It''s done. But now that you are my employee, I suggest that you be extra careful of clause 12.93-b.¡±


    Before the others can inquire further, I continue. ¡°When you told me about your goals in life, I thought that I could help you to accomplish them. Kiara, if you really want to breed all sorts of animals, then we can arrange that for you. This place will only grow, and at some point we''ll also need a source of food. Fae, I think your magical shop will be a good addition to our reputation. I can supply you with all sorts of artefacts.¡±


    I turn to Brian and Tristen. Then I have to think really hard for a few moments. ¡°I admit that I''ve no idea what your goals are, but I am sure that we can find something that interests you.¡±


    ¡°You forgot!? I wanted to have my own guildhouse and become a guildmaster!¡± Tristen calls out.


    Brian rolls his eyes. He clearly doesn''t think much of Tristen''s ambition. ¡°I admit that I¡¯ve never thought about what I would do beyond a life as an adventurer. Though, Joyce, don''t get me wrong. Your plans sound like they''ll get us a lot of enemies. Powerful enemies. Being noticed by people like nobles is never a good thing.¡±


    I shrug and twirl a strand of my hair around my index finger. ¡°It''s better to have power than to be stepped on because I am weak.¡±


    Fae squints her eyes at me. ¡°You still haven''t explained from where you got all your knowledge. It''s clear that you aren''t some self-taught country bumpkin who lucked into enough money and talent to make a living.¡±


    I raise my chin and try to sound earnest. ¡°I am an immortal being who is thousands of years old. Honestly, I think that I''ve forgotten more about magic and technology than you puny mortals will ever know.¡±


    Their blank expressions show me that they didn''t believe a single word. Well, that''s how it always goes when people like me try to be as truthful as possible.


    ¡°Tech- Ology? What''s that?¡± Brian asks.


    Fae shakes her head. ¡°And now the truth? At least a part of it? We just want to know what we are in for if it ever comes out.¡±


    I sigh. ¡°I knew that it wouldn''t work. I am a former slave from the Empire. My master used my magical talent to empower his spells. For more than eighty years I was his favourite pet, so he kept me alive with rejuvenation treatments. Everything I know, I learned from him. One fateful day, I managed to escape his control and he died.¡±


    Tristen nods. ¡°That''s still an outrageous story, but it''s better than the first one.¡±


    Brian shakes his head. ¡°Is there a third origin story? Because, honestly, my theory is that you are a rogue mage from the Consortium.¡± He points at the floating island beneath our feet. ¡°Hint, hint!¡±


    But Kiara takes my second story at full face value. ¡°Oh, so that''s why you had the collar. I am so sorry.¡±


    Fae looks actually a little embarrassed. ¡°I won''t ask again.¡±

 23. ~Wood~

    ¡°There are few things which money can¡¯t buy. They realized that when the island started travelling the lands of the Alliance.¡±


    ***Alliance***


    ***Joyce***


    island''s precipice


    ¡°


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    ¡°


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


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 24. ~Never~

    ¡°The revelation of the secret behind the spacial chest struck the world''s economy like a cannonball.¡±


    ***Sawood***


    ***Joyce***


    A memory. I stand in a long row with naked children. We are held in a closed compound with about two hundred square metres. It has been like this for as long as I can remember. They never bothered to give us clothes. It''s a wonder that they even taught us how to speak. Then again, it would be hard for a slave to receive commands if he or she doesn¡¯t understand them. Nine years in this horrible place taught me one thing. Don''t draw any attention.


    The nursery is a place where they keep those who are destined to be slaves, but the reality is that it''s nothing more than a pen for animals. Why bother? As soon as they placed the slave collars around our necks, we became nothing more than machines. Breathing machines who bleed if you cut them.


    One of the slavers steps forward and calls out a few numbers. The slaves with the corresponding names step forward and are led away. I notice that the slavers selected those who have only a minor talent or weak magical gift.


    They culled the ones without any ability long before I could gather a clear thought.


    I know it because they use us as gravediggers to bury the corpses of those who don''t make the cut. It''s kind of morbid to start each new year with the burial of a pile of dead toddlers. Slaves without any ability aren''t worth enough gold to feed them for another four years. Normal people can be enslaved at every village, if they are needed.


    Maybe they will use today''s selection as sacrifices or for manual labour.


    The choice of revealing my full potential wasn''t easy, but I didn''t want to know what happens to those who aren''t worth being kept around. When I turned seven, I started remembering the memory techniques which train the mind. I practised them ever since and got sharper and sharper, regaining my memories of my previous identities. Everything before that is just a vague haze. I suppose my brain wasn''t up to the task.


    I look around and notice several people in good clothes entering the compound. It seems like today, my time at the nursery ends.


    ¡°Oh, look at that one! Do you think she will be a nice fuck in ten years?¡± Two men in blue robes walk down the row of the remaining slaves. It was the larger one who spoke.


    ¡°Looks too much like my daughter when she was little.¡± The small and fat one points at me. ¡°It''s that one. Pale skin, black hair. Number 3-4-2.¡± His puffy cheeks wobble when he speaks.


    The larger man squints his eyes at me. ¡°I don''t know. Black hair isn''t my type. Why does it have to be her? Can''t I take one of the blonde ones instead? Oh, I know. I''ll take a redhead!¡±


    ¡°Nemus, do you want to gather the wrath of the Emperor? This is your task. You know how it goes.¡± The fatty reaches up and grabs the arm of the large man.


    Nemus looks disgusted and pushes the man''s hand away. ¡°Okay, okay. Don''t ask any questions and do the job. Sheesh! Why is this country so keen on secrets?¡± He turns and gestures for one of the slavers, then he points at me and another girl further down up the row. ¡°I want that skinny one and the redhead over there!¡±


    It bite my lower lip and drop my investigation of the enchantments on the new warehouses. Why did I have to remember such a disturbing thing? It''s over. I got away. Why do those memories keep resurfacing?


    I concentrate on the memory and try to find a reason for its importance. Is my subconsciousness trying to tell me something? And why did Nemus sound as if he was forced to take me as a slave?


    No matter how hard I try to remember, no other clues on the circumstances come to mind. Why would there be a reason to pick one child over the others? Did I stand out somehow? There were others with lots of magical power, so I don''t believe that it¡¯s the explanation.


    A noise from outside the warehouse draws my attention.


    I give up on the inspection and head for the door, where I am greeted by Fae. ¡°What are those things?¡±


    Stepping aside, I gesture for her to enter. ¡°Feel free to investigate.¡±


    Her jaw drops and she quickly runs outside, then back inside. ¡°Are you fucking kidding me? The Consortium will kill us if they learn about this!¡±Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    ¡°No. Only if they find out. And, how did the recruitment go?¡± I answer.


    She rubs her temples. ¡°I have someone. A man by the name of Wilhelm. He and his crew are willing to join us. They are pioneers who often work for the army, so they are used to building all sorts of structures. All of them are good men and women with minor abilities or of low magical gift. So we can expect that they will do the work of a crew twice their number.¡±


    I nod. ¡°That sounds ideal.¡±


    Fae doesn''t sound convinced. ¡°The issue is that there are twenty eight of them and seventeen have families. They insisted on taking their families with them.¡±


    ¡°So what''s the problem? How many people are we talking about?¡± I ask.


    ¡°Twenty four men, twenty one women, fifty nine children of various ages. Makes one hundred and four people.¡± Fae pulls a face. ¡°I don''t think that the island is spacious enough for such a large population.¡±


    I raise my eyebrows and whistle. ¡°Oh. That means that we have three to four children per family. It''s okay. I already expected a rather large number.¡± I look around. ¡°I just need to set up a third warehouse as crew quarters and then they can furnish the interior according to their wishes.¡±


    Fae studies the wide space with new eyes. ¡°It might work. Are you confident in the strength of the enchantment? Is it even safe to have a living person inside a spacial... house?¡±


    ¡°There are no health risks. The only danger is if the enchantment collapses, which would expel everything inside this space into the real world. That would be a messy situation, but that''s why I raised extra barriers for the warehouses. If something is strong enough to damage the warehouse, then the island has other problems.¡±


    I scratch my cheek. ¡°I could sink the entrance to the crew quarters into the ground. That would make it less susceptible to attacks.¡±


    Fae furrows her forehead. ¡°Why haven''t you done so with the warehouses?¡±


    ¡°An easily accessible entrance makes it faster to load and to retrieve materials,¡± I explain.


    We discuss the issue and the positioning of the warehouses, which doesn''t sit well with Fae''s idea of a strategic layout. It takes me a while to explain that anything which is able to punch through the island''s barriers will cause the island serious harm. This place isn''t a solid structure. Without the force fields, it will come apart like a piece of dry dirt.


    In the end, I follow her idea of placing the crew quarters behind my own house. It''s essentially on the aft of the island. Then she leaves to inform the workers of our decision. She assumed that it''ll take a day for them to gather all of their belongings.


    That''s fine with me. Especially since my quest for crew quarters slowly turns into a tedious project. At first, I simply instruct the island to create a large cellar-like room beneath the ground. A large ramp and a wide entrance is supposed to allow easy access. Then I increase the size of the room until I reach the borders of the island. Instead of mage lights, I decide to go for windows.


    And that¡¯s the beginning of the end.


    Being faced with the idea of having to live down here with scores of screaming children, I start adding walls to segment off living space. An old memory of stinking peasants strikes me. Then I add toilets, flowing water, bathrooms, washing areas.


    And just for kicks I go for another level. This one, I leave empty for training purposes or for future expansions.


    By the time I resurface, a sea of stars is blinking above my island. ¡°Maybe I should just head for space and blow up this wretched world.¡± I rub my eyes and head back into my house to get at least a few hours of sleep.


    The next morning, I get an update from my crew. All of us are gathered at the kitchen table. ¡°That was good work,¡± I comment and bite into a loaf of bread. My house is well stocked with food, so I have no problem with sharing.


    Last night, Kiara and Tristen didn''t want to disturb me, so the two of them organized their efforts with Fae. They decided to gather all goods and people at a single location at the edge of the village.


    Tristen nods. ¡°You might want to know that the local noble doesn''t like the fact that we are recruiting people from his village.¡±


    Fae explains further. ¡°He called it stealing when he confronted me.¡±


    I take my time before I answer. ¡°Will he be a problem?¡±


    Kiara shakes her head. ¡°I don''t think so, but the rulers of villages like Sawood often reign like local kings. They overestimate their own importance, though I doubt that he will do something drastic with your island looming above his head. Though, I would check the food supplies for poison. It''s likely that he doesn''t realize how fast your island moves.¡±


    ¡°So he might think that his people will return if you don''t make it to the next village. Sawood is in a remote area,¡± Brian finishes the explanation.


    I groan and drop the loaf of honeyed bread onto my plate. ¡°Let''s go. I want to get this done before night falls.¡±


    We head out and I manoeuvre the island to the indicated spot. It¡¯s a field which is located downriver at the eastern edge of Sawood. Once the island is stationary, I use the control interface to land all of us in front of a small crowd of people. All of them are either humans or beastmen, but that''s not what surprises me. If I estimate their numbers correctly... ¡°That issignificantly less thana hundred people.¡±


    Fae nods with a grim expression and heads for a man with greying hair. He is not the youngest, but he looks very fit for his age. He is with a sturdy woman who matches his expression. ¡°Hi, Wilhelm. Is there a problem with your people? It doesn''t look like everyone made it in time.¡±


    ¡°Ah, no. Let me introduce my wife, Elma.¡± Wilhelm bows slightly. ¡°I am afraid that the others can''t come. Lord Hensworth has enacted his right to take some of them into serfdom. They had debts to the city, which they couldn''t repay in time. A few others stayed behind because he forced the families of their women to keep them in town.¡±


    ¡°How much would it cost to clean their debts to this so-called lord?¡± I ask.


    Fae gestures at me. ¡°I am sorry, Wilhelm, Elma. This is your new employer, Lady Joyce.¡±


    Lady!? I glare at Fae, but then I realize that these people need to see me as their superior. I almost forgot that because I wasn¡¯t often called a lady.


    Wilhelm bows again. ¡°Hensworth mentioned a sum of fifty gold. That''s more than most of us can gather in a lifetime. You don''t need to bother yourself with our failure.¡±


    ¡°But they already signed the contract with me?¡± I look at Fae. There are a few very clear lines about me and my employees in that contract.


    The elf nods. ¡°I had everyone sign the contract yesterday. That''s why I am so perplexed about this. Wilhelm, you shouldn''t have talked to Hensworth. Joyce is your employer and therefore any such actions have to go through her.¡±


    I massage the bridge of my nose. ¡°Wilhelm. Go and get everyone as planned. We''ll deal with Hensworth. Brian and Kiara, stay here. Tristen and Fae, come with me.¡±


    Not waiting for an answer, I head for the town. ¡°Does anyone have an idea of how to solve this peacefully?¡±


    ¡°Threaten to sue him. This whole situation stinks against the wind,¡± Tristen suggests.


    Fae looks really angry. ¡°They are already your employees. We made the contracts with free citizens, so Hensworth has no legal rights to keep them here. Serfdom is only used when a person is so deep in debt that he can''t repay it in a lifetime. It isn''t much different from slavery. Using it in this situation is total bullshit. He can''t refuse if you offer to pay him out.¡±

 25. ~Flexing Muscles~

    ¡°Having a few hundred tons of rock floating above an adversary¡¯s head is a very good argument in any discussion.¡±


    ***Sawood***


    ***Joyce***


    The village is dirtier than I imagined it to be. I guess that looking down from a hundred feet above doesn¡¯t truly convey the living circumstances of these people. And gods, it stinks! Are they¡­ I try to look through a window. Yes, they are living together with their animals in the same house!


    There are no paved roads and most of the people are clothed in rags. I quickly get the feeling that Sawood may be the origin for most wood products in the region, but the ones who have to work for it don''t get the fruits of their labour. Most of the people look like they never get enough to eat.


    No wonder that Hensworth is so pissed about me taking away a good work crew.


    We enter a large square with a market. Looming above everything, is a large mansion. Fae informs me that it''s Hensworth''s villa. I head directly for the entrance and am stopped by a large beastman who is at least two heads taller than me. ¡°Only with visitation rights.¡±


    I touch the large man''s outstretched hand and try to sound as seductive as possible. ¡°Please tell your lord that the master of the floating island above his town is here. We have to discuss matters of importance.¡±


    The beastman growls, but he nods to one of the other guards.


    We have to wait for half an hour while I try to ignore the guard''s attempts at impressing me. He plays with his muscles and does all the other stupid things a schoolboy would do. It''s a relief when a servant arrives to lead us into the luxurious mansion.


    The butler guides us into a large office. Fae and Tristen stay at the door with three of Hensworth¡¯s guards. I alone get to sit down in front of the office table. The whole room is made out of fine, polished wood. I can only imagine how much time and labour went into this villa.


    In the chair opposite of me is a grinning man who looks like he is around thirty. Brown hair, fine suit. He leans back, looking as if he accomplished something extraordinary. ¡°The rumoured Joyce. What luck to be the first to make your acquaintance. I''ve heard so much about you. The lord of Hormundad has sent messengers in all directions to find you.¡±


    Luckily, I manage to keep my friendly poker-face. ¡°I have no idea what he wants with me. He is just a nuisance. Let''s talk about my reason for being here.¡±


    Hensworth claps his hands together. ¡°Yes! There are a few things you can do for-¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Okay, that was a little too loud and threatening. My voice almost broke, which would''ve been embarrassing. ¡°I am on a tight schedule and if you keep delaying me, I''ll use force to take what''s mine by law. The people who you are pestering made a contract with me. You have no right to interfere in my business.¡±


    His expression darkens. ¡°How do you think you are treating a noble? You are just-¡±


    ¡°Someone who has several hundred tons of rock and earth floating above your head. Just imagine what would happen if my island suffers an unexpected problem. It would be a horrible accident!¡± I place a hand on my chest and try not to smile.


    To emphasize my words, the room darkens as my island throws its shadow onto the mansion. It''s a good thing that I gave the commands to manoeuvre it into position before we entered the mansion.


    He tries again. ¡°The Alliance will-¡±


    ¡°Do exactly nothing,¡± I finish. ¡°In which delusional world are you living? You are some dirty, minor noble in a run down-village with two thousand souls. I am the mage who is lifting that thing above Sawood with her little finger. If anything happens to me or mine, that rock will flatten your rotten excuse for a village.


    ¡°I won¡¯t even have a bad dream over it. I am also the owner of a company which will soon control the most influential industry on this continent! Just in case that you haven¡¯t heard of Spacial Inc. You are nothing to me! I could rip off your head right here and now, and nobody of importance would complain.


    ¡°And even if they are unhappy about it. Once I stand in front of the Alliance, I''ll bow down and beg for forgiveness. I''ll explain that you attacked me and that I had to defend myself.¡± I lean forward and smile. ¡°Then I''ll offer them my assistance and my loyalty. They''ll be delighted to have a skilled mage on their side. Especially if it¡¯s one who knows enough to rival the Consortium. So please explain to me, why are you wasting my time?¡±


    His mouth opens and closes several times. ¡°This isn''t over. I¡¯ll tell everyone that you threatened my town.¡±A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    I place both hands over my heart and try to sound hurt. ¡°Threatened your town? Never! I could never do such a thing. All those poor, dirty peasants who are wasting away in this filthy place.¡± I lean back and turn serious. ¡°It''s never over. There is always someone else to step on. All I am offering, is that I won¡¯t step on you. Not today at least.¡±


    He gestures for his guards. ¡°Get out of my sight and take your puny peasants with you!¡±


    I listen to the approaching guards and stand up before they decide to carry me outside. Turning to the one to my left side, I notice that he looks a little stressed out. To ease the situation, I link arms with him and pet his chest armour with my fingernails. The resulting ''clickediclick'' makes him freeze up like a deer in headlights. ¡°Be a good boy and guide me back to the entrance.¡±


    He does as he was told and a minute later we are back outside the mansion. Tristen exhales slowly and I realize that he was holding his breath. ¡°That was the best bluff I''ve ever witnessed!¡±


    Fae looks a little pale. ¡°You stupid idiot. She wasn''t bluffing. Don''t you realize that Joyce is an absolutely shitty actor? She was absolutely serious about dropping the island onto his mansion!¡±


    ¡°Well, maybe not the island, but I am sure that I would¡¯ve found something to drop on him. I am sorry that the gloves had to come off, but I really didn''t expect that the nobles would react so quickly. Sawood has no gate, so I assumed that we had time. Though, I am glad that I¡¯ve already enough leverage to subdue a minor noble.¡±


    ¡°You threatened to destroy the village!¡± Fae complains.


    I ignore her. It¡¯s just lucky that Sawood is so small. I doubt that the governor of Hormundad would be impressed by threats. ¡°It seems like I wasted too much time in Abasin Valley while I was waiting for you guys.¡± I try not to make my words sound too accusing. Then I link arms with both of them and we head back to the field. My island is floating obediently above us.


    They try to entertain me with random chitchat, but it''s clear that they are forcing it. I revealed a bit of my true face back there. I would''ve killed the puny little man if he hadn''t backed off.


    There is a secret to a good attempt at intimidation. The intimidating party isn''t allowed to acknowledge the leverage which the other side has on him or her. It must look as if the person in question already deems potential losses as acceptable.


    We reach the field with our waiting personnel and equipment. There, we are greeted by Wilhelm, Elma, Brian and Kiara. There are more people and more equipment. Several large piles with tree trunks, crates with tool, barrels with food. The meagre belongings of the families. It¡¯s actually quite a lot of stuff.


    ¡°Everyone here?¡± I ask.


    Wilhelm nods. ¡°Each person is accounted for.¡±


    ¡°Then let''s go, before Hensworth gets another bright idea.¡± I activate the lifting function of my island and everything on the field is picked up to be deposited on top of the island. There are delighted squeals from the children, while some of the parents look like they just realized that they made a grave mistake.


    The transport is accomplished without a problem. The weight doesn¡¯t matter to the island. It would¡¯ve been a problem if I had to pick up every item separately, but with everything in one place I can use a single, large force field.


    I take Wilhelm and his men aside and instruct them on the two warehouses. My lifting function isn''t sophisticated enough to fill the warehouses with all the tree trunks and wooden planks. It will be their task to take care of the resources and the equipment. Then I explain the warehouse for the food, which is immediately a big hit with the women. Especially with Elma, who takes control of the situation.


    It takes a while, but once everyone is busily storing away the goods, I take my core team to the living quarters. We enter and I walk through the broad, central passage and point out the various apartments to the left and to the right. The bath-houses and other sanitary installations. There are also some rooms for social functions.


    I realize a little too late that the others aren''t coming. They stopped after a few metres and are now eyeing their surroundings like frightened animals.


    Fae forces herself to look away from a fountain which I made to lighten the atmosphere. ¡°How many people can you house in here? And how did you create all this in a single night!? I watched you struggling with the warehouse!¡±


    ¡°I was struggling with the spacial spellwork. It had to be absolutely safe. But once I had it, all I had to do was to copy the template. The initial design is the only thing which is troublesome. Like making a living unit for a family. Once I had the layout, I just copied it again and again.¡±


    Tristen runs this hands through his hair. ¡°But how many people can fit in here?¡±


    I shrug and try to juggle the numbers in my mind. ¡°About a thousand on this floor?¡±


    Brian coughs and leans over to Kiara. ¡°She said ¡®this floor¡¯.¡±


    Kiara hits him in the chest to force him to back off. ¡°How many floors are there?¡±


    I raise two fingers. ¡°Just two. This one and a second one, but it''s empty. The stairs down are over there.¡± I point at an entrance which is larger than the ones to the apartments. ¡°There is a set of stairs every fifty metres.¡±


    Wilhelm kneels down and prostrates himself in front of me. ¡°Mistress!¡±


    Fae kicks him. ¡°Don''t do that! Get up! She is just a free citizen who lacks common sense!¡±


    Now, that hurts my pride.


    Brian raises his hand. ¡°Can I relocate down here? These rooms are much nicer than the guest-rooms in your house.¡±


    I smile. ¡°Please do so. I''ll be glad to have my house back.¡±


    While they explore the floor, I set a new course for the island. Then I return to the warehouses. Most of the stuff is already packed away, even the large tree trunks. I notice that two of the workers seem to have a strength talent. They pick up an entire block with wooden planks and carry it into the warehouse. It would''ve taken twenty normal humans to perform the same task. And even then it wouldn''t have gone so smoothly.


    They are trampling the lawn, but that can''t be helped. The plants will recover.


    Someone clears his throat behind me and I turn around to find Wilhelm patiently waiting for me. ¡°Is there a problem?¡±


    He shakes his head. ¡°No, Mistress. I just want to know what you need us for? Other than giving us quarters which are better than most minor nobles have.¡±


    ¡°Everything that''s worth doing to improve this place. I can use magic to shape the island, but it would require too much of my attention to do the same with other materials. I suppose you noticed that none of your quarters have doors or furniture. All these little details. To start with, your task is to make your quarters liveable. Once that''s done, you can start taking care of the island.


    ¡°For the moment my resources are limited. You can start with a balustrade around the island, so that no fool can claim that falling off was something other than utter stupidity. Next, I would like to have a few quick watchtowers. We can take them down once we get some masons to create some proper stone buildings. And from there we can go on.¡±


    Wilhelm nods and considers the island. ¡°I''ll set ten of my people to create the balustrade and watchtowers right away. Little, complicated stuff like doors and furniture actually takes more time than rough and dirty work. If we pour all our time into the quarters, we won''t start work on the balustrade any time soon. It won''t look pretty, but it''ll get replaced anyway if I understood that correctly.¡±


    I nod. ¡°Whatever you think is the best way to achieve our goal quickly.¡±

 26. ~Social Status~

    ¡°Spreading knowledge is easy. The issue lies in finding people who are willing to accept it.¡±


    ***Alliance***


    ***Joyce***


    It''s been three days since we left Sawood. The balustrade is finished and Wilhelm''s men are beginning to raise the first watchtowers. I observe their progress from my lounge chair in the middle of my garden. The island is a lot more crowded since the workers arrived. The only issue which is bothering me, is that I can''t run around naked without being seen.


    I sigh and decide to get back to work. I raise the communication crystal to my head and activate it. Then I realize how stupid I am. I always assumed that I would have an information advantage while I travel around with my island. I thought that staying away from large cities with gates would be enough.


    But what would stop a noble from entertaining a network of communication crystals? I would at least entertain a connection to the bigger cities, or to my superiors. I have to assume that no matter where I go, they¡¯ll already know everything about my actions. I sigh. It doesn''t change the fact that I have to stay away from gates.


    The other side picks up the call and I get to hear the familiar voice of Dorver. ¡°Hello, Troublemaker. You have no idea how pissed the governor of Hormundad is.¡±


    ¡°Are you in danger?¡± I ask.


    There is a snort on the other end of the line. ¡°Of course not. I just wanted you to know that you should stay away from big cities until you are ready to talk to the big people. By the way, the company is doing fine. A few days ago, we started selling the chests. For some nobles, it''s slowly beginning to sink in that prices are going to drop. Many things are going to change. Oh, and I have arranged for you to be able to pick up money at any guildhouse within the Alliance.¡±


    ¡°That''s perfect. Are there any other interesting news going around?¡±


    ¡°Hmm. That depends on how you see it. There was a large magical fire in Jebli Port. It burned out the entire underground slave market, slavers included. Hahaha! No, let''s be earnest. It''s not funny and a lot of people died. The authorities are freaking out, especially since news came out that Orwen also burned to the ground. Now there are all sorts of theories about a new spell which can wipe out entire cities. People are saying that the Alliance might be behind it.¡±


    I bite onto my lower lip. ¡°Why the Alliance?¡±


    ¡°They are the only ones who weren''t hit by the magic. Oh, and there is one other thing. The Consortium has started to move. They are complaining that their monopoly is threatened. They are making all sorts of inquiries about us, but I think that they understand the fact that it''s impossible to put the knowledge back into the box. By setting up many different factories, I have made sure of that. They can''t kill off everyone who knows about the new chests. Even if they tried that, there are a lot of people who are interested in seeing the Consortium''s monopoly broken.¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡± I lean back. So if the Consortium tries something against my company, they would have to be prepared for war. ¡°One other thing. Do I have any chance of acquiring the white substance which is found together with aquamarine? Or any other crystal which can be used for power stones?¡±


    There is a long silence. ¡°That''s a tough one. I know what you are talking about, but the stuff is rarely used and nobody is buying it. What''s not asked for, isn''t processed. You won''t find much of it outside a power stone mine, where they mostly dispose of it.¡±


    Damn! I was hoping that they don''t know how to use Bertrandite. But if they don''t have a use for it, then there is no reason to sell it. Ergo, they keep it inside the mines! So it isn''t available on the open market. It doesn''t matter that the mineral is not banned.


    And if I go to a power stone mine and ask for it, I will raise all kinds of warning flags.


    There is the shuffling of papers on the other end of the connection. ¡°But there is an old mine which was used during the hot time of the war, about a hundred years ago. The Alliance razed an entire mountain until there wasn''t a single piece of power stone left. Now it''s abandoned.¡±


    ¡°You want to say that I won''t have to deal with prying eyes if I get it from there.¡± That''s actually a really good tip. ¡°Please give me the location.¡±


    He does and we say our goodbyes.


    ¡°You look very happy, Mistress.¡± Wilhelm approaches me from the side.


    I nod. ¡°My contact just told me that I am rich and powerful. What else could I want?¡±


    The man smiles. ¡°I meant to ask about the next project. The observation platforms will take two more days, but it would be nice to know our next task beforehand. It takes a while to make plans if it isn''t something ordinary.¡±


    Good man. ¡°I thought about addressing the water issue. At the moment, we are only gathering rainwater and our supplies are dwindling fast. We can always stop to refill at a lake or a river, but I would like to be independent of such things. It''s possible that there will be a time when we have no time for stops. For that reason, you should design something like sails. It''s your choice if we span them up above the island, or to the sides.¡±


    ¡°Sails?¡± He frowns, clearly not understanding.


    ¡°They aren''t really sails. Have you ever noticed how drops of water form on a surface when it''s a foggy day? We need some masts and rigging to put up some loose webbing which can gather the water. A rectangle would be best, so that the water can flow directly into the tanks. Then we''ll go cloud-diving whenever we fly somewhere,¡± I explain.


    His eyes start sparkling. ¡°That''s interesting. I suppose that we want the option to retreat the masts if there is a storm or if we want to go really fast? Otherwise they would just break off.¡±This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    I nod. ¡°You''ve understood it. I can use magic to reinforce the structure later on, but wooden masts would definitely break if the island goes at top speed and we lose the shields for some reason.¡±


    We talk about a few other things. According to Wilhelm, his people are settling in nicely. There are no major issues, aside from the fact that there are no places for cooking. I admit that I kind of forgot about that little detail when I designed the apartments. We quickly correct my mistake by adding dedicated cooking areas to the apartments. A magical stove with heat enchantments is the easiest thing in the world. I don''t even have to do it myself because the island is handling the spellwork.


    Unfortunately, I also notice that some of the force fields are already beginning to break down. I have to spend a lot of time with the interface to correct the accumulating errors. It''s clear that I need a few more power cores and more enchanters to run this place. Then I can go to the next phase of my plan.


    I set course for a small mining town. The people of Teheim are revered for their excellent masons and the marble in the area.


    I also inform my group of my decision to stop for more supplies and people. They have fit in nicely and found their roles.


    Tristen is doing a lot of operational and organisational work. He says that it''s a good preparation for running his own guild.


    After learning from me about the island''s possibilities, Fae and Kiara are planning future expansions for us.


    Brian is... our guard. He spends all day on watch or he polices the workers. I guess that''s the life of a birdbrain... guard, I mean.


    I head down to the crew quarters in order to find Elma. Wilhelm may be the chief of my work-crew, but I have already learned that Elma is the unspoken elder of the community. I find her inside the apartment which she shares with her husband. They have an adult son who is one of the workers. He is living next door. I knock on the wall next to the entrance. Most rooms still don''t have doors. ¡°Hello. Do you have time?¡±


    She turns around and almost falls to her knees, bowing. ¡°Oh, Mistress! Of course I have time!¡± She offers me a chair and I take a seat inside her living room.


    ¡°I''m here to talk about all the children on the island. I want them to learn a craft.¡±


    Elma looks perplexed. ¡°But we are normal workers. Why would anyone want to teach us?¡±


    This isn''t going how I want it to go. In this society, children are expected to help with everything. I saw them helping out the adults wherever it was possible for them to be of use. ¡°I need more mages to handle the island. I also need smart people who can solve complicated tasks. The easiest way to find someone who is trustworthy, is to train them ourselves.¡±


    The woman nods, but it seems like she is too caught up in this world¡¯s hierarchy. ¡°Wouldn''t it be easier to hire someone?¡±


    ¡°That doesn''t address the issue of what the younger members of this community will do once they grow up. Some will leave, others will want to stay. If they stay, I have certain requirements for them. They need to be able to read, write and to do math at the very least.¡± Well, at least what counts as math in this world.


    Elma looks surprised. ¡°I can teach them the letters and Frick''s wife was an accountant in Sawood''s merchant guild. She actually got better payment than him until you appeared and offered twice their previous wage. We can set up morning classes.¡±


    I smile. ¡°I''ll hire some professionals when we arrive in the next big town. But I also want to train the talented ones myself. Can you set up a time for all the children to meet me?¡±


    Her eyes widen. ¡°You''ll train them yourself? You can''t do that, Mistress. It isn''t proper for someone like you to spend time with the lower classes. And what could you possibly teach someone who doesn''t even come close to your talent?¡±


    ¡°Shouldn''t I be the one who determines whether a person has talent or not? I don''t expect to find a hidden archmage among you, but what some lack in power, they can compensate with skill. Assuming that they get the proper training.¡± I lean back.


    Elma blushes. ¡°I''ll set up the classes and I''ll arrange for everyone to meet you personally. What do you think of tomorrow morning?¡±


    I nod. ¡°Let¡¯s meet on the second level. It''s spacious and we won''t be in anybody''s way.¡±


    After saying goodbye, I leave and head back to my house. The discussion took longer than I expected. I spend the rest of the day with fooling around inside my workroom. Probably I should have done something productive, but for some reason I don''t feel like it.


    The next morning, I am waiting on the lowest floor of my island. Elma arranged for every family to arrive at a different time. I didn''t think of it, but the smart woman realized that I can''t deal with everyone at once. It takes between twenty to thirty minutes to interview each group and to give the kids and youths who are of acceptable age a small test.


    Those who have only abilities are easy to reject. They aren''t real magic users in the traditional sense, so I can''t train them. I test the others for their amount of power, but what I am really looking for is the ability to stay focused. Enchanters don''t need a lot of power. They need a working brain to understand what they are doing and the ability to concentrate on an object for up to hours at a time. It depends on how complicated the spellwork is.


    To check for that, I cast a light globe and order each child to hold it in front of him or her while I apply weak pressure to force it in various directions. That''s the easiest task in the magical textbook. Use the basic force spell to push or to pull at an object.


    Most children don''t have the attention span to keep it up for more than five minutes before they give up or complain about headaches.


    With seventeen families, it takes almost eight hours until I am done.


    The meagre harvest of my efforts are two siblings who kept it up for over twenty minutes until I decided that they are worth the effort. Their parents are two mages of average talent who could''ve been minor nobility, had they received proper training. The girl is nine and her brother is ten. Twenty minutes of continuous concentration is actually decent for their age. With some training and schooling, they can make it to decent enchanters in two to three years.


    Then I can assign them all the little maintenance tasks. I just have to say that it¡¯s for training.


    ***Open Sea, Alliance''s Western Coastline.***


    ***Gregor***


    ¡°No!¡± The man crawls away from me, sniffling. ¡°Why!? Eight years! We''ve been sailing the sea for eight years! Together!¡±


    I slash the air with my sabre to clean it from the blood. ¡°I am sorry, Destin. You''ve seen something you shouldn''t have. We talked about this many times. The information about this operation has to stay on this ship. Acquiring the goods is just the first step.¡±


    He gets on all fours, helplessly dragging his cut foot behind him. ¡°But there are so many! And the documents for this new ship! What are you planning? This isn''t mere piracy, Gregor! Wake up! I don''t recognize you.¡±


    I close my eyes. ¡°So you also saw the documents? I am sorry, Destin. You always snoop around, seeing things you shouldn''t see. This time, I simply have no other choice. I am so sorry. My friend.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    He raises his hands, but I step forward and stab the sabre into his neck. He gurgles and tries to stop the flow of blood from the wound in his throat. The blood escapes through his mouth just as easily and bloody foam is expelled from his nostrils. He trashes around like a drowning person, then he twitches a few times and lies still.


    I didn''t dare to close my eyes. My best friend. My only friend on this fucking ship. What did I do? I use my sleeve to wipe away the snot and the tears. At some point I started crying. A primal roar of anguish escapes me and I start hacking away at one of the crates. I''ll use the sabre to destroy them all!


    Searing pain burns my chest and I drop the sabre. I go to my knees and press my hands onto my chest''s scarred skin. Exactly where the demon left its mark. I look up and search the ship''s storeroom with my eyes. There are crates, spacial chests, stacked onto each other. Chest after chest after chest. More storage room than a normal trader would ever need.


    ¡°I understand. I know exactly what you want to do.¡± I crawl towards the body of my friend. I have to dispose of the corpse, or the curse on my chest will kill me. ¡°And nobody is allowed to know.¡± My own unhinged laughter follows me as I shoulder the corpse and carry it outside.

 27. ~Forward~

    ¡°It''s an open secret that the Murian Sociocrathy was built on a pile of dead bodies. A hundred years ago, the north-western part of the continent was filled with many small nations and kingdoms. The ork tribe of the Allflame and their various allies were the largest group in this complex web of political relationships.


    The influence of the Alliance brought stability to this region of inner conflicts, but with the beginning of the war between the Alliance and the Empire, the political structure of the north was compromised.


    Most nations were consumed by war and rebellion. Within twenty years, the orks were banished to the deserts of Westfall and most of their allies were wiped out or had fled over the ocean. The legacy of this war quickly developed into the Murian Sociocrathy as we know it today.¡±


    ***Elven Kingdom, Finuawe***


    ***Alias***


    ¡°I am not too impressed with your performance, Alias. You have carried out my orders to the letter, but it turns out that we should have dealt with this individual in a more permanent way.¡± Fin, the king of the entire elven race leans back on his throne and pulls his price closer. The half naked girl on his lap shifts and leans against him. Gwiaha made the best of her fate. It''s been two weeks and she already has the king around her little finger... even though she is supposed to be the enslaved one.


    I look around and study the empty throne room. It''s just the three of us. Everything is made of gold to show the king''s power. I focus my attention on one of the statues to avoid the king''s eyes. It''s an elven maiden with a crown of roses on her head. I admire the skill of the artist.


    Fin plays with Gwiaha''s belly button, but his attention is on me. ¡°I suppose that we can''t change it now. We have made a deal with her. I just want to know which demon possessed you to promise her immunity.¡±


    I raise an eyebrow at the question and bow. ¡°It felt like the wisest move to resolve the situation. My attempt to woo her with my ability failed twice and she didn''t seem pleased about it. After committing such an offensive act, I had to offer something of worth to appease the other party. Otherwise, it may have come to blows and I am not sure that I would''ve walked away unscathed.¡±


    The king sighs and considers my words. ¡°She resisted your ability. Is she that formidable? There aren''t many who can do that.¡±


    ¡°It isn''t unheard of.¡± I shrug. ¡°You, a few demons and other highly trained individuals. The list is short, but such people do exist. She also had a dagger. After seeing the enchantment on the one which was stuck inside Gwiaha''s guts, I wasn''t keen to test her weapon. A scratch might have ended me for all I knew.¡±


    ¡°Is she one of them? Humans normally can''t resist glamour without preparations.¡± The king tilts his head. ¡°That would be tip of the iceberg. First, we help the Murians to drive them away. Then, we promise one of them not to interfere.¡±


    I purse my lips and look away. ¡°The black hair and the pale skin. The features of that family are there. Though, it could be coincidence. Humans come in all forms, shapes and sizes. I wouldn''t be surprised if there is no connection. Foremost, why should be one of them roaming around the Alliance? Alone, on top of that.¡±


    The king narrows his eyes and looks at the wall to his left. It''s decorated with a complicated pattern of leaves and flowers. ¡°What''s done is done. We promised not to interfere, but we didn''t say we would stop gathering information. There was a strange exchange at Wesli Port. One of the new manufacturers for spacial chests sold more than half of his stock to a single man. A certain Captain Gregor.


    ¡°The Murians suspect the man of piracy, but he was never caught. It''s also strange that he decided to leave his usual shipping route between the Consortium and the Murians, just to show up at an Alliance port. It''s good that we have all of Spacial Inc''s manufacturing locations under observation. Otherwise, we would have no idea that so many chests were transferred to a single person.¡±


    He leans forward. ¡°I want to know where he got the money for the chests. I want to know why he needs that much space on his little pirate ship! It stinks! Go after the man and find out what''s going on.¡±


    I bow and ignore the fact that the king''s hand wandered lower and is now at an improper place between the girl''s legs. ¡°I understand. I''ll find out what''s going on.¡±


    ***Teheim***


    ***Joyce***Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    ¡°It''s too good to be true!¡± I lean over the rudimentary balustrade to get a good look at the town below us. To be honest, the balustrade is nothing more than a fancy fence, but it does the job.


    The town was built into a large quarry. Even the houses of the peasants are made out of white marble. It''s not surprising, since it seems to be the only viable building material in the region. The quarry is filled with activity and I am reminded of ants who are digging their nest into the ground. Ants who are using magic. But it doesn''t look like a pleasant experience to be down there. The activities are creating so much dust that the town seems to be covered in it.


    I continue to complain. ¡°Buying goods went without a problem, hiring masons also went without a problem. Where is the backstabbing noble or the secret police? Or assassins on leathery bat-monsters who are out to get me?¡±


    ¡°I have no idea what you are talking about, but I am not surprised that the local authority isn''t trying to get in your way.¡± Kiara holds out a stack of documents. ¡°Would you give your opinion on that? They are our suggestions for the architect, once he gets here.¡±


    I take the papers from her and study them. ¡°Why aren''t you surprised about the lack of interference?¡±


    She looks sheepishly at the town beneath us. ¡°The first thing you did upon arrival, was to park your island directly above the local noble''s mansion. It can be seen as an unspoken threat.¡±


    ¡°It was a statement!¡± I correct her. ¡°Don''t forget that. A statement. Not a threat! What''s the first rule when you are accused of breaking the law?¡±


    She looks surprised. ¡°I have never broken the law.¡±


    I have to roll my eyes. ¡°Don''t admit anything. Ever! So we are making a statement. We didn''t threaten him.¡±


    The beastwoman looks confused. ¡°How is a statement different from a threat in this case.¡±


    I slap her with the documents. ¡°It''s about how outsiders perceive our actions once we have to explain ourselves in front of the government. Don''t forget, we are the victims here. We are peacefully going about our business, while others are trying to interfere with us. So what''s this?¡± I browse through the papers.


    ¡°Concepts of what we can realistically do on a place like this floating island. I think that breeding herd animals is out of the question. It would require too much space. But the place would be an ideal nest for animals like griffins or sceadas. Some of the larger beasts can even be flown,¡± Kiara explains.


    My eyes wander to the five lemus who are chewing on the island''s flora. ¡°I think I''ll stick to riding.¡±


    Kiara puffs out her cheeks. ¡°You can fly! It''s unfair.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± I return my attention to the papers. Kiara is probably right that having herd animals isn''t cost effective on the island. Though, we can set up farms for crops and vegetables. Glasshouses are easy to make. Once I have enough power stones, I just have to fly to a beach and melt the sand to glass. I could also use the silicon to create the first transistors. From there, it''s just a small step to a simple calculation unit.


    I wouldn''t have to rely on the crude calculation capacity of the power core. Having a single modern CPU would be the solution to all my problems. But as it stands, I would have to completely reverse engineer such a complicated thing. It''s not like I have the blueprints for one inside my head. Let''s be honest, it could take years of my full attention to do that.


    Kiara has a bunch of suggestions. From a floating castle, to several connected islands. I stop at a version which combines the idea of a large main complex with many little islands floating around it. The idea intrigues me, since it''s modular. Additionally, there are some rings around each structure. ¡°I like that one. The gyroscope style is cool.¡±


    ¡°Gyrooo- what? No. Fae just encircled them because she wasn''t sure how people would get from one island to the other. Not everyone can fly,¡± Fae explains. Then she realizes what I meant. ¡°You thought that she meant to install spinning rings around each island?¡±


    ¡°Why not? It would look cool. And I can create small platforms to move people back and forth. We can give each island its own purpose. Like living areas, fields, production and so forth. We would avoid most of the management issues which come with a growing city,¡± I explain.


    ¡°Just how big do you expect this place to get? I envisioned a small floating castle when we made these plans,¡± Kiara complains.


    ¡°We already had a hundred people. Now we have stonemasons. There will also be blacksmiths and teachers. We''ll soon have at least five hundred people.


    ¡°When others speak about this place, the Consortium will pale in comparison. Many will send us their students to gain knowledge and information. Of course, it''ll take time for that to happen. But twenty years from now, we won''t recognize this place any more.¡± I hand her the documents. ¡°Those are good concepts.¡±


    Our discussion is interrupted by Tristen and a new person. The newcomer has dark brown hair with a few streaks of silver and broad, bushy ears. He also looks well fed. At least he doesn''t try to hide his belly. The rogue gestures at his beastman companion. ¡°This is Klein. He is an architect and had the best references which I managed to find.¡±


    The man bows. ¡°Klein is the name. I already managed the construction of several castles and I planned a few garrisons, but my true calling are mansions and palaces. I already worked for the Murians, as well as for the Consortium.¡±


    I raise both eyebrows. ¡°What is someone like you doing in a place like Teheim? Shouldn''t you be sitting in your own villa in a big city?¡±


    Klein smiles. ¡°You don''t get into my position if you don''t make sure to use only the best materials. The marble around Teheim is the most beautiful stone you can get on this continent. But if you aren''t careful, they will sell you the cheaper version which has a touch of grey in it. That''s why I want to see what I buy for my projects.¡±


    I nod. ¡°So you are free?¡±


    He bows again. ¡°It happens so, mylady.¡±


    Tristen rolls his eyes and signals with his hands that Klein must have a stick up his ass. Of course, Klein can''t see it from his position.


    I have to smile and hand Klein Kiara''s concept art. ¡°We are thinking about a large, central structure with lots of living space and faculties for small tasks. It would be ideal to keep this area as a park. Industry and food production will get separate islands.¡±


    The man takes the sheet of paper. He doesn''t look impressed. ¡°I''ll use this to present you with detailed plans within the week. Are there any limits to your capacities? I have a colleague who got a similar project from the Consortium, but they restricted the weight of their structure. It was a pain in the ass to calculate the weight of the end-result.¡±


    I look around. ¡°The weight doesn''t bother me. Though, for the moment, I can''t make the island much bigger, but I am working on that.¡±


    We continue to discuss our possibilities and I learn that Klein visited a school for architects in the Consortium. I use the chance to learn everything I can about this mysterious place. According to Klein''s description, it sounds like the Consortium is at least a hundred years ahead of the other nations. His description of their government has the characteristics of a technocracy.


    A suppressive one. Apparently, each citizen of the Consortium gets to take a test at the age of fifteen. The result of this test decides the future job prospects of the person in question. Do poorly and you get to sweep the streets. Do great and you might become the next archwizard or the president of the Consortium. It goes without question that the test involves a lot of magic, though Klein insists that there are plenty of good jobs for normal people.


    After two hours, I release him and he signs his contract to start his work.


    It takes three more days before we are ready to leave Teheim. To my utter surprise there wasn''t a single incident.


    I set course for the dead mines and hope that my good luck holds.

 28. ~Old Mine~

    ¡°The national library wasn¡¯t seen as anything extraordinary until an anonymous author donated a book which would change the world.¡±


    ***Dead Mine***


    ***Joyce***


    I stare at the mountain... the remains of a mountain. It was hollowed out like a fruit with a hard shell. The remains of a large mining industry are still visible, even if everything looks like it has been abandoned for a long time. There is an actual wall around the mountain which is frequently interrupted by the crumbled ruins of watchtowers. Everything is covered by a thick blanket of plants.


    The entire complex is enormous. There must¡¯ve been thousands of workers and guards while the place was in use. An environmentalist would have all sorts of issues over this. To think that they caused this massive scar in the earth without technology. They only had their magic and basic tools. Maybe a few artefacts or other magical devices.


    There is only one problem. How do I find what I need? It is a mess down there.


    ¡°It would help to know why we are here,¡± Brian comments on the situation. He is watching the scene beneath us with scepticism in his eyes. My whole core team is present, since I kept quiet about our next location. Of course they kept pestering me, but I held my mouth shut. I didn''t want the word to get out that we are loitering around at an old power stone mine.


    I sigh and lean myself onto the balustrade. ¡°This is an abandoned power stone mine. I need some materials.¡±


    They explode! Fae is first, then Tristen and Kiara. Brian also doesn''t waste time. ¡°Power Stones!¡± ¡°You know that there is a death sentence on illegally mined power stones!?¡± ¡°They will send the military after us!¡± ¡°We are doomed!¡±


    Wilhelm doesn''t seem to understand the Problem. Klein looks like he is worried, but he says nothing.


    I roll my eyes. ¡°Don''t jump to conclusions before I have explained everything. We aren''t here for the power stones. We want the whitish ore which is found together with the stones. You can throw every piece of power stone away, if you choose to do so. We have no interest in them.¡±


    Tristen still sounds suspicious. ¡°Why don''t we just buy the stuff from a mine? I am not aware of any restrictions on white ore.¡±


    ¡°That would raise all kinds of alarms and I don''t want that,¡± I answer. ¡°I hoped that I would only have to show up and take what I need. But it seems like this place was so thoroughly razed to the ground that we will have to create our own mining operation in order to find something.¡±


    Klein points at the remains of the mountain. ¡°I don''t claim that I am an expert at mining, but it''s always good to know at least a little about the materials I work with. Knowledge about the process helps to determine whether I pay too much for the materials I use. If the miners crushed the mountain to search the rubble for power stones, then they must''ve taken the searched debris to the side. Otherwise the useless material would get in the way. If I were you, I would take a look at all those little hills in the area. With luck, they sorted the minerals by type to be as efficient as possible.¡±


    He clears his throat. ¡°At least modern mining operations are doing that. I have no idea how they operated when this mine was in use. It must have been a long time ago.¡±


    I survey the area with new eyes. The thick blanket of plants camouflaged it well, but once it has been pointed out it''s obvious that the area is riddled with elongated hills. They are all perfectly aligned and of equal size. There are no peaks and they almost touch each other, which reminds me of gentle waves in the ground. I remember seeing something similar in a large iron mine, but that was in another life.


    It isn''t surprising. They had to put the remains of the mountain somewhere. I groan. ¡°But that means that the ore-rich parts could be anywhere! It could even be that they mashed everything together without care.¡±


    Brian is the only one who doesn''t seem to understand the problem. ¡°I guess the only way to solve this, is to go down there and take a look.¡± He touches his ring and floats upwards, then down into the mining area.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    I scowl and sigh. ¡°Is this area safe, or do we have to expect monsters?¡±


    Kiara shrugs after using her ring to take a look at my virtual map. ¡°I haven''t heard of anything especially dangerous in this region, but abandoned areas always hold the chance to encounter a random monster. The world is full of things which are happy to eat people.¡±


    ¡°There goes my idea to send out the herd of children to gather pretty white rocks,¡± I mumble. Their appalled expressions tell me everything I need to know. So children¡¯s work is fine, but sending them into danger is not. ¡°I''ll be down there. Just use the communication crystal if there is a problem.¡± I put on my mask and jump over the balustrade.


    I land inside the fenced area and decide to start my search by walking in a straight line over all the hills. There are some paths inside the overgrowth of plants, which presumely belong to animals. While I walk, I kick random rocks and inspect them for traces of bertrandite. Maybe I can enchant the mask to detect certain types of elements? Gamma radiation would be the way to do it, and I wouldn''t need much of it. I modify the mask, but no matter what I do, my range stays very limited. It doesn¡¯t give me any distinct advantages in my search.


    Three whole days of searching doesn''t get me anywhere. It doesn''t matter much, but it''s frustrating. Klein used the time to organize the island''s workers. He presented me with plans to create a large building which can double as an academy and a castle. Arranged around it are living areas and parks. He was intrigued with the island''s ability to create spacial pockets and decided to include that into his design. They already started the construction of the central facility on the aft of the island, which means that we''ll have to move the crew quarters sooner or later.


    Wilhelm started his project with the sails which we will use to gather water. He decided on triangular sails which fan out on each side of the island. The water will be gathered in large tanks beneath the bow.


    I spend the days with the same monotone routine. In the morning, I train my two apprentices in the art of magic and physics. In the evening, I search the mine. The children are the only thing which keeps me sane. I know that it sounds strange, but it''s a tragic fact. They don''t eye me with suspicion or question my teachings like some of the adults do. They simply take my words as fact and ask questions because they don''t understand, not because they don''t believe me.


    After two weeks without results, I am almost ready to give up. That¡¯s when Brian returns to the island with a single stone. It''s already late evening and I am surprised that he was out so late. He finds me in my kitchen with Tristen, Kiara and Fae. ¡°I have it! That''s what you were searching for, right?¡± He places the stone on the kitchen table in front of me.


    I study the brown rock which is criss-crossed with white veins of a crystalline substance. ¡°That''s it!¡± I stand up and hug the stupid fool, then I notice that he stinks like a mule. His hair is wet and he is sweaty all over. ¡°What happened to you?¡±


    He blushes and stands frozen for several seconds. ¡°Y- Y- Yeah. There is just a small problem with the place where I found that.¡±


    Everyone waits for him to elaborate.


    After a few moments he decides to fill us in. ¡°I found it close to the remains of the mountain. There is a facility with several ruins. The debris next to it is full of that white stuff, but the ruins are infested with huge bug-like insects. I barely made it out alive when they swarmed me. They have long, brown bodies with hundreds of legs and their red fangs are huge.¡±


    ¡°Oh, no. Zubis! I hate those bugs,¡± Kiara complains.


    I turn to look at her. ¡°Please explain.¡±


    ¡°They often infest old buildings in order to hide from the sun. They are big, ugly, ghastly creatures who spit a paralysing acid if they get close enough to a victim. First they suck out most of your blood and then they feed the rest to their larvae, preferably while you are still alive. When they are done with you there is nothing left but bones.¡± She shudders.


    ¡°A nest contains up to a hundred adults if there is enough space for them to hide. Strong light is pretty much their only weakness because of their huge, faceted eyes. On top of everything, they can''t be tamed. They are simply too stupid!¡± Kiara crosses her arms in front of her. ¡°That''s it. We need a little army to get your ore.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± I ask.


    Tristen shakes his head. ¡°I have heard of those things. They''ll swarm all over us if they sense food.¡±


    I smile. ¡°Did you forget that I am a mage? Give me time to prepare, we can wipe them out without setting a single foot onto the ground.¡±


    ***Ocean, Northern Coast of the Murian Sociocrathy***


    ***Gregor***


    ¡°Are those all the slaves on the ship?¡± I ask the second mate and eye the dirty people who are stuffed like animals into the bow of the vessel. It took us four days to catch up to the ship of the slave traders, but in the end we were the faster ones. Their ship is a trading vessel with a broad hull, while mine is an old Murian frigate from the war. Sadly, I won¡¯t have it for much longer.


    The second mate nods. ¡°That¡¯s everyone who wasn¡¯t killed when we boarded the ship. You have to tell your source of information that this tip was total bullshit! It doesn¡¯t pay to rob slave vessels.¡±


    I glare at him. ¡°Not every tip is perfectly accurate. Though, am I wrong that you got more than enough money from stripping the slavers?¡±


    He grumbles and nods his chin towards the slaves. ¡°What will you do with them?¡±


    My eyes narrow. He needs to think that I am going to kill them. ¡°What can I do? We can¡¯t allow them to tell anyone that we attacked a slave ship of the Empire. Especially not that we did so in Murian waters. Both countries will be after us.¡± I wait for a few moments to allow his slow brain to do its work. ¡°Go back to our ship and take the others with you. I want us to be gone in ten minutes.¡±


    I wait until I see him disappear through the bulkhead and turn back to the slaves. I reach into my jacket and pull out a stack with documents. ¡°Is there anyone among you who can read?¡±


    An elderly man raises his hand.


    ¡°Good.¡± I throw the documents onto the deck in front of him. ¡°Listen well, all of you, because this is going to be complicated.¡± Well, at least it will be complicated for slaves.

 29. ~Infestation~

    ¡°What¡¯s worse than an entire fleet of warships? - A Mirai Ghost Cruiser.¡±


    ***Dead Mine***


    ***Joyce***


    We decided to allow the bugs to live for another day. Yesterday, it was already late, so we decided to have a good night¡¯s sleep. Right now, I have to retrieve a few things from my room. The workshop''s furniture is sturdy, so it isn¡¯t a problem when Brian leans with his full weight onto the workbench. My friends are waiting eagerly for my solution to the bug problem.


    I kneel down and extend my fingernails, then I use them pull out one of the floor''s cobblestones. And another one. This continues until I have freed the secret trapdoor.


    ¡°You know that such a hideout is really childish?¡± Fae complains.


    Kiara shudders and points at my hands. ¡°Those fingernails are creepy!¡±


    I try to look hurt and regard my fingernails. ¡°That''s not true! They are beautiful and they never break. I bet that you are just envious!¡± I open the trapdoor and reveal several crates. I pick up one of them and hand it to Brian. ¡°Be careful not to drop it.¡± I load him with another one. Then it''s Tristen''s turn to play the pack animal.


    ¡°What''s inside the crates?¡± Tristen asks.


    ¡°Fireworks! When I flew to Abasin Valley, the island crashed with a sceada. The animal wasn''t a problem, but it made me think of what I would do against enemies on the ground and in the air. This is my short term solution to enemies on the ground,¡± I explain and close the hidden compartment. ¡°Oh, and never try to retrieve something from here without me. I have made sure that all sorts of nasty things happen to thieves.¡±


    When everything is closed up, I gesture for them to get going. ¡°Move on. We don''t have all day. First, we have to get rid of the pests and then we have to retrieve the ore. And that''s when the real work starts. I bet that we¡¯ll have to stay here for a few months. Otherwise we¡¯ll look like a flying building site.¡±


    We leave the house and head over to the balustrade at the front of the island. Brian and Tristen put the crates down and Brian shows me where he found the ore. I manoeuvre the island closer to the remains of the mountain until he points out a group of buildings. There are no large trees nearby, but the thick blanket of bushes in the area is an inconvenience.


    I open the first crate and retrieve a sphere of compressed matter. The whole crate is packed with them. ¡°I made these with force magic. The idea is to apply as much force as possible to an object. Works best if the material has a certain porosity, so that some air is compressed together with the material. Then you apply a barrier to seal everything in this state. Once the barrier fails, it goes boom.¡±


    I toss the grey sphere over the balustrade and watch it land near one of the buildings. There is a flash of light and a loud ''Crack!'', together with a lot of debris and dirt flying through the air. A part of the old building crumbles because of the shock wave. I squeal in delight, feeling like a little child who gets to test a new toy. I spent a lot of time making these while I was waiting for Fae''s contract with the scholars to end.


    Several huge crawly-things pour out of the remains of the building to search for the source of the attack. ¡°Ah! They will get away!¡± I quickly bend down and take several of the egg-sized spheres. There is no point in nitpicking, so I throw all of them at once, generously spreading them out. More loud cracks and flashes of light. Bug parts fly through the air and green goo sprays around.


    I notice that the bugs look like a cross between an oversized millipede and a caterpillar. This is the best fun I had in ages, so I quickly get another set of my improvised grenades. Contrary to before, I don''t throw all of them at once, but aim for bugs who are trying to escape. I stop mid-throw, when I realize that the others aren''t joining the fun. They are standing at the balustrade, watching the scene. ¡°What''s wrong? Get yourself some grenades and end those creepy crawlies! There are a lot of buildings to take care of.¡±Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Finally, they unfreeze and get their own grenades. From then on it''s a one-sided slugfest. The explosions have the added benefit of clearing away the bushes.


    ¡°You know that some people in the military would have a heart attack if they learned about these... grenades?¡± Kiara points out.


    ¡°Oh, you think that they might sell well?¡± I ask and throw a sphere. It hits one of the bigger bugs dead centre. The stupid thing was trying to jump up towards us. Kiara was right when she said that they aren''t exactly an enlightened species. Though I have to admit that the thing jumped almost five metres into the air. Impressive, but futile. The island hovers fifty metres above the ground.


    ¡°Are you kidding? Those grenades are equal to a level three attack spell and it seems like you can give them to anyone! If you can produce them fast enough and outfit an entire army with grenades it will boost their strength immensely,¡± Fae says.


    We continue to clear the area of anything which the zubis, as Kiara calls them, can use a cover. After an hour, we run out of grenades, having emptied all four crates. After seeing the size and speed of the things I happily gave the command to bombard them until nothing remains twitching.


    Seeing them in action also convinced me that they would''ve been a real problem had we met them on the ground. ¡°Do you think that those things were planted here deliberately?¡± I ask, observing the shredded area for any survivors. Many of the smaller zubis got away, but I am not concerned with them as long as they don''t get in our way. We just want to retrieve the ore.


    Tristen purses his lips. ¡°Doubtful, but it''s possible. I don''t think that the government actually wants anybody snooping around in a place like this. Properly enchanted power stones increase a mage''s abilities greatly. The Consortium and the Mirai are small compared to other nations, but they have huge reserves of manufactured power stones. That''s why they can stand up to the nations of the main continent.¡±


    I furrow my forehead, intrigued by his comment. ¡°I thought that the Consortium is so feared because they have many skilled mages, and aren''t the Mirai just pirates?¡±


    They look at each other as if I am some kind of curiosity.


    I cross my arms in front of my chest and stretch out my chin. ¡°Sorry for not knowing everything about the current military situation. You shouldn''t forget my circumstances. All I know, I know from history books which I read in the library.¡±


    And quite a few things from Nemus, but he never mentioned the Consortium or the Mirai in my presence.


    ¡°I am sorry. I guess that it isn''t something most people know about, so you can''t be blamed. It¡¯s because all four of us were in the military,¡± Tristen apologizes. ¡°You are right about the Consortium. They could always rely on their powerful magicians and their magic is legendary. Their reserves of power stone only add to that. The Mirai are another matter. Calling them simple pirates is far from accurate, though I guess that most of the alliance''s history books make them look like nothing more than scum.¡±


    Fae takes over. ¡°Before the Sociocrathy existed, the north was a political chaos. The orks controlled a large part of the northern coast. They allied themselves with all kinds of beings. Beastmen, dwarfs, humans. The northern human clans were led by two large families. The Murian and the Mirai. The Murian controlled the area at the mountains, closer to the Empire. The Mirai shared large parts of the northern coast with the orks. They were allies and coexisted for a long time.¡±


    Kiara raises a finger. ¡°The orkish clan of the Allflame was strong, but the Mirai were also feared. They did a lot of trade with the Consortium and many say that they have access to their own supply of power stones. The whole family line consists of skilled necromancers. Some say that, on top of that, they have a unique form of magic. Even the Consortium avoids open confrontation with them.¡±


    I raise an eyebrow, doubtful. ¡°Why did they have to flee if they are so strong?¡±


    Fae slaps Kiara. ¡°Stick to the facts and don''t share rumours!¡± She returns her attention to me. ¡°The Mirai aren¡¯t numerous enough to retake their homelands. The important point is this; the Mirai aren''t mere pirates. Before the civil war which created the Sociocrathy, they were a powerful group of magicians who ruled a large part of the coast with their army. The civil war forced them into exile.¡±


    Tristen nods. ¡°Yep. It''s all history, but when they realized that everyone was ganging up on them and their allies, they packed their things and fled over the ocean, taking their fleet with them. In less than a month, they conquered what we know today as the Mirai Pirate State.


    ¡°The previous pirates were nothing more than a nuisance before that. When the Mirai took over, it became dangerous to travel the seas. The Mirai see their acts of piracy against Sociocrathy ships as a form of continuing the war.¡±


    Brian clears his throat. ¡°You guys are talking too much. Joyce, what they want to say is simple. Don¡¯t think of a Mirai pirate ship as a stinking vessel which is filled with cut-throats, but as a proper warship with trained staff and mages. And don¡¯t think of their island as a rural place, they are a proper country. Though, it¡¯s true that they regard everything they encounter as theirs to take.¡±


    I nod. ¡°Well, thanks for the lesson in history, I guess? It still sounds strange. You explained that the Mirai¡¯s development of magic was influenced by the Consortium, but is that really the only reason why you are so adamant to take the Mirai seriously?¡±


    They look at each other. It¡¯s Fae who decides to share the secret. ¡°It¡¯s a military secret, but a really old one. I guess it doesn¡¯t matter by now, though you still shouldn¡¯t tell anyone that you know of it. It¡¯s also the reason why the Mirai started preying on everyone, and not just the Sociocrathy. A few decades ago, the Sociocrathy joined forces with the Empire and the Alliance to stop the piracy by the Mirai.


    She raises a hand to stop me. ¡°I know what you want to say, and that¡¯s exactly why this operation is held under lock. To make the story short, the joined fleet failed horribly because the Mirai had flying ships. Their entire fleet lifted off into the air and laid waste to their enemies. Nobody knew that they are capable of doing that. That¡¯s why we are telling you not to take the Mirai lightly.¡± She looks around. ¡°After all, if we go on like this we may encounter them sooner or later.¡±


    I purse my lips. ¡°Thanks for the heads-up.¡±


    I guess that I have to rethink some of my plans. The Mirai, flying-pirate-necromancers. What comes next? The flying Dutchman?

 30. ~Wheels within wheels~

    ¡°The only way to fool an opponent for sure, is to hide plans within plans.¡±


    ***Nothern Coastline, close to Jebli Port***


    ***Alias***


    ¡°That¡¯s an unexpected development.¡± I watch the burning hull of Gregor¡¯s pirate ship. Night is approaching quickly and the sun is just a fading light on the ocean¡¯s horizon. Contrary to that, the pirate ship is a blazing bonfire. I lean onto the balustrade of the elven longship and squint my eyes at the frustrating scene.


    ¡°Three months of following them around and it ends like this?¡± No. That can¡¯t be, it¡¯s way too convenient. What did I miss? Or is it really just a stroke of bad luck for Gregor?


    I try to replay the events of the past months in my mind. The elven king allowed me to take an elven longship, one of the fastest vessels on the ocean. Averting my eyes, I inspect my vessel. It¡¯s twenty metres long, and sleek. A single person is enough to control it. Made from expensive ironwood, it¡¯s the height of elven craftsmanship.


    Two weeks after I started my pursuit, I found Gregor¡¯s ship back at its normal route. I expected a long and tedious hunt, but the pirate didn¡¯t even try to hide. He just bought the spacial chests and went back to his normal business.


    Gregor did nothing extraordinary and played his scheme of being a simple merchant ship. I followed them on seven trips between the Consortium and the Sociocrathy. The time between the ports was mostly a boring game of waiting. I had to stay close enough to observe the pirates, but far enough away for my camouflage to work.


    The spell which bends the light around the longship doesn¡¯t work at close ranges.


    In each port, I used my ability to thoroughly interrogate members of Gregor¡¯s crew. They gladly told me everything they knew, which wasn¡¯t much. Apparently, Gregor¡¯s subordinates don¡¯t even know that some of the crates in their cargo area are spacial chests. Gregor himself never left his ship and stayed out of my reach.


    I tried to sneak onto the ship, but the vessel was too small to walk around in unseen. I could have used my ability on the crew, but they wouldhave remembered me. My ability isn¡¯t able to affect so many people at once. At most, I could charm a handful and make sure that they didn¡¯t remember me asking for vital information.


    The king assumed that there was a connection between Gregor and Joyce, but I am starting to doubt that. The man could have been working for anyone with a lot of money. Maybe someone realized the potential of having access to large amounts of spacial chests. It could be anyone, even a nation.


    All this time, Gregor had definitelybeenup to something. That much is clear. But what can he do without the knowledge of his crew? The interrogations made it clear that he was running a strict regime on his ship. He was like a dictator who couldn''t be crossed. So, maybe it¡¯s possible to keep those chests a secret.


    Though, where is the point? He spends a lot of money on cargo area and then he takes contracts to transport artefacts from the Consortium. Those don¡¯t need a lot of space. The contracts didn¡¯t even make him a lot of money. Yes, but if he doesn¡¯t need a lot of cargo area for the artefacts, then it¡¯s easier to hide the spacial chests from his crew.


    Admittedly, I caught them three times in acts of piracy, but that¡¯s not why I am here. Two times, they attacked other merchant vessels. In neither case did they leave any living witnesses. They took all the cargo as well. Nothing strange about that. If they left someone who could recognize them, they couldn''t have returned to their home port in Jebli.


    Once, they took an imperial slave trader and spared most of the slaves. I checked the vessel after they left. The slaves weren¡¯t exactly cooperative. Their orders didn¡¯t allow them to speak and I soon gave up on gaining any information. Someone gave them a very complicated set of orders before I arrived.


    One possibility is the slavers themselves, the other is Gregor. If the slavers made the slaves useless, then it¡¯s possible that Gregor simply ignored them. Though, I found it strange that he spared them, so I followed them back to Jebli Port. The authorities took care of them when they arrived. Everything seemed to be in order. Therefore I decided that following Gregor has a higher priority.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    So I turned the longship around and tried to catch up to the pirates, just to find their vessel a few kilometres out in the ocean.


    As I watch, a spectacular explosion rocks Gregor¡¯s ship. The fire must have damaged something with a lot of magical power. Why are there no lifeboats?


    I decide to risk it and head to the steering wheel. If the longship gets too close, the camouflage spell won¡¯t hide it. Though, that hardly concerns me at the moment. I have to find out what¡¯s going on.


    The ship slides through the water and I steer it close enough to be sure that there are no survivors in the water. The explosion taught me to be wary of getting too close, so I stay at a safe distance. There are some bodies in the water, but none of them seem to be alive.


    As I drive two circles around Gregor¡¯s ship, the vessel slowly disappears beneath the waves. The explosion must¡¯ve caused a large leak, because it takes less than five minutes for the ship to sink. I notice that there are some bodies in the water. Being a very thorough person, I check all of them for signs of life.


    After an hour of checking bodies and driftwood, I still found no answer. All I learned is that some died because of magic and others by the sword. Fourteen men. Did the others burn on the ship? Was the ship full of dead bodies when I arrived? Fourteen corpses hardly make up for a crew of ninety seven men.


    I draw a deep breath and try to find an explanation. Something went wrong and everyone died with the first explosion. No, too convenient.


    Maybe they got cocky and attacked the wrong vessel? That would sound plausible, if we weren¡¯t so close to Jebli Port. Gregor is a smart pirate, he wouldn¡¯t attack another ship so close to a port city.


    I stay and search until the last rays of sunlight are gone, then I give up. My only other clue are the slaves, so I return to the steering wheel and point my little ship towards Jebli Port.


    It feels like I only saw a small part of the whole picture. Whoever set this into motion, he has larger plans than piracy or smuggling.


    ***Jebli Port***


    ***Gregor***


    ¡°Run, you rats! By the sea, seeing you guys on land is a disgrace! Did you forget how to walk during your time on our ship?¡± I curse and urge them on. ¡°Don¡¯t drop any of the chests! And don¡¯t even play with the thought of defying me! You saw what I did to those who refused to get in line!¡±


    I step off the narrow path which leads down to the shore. Looking back, I quickly count our numbers to make sure that all my remaining men and the chests are here.


    The third mate approaches me. He was tasked to be the tail-light. ¡°Everyone is here, captain! Could you please explain what¡¯s going on? The men are getting restless. It¡¯s a mighty leap of faith to sink our ship and follow you through a teleportation circle. Since when do you know such magic?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s none of your concern.¡± I clench my teeth and scratch the scar on my chest. It isn¡¯t my magic. I merely followed the notes in my instructions. My own thoughts were in turmoil when I studied the teleportation circle. I didn¡¯t even know that it was possible to use an enchantment to create a short range teleportation effect. And I must say that I don¡¯t understand the spell, but it works as long as there are two circles which link two locations. I drew the one in Jebli Port months ago.


    I dismiss his questioning gaze. ¡°We had to be sure that we aren¡¯t followed. This operation will make all of us rich enough to live for the rest of our lives in luxury,¡± I lie.


    The third mate pulls down the corners of his mouth. ¡°Not everyone.¡±


    ¡°All of you know very well that I don¡¯t tolerate any form of insubordination or mutiny!¡± I watch as my people gather on the shore. It¡¯s already dark and only my magelight offers some illumination. I head down the narrow path and join the others at the beach.


    ¡°What now?¡± one of the men asks.


    ¡°We wait.¡± I pull out one of the smoke sticks which are so popular in the Consortium. They have a relaxing effect, but many healers say that they make people sick. It¡¯s not like it matters. I ignite it with a spark and inhale deeply.


    The men are mumbling between themselves. Some glare at me and don¡¯t bother to hide it, but I ignore them. It¡¯s not like they have enough magical ability to oppose me. My recruiting policy is to never hire someone who I can¡¯t subdue easily.


    I am smoking the seventh stick when a dark shape appears on the ocean. The twin moons provide just enough light to illuminate the ship between the waves. People call the moons the brothers of the night, but I never cared about religion. They are simply two dim lights in the sky which are sometimes very inconvenient.


    The shape quickly grows and closes in on the beach. Grey sails appear above it at the last moment and one of the larger rocks is crushed loudly as my new ship beaches itself. A long ramp is lowered onto the beach and twenty hooded figures in black clothes rush down to the beach. They don¡¯t speak a word and quickly run inland.


    One of them stops in front of me and hands me a pile of documents. I recognize the old man who raised his hand when I asked for someone who is able to read. Without a word, I take the documents and nod. He pulls his hood down to hide his face and follows his companions.


    I turn to my men. ¡°What are you waiting for!? Get the crates on board our new ship!¡±


    I light another smoke stick while they hurry to get everything on board. This part of the plan sounded risky, but I assume that it isn¡¯t that hard to steer a ship which uses force magic for propulsion. The slaves only had to drive the ship a few kilometres up the coast. There was no need to rely on the sails.


    The secondary way of propelling the ship had to be added. Otherwise, there would be no way to get the ship going again once it is beached. The propulsion spell drains the crew¡¯s mana reserves, but it¡¯s okay to use it over short distances.


    I draw in a deep breath and exhale smoke, then I follow my men on board. As instructed, I have to make some changes to the ship.

 31. ~Society.~

    ¡°This is a place of hope and enlightenment.¡±


    ***Dead Mine***


    ***Joyce***


    ¡°What do you think you are doing!?¡± I rush over to my house, but the damage is already done. The wall is caved in, revealing the kitchen. As I watch, the damaged part of the house crumbles and a small cloud of dust is sent outwards.


    Klein turns around, a smug expression on his face. ¡°We are getting rid of the disgrace which you call a house!¡±


    My eyes wander to the other workers, who are clearly in on the plan. Wilhelm, who stands next to Klein, has at least the decency to look guilty. Wilhelm gestures at my house. ¡°Please understand. You are the leader of our community! We can¡¯t have you stay in such a shack! Think about how that reflects on us.¡±


    I cross my arms in front of my chest. ¡°How that reflects on you!?¡±


    He nods. ¡°Yes! How will others see our community if we can¡¯t even provide our liege lord with respectable quarters. It wouldn¡¯t shame just you, but also us! Especially since you are a woman without-¡±


    ¡°Without what!?¡± I interrupt him. ¡°There are some important things in that house!¡±


    Behind me, someone clears his throat, so I turn around. It¡¯s Tristen, Brian, Fae and Kiara. Fae raises her hand. ¡°We already relocated all of your belongings to your new quarters.¡± She points at the large building which the workers built at the back of the island. It has five levels and blends in perfectly with the oval shape of the island. Klein¡¯s men have been doing extraordinary work in the past two months.


    We gathered huge amounts of bertrandite and I began synthesising aquamarine, which allowed me to create additional power cores. I had to do this in a newly created facility beneath the garden. Nobody but me knows that the island is powered by power stones.


    The additional calculating capacity allowed me to refine the manufacturing process, which brought a big lead in the island¡¯s capabilities. I ripped additional rocks and earth out of the ground to add to my base of operations.


    The island is now five hundred metres long and two hundred and fifty wide. A ring of raw materials is spinning around it, mostly bertrandite from the mine below us. After we chased the insects away, we found out that the little hill next to the facility was composed solely of bertrandite ore.


    I immediately started the process of refining the stuff. For that purpose, I used the island¡¯s force magic to hover large amounts of the stuff in the air. Then I used a light spell to focus energy on the ore in order to melt it down. The process wasn¡¯t very effective, so I ended up with large amounts of waste products. The workers didn¡¯t say no to the slag and simply used the stuff as building bricks.


    There are also two hollow spheres of glass with a diameter of a hundred metres each. They are attached to the sides of the island, so the people can go swimming if they want to. The silicon used to build them was a waste product from refining the beryllium which I needed. I didn¡¯t want to waste perfectly clear glass. In the future, I intend to turn them into glass houses, but for now they are additional water tanks.


    Another change is the stone balustrade which grew around the island. There are short watchtowers added to it, distanced exactly twenty metres from each other. The rest of the island was turned into a park area. All the important facilities like living areas and manufacturing are on underground levels.


    ¡°Your new quarters are at the top floor to give you the best view,¡± Klein bows to me.


    I look around. ¡°You. All of you are in on this!? I like the house!¡±


    Kiara nods and scratches her cheek. ¡°We know that. That¡¯s why we had to damage the house for you to give it up. You can gather all of your secret stuff and transfer it to your new quarters.¡±


    I raise my fist, but Tristen stops me. ¡°Just think of it! You are the lord of this place. If you invite someone of equal standing into that house, he won¡¯t respect you. Or worse, they¡¯ll think that you want to insult them.¡±


    ¡°You guys, you are walking a dangerous path.¡± I lower my fist. Their arguments have at least some merit. ¡°I liked the house.¡±


    Klein clears his throat. ¡°I made sure that your private quarters are equally bland, Mistress.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± I cover my eyes with a hand and try to collect my thoughts, then I gesture for the others to follow me. I have to retrieve my stuff from the secret stash inside my workshop. ¡°You guys are hereby conscripted to carry my stuff, since you destroyed my house.¡±


    It takes only half an hour to carry everything to my new quarters. They are located above the ¡®office¡¯ which Klein planned to conduct official business. Though, the office is large and luxurious enough to equal a throne room. It¡¯ll be no problem to invite scores of people to a meeting.


    I study the complicated web of patterns on each tile. ¡°It¡¯s fascinating that you managed all this in just two months. Though, we also used a lot of magic.¡±


    Klein nods. The architect followed us to my office. Wilhelm stayed behind to oversee the destruction of my house. ¡°If we were doing it the normal way, it would¡¯ve taken us much longer. Your spacial magic allows us to circumvent some issues of normal construction work. Rooms can be much larger on the inside, so most of our work revolves around decoration. I decided to finish the public part of the palace first. Many other areas are still raw and unfinished. It¡¯ll take months to take care of that.¡±


    I nod and place my arms behind my back. ¡°Don¡¯t you think that it¡¯s a little extreme to call it a palace? The building covers just the last two hundred metres of the island¡¯s length.¡±


    Klein snorts. ¡°That may be the case, but your spacial magic makes it large enough on the inside to rival any real palace. I am only worried about the outside. Someone of your power needs to show her wealth. Can¡¯t you give those two huge glass-balls a diamond cut? It would awe other nobles if your flying island sparkles from far away.¡±


    I sigh and shake my head. ¡°I am afraid that it¡¯s not possible. I took great care not to give them a form which can focus the light. Otherwise there would be a possibility of igniting dry stuff below us. I don¡¯t want to be responsible for setting a city on fire.¡± At least not by accident.


    Tristen decides to interrupt us. ¡°Ah, there is one other thing. The people think that we shouldn¡¯t call this place just ¡®the island¡¯. It needs an official name.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll think of something,¡± I answer.


    The large door to my office opens and Elma enters together with Wilhelm. For some reason the both of them look very serious. I turn towards them. ¡°Is something wrong?¡±


    Elma steps forward and bows. ¡°Mistress, something happened and we need your authority to resolve the problem.¡±


    Wilhelm gestures for his wife to stop. ¡°Don¡¯t. I am sure that we don¡¯t have to involve our employer in this ugly business. She has other problems.¡±


    Elma elbows her husband. ¡°I have looked away for far too long! The rumours had been around for weeks. Now that we have proof, I can¡¯t keep my mouth shut! Joyce is a righteous person with a lot of character and ideals. I am sure that she wouldn¡¯t want to employ a person like that, or have us look away when it¡¯s that obvious!¡±


    I raise a hand with my palm out to stop them. ¡°I am grateful that you think so highly of me, but maybe you could explain the problem?¡±


    Elma returns her attention to me and bows. ¡°To my shame, I must say that it¡¯s about one of our workers and one of the children.¡±


    ¡°She isn¡¯t a child, she¡¯s seventeen,¡± Wilhelm interjects.


    His wife kicks him, fury in her expression. ¡°That doesn¡¯t make it any better!¡± She looks at me. ¡°Pasley, one of our workers, raped Taina. She is the daughter of another worker, so she doesn¡¯t have a direct contract with you. Apparently, it had been going on for quite a while. But this morning he hit her and was caught by one of the women as he tried to pull her into his abode. We called for help and the men separated them.¡±


    I use my index finger massage my temple. ¡°I see.¡±


    Normally, there would be a noble or a city council to issue justice. But I brought these people out here, where they have no city guards who would take care of such things. And my contract with them makes them something akin to better serfs. I am responsible for their actions and their work environment. It¡¯s the way things are handled in this world.


    A memory of Nemus resurfaces. He is lying on top of me, a knife in his hand. I feel the burning cut on my cheek. With the other hand he chokes me, getting off on my pain. The sick man always loved to hurt his playthings. In the past, more than one dead slave was silently carried out of his quarters. That was before he started taking an interest in me. Most sex toys didn¡¯t last long, so I expected to be the next pale body they throw onto the pile of trash behind his tower.Stolen novel; please report.


    But for some reason he always held back with me. He''d bring me just close enough to the door of death that I could be pulled back. He also paid a lot of money to healers, just to keep me in pristine condition, as he prefers to call it.


    I often thought about killing myself, but dying doesn¡¯t come without a price for people like me. I am not sure of the exact reason, but a soul seems to strengthen with the length of its lifetimes. The longer a life, the more memories I can carry on to the next one. It would seriously suck to die at a young age.


    There are some memories I simply don¡¯t want to lose. Loved ones, friends, knowledge.


    ¡°M- M- Mistress, I am sorry if I have offended you with our problems.¡± Elma looks at the ground.


    Fae touches my shoulder. ¡°Are you okay? Your expression just now was¡­ terrifying.¡±


    I smile, but I know that the expression is just a mask. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Elma, I am glad that you informed me of what¡¯s going on. There are some things I won¡¯t tolerate on my island. This place is supposed to be a light of hope and enlightenment, so I can¡¯t tolerate having one of my citizens live in pain. Please guide me to Taina.¡±


    We leave the ¡®palace¡¯ and Elma guides us to Taina¡¯s quarters. When she knocks on the door, we are greeted by Taina¡¯s parents. They look a little too awed when they realize that I am paying them a personal visit. Only Elma and I enter, while the others stay outside.


    I listen to their version of the story, which is told in a more enraged manner, but it¡¯s basically the same as Elma¡¯s. I get to meet Taina at the kitchen table and remember her as one of the youths who took my test. She has a decent amount of power, but I didn¡¯t take her as a student because she is a little too old to be taught easily.


    ¡°Hello, Taina,¡± I greet her and sit down on the other side of the table. She has a black eye and a cut above it. Someone took care of the bleeding.


    ¡°Mistress!¡± The girl pales when she recognizes me and I have to stop her from standing up.


    ¡°I am not good at this, so I¡¯ll try to make it short. Are you willing to talk about what happened?¡± I ask.


    She eyes me with a distressed expression. ¡°Do I have to?¡±


    I shrug. ¡°You don¡¯t have to, but it will be easier for me to make a decision. A judge should hear both parties. We can send the others outside if you don¡¯t want them to hear it.¡±


    Taina looks at the wall.


    I point at her eye. ¡°Why hasn¡¯t a healer taken a look at you?¡±


    ¡°They have. It will heal.¡± Taina dismisses the question with a gesture.


    I raise an eyebrow. ¡°Then why are you still injured?¡±


    Everyone in the room looks puzzled. It¡¯s Elma who explains. ¡°Mistress, healers who know strong healing magic are expensive and hard to find. Most people of our standing never get to see one.¡±


    ¡°Ah. I see.¡± I stand up and walk over to Taina¡¯s side of the table. ¡°I am sorry. It seems like I have forgotten about a hospital for this place. Aside from teachers, we¡¯ll pick up some healers when we visit the next big city. At least one who can cast basic healing spells. Hold still.¡±


    I touch Taina¡¯s temple and cast a healing spell. It takes a minute of my concentration, then the girl is as good as new. She is still touching her face in surprise when I retake my seat. ¡°So, would you be willing to tell me the story under the influence of a basic truth spell? I promise not to talk about any of it.¡±


    It takes a moment, but then she nods. I take her hand and infuse my mana into her body. This is a crude method, but since she is untrained there is almost no chance that she is able to resist me. Then she starts her story.


    A month ago, Pasley started to make advances on her. She refused him, but he was persistent. One day they ended up alone and he forced himself on her. From then on, he searched for possibilities to be alone with her, using force, or blackmail. A young woman can lose her honour if she beds a man before marriage. Everything ended today in the morning when he tried to drag her away and she resisted in public.


    When it¡¯s clear that she has nothing more to say, I nod. ¡°What do you want to do if you are pregnant?¡±


    Her expression turns horrified. Even her parents look shocked. Apparently the thought of consequences didn¡¯t occur to them. I clear my throat. ¡°If you want me to, I can take care of it.¡±


    I end up giving her the full healing treatment and solving the little issue inside her belly. I am sure that some religions and cultures would crucify me for it, but luckily the people of this world aren¡¯t like that.


    It¡¯s stupid to have a child when the parents clearly aren¡¯t ready for it. Or worse, if the child isn¡¯t wanted. There are so many stories of brave women who keep the child because they love it with all their heart. But in reality these stories are total bullshit. The women keep the child because they don¡¯t have the possibility to undo the pregnancy and the kid often ends up as and eternal reminder of the rape.


    After enduring a lot of bowing from the family, Elma and I leave their quarters. I didn¡¯t realize it, but we must have spent over two hours with them. Unexpectedly, the others were patiently waiting in front of the family¡¯s quarters. Elma turns to me. ¡°What are you going to do?¡±


    I scratch my arm and try to think. Whatever I do, it¡¯ll be an example of how I want to run this place. I realize that everyone is looking at me. ¡°I would like for everyone to assemble immediately in the park. There is nothing that¡¯s more important. This is an assembly of the whole community.¡± I gesture at the door behind me. ¡°But leave them out of it. The girl doesn¡¯t need to be present.¡±


    Wilhelm nods and walks down the corridor, calling out to everyone that they have to assemble on top of the island.


    I address Elma, ¡°Now we go to see Pasley.¡±


    We encounter three burly men in front of Pasley¡¯s quarters. They are supposed to keep him confined, since we don¡¯t have a prison. Unfortunately we¡¯ll need one if the island¡¯s population continues to grow. One of them tries to stop me when I reach for the door. ¡°Sorry, Ma¡¯am, but the guy is violent. Don¡¯t go in there alone. He was trashing his furniture until an hour ago.¡±


    I smile. ¡°Then come inside with me and protect me.¡±


    They take the lead and I follow them. Pasley was indeed busy. I can¡¯t identify a single chair or table which isn¡¯t trashed. We find him in a corner of his living room with a bottle of alcohol in his hand. He smiles when he sees me. ¡°Oh, the Mistress, what did Taina tell you? Are you going to make me pay?¡±


    I purse my lips and study the large man, maybe twenty five years old. He looks strong and I remember him as one of the workers who were carrying the large logs. So he must have a strength ability at the very least. ¡°I am only here to hear your side of the story.¡±


    He raises an eyebrow. ¡°She seduced me, told me that she loves me. We wanted to marry. The little whore! Then, suddenly, I am not good enough! Too old for her. I lost it. Probably, I shouldn¡¯t have hit her.¡±


    ¡°Okay, are you willing to tell me the whole story under the influence of a truth spell? You just have to give me your hand.¡± I explain.


    He furrows his forehead and studies me. The little gears inside his pea-sized brain are probably working overtime. ¡°Sure.¡± He puts the bottle down and gets up. He smiles and even offers me his hand.


    ¡°Thanks. That will make things so much easier.¡± I push the large man who was worried about me to the side and approach Pasley. I really have to hire some skilled guards for the island. Pasley is a perfect candidate for a hostage situation and the men allow me to come close to the rapist.


    Just as I step into Pasley¡¯s reach, he snatches my hand and yanks me towards him. I pull back my hand, resisting his attempt. Simultaneously, I raise my knee and smash it into his groin.


    Pasley goes down with a stupid expression plastered on his face. I peel his hand off my wrist and turn around, pulling him with me. The three workers step aside, shocked. Maybe I shouldn¡¯t blame them. They are workers, not trained guards or soldiers.


    But there is someone else who can be blamed. ¡°Brian! Stop that stupid grin of yours! Aren¡¯t you supposed to guard me?¡± The adventurer had followed me into the room and watched silently asI approached Pasley by myself.


    He shrugs and follows me. ¡°I don¡¯t think that a measly peasant is a threat to you. You can beat up werewolves in unarmed combat. Is it one of your trade skills to go for a man¡¯s nuts?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the easiest way to incapacitate men! There is no reason not to use it,¡± I answer and pull Pasley down the corridor.


    ¡°She did it again!?¡± Fae asks with an astounded voice. She wasn¡¯t inside Pasley¡¯s apartment and only saw me pulling him outside.


    ¡°Yes. Fae, be so nice and get me basic travel gear,¡± I instruct as I walk up the ramp and into the garden area.


    There is already a huge crowd, so I decide to use the island¡¯s magic to amplify our voices. I created the function when I realized that, at some point, I will have to hold speeches. ¡°Ahem, test, test. I am Joyce, your employer. I am sure that many of you already know why we are here. It¡¯s about the accusation that Pasley raped someone. And just now, he tried to attack me when I gave him the chance to defend his position under the influence of a truth spell.¡±


    Some people gasp, but I ignore them and continue. ¡°We are here to hear his perspective.¡± I pull the whimpering man to his knees and use force magic to hold him in place. Then I use my fingernail to scratch a basic truth sigil into his forehead. He screams a little, but I don¡¯t care. It takes just a few cuts with my fingernail and the infusion of magic to cast the spell.


    ¡°Bitch! That hurts! I¡¯ll tell the authorities about your actions! Damned whore...¡±


    I ignore his very inventive curses and step back when I am done. ¡°Just to explain what I did. This is a truth sigil. It forces the target to answer my questions and hurts really bad when he lies.¡±


    He glares at me, panting. Having learned of his mistakes, he says nothing.


    I return my attention to Pasley. ¡°I am just a free citizen, like you or any other adventurer, so I don¡¯t think that I can cut off your dick, or sentence you to death. Though, the contract with my employees makes me responsible for you.¡± I clap my hands together. ¡°Could you tell me the colour of the sky?¡±


    ¡°Blue.¡±


    ¡°Do you have family?¡±


    ¡°A cousin in Sawood. Nobody else.¡±


    ¡°Did you like hurting and raping Taina?¡±


    ¡°No-¡± The sigil on his forehead flares up and he screams. I smell burned flesh. ¡°I did! The little bitch had it coming! Always swinging her hips in front of everyone! I liked it when she squealed.¡± The sigil stops glowing and Pasley is left groaning with pain. My force magic is still holding him in place.


    ¡°So you were aware that you forced her and that she didn¡¯t like what you did to her?¡±


    He nods. ¡°Yes.¡±


    I use force magic to lift myself three metres above ground, so that everyone can see me. ¡°Let me explain something. I really despise any form of murder, slavery, rape or blackmail. Basically, anything which robs a person of his or her own free will. If I were a noble and in charge of my principality¡¯s law, then I would execute this guy on the spot.¡±


    I spread my hands. ¡°But he is lucky! At the moment, I am just a free citizen! The only thing I can do, is to fire him, which I hereby do. And don¡¯t misunderstand, if anyone comes to me with a similar problem, the offender is off this island faster than you can blink. This place is a work in progress and I should have informed all of you of the basic rules. I¡¯ll catch up on that as soon as possible and assign someone to inform me of problems. Just go to Elma if you think that someone is violating basic rights, or morals. We are all adults, aren¡¯t we?¡±


    I notice Fae returning, she has a heavy backpack in her hands. ¡°Ah, Fae! Just give him the backpack with the travel equipment.¡± I reach into my pocket and drop two pieces of gold in front of Pasley. ¡°Here, as the contract says, I have to pay you two gold in case of ending the contract by firing you. That¡¯s more than you¡¯ll earn in a year.¡± I release the force magic which is holding him.


    He looks at me with wide eyes. ¡°You''re just letting me go? Just like that? I attacked you.¡± He takes the backpack and scrambles for the two pieces of gold.


    I smile and tilt my head, looking down at him. ¡°I am not resentful. Just a law abiding person who doesn¡¯t want scum like you on my property. Have fun on your journey back home. The next town is in that direction.¡± I point northwards, not that it matters. Sliding my finger through the air, I instruct the island to lift him up and place him on the mine below us.


    ¡°No! Wait! You''re throwing me out right here!? Why not at the next...¡± His voice fades out as his body disappears over the edge of the island.


    Tristen grumbles, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that you would let the asshole go just like that! You could¡¯ve at least punished him some more for attacking you. Nobody would have said something against a few good punches.¡±


    Elma also doesn¡¯t look satisfied with my judgement.


    I lower myself back to the ground and shrug. ¡°Oh, please. How far do you think will he get? The mine beneath us is infested with those creepy bugs and we are at least a hundred kilometres from the next town. He will never make it. Exiling him right here and now was a death sentence.¡±


    Fae coughs, ¡°Your voice amplification is still active.¡±

 32. ~New Horizon~

    ¡°A place of hope which shines for the masses, has to be strong enough to withstand the grudge of the mighty.¡±


    ***Dead Mine***


    ***Joyce***


    The door to my new office bursts open and Fae, Kiara and Tristen spill into the room. The beastwoman makes a beeline towards the stairway which leads to my private quarters, while the elf dashes towards me. ¡°There are airships!¡±


    ¡°Airships?¡± I ask, dumbfounded. It has been a week since I exiled Pasley. Even if he survived the wilderness until now, there is no chance that he made it to a village and informed others of our location.


    Come to think of it, none of my employees questioned my decision to exile the man. I am aware that my line of questioning was a little thin, but I also didn¡¯t want to burrow too deep and find mitigating circumstances. I got most of the story from interrogating Taina, so I intentionally asked questions which he would have to answer with ugly truths. The chance to make an example of Pasley was simply too convenient.


    Tristen is the one who provides me with a reasonable explanation for the presence of the flying vessels. ¡°Yes, three military vessels! We assume that they are here to check on the mine!¡±


    But it''s not like we didn''t think of such a possibility. Two and a half months are a lot of time to prepare all sorts of contingency plans. ¡°So what''s the problem? We''ve been expecting someone to find us sooner or later, for whatever reason.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but we''ll have to explain ourselves,¡± Tristen complains. ¡°And don''t take me wrong, your clothes look gorgeous on you, but black robes, armour and leather won''t do it. You aren''t allowed to look threatening!¡±


    Kiara returns from my rooms. ¡°She doesn''t have a dress!¡±


    Fae looks horrified. ¡°There must be someone with her size on the island!¡±


    ¡°They are peasants! What kind of dress do you expect them to have?¡± Tristen asks.


    I raise a hand. ¡°I certainly won''t put on a dress! But if you think that my current clothes don''t fit the occasion, there are all sorts of clothes in my backpack.¡± I simply never bothered to unpack.


    Kiara runs back up the stairway.


    I squint my eyes at Fae and Tristen. ¡°Why do you even think that I am supposed to look different? Do I have to look like a damsel in distress?¡±


    Fae clears her throat. ¡°I was a highly ranked member of the elven military. From time to time we had to visit festivals in order to deal with the nobles.¡±


    Tristen nods. ¡°I was the left hand of a garrison''s commander. He often took me with him to the capital, so I had to learn a few things about etiquette. If you want to be accepted, then you have to look like them.¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    Kiara returns with two pieces of clothes. ¡°She doesn''t have a dress, but if we combine this blue robe with the skirt, then she should look decent enough.¡±


    I squint my eyes at the clothes. The one time I invested the time to buy myself some outfits is a dark memory. ¡°I don''t remember buying that.¡± Then again, I simply ordered the clerk to prepare some fitting outfits. The clerk must have smuggled those in between the other stuff, despite my explicit veto against skirts.


    ¡°Be quick! The ships were heading directly towards us. We don''t have more than a few minutes,¡± Tristen urges us on.


    Kiara looks at him with disgust in her eyes and Fae joins her. Tristen looks at Kiara, then at Fae. His gaze wanders to me and I realize that I joined the staring contest on instinct. He bites his lower lip. ¡°I shouldn''t have said anything. By doing so, I foiled my chances.¡± He turns around and walks out of the room. ¡°Damn! I thought I would get a nice view.¡±


    I wait until he is gone. ¡°Is he interested in me?¡±


    Kiara and Fae look at me with raised eyebrows. ¡°Every man on the island is interested in you!¡± Kiara calls out. ¡°Please don''t tell me that you aren''t aware of your looks!¡±


    I roll my eyes. ¡°I didn''t mean it like that. I meant interested, interested. The heartfelt type.¡± Not that I would be able to reply in kind, but rejected lovers can be a pain in the ass. I mean, they can become a problem later on.


    They look at each other, then Fae shakes her head. ¡°I don''t believe that Tristen thinks of you like that. He is just a guy who likes it big. Kiara is proof of that.¡±


    ¡°Heeey!¡± The beastwoman plants her fists on her hips.


    I look at Kiara. ¡°Whoho! So you and Tristen? I never realized that he is your type!¡± They don''t act like a couple of former lovers.


    She huffs. ¡°It was only once! We were seriously drunk and needy, then we woke up in each others arms. I don''t even remember if we really did it or not. What''s wrong about that?¡±


    I raise both hands, palms out. ¡°Nothing! Nothing at all. I just remembered you talking about a big and strong guy to marry you. Tristen is... Well, he isn''t scrawny, but neither is he one of those burly workers.¡±


    She holds the clothes out for me. ¡°Better shut up before you say something wrong! And for your big mouth, you will have to prove yourself.¡±


    I take the robe and the skirt. ¡°How do I prove myself?¡±


    Kiara pulls out a measuring tape. ¡°How women always compete! Are you saying that you were never challenged?¡±


    Five minutes later, I leave my office as the definitive victor. Fae gave up from the start, saying that size isn''t everything and that we would have to pay for our assets once we get old. I didn''t dare to mention that I don''t plan on growing old. Kiara almost defeated me, but in the end she was three centimetres short.


    We head outside and join Tristen and Brian on one of the watchtowers. The two men are eager to compliment me on my new outfit. It''s just Brian who has a little issue. ¡°But why do you wear that jacket?¡±


    ¡°She refused to take off that armour of hers,¡± Fae grumbles.


    ¡°I simply don''t want to be caught completely off guard if they turn out to be hostile,¡± I defend myself. ¡°So what''s the situation.¡±


    ¡°They are heading directly towards us. Maybe two more minutes and they will be here.¡± Brian raises a spyglass to study the three ships. ¡°Alliance Frigate. The length is about seventy metres. They carry a crew of twenty to sixty people.¡±


    I take his spyglass and have a look. The three frigates are broad ships which are made out of wood. They clearly have sails, but they aren''t deployed at the moment. The ships look like they are viable to be used in water. Or is it simply easier to land them in a lake than on solid ground? ¡°Do you know if they can be dangerous for us? Any idea of their capabilities?¡±


    ¡°No idea,¡± Tristen confesses with confidence. ¡°They can be very dangerous. Depends on the mage who is in charge of their attack magic.¡±


    I grumble and hand the spyglass back to Brian. ¡°Why haven''t I heard of them being deployed in the war efforts?¡±


    Fae shrugs. ¡°They are, but since you need a strong power stone to supply enough energy for one of those things, they are very valuable. We keep them far away from conflict and use them only againstinfractions into our territory. TheAlliance has three hundred ships at most. The Sociocrathy has about the same and the Empire has around five hundred. We don''t know the actual size of the Consortium and the Mirai fleets.¡±


    ¡°It''s enough to counter enemy raids, but we can''t transport enough troops to topple the Empire. It would be a catastrophe to lose a large number of ships in enemy territory without the possibility to recover the power stones. That''s why everyone is so greedy for power stones,¡± Brian explains. ¡°What do we do if they attack?¡±


    I smirk. ¡°I am afraid that we''ll have to improvise, but I don¡¯t think that they will attack us.¡±


    ¡°You could use the island''s force magic to crush them,¡± Fae suggests.


    ¡°Or the energy spell to fry them,¡± Kiara says.


    Tristen''s expression turns dark. ¡°Joyce, are you aware that this island is probably the most powerful weapon on this continent? I am not sure how powerful, but the amount of mass you are handling is enough for a fleet of airships. Everyone will want to know how you are doing it.¡±


    I shrug. ¡°Isn''t my new home just a big, fat target? I admit that we can probably wipe out a city if we really want to, but that''s not why I created this place.¡±

 33. ~Land Rights~

    ¡°When you deal with the authorities, you always have to make sure to deal with the right ones.¡±


    ***Dead Mine***


    ***Joyce***


    I shrug. ¡°Isn''t my new home just a big, fat target? I admit that we can probably wipe out a city if we really want to, but that''s not why I created this place.¡± I want a place where I am safe from the barbarians of this world.


    I point at the three approaching ships. ¡°I seek power for the sake of being free. From now on, I won''t dance to the tune of people like them! Never again! I''ll play my own music.¡± Then I scratch my cheek and try to sound meek. ¡°Do you really think that they will attack us?¡±


    Tristen shakes his head. ¡°It''s hard to say. The Alliance puts only their best in charge of airships, so I expect them to be able to think. Attacking something that outweighs them several times over doesn''t strike me as a good idea.¡±


    ¡°Then let''s just wait for their first move. I have confidence in the island''s barrier. It''s unlikely that they can to break it.¡± Especially because the island already has several power cores which are hidden in different locations. Even if they take out one or two cores, the island won''t fall.


    Nobody says a word while we wait. The three ships slow down and encircle the island. ¡°I just hope that they don''t try to board us. It won''t be good for them if they fly against the barrier,¡± I voice my doubts when one of the ships comes dangerously close.


    ¡°Any decent mage can sense your shields. They are so powerful that they shine even to the untrained eye,¡± Fae reassures me. ¡°If we collide, it''ll be entirely their fault.¡±


    Brian is still observing them through his spyglass. He points at the ship which is flying slightly to our left near the aft of the island. ¡°That one is signalling us. They want to come on board.¡±


    ¡°Ah, that could be a small problem. We don''t have a possibility to allow an airship to dock with us.¡± I call up the control menu and manipulate the energy fields which are holding the ring of converted ore. The ring stops spinning and aligns itself with the horizon. Several large tiles of compressed matter detach from the ring. Thetiles are u-shaped and two metres wide to allow easy and safe passage. Then I order the tiles to form a bridge which starts at our watchtower and runs straight outwards until it pierces a hole through our barriers.


    At the end of the bridge, I place a large platform with several pillars. Those should be sufficient to anchor the airship.


    ¡°It doesn''t matter how often I see it, your skill with force magic just freaks me out, Joyce. How are you doing it?¡± Fae asks.


    ¡°It''s a secret which I''ll never share. I have no intention to tell anyone how to duplicate the island,¡± I answer.


    ¡°Just give it a name already. If we keep calling it an island the name will stick! Especially since we are about to introduce ourselves to a bunch of people with high profiles,¡± Brian complains.


    I sigh and watch as the ship which signalled to us turns around. They clearly intend to dock with the improvised port. ¡°It''s not like we planned this encounter. Okay, what do you think of Illum? That''s the word for ¡®it¡¯ in another language.¡±


    ¡°At least it''s better than ''Island'',¡± Kiara says. She looks around. ¡°And since you cobble this whole place together as you need it, without a plan, I must say that it fits! This place is indeed an ¡®it¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I hereby name this place Illum!¡± I proclaim.


    My friends and I fall silent when we see men in uniforms approaching us. The normal soldiers wear blue. Two of the approaching men look different. They have red stripes on their chests, which probably indicates a higher rank.


    The improvised bridge connects to the upper part of the balustrade, so the first two soldiers have to jump down to get to the same level as us. The bridge is wide enough to allow two men to walk next to each other. We step back and watch as the two men with the stripes join them.


    I allow two more soldiers onto my island, then I activate a barrier. The seventh and eighth soldier run face first into the shield. They don''t fall, but they are clearly startled.


    One of the men with the stripes looks surprised. He is smaller and sturdier than the other one, but not fat. His hair is light brown and there are some wrinkles in the corners of his tiny eyes. The other man is larger and has dark brown hair, coupled with green eyes.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    ¡°What is the meaning of this?¡± the smaller man complains.


    I bow slightly. ¡°My name is Joyce and I am the owner and creator of this place. We call it Illum. I greet you and your men. We also beg you for your forgiveness, but we allow no soldiers in this place. You can have four guards as an escort, but the others have to stay on your ship.¡±


    The man waves his hand, gesturing for his people to stand down. ¡°I am captain Oswin and this is my first officer, Zane. A lot of people are searching for your flying rock. Guess our surprise when we found you above this abandoned mine.¡±


    I smile. ¡°I am sorry, but I heard nothing about that. Nobody told me that I am needed somewhere. I had a minor conflict with the governor of Hormundad. He charged me for damaging his city, but I promptly paid what I owed him. Since then, I haven''t taken much interest in the affairs of the world. I was busy with my company,¡± I gesture at the ''palace'' behind me.


    Zane smiles, obviously taking great amusement in my words. Oswin doesn''t look so happy. ¡°That''s strange. He said that you fled from his subordinates. And the mayor of Sawood said that you threatened to destroy his town.¡±


    ¡°Did he? I remember him interfering with my right to hire the people of Sawood. He was a very rude man, so I left after telling him that I insist on my rights. Do you have anything else, aside from the word of those two buffoons? Which isn''t enough. A free citizen can''t be ordered around as they tried to do it. They tried to force me into their service.¡± I spread my hands. ¡°For obvious reasons.¡±


    The captain nods. ¡°And you refused to work for them. However, you being here is a problem, so lower that barrier.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I answer without hesitation. ¡°According to Alliance law, the military isn''t allowed to police a free citizen on his or her own property. I am being generous in allowing you six to be here.¡± I admit that I wasn''t a very good student of the historical texts in Hormundad''s library, but the book about Alliance law was very interesting. The Alliance has a combined military, but the various races still don''t trust each other completely. Everyone polices themselves. The military can only intervene if the Alliance as a whole is threatened.


    ¡°This is your property?¡± Zane asks with raised eyebrows.


    ¡°Indeed. I bought the place in Hormundad and personally ripped it out of the ground. I have the documents and paid a lot of gold for it, so unless you manage to get some city guards up here, you only have the right to be my guests,¡± I explain cheerfully.


    ¡°We need city guards?¡± Oswin asks. ¡°That''s a huge pile of bullshit! You are turning the law upside down! How are city guards supposed to get onto this island. Only the military has airships!¡±


    I cross my arms behind my back. ¡°That¡¯s not my problem.¡±


    Zane clears his throat. ¡°That may be so, or it may not. We are no lawyers, but what I am certain of, is that you were caught above a mine for power stones. A single look at the mine below us is enough to tell that you were searching for power stones. Do you know that there is a death sentence on anyone who mines power stones, apart from the military?¡±


    I nod. ¡°We didn''t mine power stones. Just bertrandite. There isn''t a single power stone on this island. I am willing to swear a magical oath on that.¡±


    They look at each other. Oswin steps forward and offers me his open palm. I place my hand in his and smile. It takes an effort of will not to oppose his truth seeking spell, since I means that I have to allow his energy to touch me.


    ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    ¡°To mine bertrandite. That''s the white ore with is found together with power stones,¡± I explain.


    ¡°Do you have power stones anywhere on this island or somewhere else?¡±


    ¡°No. I don''t have power stones.¡± I only have the basic elements for aquamarine and power cores, which is a vastly different thing. The people of this world refer to aquamarines as power stones, but only if they are large enough to be manufactured into energy gathering artefacts. So no, I don¡¯t have any of those.


    ¡°You aren''t using power stones to control this place? And you have no unrefined aquamarines either?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Again, the same problem. At the moment, I have none of those. All I have are power cores and their basic elements.


    The captain looks baffled. ¡°How are you lifting this island?¡±


    I pull my hand away. ¡°I have no obligation to answer that. Illum is my invention and I don''t intend to share it with anyone.¡±


    Zane nods. ¡°Why didn''t you ask for the bertrandite at an active mine?¡±


    ¡°Because they would''ve requested money and asked questions. Why should I pay them if I can get an entire mountain of the stuff for free?¡± I answer.


    He narrows his eyes. ¡°You found a way to use bertrandite like power stones.¡±


    I laugh and offer him my hand. He takes it and casts a truth seeking spell of his own. So I answer, ¡°Bertrandite can''t be used like power stones.¡± Though, it''s a component of power stones. ¡°It can be used with various metal alloys, and to create a conductive material which makes it much easier to enchant items.¡±


    Truth seeking spells are tricky. They are very reliable, but no lie detector can help you if you don¡¯t know the correct questions to ask. So far, I was lucky.


    Zane lets go of my hand. ¡°Dad, this one is very good at evading questions. She is clearly hiding something, but she didn¡¯t lie. I have a feeling that we are wasting our time.¡±


    I look at the captain and raise an eyebrow. ¡°Dad?¡±


    The captain rolls his eyes. ¡°That''s none of your concern. I am afraid that you have to follow us to the capital. The various leaders of the Alliance want to meet with you. You can''t stay here in any case. From now on, this is restricted territory.¡±


    ¡°As you wish.¡± I shrug. ¡°Sitting here and watching others at their work became boring anyway. Do you want to join us for dinner? Sadly, we can''t offer much, since you surprised us.¡±


    The captain shakes his head. ¡°I think that it may be for the best if we depart immediately.¡±


    ¡°Oh, but I can take your ships with us. They are so small and cute! It won''t be a problem,¡± I reassure him.


    Oswin does an admirable job at not going ballistic. He turns to the men who were left on the other side of my barrier. ¡°Get the Dawn properly anchored and tell my second officer to do nothing without my orders.¡±


    He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a communication crystal. ¡°Tide, follow the ''rock'' at a respectful distance. Moon, Stay at the mine and search for clues of what happened here. I got an official statement from the owner of this place, but I don''t trust her.¡± He smiles at me, fully aware that I am listening. ¡°I want a full report of everything you find.¡±


    The captain switches off the communication crystal and turns his attention to Fae and Tristen. ¡°And now you guys will explain what you are doing here. The left hand of the garrison at the Eternal Battlefield and the legendary Forest Princess. I thought you gave up on your careers in order to go adventuring.¡±


    ¡°We are. Joyce employed us as, sort of, bodyguards. Though it feels more like doing odd jobs,¡± Tristen explains.


    ¡°You found yourself a very rude and, most likely, dangerous employer,¡± Zane comments.


    Fae tries to defend herself. ¡°We wouldn''t work for her if she had any ill will towards the Alliance. Joyce didn''t break a single law while we were with her.¡±


    For the first time since the soldiers made their appearance, I get the opportunity to turn my attention to my aides. ¡°So, it seems like you two understated your credentials.¡± Not that I am surprised. All four adventurers performed far above simple soldiers while they helped me with Illum.

 34. ~Dinner~

    ¡°The revolution of the slaves started slow, but it soon became an avalanche which claimed countless lives. And the worst part; none of the revolutionists were responsible.¡±


    ***Jebli Port***


    ***Old Man***


    ¡°Hold him still! With him moving so much... I can''t compare his face with the description,¡± I order my companions. Two of them are holding the fat merchant down, while a third tries to illuminate his face with a torch. They have him pinned down on his bed. The guy is wriggling like a fat and ugly bug which was turned on its back.


    ¡°Why do I have to endure this at my age?¡± I mumble.


    One of my companions doesn¡¯t share my opinion. ¡°Don¡¯t complain, Old Man. It¡¯s better than being worked to death.¡±


    ¡°Let go of me! Guards!¡± The merchant bucks and actually manages to throw off one of my friends, but the hooded figure throws himself back onto the merchant.


    ¡°Don''t scream so loud! It hurts my ears. And besides, there is nobody who could help you. All of them are sleeping. One of my comrades slipped a drug into their food,¡± I explain and step closer. The years weren''t kind to me, so my eyesight isn''t the best.


    ¡°Fucking slaves! What are you doing? Let go of me this instant!¡± Dan throws his head left and right, clearly not intending to be cooperative.


    I press my lips together, showing my displeasure. The merchant, Dan, is actually the underworld crime boss who organizes the secret slave market in Jebli Port. Our master already orchestrated the end of Dan''s business, but the man is already in the process of rebuilding his organization. He is a very capable and persistent little weasel. Just the man we need.


    ¡°Hold the torch a little closer to his face. My eyesight isn''t so good and Dan has a lot of doubles. We have to be certain that it''s him.¡±


    The torch approaches his face and Dan shies away from the heat. Again, I raise the sheet of paper and compare the pattern of moles on Dan''s cheek with the one on the document. ¡°Okay. Seems like we got the real one.¡± I reach into my pocket and retrieve the little slave collar which is supposed to go around his wrist.


    ¡°What are you doing, you stupid fucks!? Is that a slave collar? Don''t you know that slaves can''t give orders to other slaves?¡± He sneers.


    I curl down the corners of my lips. ¡°I know, but the person who made these forgot about some of the safety features which are supposed to prevent events like this one. So, would you please stop your futile resistance? It''s not like we have any choice about our actions. We do what we have to do.¡±


    My people force Dan to hold out his hand and I put the thin wristband onto him. He twitches and shudders as the magic of the slave collar does something to him. Then he is still. I sigh in relief. Finally, no screaming. ¡°See? That wasn''t so bad. Welcome to the resistance. I am sure that you will do everything in your power to help us. Am I right?¡±


    Dan shakes his head, which ends up in a lot of twitching as the collar punishes him for the refusal. After five minutes of trying to deny us, he finally learns his lesson. ¡°I''ll do anything I can. Where do we start?¡±


    I lift a heavy chest onto his bed. It''s filled with thirty slave collars of the same type. ¡°We need to put these onto some people in high positions. I know that we won''t reach the mayor tonight, but maybe some officials and then someone from the city council? We can work our way up from there. The cause needs some people with real influence.¡±


    Dan nods like a docile dog, suddenly very eager to help us. ¡°I know some officials who don''t have that much security staff.¡±


    ¡°Good. Another thing you can help us with, is a way to get to the Empire. There are a lot of people who need our help. They¡¯ll be willing soldiers in our campaign.¡±


    ***Alliance Territory***If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ***Joyce***


    Illum is en route to the Alliance capital, Union, where I''ll find out if my decision to go there was a terrible mistake. The question is; are the nobles willing to take what I''ll offer them freely, or will they try to simply take what''s mine.


    I place another piece of meat in my mouth and chew happily. ¡°Do you know that you guys are my first guests?¡±


    We are at a long table in my new kitchen. Fae, Kiara, Tristen and Brian look mortified, while Zane and Oswin look abashed. The four guards who I also invited to the table look equally disturbed.


    ¡°Is something wrong? I am sorry if fried vegetables and meat aren''t to your liking, but you are the ones who showed up unannounced.¡± I take the salt dispenser to add some taste to my meat.


    ¡°No. Please forgive us,¡± Oswin hurries to apologize. ¡°The food is better than on our ship. Someone who lives on an airship has to be humble in his needs. It''s just that we didn''t expect you to cook for us.¡±


    ¡°Do you want to say that I can''t cook?¡± I ask.


    ¡°You are a very good cook!¡± Zane compliments me. ¡°Who would''ve thought that so few ingredients could end up so tasty.¡±


    I can¡¯t help it. It feels like he is lying for my sake, but I still nod. ¡°This place lacks a lot of things, but it''ll get better. Going to the capital was already on my list of things to do, so your request to go there isn¡¯t entirely against my plans. I have to hire quite a lot of people, cooks, teachers, guards and other staff. The list is long and tiring. May I ask, why were you visiting the mine?¡±


    Oswin looks at Zane and I notice some sort of silent agreement between them. The captain turns his attention back to me. ¡°It was a normal routine check-up on the critical areas within our territory. Our family is responsible for the land around the mine. We never expected to find you there. Though, there are a lot of airships searching for you all over the Alliance. It doesn''t happen every day that a capable mage like you shows up out of nowhere.¡±


    He squints his eyes at me. ¡°That being said, what about your origins?¡±


    I smile and give him my cover story. ¡°I am just a free citizen who lived a humble life up until now. I gave my all to my magical research. It''s just my newest breakthrough which drew so much attention. Flying houses are hard to hide. Maybe I should work on turning my island invisible? That may be a nice idea.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, Joyce is joking,¡± Fae tries to draw their attention away from me. ¡°Oswin, why don''t you tell us what''s going on in the world. We were camping in the wilderness for months. You must have some news. For the sake of the good old days.¡±


    The captain takes his glass with fruit juice and looks inside it. He swirls the liquid around and takes a sip before he answers. ¡°There are actually quite a few things. First of all, regarding the Alliance, everyone is talking about the new prodigy here and about her company. All the nobles are afraid that spacial chests for everyone could screw our economy.¡±


    He places the glass back on the table. ¡°The Sociocrathy, maybe you''ve heard about the large fire which had a lot of similarities with the one in Orwen? The authorities are trying to keep it quiet, but in the wake of the fire, people started disappearing. Nobody has a clue why, but in each case there seems to be a connection to the underworld.


    ¡°Then we have the Empire. I guess that you already heard about Orwen? Well, it''s confirmed now. Orwen is gone and the desk workers in our strategic department are calling for an offensive war against the Empire. Everyone says that we could take large parts of their territory before they are able to establish a new front-line. They are already planning their offensive.


    ¡°There is just one issue they are forgetting. We may be able to advance deeper into the Empire''s territory than we have ever been, but without the help of the Sociocrathy we can''t hold these lands. We''ll end up with a huge territory which we can''t pacify. Without a large scale mobilization we simply don''t have the means to do so.¡±


    Zane grunts. ¡°Given the political situation, the government won''t approve any of that. Their attention is on Joyce and the powder keg in the Sociocrathy. They are denying it, but there is definitely something going on over there.¡±


    Oswin nods. ¡°And finally there are the Mirai. I got the message that, two weeks ago, they attacked Batis Bay with a sizeable part of their fleet. They wiped out the city down to the last peasant. Of course, the Empire tried to retaliate with their gathered fleet, but the Mirai departed before the Empire¡¯s military arrived. Now they have their hands full with clearing out all the undead which the Mirai left behind. Apparently, the pirates found it funny to raise a few skeleton necromancers and lichs as a goodbye present.¡±


    Brian shakes his head. ¡°I am sorry, but that sounds so wrong. Why would the Mirai do something like that? They''ve held themselves back for generations. And why did they choose the Empire? Shouldn''t they have far more reason to attack the Sociocrathy? Are you sure that the information was trustworthy?¡±


    Zane shrugs. ¡°The information is flooding in through all the channels which we have in place. All over the Empire. It was apparently quite the public event. The Mirai intentionally allowed some of Batis Bays''s citizens to escape in order to spread fear and chaos. That''s why it''s no problem to tell you this, it''ll be public knowledge by the time at which we arrive in Union.¡±


    ¡°The only explanation I have is that the Empire had something to keep the Mirai at bay. I had always wondered why the Mirai were holding back when it came to the Empire''s shipping lines. They''ve always been in a perfect position to lock down most of the Empire''s shipments. They must¡¯ve had something to blackmail the Mirai. Now, that something is gone and the pirates decided to unleash their wrath on the Empire,¡± Oswin explains.


    Zane''s expression turns disgusted. ¡°No matter the reason, killing civilians is wrong. If we believe the reports, the Mirai didn''t attack Batis Bay for riches, land or military reasons. Their only purpose was to get as many kills as possible, while having enough witnesses to tell the tale.¡±


    Oswin raises a finger. ¡°Now, now. Don''t jump to conclusions. Batis Bay was the Empire''s closest port to their island. If the Empire had decided to stage another campaign against them, they would''ve gathered their fleet there. You can''t say that Batis Bay was an entirely random target.¡±


    The captain sighs and looks at me. ¡°What worries me more is that so many things are happening at once. Decades passed since we established the Eternal Battlefield with our enemies. It was a convenient state of affairs which kept both nations from slipping into total war. Now, after Orwen''s fall, all the pieces on the gameboard are starting to move. It''s worrying me.¡±


    ¡°I only claim responsibility for my island and the ruckus it causes within the Alliance. It''s hardly my fault that the Empire and the Sociocrathy have their own problems.¡± With my food gone, I place the fork on my plate, then I contemplate the new information.


    I certainly did nothing to rile up the Mirai. Their actions don''t fit into my plans. I''ll have to find out what''s going on with those pirates. The fact that I underestimated their importance is coming back to bite me. My agents will hardly reach the Mirai in time to make a difference.

 35. ~A long list of creditors~

    ¡°The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter.¡±


    ***Union***


    ***Joyce***


    ¡°I still don''t understand why you have to go down there,¡± Kiara complains. Her ears twitch nervously and her eyes wander to the large, perfectly rectangular lake. Zane and Oswin returned to their ship after we had dinner. The next morning, we arrived in Union and our two escorts left us. Now their ship is anchored somewhere down there among dozens of others.


    I was a little surprised that the second ship had no problems with keeping up. But if I think about it, the answer should have been obvious. They may be using an inferior power source, but they are also powering a much smaller vehicle with it. The Illum is like a tank which wouldn''t be able to move without enormous engines, while their airships are like small and light motorbikes.


    I lean against the balustrade of my office''s balcony and look down at the city beneath us.


    The lake below us is a huge artificial dockyard. Someone clearly invested a lot of effort into creating it. Though, I really don''t understand why they design their ships the way they do. There is no logical reason to give all airships such a dual functionality. Maybe the lake doubles as a water source and would be there in any case?


    The rest of Union is also neatly planned out. There are clearly distinguishable districts for each race. Union is supposed to be a symbol of the cooperation between the races, but the various districts are a concession to their different cultures. There are round and rocky structures in the dwarven district, normal houses in the shared human/beastman district, tree houses for the elves, and large spiky towers for the demons.


    There are some more districts, but compared to the others they are small. I guess that they belong to some of the races which are in the minority. The city looks like a huge, multi-coloured pie chart with a huge building in the middle, which is clearly reserved for the government. It looks like an oversized mosque. In front of it is a large plaza.


    I force my attention back to Kiara and smile. ¡°I have to go down there. The government won''t rest until I have told them in clear words to leave me alone. Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s not like I have to deal with a single government. Everyone will be down there, not just human or beastmen nobles.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I am worried about.¡± Kiara shakes her head. ¡°They will try to force you, blackmail you. You can''t dangle something like the Illum in front of a bunch of greedy politicians and expect them to let you go. Each of them will expect a piece of you.¡±


    That''s what I want of them. ¡°I actually like your comparison. So, I just have to show them that I am not something that can be split and shared as they please. Let''s find out how far their resolve goes.¡±


    I pull a communication crystal out of my pocket and call Dorver. The gnome picks up instantly. ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Are you ready?¡± I ask.


    ¡°Of course, and let me tell you, that flying fortress of yours is just overdoing it. Couldn''t you have gone for something smaller?¡± he answers.


    ¡°Would something smaller be enough to intimidate our opponents sufficiently?¡±


    He grumbles. ¡°Probably not. When will you come down? I am already waiting in front of the entrance. The Alliance government isn''t used to waiting.¡±


    ¡°Soon.¡± I hang up and turn my attention to Kiara. ¡°Get the others. We are about to visit the government.¡± I smile.


    The beastwoman rolls her eyes and hurries to gather the others. I use the time to correct my robes. Fae went down to the city and bought me several sets of clothes which make me look more like a ruler and less like the average free citizen. The one I am wearing now is a mix of grey and white with golden embroidery. They have functional trousers, but also a deeply cut skirt over them.


    I insisted that I be able to wear the thin dragonbone armour beneath my clothes. My hand wanders beneath my skirt to make sure that the dagger is within easy reach. Hopefully, there will be no fighting today, but I want to be sure.


    The barrette which is hiding my new miniature power core is also in place. This one is much weaker than the large ones which power the island. No matter the output, having access to an additional power source is never wrong. It doesn''t change the amount of mana I can channel at once, but it mostly eliminates the danger of running out of power.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    In my time on Illum, I never stopped training. I must say that half a year of freedom did wonders for my abilities. When I escaped, I hit my limit with lifting my lemu over a mountain ridge. Now, the task seems like a minor issue. My magical muscles went from an atrophied state to what I would call average.


    My bodyguards arrive. Kiara, Brian, Tristen and Fae look like they are going to war, but at the same time, they chose their shiniest equipment. ¡°Why can you wear armour and weapons, while I have to look pretty?¡±


    They look at each other, but some silent agreement forbids them from answering me. When it''s clear that nobody intends to speak up, I activate the island''s controls and instruct it to lift us to the large plaza in the centre of Union. ¡°Lift off!¡±


    ¡°Oh, I hate that!¡± Brian pales and holds onto Tristen.


    We accelerate and drop down to the plaza, but we slow down in time to touch the ground lightly. The plaza is full of people, but our entrance drew much less attention than I expected. There seem to be plenty of strong individuals who can fly around as they please. During my earlier observation I noticed a lot of people take short-cuts through the air in order to get around.


    Some are eyeing Illum with suspicion. They are also the ones who paid attention to us. I suppose that they noticed us leaving Illum.


    I notice my gnome friend and two large beastmen waiting close to the government''s entrance. From up in the sky it didn''t look that impressive, but from down here the seat of the Alliance''s government looks awe inspiring. The building towers above its neighbours like an eastern palace. The facade is decorated with art of the finest craftsmanship.


    We approach the entrance and I introduce Dorver to the others. ¡°Ahem. Allow me to introduce Dorver to you. He is the head of the merchant guild in Hormundad and a sly bastard. He is also on my payroll.¡±


    Dorver smiles. ¡°Thank you for the compliment.¡±


    I gesture at my companions. ¡°Kiara, Tristen, Fae and Brian. For the time being, they''re acting as my bodyguards, but they also help me with Illum.¡±


    The gnome nods and gestures for us to follow him. The two large beastmen take their positions next to Dorver. ¡°You are right to travel with guards. I also brought two of my friends. It''s unlikely that the government will try to violate our rights, but giving them an opening isn''t a good idea. There are many people who would rather kill us now and ask for forgiveness later. That¡¯s why I made sure that some of my friends are listening in on this meeting. It¡¯s good that the various leaders of the Alliance have to meet in public as long as it doesn¡¯t concern military matters.¡±


    We enter an entrance hall where we are greeted by several guards. This causes a stressful situation. For a moment I actually tense up, expecting a battle, but Dorver doesn¡¯t seem to be bothered by the procedure, so I relax. We follow the guards into a second large hall. It¡¯s designed like an amphitheatre with a second level which seems to be reserved for observers. The ground level is empty.


    At the other end of the hall are several tables which are facing us. They are occupied by people of various races. There are humans, beastmen, dwarves, demons, gnomes and some others who I can¡¯t name out of the blue.


    We are led to a row of seats. The entire setting makes me feel like I''m in a court of law. I take the seat next to Dorver while the others keep standing, playing their role as our guards. To our left, further towards the wall, I notice Zane and Oswin. It seems like they had to give this committee a detailed report of their meeting with me.


    A red skinned man with horns on his forehead lowers a set of documents onto his table. He is sitting in the centre of the people who are facing us. The demon looks at us and quickly picks me as the focus of his attention. ¡°Hello Joyce. I am Maximilian, representative of the demon nation. For the sake of making things easier, I¡¯ll be the one you are talking to.¡±


    ¡°Hi.¡± I smile. That guy actually seems very reasonable. He even has one of those little hammers which judges use to call for order. That¡¯s so retro! This entire setting is exactly as the books described it.


    The demon doesn¡¯t seem like he can make sense of my relaxed behaviour. He waits a moment before he speaks. ¡°Do you know why you are here?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I answer.


    ¡°You are here because you are the owner of Spacial Inc. and of Illum. Some people are concerned that your inventions could damage the economy. Secondly, because Illum violates our regulations on airships. Nobody aside from the military is allowed to have those. And finally, because the humans are laying claim to your property, as you are a member of their race.¡±


    I nod. ¡°I plead innocent in all cases!¡±


    Maximilian almost falls out of his chair. ¡°What? Joyce, do you even understand what we are talking about?¡±


    ¡°Of course! Regarding the spacial chests, I handed the management of this lucrative business over to my good friend Dorver. One of his goals is not to destroy the Alliance¡¯s economy. I am sure that he will allow you to see his business plan on how to become filthy rich without toppling the economy. Then there is the matter of Illum. It¡¯s not an airship. It¡¯s my home. How can anyone just take away what a free citizen created out of her own dreams.¡±


    The demon presses his lips together. ¡°Don¡¯t try to evade the issue with meaningless semantics. You should know that the Consortium is very interested in you. If you are too much trouble, we can simply give you to them.¡±


    ¡°Oh, okay. Blackmail, I understand. I guess that I¡¯ll simply have to give all my property to the human government. Just because they are nobles and asked so nicely for it. Let¡¯s give the humans a flying fortress which out-masses all the fifty seven airships which are currently in your port. I don¡¯t mind aiding my race.¡±


    Everyone starts whispering with each other. They clearly don¡¯t like the idea of having Illum under human control. Before Maximilian can use his hammer to call for order, one of the dwarves stands up to complain. ¡°We can¡¯t crew that fortress with humans! Only the Stonefather knows what they will do with it!¡±


    I try to look conflicted. ¡°Well, I guess that I could give it to the beastmen.¡± I raise my hands. ¡°Since my experiment, I don¡¯t look entirely human anyway, so I could live with that. They¡¯ll surely be happy to adopt me into their ranks.¡±


    As expected, that causes an uproar among the humans, who already envisioned themselves as the masters of Illum. Everyone starts screaming, trying to drown the others with their voices. Yep, it¡¯s exactly the same as in every democracy I ever encountered. These guys are the perfect examples of politicians.


    Maximilian uses his little hammer in an attempt to create order. It takes over a minute to call everyone back to their seats. When the last gnome is back in his chair, the demon returns his attention to me. ¡°Don¡¯t think for a single moment that I don¡¯t understand what you are trying to do.¡±


    I raise my hands, palms out. ¡°My apologies. I just wanted everyone to understand that Illum would shift the balance of power, no matter who gets control of it. And besides, the whole thing is just a large piece of useless rock without me. It''s my enchantments that are powering the island; nobody else can control it.


    ¡°But I have an idea on how to solve the issue. To be honest, after seeing all of you acting like little children, I am not too keen to take anyone¡¯s side. Why don¡¯t you see me as an independent power? I always dreamt about opening an academy, so if you don¡¯t piss me off, I might even share some knowledge with your younger generations.¡±

 36. ~One Shot~

    ¡°If a government can¡¯t solve a political dispute through negotiation, they resort to economic pressure. If that doesn¡¯t yield the intended result, assassination and war are next on the list.¡±


    ***Union***


    ***Assassin***


    ... Why don¡¯t you see me as an independent power? I always dreamt about opening an academy, so if you don¡¯t piss me off, I might even share some knowledge with your younger generations.¡±


    I line up my shot with the chest of the woman who is trying to negotiate with the Alliance¡¯s government. My employers are interested in a quick and clean resolution of the ¡®irregularity¡¯, as they decided to call her. For that reason, they even provided me with a state of the art crossbow. It¡¯s not often that I get my hands on military grade equipment from the Consortium.


    From my position inside the ventilation shaft, I have a perfect view of the hall beneath me. The metal mesh in front of the shaft is a perfect concealment. A little mirror in the room¡¯s left corner even allows me to watch the representatives of the various races. I had to go through great pains to place it there. It¡¯s not like the security in this place is lax, but I take a certain pride in being worth the gold they pay me.


    It took a lot of sneaking around and a few substantial bribes to get into this shaft. Add to that the fact that I was waiting for weeks to be here when they meet Joyce, this job is quickly becoming a badly paid undertaking.


    Maximilian leans back in his chair. It looks like he is wrestling with lots of conflicting emotions. ¡°We can¡¯t have that. If we acknowledge your status as independent... It would be a precedent for all future negotiations with you.¡±


    Now that I think about it, it¡¯s highly likely that my employer is actually the Consortium itself. I got a very precise set of instructions. ¡®Do not kill her if she is handed over to the Consortium, kill her if she goes free or makes a deal with the Alliance.¡¯


    ¡°It¡¯s the only way in which you may gain my cooperation. Apprehending me here and now wouldn¡¯t only break several of your own laws, it would close off any chance that you may benefit from my abilities,¡± Joyce answers, completely unfazed by the fact that she is negotiating with some of the most powerful people on this continent. They are just the representatives of each race, but they are the direct spokespersons of each individual government.


    My employers seem to be very interested in my success. They gave me an enchanted artefact which can¡¯t be bought around the corner. It accelerates the crossbow bolt with force magic. The energy for doing so is stored inside the weapon. All the user has to do, is to charge the weapon beforehand.


    Charging the weapon takes some time, but that¡¯s of no concern in my case. Assassins aren¡¯t interested in more than a single shot. If I miss, the mission is automatically a failure. The fact that I have to crawl backwards through the ventilation shaft will cost a significant amount of time. Time in which someone could find the origin of the attack and hunt me down. I have no intention to end my career early.


    Maximilian tilts his head, silently considering his options. ¡°We have no guarantee that you aren¡¯t lying. Maybe it¡¯s just a matter of taking control of the island. With you out of the picture, we would have all the time in the world to study Illum.¡±


    Taking a deep breath, I make a final adjustment to the scope, another invention which points at the Consortium as the origin of this weapon. If I get caught with this baby, there will be no way to talk myself out of the situation.


    Joyce smiles and shakes her head. ¡°I am willing to swear an oath in order to prove that you would be empty handed at the end of the day. Like I said, the island is useless without me. And let¡¯s assume that you can study Illum. Do you really think that other nations would just lean back and allow you to have such an artefact? Everyone would plot against the Alliance in order to return the balance of power.¡±


    Having made sure that the sights are adjusted, I place the enchanted crossbow bolt in the holding mechanism. It secures the bolt, so that it doesn¡¯t fall out if I have to move with the weapon.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    The bolt itself is also a little artefact of its own. There are several stacked enchantments on it. In fact, I think that the creators of this ammunition overdid it. They stacked several layers of spells. Barrier penetration, armour piercing, fragmentation. I wouldn¡¯t wish for anyone to be hit by this little beasty.


    Maximilian nods slowly and scratches the base of his left horn. ¡°The way you put it makes it seem like we only have bad choices to choose from.¡±


    Down in the hall, they are still talking. Everyone is trying to assert their positions. It¡¯s politics, the reason why people like me will never be without a job.


    I aim at Joyce¡¯s forehead and consider my options. There are some individuals with speed-type abilities who can move very fast. If she senses something, it wouldn¡¯t be a problem for her to move her head by a few centimetres. I aim lower. It¡¯s a lot harder to move her chest out of the way. The upper body has more mass and she is sitting in a chair, which makes it harder to respond quickly.


    It would increase my chances to actually hit her. If the crossbow bolt works as advertised, then it won¡¯t matter if I hit the head or the heart.


    Joyce shrugs. ¡°Life isn¡¯t about good and bad choices. There are always drawbacks. All I can do, is to advise you to choose wisely. There is only one option which gains you something.¡±


    I study the woman¡¯s expression. Her demeanour is disconcerting me. In my line of work, I have to be extremely good with judging other people. More than once I had to disguise myself as a servant to gain access to my target. Doing so needs an extraordinary amount of acting talent, combined with the skill to predict the actions and thoughts of the people around you. Who are the ones I have to be wary of? Who are those who don¡¯t pay attention to me and are easily tricked?


    Maximilian reaches for his hammer. ¡°The only way to solve this problem, is to call for a vote. Whatever the Alliance will do, as a whole, we have to take responsibility for our actions.¡±


    Joyce doesn¡¯t answer. Her smiling expression is like a mask. She is a beautiful woman with her black hair and those deep, grey eyes. It¡¯s the eyes which betray her. They are dead and hollow. I have seen those eyes many times. They belong to people who have given up.


    Those who know that death is inevitable and are fine with their fate¡­ or those who simply don¡¯t care. Such people are the most dangerous ones. They are willing to gamble everything on a small chance. All or nothing.


    But that¡¯s not all I see in Joyce¡¯s eyes. There is one more thing. Without it, my impression of her wouldn¡¯t fit the situation. That additional thing explains why she is able to face the council in such a relaxed manner. She is looking down on them. In her eyes, they aren¡¯t even equals. She looks at them like someone would study an interesting bug and consider what to do with it. A shudder runs down my spine. This woman is dangerous.


    Maximilian brings down his hammer to silence the room. ¡°We¡¯ll vote on how to proceed. There are three options. We apprehend Joyce and hand her to the Consortium. We simply take Joyce at her offer and hand the Illum to one of our factions. Lastly, we can treat Joyce like an independent power, which would mean that we also have to treat her like a noble. The Illum would be an independent state. We¡¯ve heard the most important arguments for and against all those scenarios.¡±


    The dwarves get to choose first. Their representative stands up and corrects his clothes. ¡°It¡¯s clear that the Illum can¡¯t fall into the hands of anyone. And how long would Joyce be able to defend that flying castle of hers? I say that we hand Joyce to the Consortium and destroy the Illum. That will return everything to normal.¡±


    A gnome from the table next to the dwarf gets the opportunity to voice his opinion. He represents one of the guilds, which also have a seat in the government. ¡°The merchants are against it. It would violate the very foundations on which the Alliance was built. We have no other choice, but to acknowledge her independence.¡±


    The humans and beastmen get their turn, voting for the option of adopting Joyce and her possession. Though, they clearly have different opinions on who should crew the Illum. It seems like they are willing to take the risk of losing that little game of influence.


    Some of the minor factions get to vote until it¡¯s the turn of the demons. Maximilian looks around and studies his peers. ¡°Three factions are in favour of taking the Illum, for whatever end. Two votes for her independence. Two want to hand her to the Consortium.¡± He clears his throat. ¡°The demons think that it would be best to regard Joyce as an independent power. It would cause the least disturbance among the members of the Alliance. I think that the elves have the last vote.¡±


    The elven representative rubs her earlobe and tilts her head sideways. It¡¯s clear that her oversized earring is a communication crystal. She is listening to instructions from someone higher up the chain. Maybe the elven king himself. The brunette beauty plays with her long hair and seals the newcomer¡¯s fate. ¡°Don¡¯t interfere with her. Regard Joyce as an independent power.¡±


    I release my breath slowly. My index finger curls around the crossbow¡¯s trigger and the bolt is released with a silent ¡®Twang!¡¯


    It breaks through the thin metal mesh which is covering the ventilation shaft. My target¡¯s hand shoots upwards, placing her open palm in the line of fire. The bolt breaks through a barrier which suddenly shimmers into existence, surrounding Joyce. A second barrier is also pierced, slowing down the bolt.


    The tip of the projectile impacts her palm and the fragmentation spell activates. Three fingers are blown off and a large part of Joyce¡¯s hand disintegrates. The metal fragments spread out and impact the woman¡¯s chest and throat. Her right hand comes up in a blur of motion and something thuds into the ceiling of the ventilation shaft. Two of the guards behind her go down as the woman is thrown backwards and out of sight.


    The guard with the shield jumps forward, foiling any chance at taking a second shot. Reloading would take too much time anyway.


    I curse and crawl backwards. Looking up, I find a glowing dagger stuck in the ventilation shaft¡¯s ceiling. It must¡¯ve missed my head by a few centimetres. Had I been just a little larger¡­ I shudder and try to crawl faster. Even as I do so, the dagger starts eroding the material around it slowly, but steadily, so I double my efforts in getting away.


    They definitely didn¡¯t pay me enough for this job.

 37. ~Incident~

    ¡°If democracy is good for something, then it''s giving politicians the chance to blame others for their failures.¡±


    ***Union***


    ***Joyce***


    ¡°Fuuck!¡± I scream out and shove a finger into the pulsing wound on my neck. The last thing I want is to lose consciousness and bleed out like a slaughtered pig. I messed this one up. There is no other way to put it.


    ¡°Joyce!¡± Tristen appears in my field of view. He presses his hand onto the wound to aide my crude attempt at first aide.


    My tattoo is flaring brightly, channelling all available energy into a healing spell. In order to increase the effectiveness, I cast a more focused regeneration spell on the wound in my neck and slowly pull my finger out as the flesh melds back together. It''s a slow and tedious process.


    The people in the room are screaming and running around like frightened chickens. It''s clear that this wasn''t an officially sanctioned attack, though the origin could still lie within the alliance.


    I noticed the hidden person a while ago. I already was on high alert and a little fluctuation of energy drew my attention. Sadly, I refused to act on the uninvited guest. For all I knew, it could''ve been just a spy. Even in case it was an assassin, I was willing to take the risk. The negotiations were going in my favour and I didn''t want to spoil everything by introducing a new variable. Namely, by alerting everyone to the fact that someone was snooping around where he didn''t belong.


    It could¡¯ve changed the outcome of the vote.


    In my pride, I fell victim to my confidence. Of course I expected an attack and was looking out for it. The moment I sensed magic from the ventilation shaft, I raised all my shields, expecting it to be enough. It turns out that I vastly underestimated the abilities of my opponents.


    That''s the second time this happened to me. I have to make sure that it will be the last. The magic of this world shouldn''t be underestimated just because they went down a different path.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Fae leans over me and tries to assist me with healing magic, but I push her hand away.


    ¡°I''ll be fine. My armour blocked the shrapnel to my chest.¡± The projectile had to break through two of my barriers and was additionally slowed down by my reinforced hand, the metal shards didn''t have enough kinetic force to pierce the dragonbone.


    I am on my back and still in the chair. It tilted backwards when the shards transferred their energy to my armour. Wriggling, I get into a sitting position and spread blood all over the place. My mangled hand is doing a very good job at that.


    Turning around, I find Kiara and one of Dorver''s guards on the ground behind me. The beastwoman is sitting upright and holding her thigh, while the guard is on his back and pressing a hand to his side. They clearly took what glanced off my armour, but their condition isn''t life threatening.


    I reach out and cast regeneration on both of them, staunching their pain. They can be properly treated when we are back on Illum.


    ¡°You are alive!¡± Dorver proclaims loudly. He is still in his chair and his pupils are wide, a sign of shock. It''s clear that the gnome isn''t a fighter.


    ¡°I have seen better days,¡± I growl and try to get up, but that''s easier said than done without a free hand. I slip and land back on my ass. Though, the wound in my neck is almost closed. I channel all my available power into healing magic, but it takes time to mend flesh. ¡°Can someone look for my fingers? It would be hard to regenerate them as a whole.¡±


    Then I dare to take a closer look at my hand. The healing magic numbed the pain. All I feel is a very annoying tingling sensation. I still have my thumb and my pinky. Most of the flesh between them is gone, but the bones are still there. That''s actually quite the surprise. It seems like the spell which changed my hands did a little more than to alter my fingernails. Upon a second thought, that''s actually quite plausible. Wouldn''t my fingernails just rip out of their sockets if they weren''t attached to something of similar strength?


    Which brings me back to long forgotten worries. I didn''t forget to monitor any physical change to my hands and there was none. But what if the altering effect jumped from my fingernails to my bones and continues to alter me like cancer? That''s a disturbing thought. The next thing I''ll do when I get back to Illum, is to expose myself to a complete magical negation field. I should do that anyway, now that I have the possibility. Who knows what additional effects the assassin''s attack might have.


    Fae presents me three fingers.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    I stare for a small eternity at the three pieces of meat. It takes me a few moments to realize that I am supposed to do something with them. Well, seems like the loss of blood is taking its toll. ¡°Help me up!¡± The pain-killing effect of my regeneration spell is probably not helping in keeping a clear head.


    Tristen and Brian reach beneath my armpits and pull me to my feet. The people around us are still in panic mode, so I guess that not more than a few seconds have passed.


    Brian lets go of me in order to take care of Kiara. I flatten my mangled hand on the table and place the three fingers where they are supposed to be.


    Fae touches my shoulder and rearranges the order. ¡°I doubt that you want your index finger as your new middle finger.¡±


    I grin like a maniac. ¡°Each time I point at someone, I would give them the finger. We would be the only ones who are in on the joke.¡±


    ¡°I think that you would prefer your hand in perfect condition,¡± Tristen comments.


    ¡°By the way, why aren''t you freaked out about this? Someone just tried to kill me,¡± I retort and attach my fingers to the bones on my hand. The shredded muscles and tendons are already rearranging themselves to reconnect the lost appendages. Ouch, that will take a while to heal, but at least the fingers won¡¯t fall off.


    ¡°Oh, don''t worry. I am plenty freaked out. Actually, I am starting to think that you should pay us more. And regarding your appearance, you looked worse when the goblin war-drum mashed you up,¡± Tristen states.


    ¡°I saw slimes which looked better,¡± Fae continues. ¡°And don¡¯t think that we didn¡¯t expect much worse than this when we accompanied you.¡±


    Oh, the wondrous effects of healing magic in a medieval society. They aren''t even awed by my regeneration magic. Though, I''ll have to eat something in order to restore the lost mass. My tattoo can''t do anything about the lost body mass, so it has to take the molecules from fat tissue.


    ¡°You are alright?¡± Oswin and Zane join our conversation from across the table.


    I must admit that I completely forgot about the two of them. ¡°Count me among the living.¡±


    The two soldiers carry worried expressions, but the reason for their concern stays a mystery. Maximilian has reinstated something akin to order. It seems like the perfect opportunity to announce my continued existence. ¡°It seems like the Alliance isn''t able to ensure the safety of their own government. What would you have done if that assassin had been after one of you?¡±


    Maximilian''s eyes widen slightly and his nostrils flare. ¡°Joyce, you are alive and well, as it seems.¡±


    ¡°The ''well'' is overdoing it. I have felt better!¡± This is a good chance to complain. They already acknowledged my independence.


    Dorver decides to end this farce. The gnome recovered from his shock. He jumps onto the table next to me. ¡°I think that, for the moment, there is nothing more to discuss. We''ll leave and rest until you manage to close your security leak. The head of a state, though it be small, was just attacked within the Alliance''s halls!¡±


    The demon closes his eyes. It looks like he is considering to smash his horned forehead into his table. ¡°Retreat for now. We''ll take care of this mess. Everything else can be handled via a dispatch.¡±


    Tristen swings me around and our group retreats. I make sure to wave Maximilian goodbye, using the hand which is more bone than flesh. We''ll hold him to his word. I certainly won''t set foot into a city which is occupied by an assassin with barrier piercing ammunition.


    My followers walk fast, but they have enough composure not to run. As soon as we are out of the building, I activate the interface and order the Illum to retrieve us. This includes Dorver and his two guards.


    ¡°Were you serious when you said that the Illum is useless without you?¡± Fae asks with a concerned voice.


    ¡°Yes, but don''t worry. There would be plenty of time for you to evacuate the people,¡± I reply.


    We land on my office''s balcony and they help me inside. Now that I am back on Illum, it feels like I can finally relax. ¡°There are only two things I want right now: food and sleep.¡±


    It goes without question that I get my wishes.


    ***Union***


    ***Zane***


    I watch as Joyce is dragged away by her guards. The woman clearly knew about our guest, otherwise she wouldn''t have been able to react so quickly. I didn''t notice the assassin from my position, but that''s probably why we were given the seats farthest to the left. I couldn''t see the ventilation shaft from there.


    My eyes wander to the shaft, which is currently being inspected by several guards. So far, they haven''t reported back, which means that the assassin got away.


    Joyce and her behaviour are an unpleasant mystery to me. Her origin story is clearly fake and she deals with the representatives of the races as if they are nothing compared to her.


    This attack poses a considerable loss in reputation for the Alliance. It would''ve been a different matter if Joyce hadn''t been elevated to something akin to a ruler who governs over her own estate. The Murian Sociocrathy and the Consortium will use the chance to question our competence.


    Someone will have to take responsibility for this fiasco. And who is a better scapegoat than two highly decorated officers of the army, who happened to be right next to the victim? There is obviously no way that the Alliance''s security was lacking. If nothing else, this attack poses quite a loss of reputation for our family.


    My father spews a few obscenities which I didn''t expect him to know. It''s clear that similar thoughts are going through his mind. ¡°Son, who do you think has the influence to position us right here when something so unfortunate happens? Now I am not surprised that we were ordered to deviate from our flight plan. Without that order, one of them would have found the Illum.¡±


    I don''t answer, but my eyes flick to the human representative. The Atrachs will not waste this chance to make it look like we sat idly by and watched while the attack happened. Not to mention that we had to disarm our artefacts before we entered the hall. ¡°I don''t think that they can pin it on us, but the honoured representative for our king doesn''t look as if he just lost this argument on all fronts.¡±


    ¡°No, not in front of this congregation, but that won''t stop him from making us look bad. He will rant to the king,¡± Oswin whispers into my ear. ¡°This was a setup.¡±


    Maximilian clears his throat and points his hammer at us. ¡°Captain Oswin Birald, I expect you to follow the Illum wherever she goes. Keep us updated on that thing''s position at all times.¡±


    We bow and hurry out of the room. Neither of us is happy with our new task. The Illum and Joyce are unpredictable. There are simply too many ways in which this can go wrong, especially since we have a lot of enemies among the human factions. I am sure that the Atrachs would be very happy to see us fail. Our position within the hierarchy of nobles is already insecure as it is.

 38. ~Intermezzo~

    ¡°Borders are imaginary walls to part people from each other.¡±


    ***Union***


    ***Fae***


    ¡°You are putting a lot of effort into healing that little wound,¡± Kiara complains, but Joyce keeps prodding at her thigh. Our mysterious employer clearly knows very effective healing magic on top of all her other skills. In terms of abilities and knowledge she seems to be a bottle without a bottom. Whenever I think that she has reached her limit, she surprises us with something new.


    I look around the laboratory which we were never allowed to enter. Whatever she did with the ore from the mine, it must¡¯ve been a huge undertaking. She used the same spacial distortion spell which is employed everywhere else on the island. The difference is that she did it on a different scale in here. I can¡¯t see the ceiling and the walls of this hall. They are so far away that the magelights in Joyce¡¯s working area don¡¯t reach them. It¡¯s amazing.


    The room is filled with equipment and metal machinations. Most of them make sense. They are the ones which are in close proximity to me. There was clearly some kind of evolution going on. Old-fashioned blacksmithing equipment led to large casting moulds and so forth. On a nearby table are a myriad of items and little gears.


    Joyce created tools for the pure purpose of creating something else and as the process went on, the items got ever more complex. I walk to the nearby worktable and pick up a round item with spinning gears and little wheels. The purpose evades me until I am reminded of the time display inside expensive communication crystals.


    I turn the artefact in my hands, but I can¡¯t sense any magic from it. Still, the mind boggling thing moves and shows me the time.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Joyce grunts, but doesn''t say anything to Kiara¡¯s protests. Her mind seems to be somewhere else.


    Kiara is in a metal deck-chair. Joyce didn¡¯t build it to comfort the victims, as the treatment she gave Dorver¡¯s guard, Kiara and herself wasn¡¯t gentle. She called it a neutralisation field, but according to my understanding she just used lightning magic to electrify everyone. The beastwoman doesn''t want to drop the issue. ¡°I have never seen you using make-up, so I thought that you don''t care for appearances. It seems like I was wrong. You actually do care about looks. Otherwise you wouldn¡¯t make such a fuss about a little scar.¡±


    Joyce raises her dark eyebrows. ¡°I just want to make sure that the projectile didn''t transfer any curse to us. It broke through two layered barriers and was enchanted with some type of explosion spell. In addition, the thing was accelerated with force magic. Someone invested a lot of effort in order to make sure that the target of this attack wouldn''t walk away. We are talking about at least three layered enchantments. It''s not so unreasonable to think that there might be some hidden effect to make sure that even a glancing hit finishes the target.¡±


    Kiara closes her mouth and allows Joyce to finish the inspection.


    I turn my attention to the gnome and his guards. The men are taking delicious delight in seeing Kiara''s naked thigh, so I step into their line of view. ¡°We need a new plan. Things just got a lot more complicated.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡± Joyce asks.


    ¡°Up until now we simply recruited whoever fulfilled our needs. We even took in their families without additional questions. We have to stop practising this policy if we don''t want Illum to be overrun by spies and assassins. From now on, we need to screen everyone who joins us on Illum,¡± I elaborate.


    Joyce nods, so I continue. ¡°We also need to change the way people see you. For now, it doesn''t change much, since you were running the island according to your wishes anyway. But everyone has to understand that the Alliance acknowledged you as an independent ruler, which makes you at least a noble. You need at least some respect among other rulers.¡±


    Dorver raises his hand. ¡°It''s been a day since I arrived. This morning, Joyce let me in on her plans regarding future operations and I must say that there are a lot of ways to improve on your recruitment style.¡±


    I cross my arms in front of my chest and confront the gnome. ¡°Do you want to say that I didn''t find good workers when we hired employees?¡±


    Dorver quickly back-pedals. ¡°You did the best you could, given the situation. I am not saying that you didn¡¯t find a lot of good people for this island. So far, you laid the foundations. Now, we need to create an organization. Joyce explained her intentions to me. What she has in mind can''t be achieved by visiting town after town.


    ¡°Up until now, it worked out because you didn''t have the reputation and needed the resources, so you had to visit places like Sawood and Teheim. But now we need the best of the best from all over the world. Illum is quickly becoming famous and we can use that to our advantage. I am sure that you know of the fact that the merchant guild also acts as a mediator between employer and employees.


    ¡°I suggest employing the merchant guild to search for suitable candidates all over the world. The guild can handle a first screening to weed out dubious individuals. Whoever passes your standards can use the gate to be transported directly to Illum. You just have to be close to a city which is connected to the network.¡±


    Joyce stops her inspection of Kiara''s wound. ¡°I am sure that you are doing this to get even more money, Dorver. Do you know how much gold it takes to transport someone through the network?¡±


    I nod. ¡°I am not sure if you are aware of the actual scale of this operation, but hiring hundreds of people from other countries takes a whole shitload of money.¡±


    The corners of Dorver''s mouth stretch into an evil grin and the gnome reveals a set of pointy teeth. ¡°Who says that we are going to pay the border fee? We are going to hire everyone we can within the Alliance, then we move the whole of Illum over to the Sociocrathy and hire people from there. We just have to fly to the next city with a gate, a few miles behind the border.¡±


    I open my mouth to protest, then I close it again. ¡°That could actually work. The various governments won''t like it, but they will have no legal way to protest. Illum is its own state, after all.¡±

 39. ~Life~

    ¡°First they drop fire and lightning, then they drop the corpses.¡±


    ***Union***


    ***Joyce***


    I raise the telescope and study the airship which has been circling us for two weeks. The Dawn is like a good little shepherd dog. It''s not unreasonable to assume that the Alliance ordered them to follow us wherever we go. It must be very annoying for the crew that we stayed put and didn''t move an inch.


    It''s time for Oswin''s shift to end and, indeed, his son appears on deck. He walks over to his father''s observation spot. They talk and Oswin leaves his post after a quick exchange. Zane takes his father''s position at the large mounted telescope which acts as an observation station for the Dawn.


    Assuming that his father was watching me, I lean onto my office''s balcony. With one finger, I tug at the neckline of my bathrobe and allow my breasts to spill out a little further. In a robotic motion, Zane quickly swivels the large telescope somewhere else.


    ¡°You are just evil!¡±


    Kiara''s voice spoils the fun and I lower the telescope. ¡°It''s not my fault that he is so innocent. Teasing him is fun. And just imagine what he is thinking now of his father. He just took the post from his old man and the telescope''s sight was pointed directly at my boobs. I am not sure of their relationship, but that must make some dents into the old man''s image. The captain always seems so uptight.¡±


    Kiara steps next to me. ¡°You are trying subvert them, playing son against father. That''s the very definition of evil. But I don''t think that it will work. The two of them seem to be close.¡±


    ¡°You are just spoiling the fun. Is there something you need?¡± I ask.


    Kiara flattens her ears against her head. ¡°Nothing special. I am just here to give you the regular update. The people are doing fine and the work is progressing smoothly. We finally have a few professional guards who can take care of conflicts. A growing population means that we get a lot more crime. It''s too much to handle everything ourselves. We also got teachers and materials for the children and those who are willing to learn. You may be interested in the fact that a certain scholar requested to work for us.¡±


    I turn my attention to my aide. ¡°Edmund? At least I think that it is his name. Why isn''t he at his faculty?¡±


    ¡°As I understood it, he and some of his supporters took the blame for the death of their co-workers. That came with a serious loss in status. The third scholar managed to kick them out of the faculty. That''s the guy who you... dealt with. Now they are all seeking new employment,¡± Kiara explains.


    ¡°I see. He seemed like an airhead, but he knew his field of expertise. And all his scholars were mages, so they will be fine teachers. At least for the basics. Don''t waste time and hire them. The usual contract and oath. We can''t have them run back to another country,¡± I smile.


    ¡°I understand. How are your students doing?¡± she asks.


    Their performance is within my expectations, but they are just kids. It''s up to them how much use they make of my guidance. ¡°Fine, but it''ll take at least a year until we can expect anything from them. Have you sent the offer to teach magic and science to everyone who wants to learn?¡±


    ¡°The offer is out, but we didn''t get many replies. The ones who didn''t outright decline us are just minor nobility. I never expected people in high positions to send us their offspring right away.¡± Kiara wriggles her ears.


    I didn''t know that Kiara''s ears are so flexible. ¡°It''s okay. Give it some time.¡± It was asking too much to get a whole bunch of high profile hostages.


    ¡°I have also taken the liberty to hire some people for your personal household,¡± The beastwoman informs me without a hint of guilt.


    ¡°My personal what?¡± I ask.


    ¡°Maids, attendees who manage your timetable, people who take care of the things which you neglect. I have seen your personal quarters. Ever since you started spending a lot more time inside your secret workshop, your personal rooms are looking like a pigpen.¡± Kiara doesn''t even blink as she hands me her judgement. ¡°Don''t worry. All of the newcomers were taken from the unemployed family members who accompanied the workers to Illum.¡±


    I sigh deeply. ¡°Okay. Fine. Good job, I guess. What about the Alliance?¡±


    ¡°Dorver is handling most of your interaction with them. We''ve hammered out a treaty which is acceptable to us. They get to send us students who can learn from you and, in exchange, we can continue to operate as a company within their borders. It goes without question that their students will most likely be spies. If not assassins,¡± Kiara answers with a dry voice.


    ¡°I''ll be on my guard. The idea of the contract doesn''t sound so bad. Any other news?¡± I ask.


    Kiara informs me of what''s going on in the world. The Empire is conscripting troops to compensate for the loss of Orwen. The Alliance is doing the same. So far, neither nation decided to attack, but they are clearly preparing to turn their cold war into something hot.


    The Murians are having trouble with a group of people who call themselves the Resistance. They are actively freeing slaves who aren''t supposed to exist inside the Sociocrathy. Their movement employs everything which is at their disposal: terror, blackmail, assassination, flyers to rouse the masses. The Sociocrathy is trying to keep it silent, but it''s clear that they are dealing with more than a handful of disorganised idiots. The fact that the Resistance is now also operating within the Empire is proof of that.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    The Mirai attacked several towns and villages along the Empire''s northern coast. There doesn''t seem to be a point to their unusually aggressive actions. They don''t seem to have a military goal and are rather seeking to spread death, destruction, fear and terror. More mysterious, except for the Mirai and the Empire, nobody seems to know why they are doing it.


    I grunt. ¡°Anything about the assassin?¡±


    ¡°The Alliance said that they didn''t find a single clue. We know nothing.¡± Kiara pulls out a sheet of paper and hands it to me. ¡°But we got an invitation from the human kingdom. They want us to be present at their prince''s birthday party. We are also invited to the next World Assembly. I suggest that we visit both.¡±


    I grimace. The World Assembly is a well known event which is sponsored by several nations. It''s a chance for everyone to meet on neutral grounds. I can understand why we should visit it. It would be a chance to meet the leaders of other nations aside from the alliance. But the other one...


    ¡°Decline the birthday party. It sounds like nothing more than another opportunity for our mysterious assassin. I suspect that the nobles of the Alliance just want to force me into some kind of marriage. There is no doubt that they will try everything within their power.¡±


    The beastwoman raises an eyebrow. ¡°Would that be so bad? If you take someone who is weaker than you, you can provide an heir for your estate and lessen their motivation to act against you.¡±


    The telescope in my hands cracks and crumbles as my hand closes around it. I turn to face Kiara. ¡°I won''t do such a thing! Illum is mine and mine alone! Everyone else can go and bite the dust for all I care. I won''t be a part of their wars and puny intrigues!¡±


    Kiara looks a little shocked, but she doesn''t back away. Instead, she tries to ignore my outburst. ¡°That- That''s okay. No reason to freak out. I just thought that you might want someone at your side. I couldn''t help but notice that you keep everyone at an arm''s distance. It can''t be healthy to be always on your own. Do- do you like women instead of men? Such things happen.¡±


    I blink slowly and try to process the meaning of her words. ¡°If I bed someone, then I''ll do so because I want to. Not because I need an heir, or to fulfil anyone''s expectations.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Sorry to have stepped onto your sore spot. I should have known better and won''t mention it again. Are we okay?¡±


    ¡°It''s okay. Just don''t mention it again.¡± I turn my attention back to the airship and smile. Zane is watching us, so I wave to make sure that he knows that we know. Then I play with my loose robe, which quickly results in him looking somewhere else. It''s too bad that, without the telescope, I can''t see his expression. ¡°Maybe I should visit this party and crash it. Just to make sure that they understand my opinion of them.¡±


    ***Union***


    ***Kiara***


    I enter the community room which serves as our party''s meeting place. Fae and Tristen are here, but Brian is absent. He is probably instructing the new guards.


    Tristen looks up from his documents. ¡°You look a little pale, Kiara. Did something happen?¡±


    ¡°Kind of. I stepped onto a landmine and Joyce almost blew up in my face.¡± I drop myself into the couch. The room has four of them. There is also a large table with several chairs. Otherwise, the room is empty.


    Fae doesn''t even look up. ¡°Let me guess. You mentioned sex, a boyfriend, or sharing power over Illum.¡±


    ¡°I did, in a way. All of those. She was about to bite my head off. The tattoo on her shoulder glowed so bright that I could see it beneath the bathrobe. I almost wet myself.¡± I take one of the cushions and cover my face with it.


    Tristen''s voice sounds worried. ¡°It''s clear that she has mental baggage, but that''s no reason to unleash her fury on us. What did she say about the invitations?¡±


    I groan. ¡°She''ll go to the birthday party, but only to crush them!¡±


    ¡°I hope she meant that as a figure of speech,¡± Fae comments. ¡°And you should know better than to step into her comfort zone. If her story is even partly true, then she went through hell. Have you ever seen a slave? I mean, a real one? One who is addicted to the collar? The Alliance isn''t perfect, but at least we''ve banned slave collars.¡±


    Tristen grunts. ¡°It makes me wonder why she is keeping her collar, if it''s really hers.¡±


    I chuckle and grope my own assets, squeezing my nipples through my clothes. ¡°Though, you guys have to admit, the thing is kinky! It even has chains for the nipples.¡±


    Fae coughs. ¡°Maybe you should ask Joyce to repair it. Then we can put it on you.¡±


    ***Empire, Northern Coast***


    ***Janice***


    The captain approaches me and kneels down. ¡°My sovereign! The city is burning, as you willed it.¡±


    Our airships are still firing. Bolts of lightning and balls of fire fall like rain onto yet another city. We used the storm clouds to camouflage our fleet. The people down there never knew what hit them until we started raining destruction down on them. With each flash of lightning, the silhouette of one of our ships becomes visible for just a moment.


    Dark, evil shapes which we designed to instil fear in our enemies. It''s the end of the world for the villagers down there. The fact that I end them like this is a blessing.


    A few brave ones are trying to coordinate the few mages who are left, but my generals are focusingoneach area which shows even a little bit of resistance. Then it is pounded with attack magic until there aren¡¯t even bodies left to be raised.


    I turn my attention away from the flames beneath us. The captain''s skin is so pale that it is almost white. The green fire in his pupils marks him as one of our better creations. An undead who kept his mind when he was revived. He also has a regeneration ability which stops his decay. It takes a lot of time to create one like him.


    I realize that he doesn''t intend to speak further and click my tongue. ¡°I can see that. Do you want to tell me something which I can''t see for myself?¡±


    ¡°We Mirai don''t take pride in adding to the ranks of the dead. Everyone will join us sooner or later.¡± He hesitates, trying not to offend me. ¡°Sovereign, the city''s defenders have fallen some time ago. We are firing on civilians.¡± The captain keeps his eyes focused on my boots.


    I clench my teeth and try to ignore the captain''s insubordination. He is trying to appeal to my morals. Well, it can''t be helped with a sentient one like him. ¡°I know. Thank you for reminding me that we are wasting our time. Drop some of the mindless ones onto the city and set course for the next target.¡±


    ¡°How long do we intend to continue this?¡± the captain asks.


    Ever so slowly, I turn back and lean onto the flagship''s balustrade. The Zenith is three hundred metres in length. It and her three sister ships are the pride of our fleet. We are accompanied by a hundred and forty ghost frigates, each is sixty metres in length. Add to that the troop transports and support vessels, and this is a fleet to behold. Too bad that most of the fleet is hidden inside the storm front.


    This fleet is just a part of our numbers. We can''t spare more if we don''t want to expose our island.


    ¡°We will continue to let the empire suffer. They will bleed until my rage is satisfied. They took from me, and so I''ll take from them. Their cities will burn until the Emperor decides to send his own blood to the front-lines. Only then, we''ll engage his fleet. There is no point in fighting them openly if all we can kill are worthless minions. I want to hurt him the same way he did me.¡±


    And if he doesn¡¯t come I¡¯ll build a wall of corpses with his people. We¡¯ll pile them so high that they never again dare to touch the Mirai.

 40. ~Fete~

    ¡°The leaders of the Consortium always weigh risks versus potential gain.¡±


    ***Union***


    ***Joyce***


    ¡°Stop moving around! You are like a little kid,¡± Fae complains and leans closer with the brush in her hand.


    ¡°I hate make-up. Don''t smear that stuff on my face! Why should I go through such lengths if I want to rebuff them anyway?¡± I retort and push the elf away. Fae and Kiara are taking too much pleasure in dressing me up.


    ¡°Because we invested a lot of time into your outfit!¡± Kiara explains. ¡°We had to make it loose enough to hide armour beneath it. At the same time, you need to fulfil the dress code at the party. That wasn''t easy, since you insist on wearing that barrette of yours. We had to order a dress just for the occasion.¡± The beastwoman reaches for my hair, but I slap her hand away.


    ¡°Hands off! The barrette is holy,¡± I rebuff her.


    ¡°Is it something like your mask or the tattoo?¡± Fae asks.


    ¡°Something like that.¡± I reach for the amulet around my neck. The mask was too clunky for a party like this one, so I had to reshape it into an amulet. There is no way that I''ll stumble into this party without everything I can bring to bear. Since weapons aren''t allowed, I also reshaped my spear into a thin mesh which covers my lower body and my legs.


    It took a long time formy two female advisers to approve of the result.


    ¡°But you aren''t half as intimidating without the eye shadow! It''s destroying your whole style. We went for the evil sorceress/master magician look. Without the eye shadow, you just look like a Goth princess who is rebelling against her father.¡± Kiara holds a mirror in front of me.


    Fae sighs and stores the brush away. ¡°I guess that you''ll simply have to endure the advances of your suitors.¡±


    I raise my hands and close my eyes. ¡°Okay! Just make it quick! And if I get more than five proposals, you two are out of a job.¡±


    The elf hurries to apply the eye shadow. It takes over ten minutes, but in the end I have to pay them my respects. The make-up really does wonders for my haughty expression. I study myself in the mirror. The black and white dress fits my hair and my fingernails. There is also golden embroidery to match my golden barrette. I look like a dark queen. Almost.


    Fae claps her hands. ¡°Now smile. It''ll look gorgeous!¡±


    ¡°I don''t intend to.¡± Not fulfilling their wish, I turn and head out of my private quarters.


    Fae follows me in her white dress, while Kiara chose a purely black one. They said that it would be good to show that they belong to me. At least Tristen and Brian look more like guards. Each party guest is allowed to bring two guards, so Fae and Kiara have to play my maids.


    We meet the two men in my office. Both are clad in black armour. Brian chose it as the official uniform of Illum''s guard. During the week since we hired the guardsmen, the paladin took over their management and somehow evolved into my chief of security.


    I study the two men in their plate armour. ¡°You two look better than me. Why can''t I wear weapons and armour?¡±


    ¡°Because you are the guest. You aren''t supposed to be there for battle. We''ll also stay behind once you are inside the ballroom. Guards aren''t allowed to wander around. We have to stay close to the walls,¡± Tristen explains.


    I just wanted to tease him, but he turned it around by taking me seriously. Grumbling, I head for the balcony. ¡°I just wonder why the human prince has his birthday party in Unis. Don''t the humans have their own capital? And what was his name again?¡±


    ¡°Gregor!¡± They answer in unison.


    Fae clears her throat. ¡°They have, but every race entertains their own localities in Unis. It''s much easier to host large events here, especially when the host invites people from other races. Unis has everything easily available.¡±


    I nod and step onto the balcony. It''s already night, but Unis is brightly illuminated. From up here, the city looks like any modern town when it¡¯s dark. I wonder if they are powering all the magelights with a power stone, or if they have other means.


    Next to the government complex is a large building. It''s hard to miss, since several spotlights are pointed at the walls. That''s where we have to go. I call up Illum''s interface and give the order to land us directly in front of the entrance. There is no reason to leave our hosts waiting.


    My feet lift off the ground and we float out into the night. ¡°I hope that all of you have the antidotes which Dorver bought for us. It would suck to die of poisoned food.¡±


    ¡°We should really hire a few professional healers.¡± Brian doesn''t sound pleased.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    I sigh. ¡°They have some weird code of conduct in their guild. It''s not possible to hire them with money alone. I am playing with the thought of abducting a healer from the Empire. The ones in the Alliance seem to be tied up in politics.¡±


    Fae snorts. ¡°That''s how the nobility of the Alliance stays in power. They guide their lands with relatively loose reins, but they control what''s really important. Life.¡±


    ¡°At least we got some adventurers with healing abilities. They are good enough for now.¡± We touch the paved ground amidst a crowd of people. The area in front of the large building is laid out with red velvet. Guards are keeping the crowd off of the ''welcome carpet''. I took the liberty to land us right in the middle of it, since I had no wish to force myself through the spectators.


    Normally, a cart would roll up at the end of the carpet and a page would guide the guests into the ballroom. I clearly interrupted the procedure. The haughtily dressed servant who was waiting at the end of the carpet has to hurry all the way back to our position.


    The brunette woman bows and clutches a board with a list to her chest. Fae hands her our invitation and the servant crosses me from her list. She gestures towards the entrance. ¡°After you, Miss Joyce.¡±


    For a moment, I consider protesting. The servant addressed me like a free citizen. Is this some sort of power game? Was the servant ordered to treat me below my rank? If so, not responding to it would show that I see myself as not worthy of being paid the proper amount of respect. Doing so in front of dozens of witnesses could cause repercussions later on.


    I glare at the woman, but she doesn''t falter. Seeing no other choice, I turn away and walk to the entrance. ¡°The host of this party must lack the money to employ people who know the proper protocol.¡± I speak loud and clearly to make sure that I am heard.


    The servant has to run in order to overtake me. She opens the door and bows deeply. ¡°My apologies, Mistress Joyce, ruler of Illum.¡±


    I ignore her and stride through the door into an entrance hall. Behind it is a much larger ballroom which is filled with people. Somehow, I expected that the prince would greet us personally, but we are being treated like any other guest. It''s probably impossible to greet several hundred guests personally. If the prince greeted me personally, it would mean that I am someone who is at least equal to him.


    Which I am. I was recognized as the ruler of Illum. I admit that Illum is small in terms of population, so it''s impossible for a large country to treat me on equal footing. But I am at the very least high nobility and famous, which means that a word of greeting can be expected.


    Fae leans over. ¡°They are testing us.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± I hiss. ¡°And in a very rude way.¡±


    Tristen clears his throat. ¡°We''ll wait over there at the wall. I think it gives us the best view on the ballroom. Please try to stay within our field of view and don''t wander around too quickly. We need time to catch up.¡±


    I smile and watch as the two of them depart, then I link arms with Fae. ¡°We have to find myself a partner before they can separate us. Honestly, why did I allow Kiara to persuade me to do this?¡±


    ¡°I did not!¡± the beastwoman protests. ¡°Persuasion looks totally different. I gave you the invitation and said something stupid, stupid. That''s all.¡±


    ¡°You said stupid twice.¡±


    ¡°Intentionally!¡± She huffs.


    Fae points at a round bar with a servant who serves drinks. ¡°Why don''t we check that out?¡± Fae pulls me towards her target.


    ¡°Kiara, love! It''s been a long time.¡±


    We aren''t even twenty metres into the ballroom when Kiara gets practically abducted by a hunk of a man. His beard is like a mane and this ears are a little rounded. A lion-kin? Kiara replies with a forced smile. ¡°General Utlov, it has been indeed a long time.¡±


    He completely ignores me and begins to question Kiara about her current occupation. I want to protest, but Fae pinches my side and guides me away. ¡°Beastmen have a very rigid social structure. We shouldn''t interfere when Kiara is challenged by someone higher up the ladder. She could lose social status among her kind and that''s something she certainly won''t thank us for.¡±


    I whistle, frustrated. ¡°Ten metres into the room and one of my shields is already gone. How long will it take for you to disappear?¡±


    At least we reach the bar without further interruptions. Fae gets herself some wine, while I settle for fruit juice. The decision was made as soon as I spotted a bottle with the same stuff which I got addicted to when I started my journey on Illum.


    Fae leans over. ¡°Do you know how expensive that grapple juice is? It''s one gold per bottle!¡±


    I wave her off and pay without questioning the price. As if I would care. ¡°I have been drinking several crates of it since I left Hormundad. What''s the point in being rich if I have to eat bad food? Though, I am running low. At some point I''ll have to restock.¡±


    We manage to chat a little bit, before I spot the next problem in the crowd. And it''s high profile. ¡°Fae, do you know an elf with the name Alias?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he is the king''s spymaster.¡±


    ¡°Ah, he is heading directly towards us,¡± I inform her.


    Fae''s expression distorts in distaste and she turns in the indicated direction. ¡°Now I know why you gave all of us an amulet to block mental attacks. Why do you know him?¡±


    ¡°Oh, we met in Hormundad. He had a certain problem and requested my help. I wonder what he needs this time.¡± I take a sip from the excellent fruit juice. Fae called it grapple.


    Alias reaches us and grants me a heart warming smile, but his mojo is immediately extinguished by the tattoo on my shoulder. A slight sting in the back of my brain extinguishes any positive feelings towards him.


    I use the glass to hide my mouth and whisper, ¡°Do that again and you''ll be in a world of pain.¡±


    He sighs. ¡°I am sorry. My ability is always active to a certain degree. I am not here to seduce you.¡±


    Fae raises an eyebrow and looks at me.


    I smile. ¡°He tried to use his glamour on me. Almost ended up with a dagger in his heart.¡±


    Alias crosses his arms in front of his chest. ¡°I am seeking you out because of something else, enchantress. Do you know that a certain dubious individual bought a lot of spacial chests from your company?¡±


    The corner of my mouth twitches involuntarily, but the glass covered it up. He almost had me there. ¡°I suppose that such transactions are unavoidable. My company doesn''t have access to the Alliance''s criminal records. But I can give you insight into my company''s records, if you can convince me that this individual is dangerous.¡±


    A good lie always includes a little initiative. He is trying to extract information. For example, if I slip up and admit that the criminal in question is from the Sociocrathy, I would have a problem. But if I assume that Alliance records would have prevented the situation, then I give off the image of being willing to help and show that I know nothing of his case.


    ¡°That wouldn''t have helped. The man in question was from the Sociocrathy,¡± the elf informs me. He turns his attention to Fae. ¡°By the way, I wasn''t aware that you have the Forest Princess working for you.¡±


    I nod and try to sound surprised. ¡°Yes, Fae. That''s the second time that someone mentioned this nickname. Could you explain that? I thought that I hired a totally normal adventurer.¡±


    Of course, I knew from the start that Fae at least knows someone important. I doubt that a normal, run-of-the-mill adventurer could send information home where it would be immediately paid attention to.


    Fae gulps down her glass of wine. ¡°My dead uncle was the king''s brother, so I am twenty-eighth in line to the king''s throne. This vague chance at the throne and my achievement as a scout on the battlefield earned me the nickname, Forest Princess.¡±


    Alias shakes his finger at Fae. ¡°I am afraid that you are twenty-sixth. Your information is outdated. The king purged most of the Finguld family, which got you rid of two distant cousins. Congratulations.¡±


    Fae snorts. ¡°I dread the day at which I ascend to the single digits. Life expectancy declines rapidly from then on.¡±

 41. ~Play them~

    ¡°One can¡¯t have too many enemies.¡±


    ***Union***


    ***Joyce***


    I whistle, appreciating the news that Fae has royal blood, even if she is just a distant relative. This opens up a whole new world of possibilities. ¡°At least that explains why you are so adamant about dress codes and appearances. I was wondering why a soldier would know so much about the upper ranks of society.¡±


    Fae looks away. ¡°Ah, yes. I joined the military to escape that. Fifty years of putting up with high society produce rebellious thoughts in everyone.¡±


    Alias pulls his lips into a thin line. ¡°Fae, I would like to talk to you, alone. There are some important things which we have to discuss.¡±


    I wave him off. ¡°Don''t worry. Fae has a very good non-disclosure contract with me. She can''t tell you anything, even if she wanted to. And I''ve made sure that you can''t turn my people with your mojo.¡±


    The spymaster ignores me and keeps his attention on Fae. ¡°It''s not about what Fae can tell me, it''s about what I can tell her. But such discussions can''t be held in a public place like this one.¡±


    Fae sighs and squeezes my hand. ¡°I guess it can''t be helped. I''ll make sure to inform you of everything he told me.¡±


    Well, damn! There goes my second shield. What did I do to deserve this. I sway my glass and gesture for her to go with Alias. ¡°I¡¯ll endure. Though, I am sure that he will just rant about how dangerous I am, which will be nothing new to you.¡± Smiling, I raise my glass and watch their departure.


    If this whole thing wasn''t staged, then I''ll abstain for a week from drinking this addicting fruit juice. I search the crowd, expecting to find the vultures closing in on me. And indeed, a man in fancy clothes is making a beeline for me. That didn¡¯t take long. Instead of staying put, I decide to make it harder for them.


    At an opportune moment, I join a passing group of people and fight my way deeper into the crowd of guests. Prince Gregor didn''t hold back in giving out invitations. There must be at least five hundred people inside this hall.


    I touch the amulet on my chest and search for the energy signature of a certain person. While doing so, I cut a straight line through the ballroom. It would be surprising if Zane and his old man aren''t here. Unfortunately, their absence would also mess up my plans for the evening.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    Ducking, I pass under the silver platter of a servant and weave past a group of talking people. The servant performed a little miracle when he avoided colliding with me. Though, the little commotion behind me is a clear indicator that he ran into someone who was right on my heels.


    There is a certain problem with blackmail and intimidation. It doesn¡¯t work if the offender doesn¡¯t get the chance to threaten the victim. Not that I would care about anything they have to say, but it would be troublesome to face such people on my own. I have no intention to talk to anyone without having a witness.


    I am about to turn around and circle back, when I recognize the aura which I am searching for. Zane is standing on a little bridge which allows the party guests to pass over a little indoor pond. The pond is located in the far left corner of the ballroom. It looks a little displaced, but some of the amphibian beastkin seem to need the water. A mermaid is floating in a relaxed manner on the pond¡¯s surface.


    The bridge is elevated and allows Zane a good view of the ballroom. He is clearly looking for someone. I stealthily move through the crowd and step onto the bridge. Zane doesn''t even care about the clicking of my heels on the dry wood as I approach him. His full attention is on the crowd. His hands are on the bridge''s balustrade, so I sneak and arm beneath his armpit and link arms with him.


    ¡°Hi, handsome, are you looking for someone?¡±


    His whole body turns rigid and I swear that he would have jumped, hadn''t I held onto him. He spews out a colourful curse which I leave better unrecorded to spare future generations. ¡°You know very well that I was looking for you. Your excesses on your office¡¯s balcony left little doubt that you know that we have to watch you.¡±


    I moan. ¡°Then watch me! Men are such perverts.¡± And a sudden idea flashes through my mind. ¡°Where is your Daddy?¡±


    He slaps a hand onto his face. ¡°Somewhere in the crowd, looking for you.¡±


    ¡°Too bad, I still have a free arm for him,¡± I pout. ¡°You could take my right arm and the old man can have my left.¡±


    Zane looks horrified, which is the reason why I am behaving like this. The past week gave me plenty of opportunities to judge his character. There is much to learn by observing a person in a closed environment like a ship. The way he treats his crew and ¨C most importantly ¨C how his crew acts towards him. Watching him was enough to tell that he is living by a strict moral code. Otherwise he wouldn¡¯t have tried to avoid all the little treats I was offering him through his spyglass.


    ¡°Why are you doing this?¡± His voice is a little edgy and he tries to pull away, but I sink my fingernails into his clothes, not letting go.


    ¡°Don''t worry. You are so cute and innocent, no woman would want to pop your cherry. I like women, by the way.¡± I pat his arm to reassure him that there will be nothing between us.


    ¡°Then why?¡± he asks.


    ¡°Because I was invited to this party for a reason. People want to be seen with me. Some want me dead and some want me alive. Preferably in a master-servant relationship. They will stop at nothing to get what they want and I will stop at nothing to get what I want. That''s why you are my date tonight.¡± I lean against him and give my best to look like a woman in love.


    ¡°Hah!?¡± The poor man is totally out of his game.


    I lean closer and whisper, ¡°Don''t you get it? You are the only one in this party who isn''t supposed to make a move on me. You are the one person who is supposed to stay at a distance in order to watch me. Hence, I can create the most mayhem if everyone thinks that you hooked up with me. They will accuse you of following your own agenda. And as the stupid, low born maiden, I obviously fell for the first man who showed interest in me.¡±


    He tries to push me away without causing too much of a commotion. ¡°Let go. You have no idea what you are doing. Do you even know what your presence is doing to the Alliance?¡±


    I don''t let go and push my chest against his arm. ¡°If you don''t stop, I''ll kiss you right here and now. Then I''ll make a scene which will be worse than allowing a few rumours to spread. You''ll stay with me and act as my shield against the royal dimwits who think that they can use me. If I already have a date, there isn''t much they can do without losing face.¡±


    Zane stops his struggles and pulls me closer. Instead of looking annoyed and shocked, he focuses his attention on the crowd and smiles. ¡°You are going to pay for this. I have no idea how and when, but you are so going to pay. It will be humiliating and it will hurt.¡±


    ¡°I have no doubts about that.¡± I grin. ¡°If you behave, I might even do this the decent way and all you will have to put up with are rumours.¡±

 42. ~Demonstration~

    ¡°It took a long time for the various nations of the world to realize that the members of the so-called resistance didn¡¯t fight for freedom of their own free will.¡±


    ***Union***


    ***Joyce***


    I return my attention to the crowd, but it seems like my pursuer hasn¡¯t caught up. Maybe he has to change clothes. I didn¡¯t stay to check on the aftermath of the collision with the servant, but I imagine that afterwards neither of them was presentable.


    Some people are paying attention to us, but that¡¯s nothing out of the ordinary. With so many people in the vicinity, some are bound to pay attention to us.


    ¡°Are you aware that I could lose my job over this? My whole family is in danger of losing status,¡± Zane complains.


    ¡°Really? Are you in trouble with your competitors?¡± Is it really my responsibility to consider his situation? I have my own problems and it isn¡¯t like I haven¡¯t killed to solve my issues. What¡¯s someone¡¯s job compared to a human life?


    A more weighty problem is the fact that Zane and Oswin will simply get replaced with others. Do I want that? There are certainly worse people to have as a tail. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If the worst comes to worst, you can apply for a job on Illum. I am willing to take you in. Your expertise with an airship would immediately get you and your family a place among my ranks.¡±


    Zane shakes his head. ¡°That isn¡¯t something I wish for. We are a renowned family and I have a fianc¨¦e! If you screw us over, she might call off the marriage.¡±


    I huff. ¡°Marriage? Being seen with me shouldn¡¯t be a problem if you two love each other.¡±


    ¡°We aren¡¯t seeing each other often enough for anything like love. Serving on an airship doesn¡¯t help,¡± he grumbles.


    ¡°Ah, so it¡¯s political. It doesn¡¯t change the fact that I¡¯ll use you as a shield,¡± I whisper and watch the mermaid who is passing below us. She doesn¡¯t care that the whole world gets to see her assets. ¡°That girl is naughty. Why is she allowed to do that? It¡¯s unfair that some races can go for a swim in this pond while others have to follow the dress code.¡±


    Zane shrugs. ¡°It can¡¯t be helped. Amphibian races can¡¯t stay on land for an extended amount of time.¡±


    Our discussion is interrupted by a man who joins us on the bridge. I recognize him as the same guy who was following me earlier. He took off his fancy jacket, but it¡¯s definitively him.


    Zane groans and whispers into my ear. ¡°Pavel Atrach. His family has the ear of the king. They have their fingers everywhere and they aren¡¯t keen on sharing power.¡±


    Pavel reaches us and bows slightly. ¡°Joyce, I was looking forward to meeting you.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t,¡± I answer as cheerfully as possible. The corner of Zane¡¯s mouth pulls downwards, but he says nothing.


    Pavel¡¯s expression turns haughty. He clearly doesn¡¯t think much of Zane and his family. ¡°I would advise you not to listen any of the lies which come out of a Birald¡¯s mouth.¡±


    I click with my tongue. ¡°Ah, indeed? He didn¡¯t mention you. I simply chose him to accompany me tonight since I already know him. When I said that I wasn¡¯t looking forward to meeting you, I meant everyone who wants to use me for his own gain. The disrespectful reception already taught me that I am not here because you people honour my abilities.¡±


    ¡°You people? And you chose him?¡± the newcomer asks with raised eyebrows. Pavel grins at Zane as if I just insulted my chosen partner.


    ¡°Nobles. Men and women who think that they are better than others because they drew a better hand of cards when they were born. When I was invited to this party, it wasn¡¯t because any of you respect my achievements. It was to determine if you can use me for your own gains. Allow me to return the question. What can you offer me that makes it worth my time to listen to you?¡±You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    He straightens his back. ¡°You sound very high and mighty for a newcomer. How long do you think you can play this game without allies? You didn¡¯t even listen to my offer. Instead, you start ranting like a little kid. Nobody can expect to receive respect if he or she did nothing to earn it.¡±


    ¡°I did nothing to earn it? What of Illum? What could you offer me? A political marriage to gain status which I don¡¯t need? Money which I am already swimming in? Power which I command with my little finger?¡± I tilt my head and regard him without any emotion. ¡°Your aura doesn¡¯t look very impressive. I suppose that most of the time you hide behind your underlings.¡±


    He glares at me. ¡°There will come a day when your house of cards crumbles. Someone will learn Illum¡¯s secret and suddenly you won¡¯t be so special anymore. Though, I bet that you simply found a power stone and are very good at hiding it.¡±


    I call up Illum¡¯s control menu. This will be an enormous bluff. In fact, if anyone realizes that I am not the one who is casting the force fields, I am screwed. Illum¡¯s ability to project force fields is limited to three kilometres around the island. That sounds like a lot, but it isn¡¯t. Now I am glad that I manoeuvred the island closer to this building, just in case.


    Letting go of Zane, I do some dramatic gestures with my free hand to distract from the fact that manipulating the control menu is the only thing of importance in this little show. The additional power cores gave me enough calculation power to do some upgrades on the interface.


    At first I started out with basic command lines, which quickly evolved to a very rudimentary control panel. My current operating system still has a few flaws which I strive to get rid of, but that¡¯s only because I invested most of my time into the program which allows me to sculpt Illum in three dimensions.


    A pillar of water rises from the pond. It¡¯s a little too close to the bridge, so I push it further away from us. Choosing two fractal equations, I apply them to the pillar in order to create a tree-like structure. The Brownian tree and the Pythagoras tree equation fit the situation perfectly. Then I copy the whole object to create a little fractal forest.


    Adding a single, large pillar, I place a huge sphere at the top of it. It almost reaches the ceiling and for a moment I sweat blood when it seems like I got the size wrong. Wouldn¡¯t it be a wonderful display of my skill and power if I crush this whole building by accident? Nobody would trust me and all my plans would be for naught.


    As an afterthought, I add some water pipes which spread out through the hall. A few small basins allow the merfolk to come up for air and to mingle with their land-bound cousins. I add some basins to the outside of the sphere and give my whole creation a little spin, including the trees. This drains the rest of the pond, which turns out to be nothing more than a very fancy pool. It was made to appear like a pond with the help of illusion magic.


    The befuddled mermaid and a few of her brethren are now floating inside the large sphere. The water pipes give them access to the whole ballroom. I smile and look up to study my inspired creation. Pavel looks up at the mind boggling thing. The muscles in his jaw work feverishly as he tries to stay calm and collected, but his eyes are slightly wider than before.


    ¡°Does it look like I am in need of one such as you?¡± I ask, and my words are carried far and wide. It isn¡¯t like I spoke exceptionally loud. It¡¯s just that the whole room had fallen completely silent.


    Pavel returns his attention to me and corrects his shirt. ¡°It seems like you¡¯ll do perfectly fine on your own.¡± He bows and walks away. ¡°But mark my words. There will be a time when you need friends.¡±


    I sigh and link arms with Zane. ¡°It seems like the bug is gone. Why don¡¯t we go and get ourselves something to drink?¡±


    Zane clears his throat and guides me off the bridge. ¡°Of course. We are a little exposed. Mingling with the crowd might not be a bad idea.¡±


    I nod and allow him to take the lead. It¡¯s very satisfying when the people in front of us part and give us at least two metres of room. ¡°It¡¯s strange. They didn¡¯t do that when I was alone. Your family must be very respected.¡±


    ¡°You mean that they didn¡¯t do that before you demonstrated that your force magic could wipe the floor with ninety nine percent of the people in this room,¡± Zane replies.


    ¡°There are people who I can¡¯t wipe the floor with? Tell me, I am interested in meeting them.¡±


    He sighs. ¡°Prince Gregor is one of them. There are also a few others throughout the Alliance, but I don¡¯t know if they are present. The people in this party belong to families of high status, but the individuals themselves are not the reason why their families are so powerful and respected.¡±


    ¡°So you are saying that I was invited to a party for the young and the inexperienced. That¡¯s yet another hidden insult. At an age of eighty-six I expect more. Well, almost eighty-seven,¡± I retort.


    Zane laughs roughly. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t put it in such a way, and you never mentioned your age to anyone. We know almost nothing about you. The only people who might know something don¡¯t leave Illum. Everyone suspects you of the most horrible sacrificial rituals to gather the needed power for your island. Of course, since you allowed us to inspect Illum and to talk to the inhabitants, we had to speak against such theories.¡±


    Now, that¡¯s strange. ¡°I wasn¡¯t aware that such rumours exist. My people are free to leave the island as they please. The fact that they don¡¯t want to leave for any reason speaks for itself.¡± I am silent for a few moments, contemplating the situation. ¡°At least I showed everyone that I have no need for sacrifices to cast my spells.¡±


    ¡°You did. Though, even after seeing it with my own eyes, I don¡¯t believe that any of them will be able to duplicate your skill. Or is it an ability? I still believe that you are using power stones. You are just good at hiding them. Maybe you are hiding them inside a spacial pocket and found a way to access the energy.¡±


    He is getting very close to the secret of my barrette. I don¡¯t like it. ¡°Why don¡¯t we take a drink? It¡¯s not like I would answer any of those questions. Oh, I forgot! I already gave you and your father the chance to read me with a truth spell. Both of you asked your questions and failed.¡±


    We reach the round bar where I parted with Fae. Zane orders wine for himself and fruit juice for me. The fact that he noticed my preferences is very thoughtful of him. I take the drink and prepare myself for some idle chit-chat until the next problem arises.

 43. ~Bye~

    ¡°There is only one important thing in a civilised society. Respect.¡±


    ***Union***


    ***Joyce***


    Our time together doesn''t last for long. We barely had a few minutes when we are, yet again, rudely interrupted by a woman who practically wrestles Zane out of my hands. There is an expression of outrage on her face and she rudely violates my comfort zone by coming entirely too close. ¡°What do you think you are doing?¡±


    I decide to stick to my dumbfounded expression. Better to feign ignorance than to plain out confess any wrongdoing on my account. I already have a good idea of who I am facing. ¡°I don''t know what you are talking about.¡±


    Then I notice Oswin, who was following in the woman''s wake. ¡°What do you think you are doing?¡± The older man sounds like a broken record. His face is red and I am not entirely sure if it is because he is angry, or because he ran through the large hall to get to us.


    Ignoring the Barbie-faced woman, I smile and spread my hands to hug Oswin. ¡°Hi! I''ll gladly answer your question if you clarify it. As far as I see it, I am having a good time at this party, where people are insulting me and testing my patience at regular intervals.¡± Not giving Oswin the chance to react, I step next to him and slide his hand around my waist.


    The poor man is so overwhelmed that he freezes up and allows it to happen. Zane''s expression darkens when he realizes that I just traded him for his father.


    ¡°What were you doing with my fianc¨¦? Everyone saw that you were hitting on him!¡± the woman complains. She is a beauty with white hair, but there is something off about her facial features. They are too symmetrical for a real person and I can''t recognize her ethnicity. It seems like she is a blend of every beauty idol that''s known to this world. She must have gone through a few very painful cosmetic procedures with professional healers to look like that.


    The result of her modifications looks entirely too artificial.


    ¡°I was having a friendly chat with Zane. He is in charge of stalking me, totally professional of course. Licensed by the government. So, since I am stuck with someone who has to follow me around, I thought that he can keep me company at the same time. Though, I have heard about your relationship. Now that you are here, you can have him. Oswin will do for me,¡± I explain.


    She gasps at my choice of words, but the meaning seems to penetrate her brain. ¡°Is that true, Zane?¡±


    Zane sighs and nods. ¡°Forgive me for the commotion, Carmen. Joyce threatened to cause a scene if I didn''t provide her with an alibi to reject Pavel.¡±


    I nod. ¡°I am great at making scenes. Everyone in this hall seems to think that I am some kind of uncivilised barbarian who can be used to their own advantage. Pavel simply pushed me over the edge.¡±


    ¡°Just do it again and I''ll end you.¡± Carmen squints her eyes at me. For some reason, she isn''t cowed in the least. There must be something wrong with her ability to sense danger.


    I raise both eyebrows and try to determine if she is serious or if she is bluffing. ¡°You are welcome to try. It''s not like one more enemy would make any difference.¡±


    Oswin tries to free himself. ¡°Stop that, Joyce. I am a married man! You seemed like a reasonable person when we visited Illum!¡±


    ¡°I am! And stop struggling, or I''ll really cause a scene. How would it look like if I start screaming right now? First the son and then the father! Stop now, and you still have the chance to pass it off as being overly friendly.¡± I lean onto Oswin¡¯s shoulder.


    Oswin stops his attempts at escaping me, finding himself in the same situation as his son. ¡°Bitch! I get what you are trying to do, but you are hurting our reputation. Don''t think that we''ll forget this.¡±


    ¡°Thanks!¡± I sigh.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    Our little group is disturbed when the crowd suddenly parts and allows another participant to join our conversation. The man is large and has brown, curled hair. He brings his own crowd of cronies who dutifully wall us off from the rest of the guests. ¡°Joyce, I was looking forward to meeting you.¡± He bows slightly. ¡°I am prince Gregor and I hope that you are having fun at my party.¡± He looks up at my creation, smiling. ¡°I didn''t expect that you would honour us with such a performance.¡±


    I quickly study him. He carries several enchanted items and his whole aura leaks power. It isn''t surprising that Zane thought of him as dangerous. ¡°Oh, yes. The greeting wasn''t exactly as I expected it, but I had some fun. A certain bug forced me to show him his place. He wouldn''t back off otherwise.¡±


    The prince nods. ¡°I know. The Atrachs are known to be very demanding. They always seek more power for the human kingdom. Something which you should also be interested in.¡±


    ¡°It seems like you want to be blunt.¡± I raise a finger to my lips. ¡°Your point is very close to the truth, but not quite. Are the Atrachs seeking power for the sake of humankind and our position within the Alliance? Or do they seek power for themselves? I am the latter type of person and when I was talking to Pavel, it felt like I was talking to a like-minded soul.¡±


    The prince raises an eyebrow. ¡°Did it?¡±


    I nod enthusiastically. ¡°Yes, it did. Of course, you have no reason to believe me, since I am obviously very friendly with the Biralds.¡±


    The corners of Gregor''s lips rise just a little. ¡°Indeed. It seems like you don''t care if it''s young or old. Have you decided to act as you please, since you weren''t satisfied with the way you were treated at this party?¡±


    ¡°So you are aware?¡± I ask and decide to answer his question as an afterthought. ¡°I am a very free minded person. Why should I limit myself to things like gender and age? If I like someone, I should be allowed to hug them.¡±


    That seems to put Gregor off. ¡°Well, I hope that you''ll enjoy the rest of the party. I''ll go around and advise the other players in this little scheme to leave you alone. This is still my birthday party and I would be very unhappy if I have to police my own guests.¡±


    I smile and wink at him. ¡°I promise not to kill anyone. Though, I may rip off a leg or an arm if someone offends me. It depends on the situation and on my mood.¡±


    The prince bows again and smiles at Oswin. ¡°Stay with her, since you are already here. It seems like the military wasn''t smart when they gave the commander of an airship the order to trail a person at a party. That sounds more like the job of a trained spy.¡±


    Gregor turns around and leaves with his followers right behind him.


    Oswin deflates. ¡°That could have gone better.¡±


    I laugh and reach for another glass of fruit juice. ¡°It could have gone so much worse.¡± At least the prince doesn''t seem to belong to the people who are trying to test me. He seemed genuinely annoyed by the fact that some people are using his party to cause trouble. I suppose that not all leaders can be convenient assholes.


    Carmen crosses her arms in front of her chest. ¡°What now?¡± She turns to face Zane. ¡°Will you simply forgive her for playing with your family''s honour?¡±


    Zane spreads his hands. ¡°What can we do? You heard the prince. We have to watch her.¡±


    I ignore the bickering couple. They remind of other times. A few unwanted memories of better lives flash through my mind. Following an impulse, I reach for another glass, but this time it''s no fruit juice. I really need a little alcohol in order to get through the evening.


    Oswin and Zane stay with me. They are good company, but my earlier admissions to Carmen take the whole fun out of the situation. Though, that doesn''t mean that she allows Zane anywhere close to me. Time flies by and I eliminate one glass of wine after the other. At some point, I find myself joking with Carmen about the inadequacies of certain types of men.


    She passes out not long afterward. We place her unconscious body at our feet and continue drinking. Her silent passing is the only reason that I start paying more attention to my surroundings. A few healing spells prevented me from experiencing the same fate, but in my boozed state I am still a little surprised when I find a man standing next to me at the bar. I didn¡¯t sense him at all.


    He is large and pale. His hair is completely black, just like mine, and there is an eerie green fire in his pupils. He does nothing, says nothing, and seems to be content with just standing there, watching me.


    Creepy.


    ¡°Can I help you?¡± I ask.


    ¡°No.¡± He shakes his head and answers with a frosty voice.


    Plus one point in creepiness! ¡°Okay, then why are you staring at me like that?¡±


    He shrugs. ¡°I just wanted to get a good look at your eyes.¡±


    Okaay. The strangeness is strong with this one. I point at the crowd. ¡°Why don¡¯t you go and entertain yourself? I think that you have seen enough.¡±


    The creep nods. ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± He turns and walks away, disappearing between the other guests.


    I turn my attention to Zane who was watching the exchange. ¡°What was that about?¡±


    He shrugs. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t think too much of it. Mirai diplomats are always a little strange. I think that the pirates always send us the faulty ones. It¡¯s a hidden insult against our politicians, meaning that a brain dead zombie is enough to deal with them.¡±


    ¡°That was a Mirai!?¡± I point at the man, but realize too late that he is already gone. Damn it! That was a good opportunity to learn something of them. ¡°Why is he even here?¡±


    Zane sighs. He is also struggling due tothe long evening. ¡°The Mirai have their emissaries everywhere. There is hardly a large political event without their presence. They are a genuine state, so why shouldn¡¯t they pay the prince their respects? Not that sending a corpse to deliver greetings can be considered polite. That doesn¡¯t mean that there is any importance to it. There are also people from the Sociocrathy and from the Consortium at this party.¡±


    ¡°There you are!¡± Fae¡¯s voice rattles my tipsy mind and I find her standing behind me, together with Kiara. Damn! I am really not a hundred percent lucid. I didn¡¯t even realize when they snuck up on me.


    ¡°Wow! Joyce, you are wasted. We better get you home before you get violent,¡± Kiara comments, a worried expression on her face.


    ¡°Yes, I learned of something very troublesome. We better get you out of here.¡± Fae takes my hand and pulls me away from Zane.


    ¡°But the party is just starting!¡± I complain, but Fae is insistent and her pulling causes me to sway, which isn¡¯t exactly good for my belly. I retch, but catch myself just in time. ¡°Okay! Wait! I have to dispel this! Can¡¯t have it coming down all at once!¡±


    I turn towards my water sculpture and consider my next step. Activate the control menu of Illum and call up the design program. Consider. Consider. ¡°Well, fuck it!¡± I select the sculpture and punch a hole into the bottom of the structure.


    The large sphere and the network of pipes are rapidly drained through the trunk which is standing inside the pond. The pipes provide a short but steady supply of fresh water and the whole system inside the sphere starts spinning. Well, many people of this world may not recognize it as such, but it reminds me of a huge toilet which is flushed. In which case, the merfolk would be...


    ¡°Hahahahahaha!¡±


    Kiara grabs my left arm and Fae grabs my right arm. Together they pull me towards the exit.

 44. ~As we are many~

    ¡°Don¡¯t fight them on a battlefield or in a graveyard. Don¡¯t fight them with a large number of people. Use poison, assassination or overwhelming force in single combat.¡±


    -Rules for engaging a Mirai necromancer


    ***Empire, Northern Coast***


    ***Janice***


    Three seemingly endless weeks of pillaging and burning villages. The emperor truly doesn''t care about his subjects as long as he himself is safe.


    I study the observation platform of the Zenith, my flagship. The captain and my general are studying a magical projection of our current situation. They are concerned about our positioning. We are twenty kilometres away from the northern coast. Beneath us is only the empty sea.


    Our fleet is in a steep climb and rapidly gaining altitude, while eighty-seven ships of the empire are two kilometres behind and seven kilometres below us. They are just out of effective range. Anything one side may throw at the other can be countered at such a large distance.


    We''d been playing cat and mouse with them for weeks until they caught up early this morning.


    I close my eyes and try to consider our options. We outnumber the Empire, but except for the Zenith and her sisters, our ships are all smaller than theirs. Which means that they either have stronger power stones or have moreof them on their ships. Is it is safe to assume that they also have more firepower?


    So numbers alone won''t win us the battle. We need a way to bring them to bear. It''s very likely that they can take us on in terms of offensive and defensive magic. Should we simply flee towards the open sea? The empire will be reluctant to start a battle where every lost ship is a guaranteed lost power stone.


    Minx, my familiar, walks elegantly up the stairway and cuddles with my leg. The white ghostcat has been a pet of my dynasty for generations. I kneel down and pet the animal, then I return to my position at the balustrade. But Minx isn''t satisfied and jumps onto the railing to walk along it, positioning herself in front of me.


    I chuckle and continue to caress her.


    ¡°My sovereign? An urgent message from one of our diplomats.¡± A messenger arrives and kneels down, presenting me with one of the many communication crystals which we always have with us. I may be overseeing this campaign, but I am still the matriarch of my people.


    I hold out my hand and he hands me the crystal. I notice that his hand is warm. He hasn''t started his last journey yet. It''s a blessing to be alive and at the same time, it''s strange to serve in the military while being alive. Most Mirai only join once they died. The messenger quickly retreats and leaves me alone. He doesn''t deserve to listen in on matters of the state.


    I try to relax my voice and raise the crystal to my ear. ¡°Sovereign of the Mirai State, Janice. Who am I speaking to?¡±


    ¡°Your trusted envoy, Emil Fotenu, directly from Unis. You yourself gave me my second life and I honour you, Sovereign! May the Dynasty last forever. It seems like I am finally able to repay my debt.¡±


    I roll my eyes. The dead are always so formal. I really have to find a way to weed out those who suffer from too much religious zeal. Reviving people who already were a pain in the ass while they were alive isn''t a good idea. A little worship for the dynasty is good, but many overdo it. ¡°Speak.¡±


    ¡°I found her. I found your granddaughter. Nova Mirai, the princess is alive!¡±


    I clench my teeth and grip the communication crystal tighter. My emotional outburst scares Minx and she jumps out of my reach. ¡°If this is a joke, then I am not amused. You have no idea-¡±


    ¡°Please! This isn''t a joke! I would never do something so horrible to someone who is mourning. You didn''t even get the chance to revive her to a second life. I know that we thought her dead, but she must have survived Orwen. She is breathing and alive.¡±


    He interrupted me, but maybe I''ll let that slide. ¡°Explain.¡±


    ¡°I encountered her at prince Gregor''s birthday party. She is going by the name of Joyce and governs a floating island by the name of Illum. You must have already heard about it. It¡¯s big news. She appeared out of nowhere as far as the Alliance is concerned. Incredible magical talent and power.¡±


    I close my eyes and hold onto the balustrade. Of course, I have heard about this wondrous island. ¡°Your description doesn''t add up. Nova had been a slave of the Empire since she was born. My intelligence officers said that she wasn''t treated well. Even if she survived, she should be a drooling idiot. And assuming that our best healers take care of her, re-education and therapy would take decades. There is no way that Joyce is my granddaughter.¡±


    ¡°But I stood in front of her! Pale skin, black hair. She even looks like your daughter. Her eyes are also exactly like they should be. Grey, with a strike of green in the centre and turning light blue at the rim. I felt the intense wish to throw myself to the ground and worship her.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    ¡°But I didn''t! I figured that it could''ve been dangerous to reveal her secret right then and there. She is definitely a direct descendant of the Mirai Dynasty. And if she isn''t your granddaughter, then she must be some sort of illegitimate child of someone who is one of your direct successors. The urge to serve was so strong that I only kept standing because I reminded myself that you are the current sovereign.¡±


    I reach for my chest and try to stop my rapidly beating heart. It''s so bothersome to be a living person. Could Nova really be alive? Or is it an illegitimate child? No, that shouldn''t be possible. To command the dead Mirai, one must be in a first or second degree of relationship to the sovereign. That''s me, my daughter and her brother. My husband is already dead.


    My daughter is accounted for and she never got a second child.


    My son is happily married. He would never whore around and even if he did, my spies always have a close eye on such things. It wouldn''t do to have an unknown member of the dynasty who is able to control the dead. That only leaves my lost grandchild. But how can this Joyce be my granddaughter? I suppose that there are some spells which could control a slave, or switch bodies. ¡°Can you follow her?¡±


    ¡°Ahem, that could be problematic. She is living on Illum.¡±


    I don''t take no for an answer. ¡°Get close to her. Protect her and find out why she isn''t a vegetable. Get me information on what''s going on. How much does she know of her past? Get onto Illum, even if you have to scrub the floor to do so. I''ll come as soon as I can.¡±


    ¡°But-¡±


    I cut the connection and throw the communication crystal towards one of the staff members. He''ll bring it back to where it belongs.


    A look at our situation tells me that nothing much has changed. A gesture gains me the attention of my command staff. ¡°Prepare the fleet for battle. I want us to be ready for maximum manoeuvrability!¡±


    The captain nods and starts giving orders, while my general looks surprised. ¡°I thought we would only engage once we are sure that the emperor''s offspring leads the enemy.¡±


    I nod. ¡°That''s true, but things have changed. We won''t let go of the chance to fight this battle. If we destroy those ships now, it will take the Empire years to recover. Their presence in the northern oceans will be severely weakened unless they decide to reinforce their position. That''s unlikely to happen since they have problems with the Alliance.¡±


    ¡°We are ready,¡± the captain informs us. ¡°Your orders?¡±


    I allow myself a feral grin. ¡°Turn the whole fleet around. I want maximum acceleration until we are directly above the enemy.¡±


    The general bites his lower lip. He is an old draugr. One of his eyes is completely pale and there is a hole in his left cheek. His creator clearly made him before our people learned how to regenerate a dead body. I wonder why the general doesn''t allow someone to make him look less like a corpse. The captain is a perfect example that the undead don''t have to look repugnant.


    ¡°I suppose that we can pass over them and drop a few bombardment spells. It depends on how fast they react, but they''ve been following us for days. Maybe their command staff is sleeping and we can catch them off guard. Though it''s unlikely that we can break their shields from this distance. Their ships are strong.¡±


    I shake my head. ¡°We won''t bombard them. You are right that their ships are individually stronger than ours. In a traditional shoot-out, we will pay a heavy price for engaging them. But we have more ships and more people. More importantly, they will wet themselves as soon as we board them.¡±


    ¡°Board them?¡± the captain asks.


    ¡°I am sure that those ships represent the finest which the empire has to offer. At least in the northern hemisphere. They are strong and large, but that also makes them slow and less manoeuvrable than our ships. I bet that none of their captains ever tried to switch off their levitation magic in mid-flight. They surely aren¡¯t ready for it.


    ¡°We¡¯ll do so and drop the five kilometres until we are right between them. We¡¯ll reactivate the levitation magic and cast anti-barrier fields. Once we are close enough, they can¡¯t use large spells without harming themselves. It¡¯ll be a dangerous manoeuvre, but our new ships are over-engineered enough to take the stress. Together with our support vessels, we outnumber them three to one. We¡¯ll swarm them.¡±


    The smiles of the two undead in front of me widen at the thought of shedding our enemy¡¯s blood.


    Turning around and reaching a position directly above the enemy took less than a minute since they were also coming towards us. It¡¯s reasonable to assume that a sufficiently bored observer might need a few seconds to realize our change in trajectory. Then it takes a few precious moments to get the message to the commanding officer, who in turn needs a few seconds to make sense of the situation. By the time he starts giving orders, it¡¯s already too late.


    The operation proceeds smoothly until it is time to disengage the force magic which is holding our ships afloat. Their grave mistake was to follow us below our plane. Gravity is still the strongest force in this world and it allows us to drop onto them like hawks.


    I hold onto the balustrade and my feet lift off the ground as the Zenith starts falling, right into the centre of the enemy fleet. The wind makes it hard to breathe, but I cast a barrier to solve that issue. I hold on for dear life and watch the engagement unfold. There are a few flashes of light as large spells are cast, but there are far too few of them. We took the imperial forces completely off guard. Maybe they already congratulated themselves for chasing us away from their shore.


    One of our troop carriers crashes into an enemy battleship and both ships break apart in a shower of splinters and debris. I watch in dismay as the aft section of the imperial ship stays in the air, though I guess that they won¡¯t join the battle in their state. Despite the horrific collision some of our men managed to board the ship.


    We are now right among the enemy fleet. The Zenith shreds one of the smaller, imperial vessels as we crash right into it. Our men immediately flood onto the enemy ship. They are out for blood and they will use everything, including teeth and nails, to get it.


    I smile and hurl myself over the balustrade as I notice an imperial vessel pass beneath us. Guiding my fall with force magic, I land directly between the command staff of the ship. The empire¡¯s colourful uniforms make it really easy to identify their commander. My rapier leaves its sheath and passes smoothly through the throat of the commanding officer. The unholy green glow which is surrounding the weapon connects to the man¡¯s wound and feeds me with his power and his soul.


    Evading the sword of a crewman, I strike out and punch my hand right into the chest of another opponent. Dancing to the side, I use the dead man as a shield against the incoming spells and push my mana into the dead body, animating nerves and supplying them with a different form of energy.


    I pull out my hand and protect myself with a barrier. Their spells fizzle out of existence like nothing. I laugh and cast a bone spear right into a man¡¯s chest. That¡¯s when they realize that they are nothing more than prey. A few decide to flee. One even chooses to jump overboard, sealing his own fate. I guess it¡¯s better than becoming an unwilling undead.


    The men who I killed rise again. They are of the mindless variety and easily defeated. I didn¡¯t have the time to return them properly.


    It¡¯s still enough to freak the others out. They flee their own bridge in a mad panic. I laugh and step to the ship¡¯s helm, taking control. In the chaos of the battle, it isn¡¯t hard to find another imperial ship. I spin the wheel and howl as my conquered vessel sets onto a collision course.


    Minx jumps onto the helm and looks at me accusingly.


    ¡°Go away, I am busy. Today, there are many enemies to convert to our cause.¡±


    I break off the helm and cast a levitation spell to abandon the ship. I feel myself becoming stronger with every death around me, a unique trait of Mirai necromancy. The two colliding imperial ships are of no concern to me as I search for the next target.

 45. ~Pain~

    - ¡°Why are you asking the same question again and again!? It''s not like I''ll ever tell you the truth!¡±


    - ¡°I simply figure that there will be a point at which you get tired of lying.¡±


    ***Empire, Northern Coast***


    ***Janice***


    I am drunk on power and I feel good about it. There is something satisfying about slaughtering these soldiers. After holding back for so long, it feels like pure bliss to punish someone, even if they aren''t directly responsible for their nation''s actions. They are still the Empire''s soldiers and the simple fact that they belong to that depraved nation is enough reasoning for me.


    ¡°Please! Stop! Spare me!¡±


    My rapier comes down on the soldier''s forehead and splits his skull. Blood sprays across the deck and a piece of brain flops onto the wooden planks. Yes, definitely satisfying.


    Grinning, I advance with a party of soulless undead behind me. This is the seventh ship which I boarded so far and it seems like it will be the last one. The battle is coming to a close. Most of the Empire''s ships are taken or destroyed. All that remains is this ship, their command vessel.


    I point at a hatch and five of my new recruits swarm into the opening. There are some muffled screams from inside, but I don''t care. My target is the enemy general. He is standing proudly at the helm, rallying his remaining men even as one more of our ghost frigates crashes into his ship''s side. The reinforcements throw themselves into the battle, further stacking the odds against our enemies.


    The ship''s deck is in chaos and slick with blood. Our enemies are still fighting, but it''s clear that this is their last battle.


    The commander spots me as I approach his position. Resigning himself to his fate, the enemy commander joins his people. He draws a large sabre and hacks at one of my soldiers. The sharp blade slices through the undead like a hot knife throughbutter. His temporary victory causes him to smile and he continues on his way to meet me.


    Our blades collide in a shower of sparks and my smile widens when I realize that this man knows how to use a blade in magical battle. I take a solid stance and allow the power to flood through every vein, muscle, and bone in my body. The general''s aura is bright and strong compared to his underlings. This will be a good fight.


    The commander stops his advance just within my reach. Both of us aren''t moving from our positions. Only our arms blur and the blades clash, creating a shower of sparks. I move by pure instinct, because I cannot directly see the motions of my enemy.Only his shoulder and upper body give me small hints at what to expect next.


    The barrier around me flares several times as his blade manages to sneak past mine. Each time, his barrier also flares up as my blade strikes his. We trade blow for blow without a clear winner. Pearls of sweat appear on the commander''s forehead and he raises his hand, attempting to cast a spell while simultaneously defending himself.


    Seeing my chance, I step forward, right into his sphere of defence. Our barriers clash with each other and break. My blade collides with his and I use the interruption in our dance to jump forward, punching my elbow right into his Adam''s apple. He gasps for air and isn''t able to prevent my blade from sliding along his.


    Grabbing his bladearm, I pull him towards me and step to the side, slashing the rapier across his belly. A rapier isn''t intended for cutting, but it gets the job done like any other weapon with a sharp edge. I open him up like a pig. His guts spill out and I step away from his falling body. The stench is indescribable.


    I reach up to touch the wound where his blade touched my cheek and cut into my earlobe. With both of our shields cancelling each other, his last strike got through. Grunting, I kick the man, rolling him onto his back. Then I sink the rapier right into his failing heart.


    The battle is over.


    Taking a deep breath, I place my hands behind my back and survey the scene in front of me. We took their flagship and it seems like all that''s left to do, is to clean up.


    ¡°Your flagship reports that the battle is over.¡± One of the undead soldiers approaches and kneels down. He is carrying a large communication crystal.


    I nod and take the artefact. It links me directly with my command staff on the Zenith. ¡°Report!¡±


    The general answers me from the other side. ¡°We wiped out the imperial fleet. Nineteen ships were taken and three got away. The rest was destroyed. We lost twelve ghost frigates and twenty-four support vessels. Most of our losses were due to crashes with their ships. Some didn''t manage to re-engage their levitation magic and crashed into the sea.¡±


    That''s a good ratio. We traded one of our ships for three of theirs. A traditional battle would have meant the loss of up to ninety percent of our forces. There was even a chance that we could''ve lost. ¡°Good work. Commence with the clean-up and take over the captured ships. Separate our undamaged ships from the ones which are unfit to continue the campaign. I want the captured ships and our unfit ones to stay here. Send our support vessels down to the bottom of the sea. They have to retrieve every power stone that''s still usable.¡±Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°That will leave us with sixty-two warships.¡±


    I nod. ¡°Order a sufficient number of the support vessels to accompany us. There is somewhere we have to be.¡±


    I return the communication crystal and point at the corpse of the enemy commander. ¡°Bring him to the Zenith. He fought well and will be a good soldier. It would be a waste to throw away a man like him.¡±


    ***Union***


    ***Joyce***


    Headache, go away. I groan and place my forehead on the cold surface of my office table. ¡°Pain, pain, why? No spell works. What was in that stupid wine? Did they poison me? I''ve never had such a brutal hangover.¡±


    Fae places a glass of water in front of me. ¡°That was dwarven wine. Its unique property is that it can get even the hardiest people drunk. Even if they try to mitigate the effect with magic. Sadly, that also applies to the after effects of excessive drinking.¡±


    Kiara raises her hand. ¡°After her display at the party, I want to call for a petition. Who else thinks that Joyce should be forbidden from drinking alcohol?¡±


    Several people raise their hands. They are all from Illum''s command staff and assembled here, following Fae''s wish. I have no idea what''s so important that it can''t wait. ¡°Please, get this over with. Why does everyone have to be here?¡±


    I look at Fae and Kiara. Then I study Tristen, Brian and Dorver. Everyone who belongs to my inner circle is here. The fact that Fae didn''t invite people like Klein and Elma means that she doesn''t want the contents of this discussion to spread to the island''s population.


    Fae crosses her arms in front of her chest and glares at me. ¡°You lied to us!¡±


    I squint my eyes against the light and flick my hand, using force magic to pull the curtains in front of the windows. That''s better. ¡°About what?¡±


    Fae stabs her finger at the table''s surface, making her point. ¡°You lied about your origins! Why didn''t you tell us that you are a Mirai?¡±


    I rub my temples and glare at the elf. ¡°I honestly can''t follow you. Please explain, slowly. I assume that it has something to do with what Alias had to tell you?¡±


    Fae presses her lips into a thin line. ¡°He told me that he is relatively sure that you are a Mirai. They all have pale skin and black hair. That doesn''t fit with your story. You told us that you are an escaped slave from the empire.¡±


    ¡°So that slimebag tells you something and you get doubts about me?¡± I take the glass of water. It''s cool, so I press it against my forehead, rather than drinking it. ¡°I still can''t follow your reasoning. What does my ethnicity have to do with the fact that you jump to the conclusion that I lied about my past as a slave?¡±


    Tristen shakes his head. ¡°There are no Mirai slaves in the empire. Their last clash with the Mirai was decades ago, and by now, most Mirai are living on their island. Nobody has managed to get close to their cities since the war.¡± He looks at Fae. ¡°Are you sure that Alias didn''t lie? I, personally, never saw a living Mirai. But I guess that there are plenty of people with pale skin and black hair who have nothing to do with the necromancers. How did he prove to you that Joyce is a Mirai?¡±


    Fae shakes her head. ¡°I wasn''t sure either, since I have never seen a living Mirai. They created something like a religion around their necromancy. Only their dead travel outside their state. I thought the pale skin has something to do with the fact that they were revived, but apparently, it''s a trait of their people.


    ¡°Alias arranged for the Mirai envoy to meet you. He made me watch and it proved his point. Normally, the corpses aren''t interested in anything. They just walk around and observe without much interest. On rare occasions, they deliver a message from the Mirai Sovereign. But as soon as he saw you, he acted very creepy! He totally ignored us and just stood there, ogling you. Only after you told him to leavedid he stop and walk away.¡±


    I lean back and take a sip from the water. ¡°Have you forgotten that I was a slave for over eighty years? I was born in slavery. Maybe my parents were captured Mirai? I don''t know. I really don''t understand what the fuss is about. So what if I am a Mirai? I am still me. I have no memory of my parents and no connection to their culture.¡±


    Stupid, meddling elves. I''ll make sure to take revenge on Alias. Didn''t they promise not to mess with me? Pointing me out to my enemies comes very close to that.


    Brian raises his hand. ¡°I think that Fae wants to say that some things don''t add up. All of us became invested in Illum. It would be a catastrophe if something happened to Joyce.¡± He looks at me. ¡°Maybe you don''t realize it, but the people on this island idolize you. I won''t go so far to say that they worship you, but it''s very close.¡±


    Dorver raises a hand. ¡°Sorry if I am prying, I only heard the story from the others. You said that your master kept you alive with rejuvenation treatments.¡±


    So they are talking behind my back? I suppose it''s to be expected. ¡°Yes.¡±


    The gnome nods. ¡°Let''s assume that you aren''t a Mirai spy who wants to gain intelligence.¡± He looks around. ¡°Which would be very stupid, because Joyce has more than enough money to change her looks as she pleases.¡±


    He returns his attention to me. ¡°So you were a slave. Do you have any idea how much rejuvenation treatments cost? There aren''t very many healers who can cast the spell. Their time is precious and each of them has a full schedule. So why did your master keep you alive? Did he love you? Because, no matter how beautiful you are, the cost of a single rejuvenation treatment is enough to buy ten high-class beauties.¡±


    Kiara squints her eyes and glares at the gnome. ¡°And why do you know that?¡±


    Dorver quickly clears his throat. ¡°Slavery is one of the empire''s support pillars. It''s important to know about it to understand their economics. The black market is an important part of understanding the world''s economics.¡±


    I sigh. ¡°I have no idea why I was kept alive. All I know is that there must have been a reason, but I don''t know what it was. In one of my earliest memories, I remember that my master was practically ordered to take me in. But they never bothered to mention a reason.¡± I glare at the floor and try to remember more, but the alcohol is doing a good job at burying the bad memories. Maybe I should get drunk more often.


    Fae massages her forehead. ¡°Alias mentioned that the recent activities of the Mirai must be connected to Joyce. I don''t know from where he got his information, but he is always travelling all around the world.¡±


    Tristen pulls down the corners of his mouth. ¡°Because of his meddling, you assumed that Joyce knows something, or outright lied to us. That''s a long leap in logic.¡±


    ¡°This is getting us nowhere.¡± I hold out my hand. ¡°There, truth read me all you want, it won''t change my story.¡±


    When nobody comes forth, Brian is the one who gets up. ¡°I''ll be the evildoer. If this doesn''t get done, there will be always doubts.¡±


    Five minutes later, none of us have learned anything different. And I am also grumpier. ¡°Is everyone satisfied? Can I go back to sleep? I have to think of our next destination.¡±


    Dorver raises his hand. ¡°Actually, there is one more important thing and it''s connected to this discussion. I waited to bring it up until the air is clear. A strange request landed on my table, just this morning. A certain Mirai envoy requested to see Illum in person. He offered to be a permanent diplomat for the Mirai state. According to him, they are very interested in your idea of turning Illum into a school. It would be an opposing force to the Consortium and they approve of that.¡±


    ¡°That''s definitely not an accident,¡± Kiara concludes.


    I press the glass of water to my cheek. My headache doesn''t want to stop. ¡°There is only one solution. Get that guy on board and we''ll question him.¡±

 46. ~Rivalries~

    ¡°Some may think of the Alliance as a place of peace and equality, but every society has a dark side. Nobody won the war, so we are in the unique position to remember history without the censorship of the winner. It shows that there are no true heroes or villains. In the end, all of them just struggled for survival, power, and fulfilment of their dreams.¡±


    -Scholar Edmund


    ***Union***


    ***Zane***


    I lean back and glare at the ceiling. My office at the garrison in Union City is small, but I don¡¯t need more. I am just an officer after all. It''s already getting dark and my magelight is the only thing which allows me to work at this hour.


    This morning, my father brought me very bad news. It seems like the Atrachs used their chance and discredited us. The enmity between the Biralds and the Atrachs is old and runs deep, so their trickery wasn''t surprising.


    Damn Joyce and her stupid games. The various noble families of the human kingdom are always grasping for more power and Joyce''s appearance turned a cold war into a hot one. Using force isn''t beneath the Atrachs.


    We may not be the most powerful family, but three airships of the Alliance are commanded by our brethren. That gives us a lot of leverage on anyone who might stand in our way. It''s also a thorn in the side of the Atrachs, who wish for nothing more than our end.


    The king knows of this ongoing battle for influence, but he doesn''t care. He even encourages it, as long as the other races aren''t involved. One might say that he is turning a blind eye on the squabbles of his underlings. Of course, only as long as they don''t get strong enough to overthrow him. Battles between the families keep them too weak to challenge him.


    The appearance of Joyce and Illum is for the families what a light is for moths. Everyone wants a piece of her. The woman is a great catch for anyone. She is a powerful mage and negotiated eye to eye with the Alliance as a whole. By establishing herself as an independent power, she not only made herself attractive for the lower nobility, but for the ruling houses themselves. I bet that even the beastmen are thinking of approaching her.


    And I swear that she knows exactly what she is doing to us. Nobody can be that oblivious. I bet that not only the humans have their eyes on Illum. That woman talks of peaceful coexistence, but at the same time she dangles a piece of meat above a pit which is filled with starving dogs.


    Nothing she says is wrong, or unreasonable. They allowed her independence because the Alliance would tear itself apart to get control of Illum. The last thing we want right now is a civil war. At the same time, the Alliance can''t allow a chance like Illum to slip away.


    After her behaviour at Gregor''s party, it didn''t come as a surprise when my father told me that our mansion was attacked by unknown agents. Which means that they were Atrach operatives. We have many enemies, but only the Atrachs would try something like murdering a whole noble family. Our family fought them off, but three-quarters of the servants are dead. My mother and my little sister went underground to avoid further attempts on their life. After such an attack, it would be irresponsible to stay at our estate.


    The Atrachs have clearly proven that they are willing to do anything to get us out of the way. And the king is silent. Without undeniable proof against the Atrachs, he will do nothing to help us.


    My train of thought is interrupted when the door to my office opens and Pavel Atrach arrogantly enters the room. He smiles and waves a stack of documents at me. ¡°Normally, I would never visit you inside this hellhole, but this is simply too good! I had to bring you the news myself.¡±


    I squint my eyes and try to make sense of his presence. He is the current representative of the human kingdom. In that function, he has no reason to be here. ¡°What do you want?¡±


    ¡°New orders! This is just a copy, but you will find it interesting. You will get the real ones this morning.¡±


    While he brags about the new orders, I slide a hand to the communication crystal at my desk. It doubles as a surveillance device for the garrison. A small screen appears above the crystal, it¡¯s an illusion. A few mental instructions are enough to check the hallway in front of my office and various other locations. Everything is empty, so Pavel didn''t come with a group of bullies to take care of me and my father. ¡°You are really just here to brag?¡±


    He throws the documents onto his desk. ¡°Not only to brag, but to see your face when you read this.¡±


    I lean forward and look at the documents. They are deployment orders for our ships. To be exact, for the three ships in our patrol group. There is a lot of redistribution among the crew, but most importantly, Captain Zesni and Captain Mandrich get promoted. Perilous and Legit are going to replace them. I know their names; they are Atrach loyalists.


    That will put two of our ships under the control of the Atrachs.


    ¡°Look at your face. It''s exactly as I imagined it! It makes up for the public humiliation you and that wench caused me. I had to take quite a lot of steam because of that. Well, that''s everything I wanted, goodbye.¡± He turns around and attempts to leave.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    I place a finger on my desk and quickly trace the rune which activates my office''s security measures. The spell activates and the door slams shut. A complicated web of barrier spells appears on the door, the walls, and even the window, which means that this room is impenetrable for a short period of time. There will be no getting out or getting in.


    Pavel turns around, an outraged expression on his face. ¡°What''s the meaning of this!?¡±


    I press my lips together and study him intensively. Is he really that stupid, or is it an ingenious trick? One where he offers himself as a sacrifice? Is his family using him as a bait? No. It''s hard enough to get one of their people into Pavel''s position.


    Pavel isn''t a strong mage and he isn''t exceptionally smart. Joyce judged him correctly when she met him. There is just this pesky ability of his, which allows him to shape energy as he pleases. Thanks to that, many people underestimate him. It makes him an opponent to be wary of, but nothing special. He relies too much on his ability and totally forgot to train his magic properly. Using an ability is much easier than to shape a spell. It¡¯s a shortcut.


    People who possess both, magic and an ability, are either very dangerous or just average. Their magical growth is stunted because they rely too much on their talent.


    Pavel is just average, but getting caught by his ability is still dangerous. That makes him perfect for the position as the human representative. All he has to do in his job is to sit down and listen to Alliance meetings. Then he gets a short moment of glory when he can relay the wishes of the human king to the other races. It''s a position with prestige and the possibility to insert some whispered comments into the king¡¯s ear.


    It takes a while for me to realize that he expects an answer. He really doesn¡¯t get it. I try to explain it slowly. ¡°I think that you misunderstood the meaning of this redeployment order. Are you aware that your family attacked our estate? They killed a lot of people.¡±


    He studies me, thinking. Then his gaze wanders from me to the window.


    ¡°It''s very likely that the new captains have orders to take down the Dawn as soon as there are no witnesses nearby. They will kill everyone and take the power stone. Maybe they will even use the unique chance to pin it on Joyce and Illum. That¡¯s what I would do. I don''t think that you were supposed to bring me this message in person.¡±


    I chuckle. ¡°Ah, now I see! They didn''t tell you anything because you aren''t supposed to bring me this message. There is no need for you to know everything. You should be sitting in your office, but you chose to get a petty form of revenge to satisfy yourself. Was the humiliation at the party that horrible to you? In the end, you are nothing more than a spoiled brat.¡±


    Being faced with the aftermath, I also would love to take it out on Joyce. But I would never get the idea to face her on her own turf. That woman is sure to have some nasty surprises on Illum.


    We study each other until I decide to inform him of the most important point. ¡°Your guards aren''t here. You used your connections to sneak into the garrison. You are essentially a spy on a military property of the Alliance. We aren¡¯t supposed to favour one race or the other.¡±


    He shifts his weight around. ¡°The ones who let me in. They know that I am here.¡±


    I shake my head. ¡°Of course they know, but they don''t ''officially know'' that they let you in. You know how the king handles these things. Do you think that he''ll be pleased to learn that the Atrachs have bought hands inside an airship garrison of the Alliance. What if that gets known?¡± I reach for the dagger at my belt.


    ¡°My chamberlain knows.¡±


    ¡°I don''t believe that you are the type who would talk to a mere servant.¡±


    There is a moment of silence, then both of us move at the same time. I throw my dagger, which Pavel easily blocks with his hand. The steel wasn''t able to cut through his skin. He must have reinforced himself with inner mana manipulation. Pavel fires a spell at me and I simultaneously rise to my feet. With one knee beneath the table, I catapult it upwards. Everything inside the garrison is enchanted with counter-magic, so the table is a very convenient shield.


    An orb of energy shoots from Pavel''s hand and is cancelled by the enchantment on the table.


    Huffing, I push the table with both hands and use it as a battering ram, crushing Pavel between it and the warded door behind him. Pavel¡¯s second burst of energy breaks the table. Hadn''t I jumped to the side, it would have hit me.


    Pavel is a little disoriented from having his sight blocked. He stumbles forward, searching for a target.


    Concentrating on my magic, I cast a confusion spell on Pavel and follow up with an illusion chant, rolling forward. He turns around and spreads his hands, throwing a web of energy at my after-image.


    Getting back to my knees, I grab the wrist of his outstretched arm and punch upwards. The stress on his arm''s joint is too much. There is a ''crunch'' and his arm folds backwards at the elbow. Pavel''s scream is a high pitched shriek. He tries to flail at me with his healthy arm.


    I evade by allowing myself to fall to the ground and kick at his ankle. The large man falls forward and I strike his solar plexus to interrupt his concentration once more. A mage is only as good as his ability to concentrate. The attack wasn''t about doing damage, but to stop him from casting. With his inner mana manipulation, it would be hard to get through his skin.


    He lands on top of me and we grapple with each other.


    It seems like Pavel is of the sort who circulate all their power through their skin. That makes them incredibly hard to cut or to stab, but it also sacrifices other benefits. Not reinforcing your bones and your muscles means that you are vulnerable to brute force. Personally, I prefer an even distribution of my power.


    Magical battles are about versatility. Spell-casting and combat in close quarters are equally important. There are just too many spells which allow an opponent to close the distance.


    I gain control of his good arm. There isn''t much of a fight with the other one already broken. Bringing my legs up, I lock his arm between them. My calves come to rest on his chest. He realizes what I intend to do and concentrates his magic on his muscles.


    It''s too late. I already have the advantage of a better leverage than him. With his hand on my chest, I stretch and bend his arm backwards.


    ¡°Aargh!¡±


    There is a ''pop'' and his shoulder dislocates, followed by the cracking sound of ripping tendons.


    I let go and reach for his head. He struggles, but with both arms useless it isn''t even a fight. I roll him around and, still in a sitting position, take him into a headlock. Forming a fist with my left hand, I use my right arm to press my thumb''s joint into his throat. Pavel flails with his broken arm and bucks, but that doesn''t prevent his windpipe from being closed off.


    ¡°I dreamt of doing this!¡± I whisper into his ear. I am sure that Joyce wouldn''t be against doing this herself. She had that certain expression when she gave Pavel her little demonstration. Somehow, I ended up doing her dirty work.


    Pavel''s resistance weakens and his whole body starts twitching and spasming as his brain suffers from lack of oxygen. Then he is still.


    I keep him in my headlock until I sense that he is gone for good. Letting go, I grab his head with both hands and snap his neck. ¡°I''ll give you the credit of being a resilient cockroach.¡±


    I grunt and shoulder the corpse. This will be a long night. First, getting rid of the corpse. Then I have to warn Dad, Zesni and Mandrich. The two other captains may get a promotion, but I bet that they''ll end up on a ship which is crewed by Atrach loyalists. Then they will suffer tragic accidents a few days later. It would be better if they resign and silently disappear before they get their new orders.


    We also have to think of how to escape the trap without causing the king to intervene. Something tells me that he won''t be on our side. The Atrachs are way too aggressive. Did they get a free pass on wiping out my family? I also have to clean up my office. ¡°What a pleasant evening.¡±

 47. ~A discussion with the dead~

    ¡°That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.¡±


    ***Union***


    ***Joyce***


    I am quite frustrated, and if I am honest with myself, then it isn''t only because any discussion with this Mirai envoy seems pointless. Leaning forward, I place my forearms on my office desk and glare at the man who was brought in by my guards. ¡°Would you stop answering my questions with questions of your own? I am not going to tell you any vital information about me or Illum.¡±


    He keeps smiling and nods. ¡°That''s sad. I wanted to learn more about you. Not many living Mirai travel outside the state. Our art and our world-view are shunned by most of the world.¡±


    ¡°Good. Tell me something about the Mirai. How do you know that I am one? How does Mirai culture look like? I didn''t grow up with my people and I know next to nothing about them.¡±


    He opens his mouth, showing that he is beginning to understand. ¡°You were a slave of the Empire? There were a few who got abducted in the last days of the war. I assumed that they are all dead by now. You are one of their descendants?¡±


    I wait and refuse to answer. I invited this guy in order to get some answers, not to tell him my sob story. The worst thing is that he gave me no information which was worth my time. I got his name, Emil Fotenu, but everything else up until now was just small talk and introductions. My friends didn¡¯t joke when they said that Mirai are a tight-lipped lot. The way he keeps looking at me is also creeping me out.


    It takes a while for Emil to understand that he has to give me something to work with. He shrugs. ¡°It¡¯s not like it¡¯s a secret and you are clearly new to being a ruler. I guess that you don¡¯t have access to the intelligence network of other countries. Most people don¡¯t want to hear about our way of life. They refuse to accept the facts, heretics altogether if you ask me. But nobody can be forced to be enlightened, so we stopped talking about it. It¡¯s far too easy to be called a preaching fool, or worse, pirates.¡±


    I raise both eyebrows. Please don¡¯t tell me that the Mirai are religious cultists.


    Emil raises his hand. ¡°I know what you are thinking, but it isn¡¯t a religion. All of us have seen the endless void, at least the undead. Mirai society is separated into three castes. Warriors, workers and mages. Each caste has subdivisions, but let¡¯s not get into that. The most important group in Mirai culture are mages... Let¡¯s simplify it to the bloodlines who spawn necromancers.¡±


    He forms a fist with his hand. ¡°Those who can¡¯t just reanimate the dead, but pull their souls back into their bodies and bind them to this plane, giving them a second life. Creating a simple zombie is easy, but the necromancers are able to pull a soul back from the abyss with most of their memories intact. It¡¯s the highest honour to become someone like me.¡±Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    Again, he emphasizes his words with his hands. ¡°The members of this bloodline are the Dynasty and they are the rulers and priests of our people. It¡¯s them who grant us a second chance at life. To protect our people, or to do the things which we didn¡¯t accomplish while we were alive. The head of the Dynasty is called the Sovereign. Our current ruler is Janice Mirai.¡±


    I purse my lips. They are able to ¡®revive¡¯ a dead person. That sounds very sophisticated. I can create zombies, but if Emil isn¡¯t liying about himself, then he is also an undead. An undead who is fully aware of himself and not just a mad animal. I can¡¯t do that. ¡°So far, I haven¡¯t heard anything which I find provocative.¡±


    Emil nods. ¡°The thing which offends the Sociocrathy, our eternal enemy, is that we believe in reincarnation. We have proof of it. The Murians don¡¯t like that. It contradicts their idea of a perfect afterlife with their gods.¡±


    ¡°I understand. One other thing. Could you explain why your fleet is attacking the Empire?¡± I ask.


    He shrugs. ¡°I can¡¯t talk about that. It¡¯s a secret of the state. Rest assured that our enmity lies only with those who wish us harm.¡± He smiles.


    I lean back in my chair. ¡°You really want to say that I would be allowed to fly Illum to your Island? I wouldn¡¯t be attacked and robbed?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s not go that far. You would have to negotiate with the Sovereign, but I don¡¯t see why you would be denied. You aren¡¯t an enemy of our people. I have to warn you, there would be a lot of bureaucracy involved.¡± He shakes his head. ¡°I already explained that everyone calls us pirates because it suits them.¡±


    Emil leans back, preparing for a long speech. ¡°Historically, only the Murians are our foe. But when they manipulated the Alliance and the Empire into joining their forces against us, they also became our enemies. There is no reason to allow people who wish us ill to cross our sea. We have no quarrels with the orks of Westfall, or with the island nations further north.¡±


    He draws a breath. ¡°The Consortium is a complicated matter. Our relationship with them can be called neutral at best. They aid other nations with magic, but they never joined an offensive action against us. We accept that they gain their wealth by selling their services. We simply couldn¡¯t pay their price in those instances.¡±


    I nod sagely. ¡°That sounds reasonable. Rest assured that Illum doesn¡¯t seek conflict with anyone.¡±


    He smiles. ¡°That¡¯s a good thing. You created something remarkable. I haven¡¯t seen a lot of this place, but the ways you use force magic and spacial spells... it¡¯s wondrous. I could wander for months through Illum¡¯s halls and wouldn¡¯t stop being amazed.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, it was quite a breakthrough for me. You can see the spellwork. Can you also cast spells?¡± That would be interesting to know.


    He makes a gesture to show that I am only partly correct. ¡°My second life was given to me by the Sovereign herself. She is a remarkable necromancer, but even she can¡¯t give what wasn¡¯t there in life. I always had the ability to see magic, but I can''t cast spells.¡±


    ¡°I see. The more I hear, the more I ask myself why you are even interested in having a living body. It makes rejuvenation treatments obsolete. You mentioned that the living Mirai mostly stay inside your nation?¡±


    He nods. ¡°That¡¯s the crux. Being undead comes with downsides. That¡¯s why we strive to live a good life while we can. The undead can¡¯t reproduce. We can only protect our living descendants and care for them. Travelling outside the nation comes also with the risk of not having a necromancer at hand when it¡¯s time to depart this world. The longer it takes a necromancer to reach the corpse, the more likely it is to end up being a soulless zombie without a mind.


    ¡°Souls are delicate things. Once they enter the void, they start forgetting their memories. There are rumours of exceptionally strong souls who can remember their past lives. But most souls are too weak to remember once the flesh is gone. Our necromancers tell us that there is a permanent flow of souls passing invisibly through our world.


    ¡°From where they come and where they go is a mystery. Some of our theologians are theorising that there must be other worlds and that souls are somehow constantly travelling between them. It would explain why there is a time limit on reviving someone. If the necromancer comes too late, the soul may already be on its way to another life.


    ¡°But it¡¯s a fact that each newborn who is able to hold one, automatically becomes a container for such a soul. That¡¯s the case for every intelligent race. Don¡¯t tell anyone that I said that. The dwarves would freak and shit their pants at the suggestion that they have something in common with the elves.¡±


    Holy shit! That comes incredibly close to the truth. ¡°Thanks for the discussion. You gave me a lot to think about.¡±


    He bows and gets to his feet, understanding that I am done with him. For now.

 48. ~Interlude~

    ¡°There are always parts of history which aren¡¯t written down.¡±


    ***Union***


    ***Joyce***


    I watch the envoy¡¯s departure. When he is gone, I get to my feet and walk into the middle of the room. A mental command to Illum is enough to open the secret entrance to my laboratory. The floor sinks into the ground and a set of stairs appears. They lead directly to my workroom. I descend, taking two stairs at a time. There is a ¡®click¡¯ and I hear the tiles which previously covered the entrance slide back into place.


    The stairway isn¡¯t long, but it gives me a few moments to think about Emil¡¯s words.


    There is little doubt in my mind that the Mirai can become a problem in the future. They definitely had or have contact with someone like me. How else do they know so much about the nature of the world in which we live?


    The Consortium is also a big unknown factor and while I am positive that the Empire doesn¡¯t have any large surprises for me, I shouldn¡¯t let down my guard. I already underestimated the inhabitants of this world several times. It¡¯s hard to accept that their magic simply developed in a different manner than what I am used to. I am used to understanding what I do. Their form of magic is sympathetic and relies on belief and rituals, which doesn¡¯t mean that their spells are weak.


    The crossbow bolt which managed to penetrate my barriers is proof of that.


    It¡¯s too bad that I have only a few fragments to study. The enchantments on the projectile would¡¯ve been interesting to analyse. The projectile was bigger than a bullet, but smaller than an arrow. Maybe a crossbow bolt, but even for that, it was on the small side. Maybe my attacker belonged to a very small race?


    The fact that my dagger didn¡¯t kill the assassin gives me a strong hint on his size. I aimed at where I expected the head to be, for a human-sized target. So the person in question was either insanely quick to evade, smaller than a human, or a ghost.


    It doesn¡¯t matter. The new developments force me to take more direct control of my agents. Originally, I planned to allow them to operate on their own. With the new developments, that¡¯s no longer an option.


    I sigh and quicken my steps upon leaving the stairway. A magelight automatically activates and illuminates the area around the entrance. The others already paid me a visit in my workshop, but I never showed them the whole hall. Without taking notice of my various projects within the illuminated area, I walk forward and into the darkness.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Taking a look behind me, I watch as the entrance distorts and is warped by the spacial manipulation which I applied on this region of the hall. Whoever walks in here is very unlikely to ever get out. Unless he knows how. This is a small pocket of looped space which warps in on itself. A person could run around in here forever without actually moving from the spot.


    It¡¯s the perfect prison.


    Little sparks of light move around in the distance. They look like stars, but they are actually a result of the extreme warping of space in this area. After a few more steps, the lights vanish and I find myself approaching a small, illuminated circular area. The person who is lying in its centre seems to be sleeping.


    He is dirty, but in good physical shape. In fact, after giving him a few improvements, he is even better than before. I needed a living subject to test my newest spells. Most of my experiments didn¡¯t fail too dramatically.


    Now, he is a loyal subject who would stop at nothing to execute my commands. I still had to keep him here in isolation. A rapist like him should suffer at least some form of punishment and I can¡¯t allow him to run around on Illum. After all, the others think that I allowed him to leave Illum and that he died back at the Dead Mine.


    In fact, he only stayed down there for a few days, which is a remarkable accomplishment for someone of his skill. He managed to hide from the bugs inside a hollow tree-trunk until I decided to pick him up. A good piece of meat shouldn''t go to waste, and death- any form of death- is too good for someone like him.


    ¡°Pasley! Wake up, you useless piece of scum. There is work to do.¡± I kick the man in the guts and step back. Just in case. I don¡¯t want him to barf onto my boot. He does that from time to time since I messed with his digestive system. A failure, I admit that. I am simply not very accomplished with biology.


    Pasley rolls onto his back and lets out an animalistic scream. I kick him again. ¡°Don¡¯t play the fool!¡±


    He snivels. ¡°You are back! Gods, you are back! Don¡¯t leave me alone in this place! Please! Oh, gods. I don¡¯t even know how long it was.¡± He gets to his knees and prostrates himself in front of me.


    It has been only a few weeks since I locked him in here. This guy is already behaving as if he had been in solitary confinement for years. I reach into my pocket and retrieve the pouch with the communication crystals. ¡°There are a few people who you have to equip with these.¡± I throw the pouch in front of him.


    He nods and presses the pouch to his chest as if his life depends on the item.I have to admit that, in some ways, his life indeed depends on a successful mission.


    ¡°The pouch also contains enough coin to last you for a while. First, you have to make contact with the resistance...¡±


    ***Union***


    ***Assassin***


    I glare at the floating island. It was clear that this job would be challenging, but I never expected that it would destroy my track record. The meeting with my employers was humiliating. They weren¡¯t happy about the outcome. The only argument in my favour was that I indeed hit the target.


    Is it my fault that she is some sort of superhuman? Nobody else would have survived such an attack. I expected her to explode into a cloud of blood and gore. But she not only survived, from what I heard, she stood up a few seconds later. Injured, but well enough to accuse the Alliance of incompetence.


    My employers saw that as a partial success, so they gave me another chance. I sigh and shoulder the recharged crossbow. They even added a bonus if I succeed. Unfortunately, I can¡¯t retreat from the job. I already took the money and that¡¯s binding in my profession. There seems to be no other choice than to finish this mission. One way or another.


    Beating my wings, I ascend towards Illum.

 49. ~Vermin~

    ¡°How to catch a fairy? With a lot of honey.¡±


    ***Union***


    ***Joyce***


    ¡°This is a huge pile of bullshit!¡± I complain and browse through the documents. Apparently, the Alliance decided that a verbal agreement alone isn''t good enough. They sent me a huge pile of documents. I am no legal expert, but I am very sure that I spotted at least one little trap in each of them. There is no way that I''ll sign such agreements, even if one of them turns out to be beneficial for me.


    Dorver is sitting across from me. He is a great help in pointing out various issues with the contracts. The gnome tears up another sheet of papers. ¡°I am very sure that they are just trying their luck. These are certainly not the standard contracts to define relationships between countries. I suggest that we throw all of these out of the window and inform the Alliance that their demands are unacceptable. And if they have a problem with it, then they have to live with the verbal agreement which we made at the meeting.¡±


    He picks up another sheet of paper and scowls. ¡°There is certainly no way that we would want to sign a mutual defence agreement with the Alliance. It''s a sure way to draw us into the coming war with the Empire.¡±


    I furrow my forehead. ¡°I thought that the Alliance''s leaders are stalling for more time?¡±


    The gnome nods. ¡°They are, but the pro-war faction is getting stronger by the day. It''s just a question of time until they march. The people who upheld the status quo managed to do so because Orwen was an insurmountable obstacle. It was the rallying point for over a hundred thousand soldiers and a whole army of very skilled mages.¡±


    He smiles weakly and crushes the contract in his hands. ¡°If the Alliance had tried to take the region beyond the eternal battlefield, then they would have needed to conquer Orwen. Only a total mobilization of all of the Alliance''s forces would''ve had a chance to succeed at such a task. Let¡¯s assume that they indeed managed to conquer Orwen. Then they would''ve lost so many troops that taking the rest of the Empire would''ve been impossible.¡±


    His expression darkens. ¡°But now, the city and its inhabitants are gone. It means that there is no good argument for stalling the war efforts. Another issue is that it was confirmed that the same spell which destroyed Orwen is now being used in the Sociocrathy. On a lower scale, but it''s the same spell. Some are saying that the Empire developed a new weapon of mass destruction, but it got unleashed accidentally. Now they are using the slaves who they exported to the Sociocrathy to test the final stage of their weapon.¡±


    I shake my head. ¡°Why would anyone think that? The Empire already has trouble with the Mirai and the Alliance. Didn''t the Sociocrathy keep their feet still? It makes no sense to add a third front.¡±


    Dorver raises his finger. ¡°That''s true, but the Sociocrathy will hardly do anything against the Empire unless the Empire outright invades the Sociocrathy. They are trying to hide it, but they have a full-fledged rebellion on their hands. The insurrectionists call themselves the Resistance and they are well organized. The Sociocrathy won''t be able to deal with them anytime soon.¡±


    ¡°Hah...¡± I bit my lower lip. Then it''s a good thing that the Sociocrathy will soon have even more problems. My plans are slowly coming to fruition. ¡°As matters stand, we can''t change that. Let''s proceed with our plans. Our next destination is the Sociocrathy. When we are finished with hiring people, I want to go to the World Assembly. It''s in a few weeks and Illum can''t teleport.¡± I have to add that functionality.


    I wait for a while, but it seems like Dorver has nothing to add. ¡°If that''s all, you are excused.¡±


    The gnome bows and takes his leave.


    I roll my shoulders and call up Illum''s control menu. A video display pops up in front of me, showing a small figure sneaking around between the inhabitants of my island. Three days after her intrusion, the vermin is still on the island. So far, she hasn''t done anything harmful. It''s fascinating how she managed to slip through the barrier which surrounds Illum. Admittedly, the barrier doesn''t stop everything. Objects with little kinetic energy must be allowed to pass through.


    I watch as the nimble figure darts though between a worker¡¯s legs and avoids being stepped on by a guard who didn''t even notice the mouse-sized creature.


    When she trespassed, Illum confused the little fairy with a bird. I nonetheless got informed of the breach because she had a strong magical signature. Additionally, she has a most peculiar ability. It seems like she is able to change her size on a whim, totally ignoring conservation of energy and mass.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Physics states that energy and mass can''t be destroyed. Energy can only be converted from one form to another. Yet, Illum''s security system made recordings of the fairy as she increased in size, including her entire equipment. She can also shrink as she needs to. Where does she put her mass? According to my understanding, she would have to unleash incredible amounts of energy in order to shrink even a millimetre in size. It''s a mystery.


    At least her ability explains how she got into that ventilation shaft.


    She is still busy with staking out the area. I suppose that the assassin is searching for the best way to get a shot at me.


    I huff and switch to a map of the world, then I insert new coordinates. Laos it is! For the moment, I am done with Union City and the Alliance. Dorver has already been hiring people and a lot of potential candidates are waiting to be picked up.


    With my work done, I get up and walk onto the balcony. Illum is starting to move, which creates a lot of stress down in the airship harbour. An alarm shrills and the people at the harbour start running around like riled up ants.


    But the scene only ''looks'' like madness. A few seconds later, I grudgingly have to admit that there is a plan beneath the chaos. Some people are boarding ships, while others get equipment out of the way. A minute later, I notice three airships rising from the harbour. They immediately turn to follow Illum, which should be no problem for them with their higher speed.


    I reach for the spyglass which has a permanent spot on the balustrade. Then I use it to search for Zane. I indeed find him on the leading ship. He is using the large telescope to spy on me, so I wave to mock him. Sadly, he doesn''t react. What a boring guy.


    ***Illum***


    ***Fae***


    ¡°You wanted to see me?¡± I enter Joyce''s office. She is sitting at her desk and looks occupied. I noticed that she started working on several books about magic and science, as she called it. According to her, it''s the knowledge of how the world around us works.


    Joyce looks up and smiles. ¡°Oh, yes! I have a job for you.¡± She reaches beneath her desk and retrieves something from the drawer beneath it.


    Then she stands up and gestures for me to come closer, so I join her in the left corner of the room. She offers me a stick with a circular wooden attachment at the end of it. Between the wooden construction is a set of taut strings. ¡°Is that yet another invention of yours? What is it? Something like a totem?¡±


    Joyce tilts her head and looks at me as if I am an idiot. ¡°I call it the reinforced flyswatter.¡±


    I feel my face turning red, but Joyce doesn''t give me a chance to reply. She pushes me into the corner of the room and whispers. ¡°I need you in your function as my bodyguard.¡± She points at the small ventilation vent above us. ¡°The assassin who took a shot at me was a fairy, and right now, she is crawling through the ventilation system. She seems to like that.¡±


    I look at the strange weapon. ¡°Are you serious? What about the others?¡±


    Joyce places a finger on her lips. ¡°They are already positioned at other possible exits.¡±


    This is a bad joke. This woman wants to take revenge on me... for something. ¡°But a stick? Why not use magic? Or one of your neat devices? And a fairy? Are you sure? They are very rare.¡±


    ¡°This is a case where simple things work best. I don''t want you to kill her. I spelled this corner with a very strong glamour. As long as you don''t move, she won''t notice you. Just swat her a few times until she gives up. I expect her to be a resilient bug.¡± Joyce walks back into the centre of the room and calls up the interface with which she controls Illum.


    It takes a few minutes of silent waiting. I am about to fall asleep when suddenly, the mad woman speaks out loudly, ¡°I am so glad that you are doing a good job, but I really need a little sleep. Could we meet tomorrow at the same time?¡±


    She walks over to the office''s entrance, then she opens the door and shuts it with a loud ''bang''. After sighing loudly, she walks up the stairs to her private quarters.


    Seriously? I have to roll my eyes. Even if there is a fairy assassin, everyone would notice that something is wrong with such bad acting. Not expecting anything to happen, I wait anyway. A minute later, to my utter surprise, something scratches inside the ventilation shaft.


    For two endless minutes, nothing happens. Then the mesh which covers the shaft is pulled to the side and a small head peeks out. It¡¯s really a fairy and the damned thing somehow managed to turn the metal mesh into something like rubbery foam which can be easily destroyed.


    The fairy looks around. Her eyes rest on me only for a few seconds before she looks away. She studies the stairway which leads to Joyce¡¯s quarters. Then her attention returns to my corner. The little critter furrows her forehead and looks directly into my eyes. After a while, her expression relaxes and the pulls the mesh to the side.


    Stepping out of the ventilation shaft, she spreads her four translucent wings which begin to buzz. She is tiny, just as big as my hand. Seeing my opportunity escaping, I jump forward and swat at her.


    ¡°Ow!¡±


    The fairy falls to the ground, losing the crossbow which was attached to her back. I kick the little weapon away and swat at her again and again while she tries to crawl away. ¡°Here! I have her!¡±


    Squealing in rage, the little murderer draws a sword. Well, it isn¡¯t really a sword. More like a toothpick. But there is some green substance dripping from it. The green goo must be poison. She hacks at my useless weapon, cutting the strings.


    I have to jump backwards when she almost manages to sting my wrist. I curse and drop the weapon to draw my daggers. Joyce can¡¯t blame me for her stupid plan. I certainly don¡¯t want to test that poison.


    The fairy buzzes towards me and suddenly two drinking glasses become visible and slam together with a ¡®clang!¡¯, trapping the fairy.


    Someone chuckles and Joyce turns visible, laughing. Her body slowly fades into existence, starting with her hands. The fairy rampages inside the improvised prison, but she can¡¯t break out. Joyce shakes her head. ¡°I am so sorry, but I had to do that!¡± Then she resumes laughing.


    I am at a loss for words. Firstly, because I allowed myself to be put into this situation in the first place. Secondly, because Joyce¡¯s expression and her amusement seem absolutely genuine for the first time since I met her.


    What worries me is Joyce''s behaviour. What should I think of a person who is so carefree in such a dangerous situation?

 50. ~Struck~

    ¡°I seldom deal in symbolisms; if there be hidden meanings in my verse, they are there without my knowledge.¡±


    ***Illum***


    ***Joyce***


    ¡°I wonder what I should do with her?¡± I ask and shake the two glasses with the fairy inside. The little creature roars, which is nothing more than a cute shriek to me. She drums her fists against the glass, making a point of her feelings.


    This little bugger has mental issues.


    When that doesn''t yield the expected result, she resorts to magic. There is a flash of light and for a moment her prison is as bright as a flashlight. I have to close my eyes and look away. It reminds me of a really old camera. When I look back, her confinement is filled with smoke.


    ¡°Damn! Did she torch herself?¡± I open her prison just a little bit and blow into the slit between the glasses to clear the smoke.


    Soon enough, the little critter is revealed. She coughs and looks a little singed, but otherwise she seems to be fine, so I close her prison again. Her next attempt at escape follows immediately. She starts growing until her frame fills the entire glass, but that''s as far as it goes. Seeing her red and angered face pressed against the glass is fantastic.


    ¡°Don''t bother. The glass is merely a focus point for one of Illum''s force fields. The power of my entire island is reinforcing this glass. There is no way that you will get away,¡± I explain calmly.


    ¡°What do you intend to do with me?¡± the fairy squeaks. She shrinks until being inside the glass doesn''t look too uncomfortable for her.


    ¡°Hmmm.¡± I wet my lips and look at Fae. ¡°Is it true that fairies lose their magic if you rip out their wings?¡±


    ¡°How should I know!? A- Anyway! We can''t do that to a prisoner!¡± The elf looks at me, horrified.


    My prisoner, realizing that I didn''t make a joke, starts squealing in an unknown language. Her voice has a high pitch and is really aggravating.


    I grumble. ¡°Oh, fine. I guess that I can always use her as a paperweight. I always wanted a pet.¡± Turning, I walk over to my desk and place the prison on a stack of documents.


    ¡°Shouldn''t we interrogate her?¡± Fae asks.


    ¡°There is no real need. I have many enemies, but there aren''t that many who have a reason to assassinate me. High on the list of suspects are the Consortium and the Empire. Though, in this case, I bet on the Consortium. They are strangely silent, even though I took away a big part of their income. Everyone else gains far more from me being alive. They want Illum''s secret, so they won''t just kill me before they get it,¡± I explain. ¡°Oh, they would surely go for blackmail, extortion, spying¡­ But nothing directly lethal.¡±


    ¡°If you let me go, I''ll tell you everything I know!¡± the fairy offers.


    I pretend to think about it, but then I shake my head. ¡°It will be far more interesting to find out how your magic works. Do you realize that your ability violates several laws of physics?¡± I return my attention to the little crossbow. A few steps bring me to where it lies on the ground, so I pick it up. It''s indeed a miniature version of the real thing.


    ¡°Fascinating! It seems like the enchantments on it shrunk as well.¡± That''s so cool. The fairy''s ability is extremely powerful. ¡°I might just keep you to shrink enchanted items for me.¡± I could build a power core and have the fairy shrink it. Depending on her limits, I might even be able to create a real CPU. That would solve all my problems with computation power overnight.


    Fae raises a hand, interrupting me. ¡°Maybe I should inform you that fairies are on the list of endangered races. We would get problems with the Alliance and the Sociocrathy if we harm her.¡±


    There is something like that? ¡°Does that mean that I can''t punish her as a murderer?¡±


    Fae shifts her weight from one foot to the other. ¡°No. It just means that we can''t kill her.¡±


    ¡°I promise that I''ll keep her heart beating, no matter what.¡± I return with the crossbow to my office table and sit down. Then I allow my mind to wander. ¡°You mentioned that they are endangered. Does that mean that it will be hard to find a male for her? I have a few plans for that shrinking ability, but having only one fairy sucks. Do they have reproduction issues? What do I need to feed her?¡±


    The fairy presses her face against the glass, staring at Fae. ¡°You can help me, right? This woman is obviously mad! She threatened to rip out my wings and now she plans to use me as breeding stock! Help me!¡±


    Fae looks a little guilty. After all, the fairy looks very cute. But then Fae''s eyes fall onto the poisoned toothpick. ¡°No. I think that we all are a lot safer if you stay in there.¡±


    With one crisis averted, the next one doesn''t keep us waiting. The office door opens and Tristen enters the room. ¡°You have to come fast! Something is happening with the Alliance airships!¡± He runs back outside, expecting us to follow.


    I rise and leave the squealing fairy on my desk. She won''t go anywhere without my permission. The same energy field which reinforces the two glasses also keeps them sealed together. Only gas molecules are allowed in or out. I simply have to assume that there is a limit to the fairy''s abilities. It would be very unreasonable if she is able to shrink to the size of an atom while keeping all her mental faculties.


    We follow Tristen to an observation platform above my abode. He seems to be very excited about the three airships which are following us. ¡°Do you see that!?¡±


    I watch the ships for a while, but all I notice is that they are manoeuvring around like maniacs. The lead ship is flying in a wavy line, while the other two ships are trying to get close. ¡°Do they have some kind of manoeuvre? Or is the guy at the helm drunk?¡±Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    Tristen shakes his head. ¡°They didn''t tell us anything. But it''s strange, the watchman who informed me of their behaviour said that the other two ships closed in on their lead and tried to board them. Then the Dawn started evasion manoeuvres.¡±


    ¡°Maybe they are damaged? We could offer to help,¡± Fae suggests.


    Her idea is proven wrong by a thundering explosion which shakes the Dawn pretty badly, but a blue barrier around the ship seems to mitigate the damage. I step forward and take one of the binoculars which are hanging from the balustrade. I have several of them since this platform is intended for me and my people.


    ¡°What the fuck are they doing?¡± Some sort of internal battle within the Alliance?


    ¡°They are firing on each other! We have to do something.¡± Tristen proclaims.


    I stop him. ¡°We have to do nothing. Illum was recognized as an independent state. If we interfere and take sides, they are able to construe our actions as an attack on an alliance airship. I wouldn''t be too surprised if they are doing this intentionally.¡±


    ¡°Do we have a way to contact them?¡± Fae asks.


    ***Dawn***


    ***Zane***


    ¡°Keep manoeuvring! Don''t allow them to line up their spell projectors!¡± Oswin shouts. ¡°Damn! Zane, is there any way for us to execute the plan earlier?¡±


    I study the map of the region, but there is simply no way to escape the damned traitors. The two other ships are firmly in the hands of Atrach loyalists. Not only did they exchange our captains with theirs, they also switched enough of the command crew to turn the entire vessel against us.


    If Joyce had waited just a day longer, we would¡¯ve been ready to deal with them on our own.


    We expected their attack and made contingency plans, but we never anticipated them to strike so early and in such a straightforward manner. We firmly believed that they would wait until we are farther away from any form of civilisation. It seems like the other side intends to take us down and deal with potential witnesses afterwards. They certainly have the capabilities to bombard and kill any random caravan or group of adventurers in the area.


    Maybe that was their plan all along. They will simply say that we went rogue and tried to conspire with Illum. ¡°There is no other way. We have to fight them!¡±


    I slam my fist onto the table with the map. There is only forest in this area. No large geologic formations nearby. A few more hours and we would''ve reached the canyons between the Alliance and the Sociocrathy. We could''ve used those obstructions to slip away. I fully expected that our enemies recognized the area as an ideal opportunity to strike at us. Therefore, they should¡¯ve waited.


    Of course, Dad would''ve been forced to claim that our communication crystals got damaged. Then we would''ve returned to base and feigned ignorance.


    Another fireball impacts our aft shields and the Dawn rocks like a boat on the sea. Two of our aft spell projectors activate and one of our persecutors is shaken by two simultaneous explosions. It certainly paid off to double check all the runes and enchantments on the ship. ¡°We have to take them down and claim that they are the traitors.¡±


    Oswin shakes his head. ¡°That will be hard. They have two ships and we are alone.¡±


    ¡°Why are you fighting each other?¡±


    The female voice startles me and I look up. Sure enough, one of Joyce¡¯s illusion screens is floating right above the table. Her face fills the screen.


    ¡°That¡¯s a neat trick,¡± I comment.


    She shrugs. ¡°It¡¯s a good way to spy on people, at least on someone who is within line of sight. So, why are you fighting each other?¡±


    The ship rocks for the third time. Oswin has to hold onto the balustrade to keep himself from falling. ¡°What does it look like? Your stupid games caused our family to lose prestige! Now our enemies are trying to finish us off. Show some decency and help us out.¡±


    ¡°I am afraid that I can¡¯t do that. It would be a direct attack on the Alliance.¡± She squints her eyes. ¡°There is a high possibility that this is just a big ruse which was created to pull me into your conflicts. I am afraid that I can¡¯t help you. We won¡¯t act without a direct attack on Illum.¡±


    My father can¡¯t take it any longer and explodes. ¡°You little bitch! Can¡¯t you see that all of this is happening because of you!?¡±


    The black haired beauty doesn¡¯t budge. ¡°I am afraid that Illum can¡¯t take sides in a conflict which is clearly between two factions of the Alliance.¡±


    ¡°Are you unwilling to take even a little responsibility? How long do you think our barriers will hold against two opponents? We are just holding out because they have to chase us and waste energy on their engines!¡± My father continues to rant, but to no avail. He and I know that this can only end in a traditional shoot-out. We are simply too close to our enemies.


    Joyce keeps her cool and ignores Dad¡¯s emotional outbreak. ¡°I am sorry, but I can¡¯t knowingly involve Illum in your conflict. There is simply too much at stake. Illum will only act in self-defence.¡±


    They continue to argue, but I suddenly understand why Joyce sounds like a broken record. She is trying to tell us something without being too obvious. Is she afraid that we have spies on our ship? No, she just doesn¡¯t want us to say that her interference was arranged. It can¡¯t be helped.


    ¡°Stop arguing, Dad. There is no other choice but to fight. Maybe we can damage both ships enough to get away.¡± I walk over to the officer at the helm and take control of the ship.


    In just that moment, the officer at the lookout shouts, ¡°Three more ships, seven o¡¯clock! Directly from the sun.¡±


    I curse. That would be all the ships the Atrachs have. Seems like they planned for something big. Are they going to try their luck with Illum once we are down? ¡°Ready all weapons and give me as much speed as possible. Barriers are a secondary priority.¡±


    Spinning the wheel, I turn us directly towards the ship which is commanded by Perilous. That brings us directly into the line of fire of Legit¡¯s ship. ¡°Full acceleration!¡± It can¡¯t be helped. I need a little mayhem for this to work.


    ¡°Are you mad!? What are you doing?¡± Oswin complains, but we are committed. There is no turning back.


    For a moment, it looks like our barriers hold, but then the nose of the Dawn explodes in a cloud of flames and splinters. When my sight clears, I see the other ship already almost too close. I pull the helm towards me and the Dawn rises just enough to scrape a part of the other ship¡¯s deck away, including their bridge. I wince at the thought of killing fellow soldiers. Not everyone on that ship is to blame.


    Spinning the wheel into the other direction, I bring us between the now driverless ship and Illum, on a collision course with Legit¡¯s ship.


    We are now being pounded from two sides and it¡¯s just a question of seconds until our shields are going to fail. But Legit, having already seen that I am willing to ram his ship, orders to evade us. That doesn¡¯t change the fact that we are still being shot at, but it also clears the way towards Illum.


    I push the helm forward so that we pass beneath Legit¡¯s ship. By doing that, I use the blind spot of his spell projectors to buy our barrier a few direly needed seconds to recharge.


    The sudden change in course causes a few of Perilous¡¯s attack spells to miss. They travel further and impact Illum while I scrape the tops of a few trees with Dawn¡¯s hull.


    I look up just in time to see Illum¡¯s barriers flare up. The light is a lighter blue than ours, but their barrier seems to have no problems with the attack spells. In answer, dozens of hidden hatches in Illum¡¯s side slide open. Then there are several loud ¡®thuds¡¯. I have heard a similar sound when an expert force mage used his magic to accelerate a little steel ball beyond the speed of sound.


    Several white trails connect Illum and Perilous¡¯s ship. His barriers flare, instantly turning his whole ship into a large globe of blue light. Then the barrier winks out of existence and the whole ship evaporates in a cloud of splinters.


    There is no explosion. Joyce is just throwing rocks at speeds high enough to penetrate the hull! A single shell wouldn¡¯t be a problem, but Illum is pumping out an incredible amount of them. At these numbers, the target is quickly turned into a hell of shrapnel and ricochets.


    Suddenly, the ship¡¯s levitation magic deactivates and the whole thing falls like a rock. It disappears somewhere beneath my line of sight.


    My attention returns to my own problems when the side of our ship explodes into flames. Legit¡¯s ship is still undamaged and it seems like they got past our barrier. I push the helm forward and the cracking of trees becomes louder.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Oswin calls out.


    ¡°I am taking us out of the fight. Prepare to abandon ship!¡± With that, the Dawn breaks through the trees. I hug the helm and prepare myself for a hard crash.

 51. ~Decisions~

    ¡°In the beginning, Illum was nothing more than a novelty. In the end, people regarded it as a force of nature.¡±


    ***Illum***


    ***Joyce***


    The burning ship disappears between the treetops, cutting a line of destruction through the forest. Fae gasps when the noise of a hard crash reaches us. I return my attention to the other ship. They stopped firing at Zane''s ship. Now they are testing Illum''s defences, probably to retaliate for the loss of their comrades.


    It''s not like they can punch through Illum''s barriers. Though, that doesn''t keep them from trying. Our barrier flares as projectiles, fireballs, and other spells test its strength. The Alliance seems to follow a doctrine of using as many different attack spells as possible, hoping that their enemy might have a weakness against a particular spell. They are wasting their time. The island''s power output is far higher than that of a single airship. Which doesn''t mean that airships don''t pose a threat. They could carry weapons which are able to punch through Illum''s barriers. If there are enough of them, they could bring us down with brute force.


    My first experiment already dealt with the first airship. While successful, I am not too impressed with the result. It took over fifteen seconds of continuous fire to take down a single ship. To top it off, the ship was already damaged. Their airships may be made out of wood, but the barriers are top notch. The little ship took a lot of damage before it went down.


    Assuming that I encounter a fleet of fifty ships, it would take over ten minutes to take them down with the force cannons, assuming that they simply stand there and allow themselves to get shot at. That''s more than enough time for them to do a lot of nasty things. If Illum encounters a fleet of that size, it might be us who have to pay in blood.


    I call up the control menu and select another experimental weapon. The force cannons are intended against large amounts of small crafts. Their main purpose is to take down incoming spells. To accomplish that, every projectile carries a small charge of energy to disrupt magic. Without that, my cannons would have chewed for minutes on the damaged ship.


    Pointing at the second ship, I select it as a target and press the launch button. Three cylindrical objects shoot out of Illum''s bow. They fan out, forming small arcs.


    Our enemies react quickly and change their focus to the torpedoes. They aren''t really torpedoes, but I like to call them that. I didn''t have time to come up with fancy technology, so I had to improvise.


    The metal cylinders are nothing more than solid tanks which are filled with water. The spell on them turns water into steam, creating extreme pressures, and expels it out of the rear. A little force magic keeps them on course while a seeking spell provides a rudimentary targeting system. It''s very crude and doesn''t provide any friend or foe recognition, so I have to be very careful with those.


    One of my torpedoes is hit by a spell and evaporates into a cloud of steam. Shortly afterward, a second torpedo follows and then, the third is also shot down.


    Annoyed, I fire two more waves. I designed them to interact in groups of three, so I have to stack the two salvoes. They fan out and seek to attack the target from three different angles. The fact that I need four or more torpedoes for a single airship means that I''ll have to create a massive supply of them.


    The spectacle repeats itself, but this time there are too many targets for the airship. The fifth torpedo reaches their barrier and explodes as the remaining water is partially turned to energy and steam. A flash of light erupts from the point of impact and envelops the airship. The resulting shock wave flattens a few trees in the forest below, creating a perfect circle beneath the point of impact.


    When my vision clears, the enemy is still there. Their ship looks as if an angry giant smacked them with his fist, but they are still floating. Though, I can''t see anyone who is still standing. The people on deck are all on the ground. Maybe some of the shock wave got through? The torpedo doesn''t release enough radiation to kill someone. It''s a very clean weapon. I am again amazed at the amount of punishment which Alliance airships can take.


    ¡°At least I am learning a lot from this encounter,¡± I mumble. Illum doesn¡¯t have to fear much from two measly ships, so I am glad to get this opportunity. Learning of my equipment¡¯s shortcomings, while being in battle with an entire fleet would¡¯ve hurt. I don¡¯t want to lose Illum because of a stupid mistake.


    The sixth torpedo goes through unhindered. Without the barrier, the airship is shattered into a million shards. The explosion is impressive, but the fact that I had to use a full wave of six torpedoes is troubling.


    If they come close enough, I can always use Illum''s force fields to crush them, but my options regarding long range weaponry are limited.


    ¡°That was impressive!¡± Tristen comments. He shakes my shoulder. ¡°Do you realize what you just did!?¡±


    I slap his hand away. ¡°I defended Illum. Don''t celebrate too early. There are still three more ships and they have seen our weaponry.¡± I''ll have to come up with something more efficient, but there is simply no time to build something like cruise missiles and nukes.


    A layman may think that a nuke sounds ideal to deal with a large number of opponents at once, but the sad truth is that it''s a very inefficient weapon. It''s a good choice to take out a city or a base, but many military organizations had to learn the hard way that using a nuke to destroy a fleet of warships is far from feasible. The explosion may take out a few targets in the centre, but the shock wave of the explosion quickly loses energy as it spreads.


    I remember the experiments of a certain nation, which captured a fleet of enemy warships once the war was over. They decided to test their nukes and ended up using three of them without sinking the whole fleet. It just showed that they were too stupid to listen to their scientists, who told them that the effective radius of a nuke is very small. The tests radiated a whole island chain for generations to come.


    That''s something I won''t do if I can avoid it. Magic provides a lot of different ways for causing mass destruction.


    Fae pokes me and points at the crash site where the Dawn went down. The area is burning and a pillar of smoke is rising high towards the sky.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    I return my attention to the three new ships. They are out of effective range and too far away for communication. A pity. ¡°It seems like they have no intention of coming closer, so I guess that we can lend some aid. Are the healers and the guards ready?¡± I turn around to look down into the garden area. Brian made it a standard protocol to gather a capable group of fighters on Illum¡¯s surface if there is any sign of trouble. Civilians have to retreat to the living areas.


    Brian is down there, waiting with at least fifty people. He gives me his thumbs up when he notices my attention.


    Not waiting any longer, I instruct Illum to place all of us at the crash-site.


    ***Dawn***


    ***Zane***


    ¡°We were lucky that the power stone didn''t blow up!¡± Dad complains while I pull him away from the burning wreck. He broke his leg when we came down.


    ¡°The power stone is well protected. The risk was minimal. Definitely less dangerous than staying in the air without functioning shields. Legit had us in his sights for just a few seconds and he torched the whole left side of our ship.¡± Not to mention that the Dawn was already a wreck when they blew up her nose. That took out all of our frontal spell projectors.


    The ship is a goner. There is no other way to say it.


    ¡°What about the battle?¡± Oswin asks.


    I shake my head. ¡°There were a few loud explosions, but I couldn''t see anything because of the trees.¡± I gesture towards one of the other thirteen survivors of the crash, a midshipman who joined Dawn''s crew just a week ago. ¡°Climb a tree and tell us what''s going on.¡±


    Then I turn to the others. ¡°Gather the wounded around us. The ones who can, scout the area.¡± I turn back to my father and take a look at his leg. The flesh is swollen, but the bone didn''t break the skin. Dad also bumped his head, but that seems to be just a minor wound. ¡°I always told you that the healer''s quarters have to be next to the power stone.¡± Along with the ship''s nose, our healer was among the first casualties when his office blew up.


    All in all, we lost seventeen people. I know that it could have been a lot worse, but many of them were my friends.


    ¡°It seems like the Illum is still in the air and I can''t see the other ships. They must''ve taken them out,¡± the midshipman reports from his tree. ¡°Oh, guys! Incoming! At least fifty people departed from Illum. They are heading for us.¡±


    ¡°Stand down!¡± I order. It''s not like fighting them would do us any good, even if Joyce is responsible for the situation.


    It doesn''t take long until a group of men and women descent through the treetops. Among them is Joyce. Like always, she is doing a good imitation of the evil mage who knows that she is the most bad-ass thing in the vicinity. Someone gave her black and white robes which are a perfect match for her pale skin and her hair. Is she doing that on purpose, or does she have a stylist who went off the deep end?


    She touches the ground and raises her eyebrows when she spots me. ¡°You survived!¡±


    The fact that she sounds so surprised doesn¡¯t fill me with confidence. What does that woman think of me?


    ¡°No thanks to you!¡± Father complains.


    I sigh in relief when I realize that Joyce brought healers. And it seems like she doesn''t intend to charge us for medical aid. I step out of the way when one of them takes care of Oswin. ¡°Thanks for your assistance. The Alliance will surely reimburse you for your troubles.¡±


    She huffs and crosses her arms in front of her chest. ¡°I don''t think so. I have no idea of what is going on, but I have a feeling that your friends will do their best to paint us as the offenders. So, would you explain why it seems to be common practice for Alliance ships to attack each other?¡±


    I gesture for her to follow me to a spot farther away from the others. There is no need to spread this knowledge further than necessary. When we are out of earshot, I explain, ¡°We told you that your little game would cause us harm, and it did. The Atrachs discredited our family, accusing us of conspiring against the king.


    ¡°You must admit that you helped the situation along when you forced us to act all buddy-buddy with you. Apparently, the king believed the Atrachs enough to take away two of our airships. He wanted to make sure that our battlegroup isn¡¯t under our sole control, so he exchanged most of our crews and gave the command to two captains who aren¡¯t from our family. They turned out to be Atrach loyalists.


    ¡°Being given such a perfect chance, the Atrachs couldn''t resist trying to take out my family. They organized an attack on my estate and tried to take the Dawn. We already expected that, but your early departure prevented us from executing all our plans.¡±


    ¡°Atrach? Wasn''t this Pavel an Atrach? The one at the party? I think that he was also at the Alliance meeting.¡± She tilts her head, trying to remember.


    ¡°Don''t worry about him. He met an early demise. The rest of his family is the real problem,¡± I inform her.


    She raises both eyebrows and purses her beautiful lips. ¡°That''s a problem. I don''t intend to involve myself in Alliance politics.¡±


    I clench my fists. ¡°So you cause all this and don''t even intend to clean up behind yourself?¡±


    My irritation must have shown because her expression hardens. ¡°We aren''t playing the same game. I am willing to help you if you are on my side. There will be no involving myself in court politics!¡±


    I loosen my fists and try to keep a cool head. The situation is already out of control, so I may as well roll the dice. ¡°Okay, but you have to take all of us.¡±


    She blinks twice before she realizes what I am offering. ¡°Take you? Explain that.¡±


    I gesture at Dawn''s wreck. ¡°You said that you are playing a different game than us. As you can see, we are currently in checkmate. If you are offering us something better, then I am willing to overthrow the board and join you. The current king certainly did nothing to earn my loyalty.¡± One might say that he even betrayed it by abandoning us.


    She seems uncertain. ¡°How many people are we talking about?¡±


    I cross my arms in front of my chest. ¡°My family, which includes Dad, Mom, and my little sister. The household servants and maybe some of the close relatives, if they are willing to try their luck with you. Not more than fifty people, but all of them well educated and with military training.¡±


    After inspecting me for several moments, she looks up at the treetops, musing. ¡°It''s very likely that I''ll just add a lot of spies to my ranks, but the potential benefits seem to outweigh the risks. At the very least, I''ll gain a lot of people who have a good understanding of Alliance politics.¡±


    She turns around and gestures with her finger for me to follow her.


    I follow right behind her. ¡°What about the other ships?¡±


    ¡°We took care of the two that attacked you, but the other three are staying out of range. They saw what Illum can do. If they weren''t so fast, I would try to take them down. Fewer witnesses. But as it stands, they are surely already spinning a wild tale of what to tell the Alliance. I am considering to blow up the other two power stones.¡±


    A shudder runs down my spine. All my life, I was taught that power stones are an important resource. ¡°Why would we do that!? They are almost irreplaceable!¡±


    She shakes her hand in a dismissive gesture. ¡°Look at Illum. Power stones ''were'' an irreplaceable resource. Past tense. I have no need for the stones, but if I take them, the three observers will tell the Alliance that I took them, which will cause retaliation from the Alliance.¡±


    ¡°Why? Can''t we take the stones and return them to the Alliance?¡± I try to negotiate.


    ¡°I want them to know that messing with Illum doesn''t come without cost. Three power stones will hurt them. It¡¯s well within my rights to destroy equipment which was used against me. And if what you are saying is true, then the loss of the stones will cause them to take a very close look at what happened. Maybe they will even find out that the Atrachs have their fingers in this affair.¡±


    She stops and I almost run into her. ¡°If we leave the power stones with the wrecks, then your enemies can take them and pin their loss on us, ending up with two working power stones.¡±


    ¡°Two?¡± I ask. ¡°Don''t we have three wrecks?¡±


    ¡°I kind of overdid it with the last ship. I doubt that there are more than a few little shards left.¡± She dismisses her words with a gesture. ¡°Anyway-¡±


    ¡°If we blow up the power stones and create a few nice craters, then we can provide the Alliance with the coordinates of the craters. It''ll have to suffice as proof that we didn''t take them,¡± I finish.


    Her logic doesn''t sit well with me, but in this situation, it''s the only solution which doesn''t ensure problems with the Alliance. Oh, it¡¯s very likely that they will be angry, but at the same time, they won¡¯t act without careful consideration. Between us and the Atrachs, that''s certainly the best option.

 52. ~Joined~

    ¡°What separates a great leader from others, is his ability to react to a twist of fate.¡±


    ***Illum***


    ***Joyce***


    I guide Zane into my office. The room is well lit by the large windowfront behind my desk. Bringing Zane¡¯s remaining crew to Illum wasn¡¯t a problem. Not all of them will stay, but none of them had the desire to be left alone in the wilderness. They were even so nice as to rig the power stones for self-destruction, which created two really nice craters in the forest below us.


    Zane looks a little lost, so I gesture for him to take a seat and place myself in my office chair.


    He sits down and looks at me with a stern expression. It¡¯s clear that he isn¡¯t willing to trust me entirely. His body language says that he would rather be somewhere else. Maybe it¡¯s because his father is in our hospital and Zane isn¡¯t used to making decisions. His old man¡¯s leg was shattered pretty badly. It will take a while for the healers to get it back to a working condition.


    The problem with broken bones is that a simple regeneration spell won¡¯t heal the leg properly. The bones might fuse incorrectly, so someone with experience and knowledge has to set them before the leg can be healed. Depending on the fracture, that process can take a while.


    I slide closer to my office table. ¡°Let¡¯s talk business. I am not opposed to taking you in, but if you join me, you will have to sign the same contract as everyone else. At least those of you who are working directly for me. Children and relatives who join you don¡¯t have to sign a contract, but they don¡¯t get to work in important areas of the island.¡±


    He raises an eyebrow. ¡°Are there important areas?¡±


    I nod, but I have no intention to explain further. ¡°There will be no further information without a contract.¡±


    Zane snorts. ¡°My father will have fits. Signing contracts, like any worker from the street¡­ That won¡¯t sit well with him. He is very traditional in that regard.¡±


    I search through my documents and place one of the unused contracts in front of him. ¡°You don¡¯t have the same issues?¡±


    He shakes his head and takes a pen, then he looks at the contract. ¡°I do not. It¡¯s understandable that you can¡¯t trust us blindly. A contract is the best way to safeguard yourself. Hm. This contract looks like it¡¯s okay. The standard stuff.¡± His eyes fall onto the glass which is on my stack of unread documents and his hand freezes. He was one moment away from signing the contract.


    ¡°Is that a fairy?¡±


    Oh, shit. I completely forgot about her. She is sleeping and curled up at the bottom of her glass prison. If I hadn¡¯t seen her anger management issues, I would say that she is cute. ¡°Yes, indeed. That¡¯s my new pet.¡±


    Zane¡¯s expression turns disgusted. ¡°Fairies are no pets! They are people like us.¡±This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    I raise both eyebrows. There are his morals again. ¡°Allow me to rephrase that. Let me introduce you to the assassin who tried to kill me in front of the Alliance Council. She tried a second time when the trouble with you started. At the moment, her fate is undecided, so I am keeping her here, imprisoned.¡±


    He stares at the fairy, a blank expression on his face. It looks like doesn¡¯t believe me, but then he nods. ¡°That explains a lot. We wondered how the assassin managed to get through the ventilation system. In some places, the shaft was simply too tight, even for the smaller races.¡±


    ¡°She seems to like confined spaces, but let¡¯s return to the matter at hand. You mentioned fifty people. How do you intend to get all those men and women to Illum?¡± I interlace the fingers of my hands. It¡¯s a good way to keep myself from fidgeting too much.


    Zane returns his attention to the fairy. ¡°Is it really okay to talk about such things in front of a prisoner?¡±


    ¡°She won¡¯t get away anyway, but you are right. There is no need to worry. An illusion spell keeps her from seeing or hearing us. As far as she knows, she is inside a mirrored cylinder. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t be sleeping, what with us being so loud,¡± I explain.


    He nods. ¡°Our people went into hiding, but I can contact them. As soon as we reach a city with a gate, I¡¯ll send out a message. They will make their way to Illum, once they know where to go.¡±


    ¡°That sounds feasible. Our next goal is Laos and we will arrive there tomorrow morning. How long do you think it will take for your people to get to Illum?¡± I ask.


    His expression turns sour. ¡°One week at the most. Maybe two. Everyone who isn¡¯t at the meeting point by that time was either caught or is already dead.¡±


    I sigh. ¡°You know that all of this doesn¡¯t paint the Alliance in a favourable light? How can I ever trust such a government, or you? Why are you suddenly so eager to change sides? I just want to understand your motives.¡±


    He tilts his head. ¡°Nobody ever said that you should trust the Alliance, or us. You have to understand that the Alliance is a beast with many heads. There are those who want to work with you, but there are also those who just want to use you. That¡¯s true for any government, but the Alliance takes that principle to the extreme.¡±


    Zane pauses and takes his time to think about his next words. ¡°The human king isn¡¯t on anyone¡¯s side. As long as the noble families are fighting themselves, they don¡¯t fight him. He allows blood-feuds like the one between the Biralds and the Atrachs. He even encourages them. My family was on the losing side. Our ideals made us too many enemies and far too few friends. Right now, we don¡¯t have much to lose and you are a rising power.


    ¡°I won¡¯t say that I believe in you as our saviour, but you are in a unique position. If you play your cards correctly, you can rise to the top. We can help you with gaining some insights in Alliance politics. It seems much better to bet my family¡¯s fate on you, than on us escaping the trap of our enemies.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s surprising that you get anything done. The more I learn about Alliance politics, the more amazed I am by the fact that you are capable of standing up to the Empire.¡± I twiddle my thumbs.


    Zane laughs. ¡°You are completely right. If you were a good student of history, you would know that the Alliance only exists because of the Empire. It was formed to withstand the oppression of the emperor, who lashed out at everything non-human. I am sure that without the emperor, the Alliance would fall apart within a single generation.¡±


    So it¡¯s like I feared. ¡°It explains why the Alliance has no interest in defeating the Empire.¡±


    He leans back. ¡°Indeed. Those who have the power would certainly lose some of their privileges if the Empire is gone. Each race within the Alliance has its own government and jurisdictional organisation, but that¡¯s only possible because we share our military. The military is tasked with defending the Alliance as a whole. They also suppress anyone who causes trouble and threatens the balance of power.


    ¡°But what happens when there is no outside threat which justifies such a military organization? The standing military will soon fall victim to cost-cutting measures and everyone will seek to solidify their own power. The factions which are already struggling for control will only intensify their efforts and raise the stakes.¡±


    I grumble and turn my office chair to face the window. ¡°Thank you for your thoughts. I¡¯ll think about it. Maybe you should go and look after your father.¡±


    It takes a while, but in the end, I hear the office door being opened and closed. Zane left. I turn the chair back and notice that Zane signed the contract.


    Good.


    There is one other thing to take care of. Smiling, I turn my attention to the fairy. A tip of my finger is enough to shatter the illusion which kept the fairy oblivious to my conversation with Zane.


    I tap on the glass and shake it with enough force to rattle the fairy within it. Exactly what all the pet stores forbid. She stirs and sleepily looks around. ¡°Fuck! I hoped that it was a nightmare.¡± Her squeaky voice sounds like thatof a tiny mouse.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t.¡± I place the glass in front of me. ¡°We need to talk about a lot of things, but let¡¯s start with your name.¡±

 53. ~Dark Side~

    ¡°A good student of history doesn¡¯t only study the reasons and events which led to the first worldwide war. He also tries to understand the people who acted behind the scenes.¡±


    ***Illum***


    ***Willow***


    ¡°Willow Tumblefield,¡± I answer. There is no point in lying. After half a day in this prison, I am fairly sure that there is no way out. At least not without my captor¡¯s approval. I struck the glass and even tried to use my magic, everything to no avail. There must be an invisible barrier which covers the glass. ¡°Can I have some water? Or do you intend to starve me to death? And I have to pee!¡±


    Joyce doesn¡¯t acknowledge my demands and continues. ¡°I like your name. Allow me to explain something to you. The person you probably think I am¡­ the naive genius who just wants her peace¡­ I am not that person.¡±


    I get into a sitting position and pull my knees to my chest. It¡¯s probably for the best to say nothing. The moment I got to see Illum¡¯s interior, I already knew that Joyce is way more than she seems to be. Her mastery of spacial magic, force fields, and barriers is way beyond anything the Alliance has.


    Oh, they knew about her skills. The two guys who gave their report to the council described what they saw during their visit, but their description fell short of the actual situation. I suppose that they didn¡¯t get to see all of Illum and failed to realize the full scale of Joyce¡¯s knowledge. Illum is a single, large spacial chest. There is no way to tell its actual capabilities. The living quarters for the regular population are enough to leave me speechless.


    School for everyone, health care, police forces, military. Illum is on a path to become a power of its own. She told the Alliance of her wish to create a school, but her plans certainly won¡¯t stop there.


    Joyce takes my silence as an invitation to continue. ¡°You are an assassin, a person who has seen the dark side of the world.¡± She gestures at herself and smiles in a way which gives me the shivers.


    ¡°I am familiar with things which make ¡®death¡¯ sound like an easy escape. Don¡¯t make the mistake of thinking that I am a nice person just because I show the whole world a pretty facade. I would have no issues with squashing you like a bug. Unfortunately for you, you seem to be useful. That¡¯s why I will give you a choice.¡± She scratches her chin and studies me.


    The silence is stretching out until I can¡¯t take it any longer. I have to get out of this glass. ¡°Explain.¡±


    Joyce points her finger at me. ¡°You either get out of there as my employee, or you never get out. In that case, I¡¯ll use you as I see fit.¡±


    ¡°As you see fit?¡± I ask.


    She smiles again, but her expression is just a mask. ¡°I like your ability. Maybe I¡¯ll use you as breeding stock for more fairies. Or I¡¯ll use you as a crafting material. It depends on my mood.¡±


    So the bitch wasn¡¯t joking. ¡°There is no way that I will allow that. I would rather kill myself.¡±


    ¡°Then that leaves the first option. There are three types of people who work for me. The oblivious, the involuntary, and the initiated.¡± She claps her hands together. ¡°Up until now, I have only the first two types working for me.¡±


    I squint my eyes at her. ¡°So what¡¯s the difference?¡±


    ¡°Ah, the oblivious ones get a normal working contract and are paid like regular employees. They have to follow my commands and are punished if they cause me trouble. Then there are the involuntary ones, which means that they aren¡¯t working of their own free will. You will get no payment and I¡¯ll scratch a few runes into your skin. You will be nothing more than a slave. I don¡¯t like slavery, but sometimes a person has to abandon her ideals to achieve her goals. Yes, I know that this makes me a hypocrite, but I don¡¯t care.¡±


    This person is unhinged. What happened to her? How can someone so powerful be that strange in the head? She just told me that she has no problem with breaking the law. Isn¡¯t she supposed to be the ruler of a new country? How does she intend to stop me from telling anyone? Well, if life taught me one thing, then it¡¯s to go with the flow. ¡°I would like to be a normal employee.¡±


    ¡°Ah, but that¡¯s a problem. I want you to do a little more than the normal employee. For that, you also have to know a little more than the normal employee. This means that I need a very special contract for you.¡± She bends down and rummages through the drawer beneath her desk. ¡°Normally, I would hack off your hand and reattach it a few times. Your attack in front of the Alliance representatives did hurt a lot. But you are lucky. As it is, I have a lot of things to do.¡±This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    She places a document on the desk and opens my prison, then she tilts the glass.


    I slide over the smooth surface and land on the desk. Rolling off my shoulder, I get back to my feet. She opened my prison, just like that. I look at Joyce who is smiling at me, then I look at the ventilation shaft. A possible escape route? Or should I attack? I still have my poisoned epee. They never bothered to take away my weapon.


    The situation sounds like the ideal opportunity, but while mad, Joyce doesn¡¯t strike me as a suicidal idiot. She must be very sure of herself to free me just like that. Using my wings, I fly up into the air and concentrate on my magic. I imagine myself growing, reversing the spacial effect which shrinks me to the size of a bug.


    Joyce whistles. ¡°I finally get to see it from up close. It¡¯s some kind of spacial magic. You aren¡¯t using the spell for a three-dimensional space, you are somehow applying it to an object. You aren¡¯t really shrinking, but to the rest of the world it appears like you do. You are cheating.¡±


    I open my eyes and find myself at a normal human size, so I use the chance to glare at Joyce.


    Joyce isn¡¯t impressed. ¡°Don¡¯t look like that. It¡¯s what you get for trying to kill me. So, are you going to sign the contract? I don¡¯t have all day and I also have to introduce you to the others.¡±


    ***Illum***


    ***Joyce***


    Willow is a rather wiry girl with green hair. Her wings look like a dragonfly¡¯s and shimmer in all colours of the rainbow. One would never think that such a beautiful creature could be a cold-hearted killer. She is shorter than me and reaches the height of my shoulders. The fairy bends forward and signs the contract. Magical energy surrounds her, ensuring that a violation of the contract comes with severe repercussions.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t bother to read it,¡± I comment.


    ¡°Did I have a choice?¡± She slams the pen onto the table and takes the contract. ¡°I¡¯ll read it later.¡±


    I shrug and get to my feet. ¡°As you wish. Come with me. I¡¯ll introduce you to my command staff and then you can search for something to entertain yourself. Don¡¯t get too caught up in something. Later on, I¡¯ll need you for one of my projects. And don¡¯t bother to escape. Illum won¡¯t allow you to go anywhere until I say so.¡±


    ¡°Barriers?¡± she asks.


    I nod and guide her out of my office. Then I give her an official tour through Illum. It takes a while, but at the end, I am glad to deposit her in her own quarters. Her version of the contract is a very strict one. It punishes violations with death, so I am fairly sure that she isn¡¯t able to cause immediate trouble. A brief interrogation about her previous employers didn¡¯t yield a definite result, though she thinks that her employers belonged to the Consortium.


    Well, I never expected that a hired assassin would be told more than who to kill. Maybe a few details which are essential for the mission.


    I am on my way back to my quarters when I encounter Zane. He is looking out of the large window in the reception room of my palace. His attention is fixed on the horizon and he is holding two big bottles of booze. I decide to sneak up on him. ¡°Is there a good reason to get drunk?¡±


    He pulls down the corners of his mouth. The lack of a reaction shows that he wasn¡¯t surprised. ¡°I lost a few good friends and subordinates when the Dawn crashed. If that¡¯s not a good reason to get drunk, then I don¡¯t know.¡±


    I nod and take one of the bottles from him. ¡°To those who went ahead of us.¡±


    Zane snorts. ¡°That¡¯s a strange way to see it. Did you have a discussion with the Mirai envoy who relocated to your island?¡±


    ¡°Yes. They have a few interesting ideas about the world.¡± I take a sip and grunt appreciatively. ¡°You went for the good stuff. This is the elven sparkling wine which I ordered for special guests.¡±


    He laughs. ¡°Then you should hide it somewhere out of sight, and not in the cupboard of your reception room. Like that, all of your guests will take the good stuff.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a valid objection.¡± I gesture towards my office. ¡°Why don¡¯t we take this inside. And how is your father?¡±


    ¡°They are piecing him back together, but it will take a while. There is no risk to his life, but he didn¡¯t take my decision well.¡± Zane follows me into my office and closes the door behind us. ¡°He will come around. I have to give him time to think about our situation.¡±


    I guide him to the balcony. From there we have a nice view of everything that¡¯s behind Illum. For a while, we stay silent and watch the landscape passing by. The forest is slowly replaced by grassland, which is riddled with little ponds. With most of my bottle gone, I decide that drinking alone is boring. ¡°What do you expect from the Alliance? How will they react once they hear of your defection?¡±


    ¡°The humans will be furious, but everyone else will think of it as an internal affair between our people. It¡¯s not like we stole military equipment. Dawn is a crater in the ground. I would say that defending our legal position is now your problem,¡± he answers without a hint of guilt. ¡°Everything depends on whether they believe our side of the story or not.¡±


    I sigh and decide to take revenge on him. He shouldn¡¯t expect me to solve everything. Leaning forward, I give him a nice view down the cleavage of my robe. ¡°You know what everyone is going to say anyway?¡±


    He steps back and swallows. ¡°And there is only one person to blame for that.¡±


    I study him until my eyes stay stuck on his hips. ¡°Says the one who clearly shows a reaction to me. Why don¡¯t we take this inside? I was abstinent for several months and you are my type. It¡¯s hard to deny the urges of the body forever.¡± I lick my lips. Doing it alone gets boring after a while.


    Zane was taking a sip from his bottle. He chokes upon hearing my proposal, but manages not to spill his booze. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you!? You know that I am engaged! And you said that you like women.¡±


    And that¡¯s why it¡¯s so interesting to pull your leg. I shrug. ¡°I do. I also like men. It depends on the circumstances.¡± Mainly on my own gender¡­ And maybe the fact that I am a little drunk. But long years of experience taught me that it¡¯s not satisfying to do it with someone who lacks the correct equipment.

 54. ~Agent~

    ¡°No matter what you do, there are some things about history which you will never understand.¡±


    ***Illum***


    ***Zane***


    Kiara enters the community room which is reserved for the command staff of Illum. She is humming and has a bowl with nuts in her hands. The girl has her left cheek stuffed and is happily chewing on her snack. Upon seeing me, she halts in mid stride. The beastwoman squints her eyes at me, taking in my appearance. ¡°What the hell happened to you?¡±


    She is one of the adventurers who serve Joyce in various functions. We were introduced when I visited Illum for the first time and I had a second chance to make her acquaintance when Joyce saved us from our enemies. Kiara hasn¡¯t as much of a reputation as Fae and Tristen do, but she is known to be a permanent member of their party.


    I return my attention to the table in front of me, supporting my head with my hands. I''ve been sitting here since yesterday evening and can only guess at my dishevelled appearance. ¡°Something really, really bad happened.¡± I fucked up. Royally.


    ¡°It can''t be that bad. You are still alive,¡± she answers and sits down on the other side of the table.


    Oh, but it is. Maybe I should throw myself off of Illum and be done with it. Not only did I have a sexual encounter with my new employer, I betrayed my fianc¨¦e. If any of this gets out¡­ I am doomed.


    Joyce is a beautiful woman, but what attracts me is her independence and intelligence. My brain short-circuited when she played with the buttons of her clothes and took my hand. The temptress brushed her hips against my loins and pulled me back into the office where she made me lie down on my back. Then I wasn''t allowed to move while she made a show of stripping while sitting on top of me.


    It feels like the contours of her body are burned into my mind.


    She even held me down with her force magic, though I must admit that I didn''t even try to fight her. Who wouldn''t get horny if a beautiful woman reveals her perfect body to you? She even made a show of pleasuring herself in order to entice me.


    By the time she pulled down my trousers, my fantasies already did all the work to arouse me. She sank down on top of me and rode me with long circling motions until she found her release. The entire time, I wasn''t allowed to move or to touch her. It was the strangest sexual encounter I ever had.


    Then she threw me out!


    I still don''t understand what happened. Did I not perform to her expectations? Normally, it''s the man who runs off after the deed. It feels strange to be used as a pleasure toy, just to be discarded immediately afterwards. She didn''t even explain what this was about. Am I supposed to keep my mouth shut? Will she keep quiet about it? Was this a one-night-stand?


    If I go by my past experiences with her, she will show up and rub my disloyalty into my fianc¨¦e¡¯s face. Or worse, she did it intentionally to have something with which she can blackmail me.


    Kiara breaks the silence. ¡°Do you want to talk about it?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± What''s there to talk about? I don''t understand that woman! That''s the biggest problem. Maybe I was wrong to put my family''s fate into her hands. But it seems like the only way out. ¡°Why is Joyce so interested in playing with me?¡±


    ¡°Play?¡± Kiara asks.


    ¡°You know what she does. Showing off her body, attempts at seducing me.¡± I guess it isn''t just an attempt anymore. ¡°You know about it. You often were on the balcony when she showed off her newest piece of lewd clothing.¡±


    Kiara smirks. ¡°I wouldn''t call her bathrobe and her nightgown lewd, but you are right about the fact that she is teasing you intentionally.¡±


    ¡°So, why? What did I do to attract her attention?¡± I ask.


    ¡°Maybe you should ask what you didn''t do. Any normal guy would have happily taken each of her treats, enjoying the show. You didn''t. You even tried to look away and feigned disinterest. That woman seeks the thrill of corruption. You, the perfect gentleman and obviously a man of honour, are the perfect target to attract her attention.¡± Kiara shrugs and throws another nut into her mouth.


    ¡°So, you are saying that I have to behave like a lecherous bastard and as a result, she will have no interest in me.¡± So I was right! If I am not careful I''ll pay dearly for that one night.


    ***Illum***


    ***Willow***If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    I open the door to Joyce''s office. ¡°You called for me?¡±


    My new master/employer is at her usual place at the office table. She is staring at the ceiling and has her legs on the desk in a rather relaxed manner.


    It doesn''t look like she is busy, so I step into the office and close the door behind me. When she doesn''t react, I clear my throat to gain her attention.


    She looks at me and smiles. ¡°I was just thinking. Let''s get you equipped and briefed. There is something important to do. I planned to take care of this by myself, but with Zane and Oswin I have two unexpected new arrivals who will occupy my time. That leaves only you.¡±


    Joyce gets to her feet and gestures at the floor. A set of stairs appears in the centre of the office, leading into a basement. ¡°Let''s go to my workshop. You''ll need some special equipment to do this.¡±


    By now, nothing on Illum surprises me. I follow her down the stairway and arrive at a workshop. Looking around, I try to spot the secret behind Joyce''s abilities, but I have to admit that I don''t have the knowledge to understand most of the stuff which is stored down here. It''s very likely that I already got a glimpse at the answer, but am unable to make sense of it. She has a lot of strange artefacts and machinery down here.


    Joyce guides me into the darkness beyond the magelight which is placed above the entrance to her workshop. I realize that this space must be huge, and immediately wonder why she needs so much space for her magical experiments. She summons a magelight to give us some illumination.


    We walk through the darkness and it takes a while until I can make out another light ahead of us. At that point, I just can''t take it anymore. ¡°Just who or what are you?¡±


    ¡°You aren''t allowed to share this information, that''s an order. Are you familiar with the theory of souls and reincarnation?¡± Joyce asks.


    I purse my lips. ¡°You mean the Mirai religion? Yes, I know the rough details.¡±


    ¡°They are right, though not about everything. There are souls which don''t forget their past lives when they pass through the void to another world. Mine is one of them and there is an endless amount of worlds like this one. I can access several lifetimes of magical knowledge, experience, and science from different worlds.¡± Joyce answers without blinking an eye.


    I turn towards the strange woman. ¡°It would explain a lot, but that sounds too farfetched. Wouldn''t a person with so much knowledge be like a god? Why do you even concern yourself with the people of this world?¡±


    Joyce shrugs. ¡°I said that I can remember. That doesn¡¯t mean that my memory is perfect. In fact, I am quite sure that I don''t remember a lot of important stuff. Some of my lifetimes seem to be completely missing.


    ¡°But with enough training and some memory techniques, my previous incarnations managed to hammer enough basic knowledge into my soul to reverse engineer a lot of things which can be quite useful.¡± She spreads her hands. ¡°It''s good to know how to build a bow in a world which is filled with barbarians.¡±


    ¡°So you aren''t infallible. And if I kill you, you won''t come back to haunt me,¡± I note.


    Joyce doesn¡¯t feel threatened. ¡°Far from that. I''ll simply be reborn in the next world. It''s an endless, horrible cycle. Sometimes I really envy those with weak souls.¡±


    I turn to face her. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because the ability to forget is a gift which makes you quite happy, most of the time. The ability to remember is a thrill which makes you seek more. I fear the day on which I lose the memories which I hold dear.¡± She points at the area in front of us. ¡°We don''t have limitless time.¡±


    I walk towards the light. ¡°You still haven''t answered my question. What do you seek? It''s not like I can tell it to anyone.¡±


    She smiles sardonically. ¡°I seek revenge for what this world did to me while I was weak. And when I am done, this might be a better place. If I should ever come back.¡±


    Those are morbid thoughts. She talks as if her death is certain. ¡°You just said that there is an endless amount of worlds. Isn''t it unlikely to be reborn in the same world twice? If you don''t like this world, then why don''t you just kill yourself and go on to the next one?¡±


    ¡°Hahaha. What guarantee do I have that the next isn¡¯t worse? Been there, done that. Besides, which adult willingly returns to being a child? On top of that, every rebirth comes with memory loss. As a result, it takes a while to regain all my knowledge. It''s inconvenient and, believe me, sooner or later I''ll die anyway. Maybe someone assassinates me, or I slip on a stairwell and break my neck. That would be a stupid death, but it happens. Nobody can stay alert for all eternity. At some point, you get careless or reckless and then it''s over. Restart.¡±


    We stop in front of an area which is lit by another magelight. There is a large metal cylinder in front of us. It looks a little like the smokesticks which dwarves tend to smoke. The thing has a silver colour and is five metres in length. It''s floating seemingly weightless half a metre above the ground.


    Joyce gestures at the artefact and a broad door opens up, forming a stairway. She leads the way inside and hands me a ring. ¡°That''s the control key for this shuttle.¡±


    ¡°Shuttlewhat?¡± I ask and study the narrow room inside the artefact. Or is it a cockpit? I''ve seen personal miniature ships in the Consortium, but they are rare and very expensive. Only highly decorated couriers ever get to touch one. The room is completely empty, except for two chairs in front of a control panel. The front-side of the artefact is made of glass, which grants the pilot a good view of his or her surroundings.


    ¡°It''s a ship. Just large enough to carry a handful of people. I made it as a prototype, but it''s faster than Illum or any other ship I know of. That''s why you have to be inside this capsule.¡± She points at two chairs at the front. ¡°Sit down. I have to explain the controls. This ship isn''t fully automated, so I need a pilot.¡± She gestures for me to take a seat in the left chair.


    ¡°But I don''t understand any of this,¡± I complain and I sit down.


    ¡°Do you understand how a communication crystal works?¡± Joyce asks with an annoyed expression on her face.


    I shake my head.


    She continues. ¡°Yet you are using them. This is the same thing. Don''t worry, I think that this thing is almost idiot proof. There should be no problems in flying it.¡± She continues to explain the controls, which takes a while, but it is indeed not that hard to understand. There is a stick to control the alignment of the shuttle and a lever for the speed.


    Thankfully, there is also a panic button which sends the entire vehicle into ''hover mode''. Which means that it will automatically hold its position. I think I''ll be using that function a lot.


    Finally, there is a button which lands the shuttle at ground level.


    ¡°You don''t look very confident, but it''s only a matter of time until you get used to it,¡± Joyce says.


    ¡°I''ll never see my family again,¡± I complain.


    ¡°There are more of you?¡± the maniac asks with a mad gleam in her eyes.


    I quickly close my mouth and try to think of a way to distract her. If this lunatic gets a hold of more fairies, there is no way to tell what she will do. ¡°That''s just a figure of speech. You said that you have a job for me?¡±


    She squints her eyes at me. For some reason, she allows me to change the subject. Joyce gestures at my hand. ¡°Wave the hand with the ring in front of you to call up the map.¡±


    I do as I was instructed and the illusion of a world map appears in front of me. ¡°Neat.¡±


    Joyce starts explaining, ¡°That''s your current position and this is where I want you to be. It''s in the middle of the ocean, but there is a small island. You should find a ship there. A large one with a strong hull. Relatively new. Go on board and clean up the dirt. Then use this button while you are hovering above the ship. A force field will lift the entire ship with the shuttle. The reason why you are there is to bring me the ship.¡±


    I cringe. ¡°Won''t everyone see me?¡±


    She points at a switch. ¡°Camouflage. As long as you don''t get within a hundred metres of people, nobody should be able to see the shuttle or the ship. Don''t worry about the details of landing. I''ll take control with Illum as soon as you are back.¡±

 55. ~Island~

    ¡°The Mirai¡¯s attack on the Empire¡¯s northern coast was the first strike in a chain of events which ended with a new world order.¡±


    ***Western Ocean***


    ***Willow***


    I slide the lever back, slowing down the shuttle. On my first attempt as a pilot, I almost crashed the damned thing. But Joyce was right. After a few minutes, I got better. Now, I almost feel safe while flying this thing. The worst problem was the sensitivity of the controls. A tiny touch of the control stick and the whole vehicle bucks like a mad bull.


    But it¡¯s just something you have to get used to.


    Though, there is a small problem. The sensitivity is okay as long as I fly slowly, but I quickly found out that, while flying at high speeds, course corrections aren''t a good idea. Nonetheless, this shuttle is a marvellous thing. It¡¯s surprising that Joyce just gave it to me, together with a lot of other equipment. I admit that I am a little strange when it comes to new artefacts. Just a few hours ago, I thought that the crossbow from the Consortium is the coolest thing I will ever get my hands on. Far from that.


    Maybe working for Joyce is one of the best things which ever happened to me.


    Leaning forward, I study the little island. Joyce said that I have to look for a ship, but I can''t see anything, even though I am exactly at the ordered coordinates. Well, she mentioned that her navigation system isn''t perfect since it relies only on the sun and the stars. Exactly like all of this world''s maps. She spoke as if there is a more accurate method.


    Still, there is no ship and that sucks.


    But the ship is the reason why Joyce sent me on this mission. I am the one who is supposed to find it. Sighing, I decide to fly in concentric circles. If I take the island as the centre of my search pattern, I should find the reason for my presence soon enough.


    I lean back and prepare myself for a long day. This may sound strange, but waiting, that''s exactly the type of work which an assassin has to be good at. People like me need a lot of patience to get a good shot at their victims. Assassins who rush their preparations don''t tend to live long. And once you fuck up, you are generally done for.


    I grimace. Who am I kidding? That''s exactly what happened to me! I didn''t think and took a job which I wasn''t prepared for.


    Cheer up, Willow!


    I have to think about positive and interesting things, like this shuttle! Is Joyce aware that a few dozen of these things would turn Illum into an impenetrable fortress? Illum''s biggest problem is that it''s a big and slow target. A decent fleet of these shuttles could be sent out to engage any approaching fleet before they are able to engage Illum.


    My thoughts are interrupted when I spot a dark spot on the ocean. The ship is far away from the island''s coast, but it looks like that''s my target. I slow down a little more and mash the ''hover'' button when I am right above the ship. Then I get up and open the shuttle''s door.


    Joyce''s instructions on this part of the mission weren''t very detailed. She said that I have to clean up the dirt, which can be construed in a number of ways. I suppose that she would have said something if I have to expect resistance. Nonetheless, I make sure that my epee is ready and that the other artefacts which I got from her are within easy reach.


    Then I jump out of the shuttle and spread my wings. Flying is an unconscious act for me. The soft buzzing of my wings accompanies my descent to the ship.


    The ship is broad and sturdy. The designer placed more importance on cargo room than on a streamlined hull. Definitely some sort of merchant vessel. It has four sails and an elevated deck at the back of the ship. That''s surely where the helm is.Stolen story; please report.


    Soon, I can make out bodies. They are everywhere on deck. It''s almost as if they dropped where they stood. Five metres above the deck I have to stop and cover my mouth. The smell of rotting flesh and human waste is overwhelming. Why did all of them have to die? What happened? A pirate attack? No. The ship is in a perfect state and there are no signs of battle.


    I lower myself onto the deck and focus my attention on one of the bodies. He is lying face down in the middle of the deck. Carefully, I use a foot to turn the corpse around. The bloated skin of his rotting corpse left a spot on the wooden planks, but otherwise, the corpse is completely fine. There are no signs of a cut or a stab wound which could be the reason for his death.


    My thoughts immediately turn to poison and I step away from the corpse. I''ll have to throw away my boots once I am done here. People in my line of trade need to have extensive knowledge on all sorts of poisons. I like to use them myself, but only the stuff which can be easily handled. Though, there are some substances which kill off the user just as easily. Just touching the skin is enough.


    The rattling of a chain draws my attention. I turn around and draw my epee at the same time.


    There is a door which leads into the elevated section of the ship. It''s beneath the helm. A man appears out of the shadows behind the door and steps onto the deck. He looks haggard, almost starved. There is a mad determination in his eyes. I don''t like it at all.


    His only clothes are a captain''s hat and trousers. There is also a chain around his ankle, which is attached to a round, iron weight in his hands. His chest is a mass of scarred tissue, but I can clearly recognize runes. Joyce threatened me with carving slave runes into my skin. Is that what happened to him?


    He starts giggling upon seeing me. ¡°That''s too bad. Oh, that''s too bad. I hoped to see her at least one last time. Too bad that she just sent me a minion. Are you also one of the slaves? The documents and contracts are in the captain¡¯s office, should you need them.¡±


    I step back. ¡°No. What happened here?¡±


    ¡°Ah, I killed them. Isn''t that obvious?¡± He shakes his head. ¡°You don''t seem to know anything about her plans. That''s too bad. But I know. I had a lot of time to think about it. Even though I only got to see a few pieces, I can guess at her intentions.¡± He continues to gabble as he slowly walks towards the balustrade, struggling with the weight.


    ¡°What do you think you are doing?¡± I ask, still pointing my epee at him.


    ¡°I am executing my orders, but they weren''t perfect. That''s why I managed to delay my own death. You don''t have the scars? Don''t allow her to scratch your skin, or you will become like me.¡± He places the iron weight on top of the balustrade and takes his time in climbing to the other side.


    ¡°Stop that!¡± I need him to stop and explain this scene. ¡°What''s going on?¡±


    He halts and looks at me, his eyes a little clearer. ¡°You really don''t know? Hm. Maybe she fucked up? Or she sent you intentionally to meet me. It would be just like her. Maybe she wants you to see what happens to people who aren''t needed in her game. She already has a lot of minions doing her will.¡±


    This guy doesn''t sound entirely lucid. ¡°Concentrate. What''s going on? Tell me your name.¡±


    He blinks and tries to focus his attention on me, then he smiles. ¡°My name is Gregor, pretty fairy. I am one of the damned and if you don''t know what that is, then try your best to stay in her good graces. If you get a chance to escape, don¡¯t hesitate.¡±


    His face distorts in an expression of pain. ¡°Remember: Imperial weapons, Westfall.¡±


    The rune on his chest flares up, shining with red light. He howls and falls, pulling the iron weight with him. There is a splash and his scream cuts off.


    I hurry to the balustrade, but a few bubbles in the dark water of the ocean are the only thing that hints at Gregor''s demise.


    I turn around and run a hand through my hair to get the strands in front of my eyes out of the way. ¡°That''s so fucked up!¡± I have seen a lot of tough shit in my life and this is excursion is quickly making it into the top ten of shitty missions!


    A quick look at all the bodies makes me sick. She said to clean up the dirt. Did she mean the bodies? Oh, what a joy. I kill people! I don''t clean up the mess! Is she trying to tell me something?


    Okay, Willow, pull yourself together. Don''t let any of this get to you. You will do a good job and won''t end up like this Gregor. I definitely got the better deal when she didn''t carve those runes into my skin.


    Now, what to do with the bodies? They go overboard, obviously. But how? I don''t want to touch the stinky bags of flesh. Right. There must be something on this ship which I can use to clean up. Gloves, a mop...


    There is nothing of the sort in sight, so I enter the bow of the ship. I feared that it would be much worse in here, but it''s a little better than outside. Seems like most of the crew died on deck.


    The design of the ship is very straightforward. A single corridor runs through the bow of the ship. There are generous crew quarters, and the captain''s cabin, but what I am searching for is the staff canteen or the kitchen, where it''s most likely to find cleaning equipment. On my search for some cleaning tools, I stumble into the cargo bay.


    There are lots of crates, so I take a look to find out why Joyce wants me to collect the ship. I can hardly believe that she wants the ship itself, so it must be the cargo. The first crate is empty, but that''s not the troublesome thing about it. I check eight more, feeling my stomach turn into a little knot. All of the crates are spacial chests. Looking around, I try to calculate the amount of cargo space inside this ship.


    Gregor''s last words are still on my mind. Did he mean that this ship smuggled imperial weapons to Westfall? How many trips did they make? Does it matter? One delivery run should be enough to outfit a little army.


    The Sociocrathy has the orks safely contained within the borders of the Westfall desert. They don''t have the resources to equip themselves with weapons, so they aren''t a big danger. What will they do if someone hands them a huge stash of weapons?


    More importantly, what will the other nations do when they find out that the weapons are coming from the Empire?

 56. ~Laos~

    ¡°When you''re in jail, a good friend will be trying to bail you out. A best friend will be in the cell next to you saying, ''Damn, that was fun''.¡±


    ***Laos***


    ***Joyce***


    My office is filled with people. Managing Illum is becoming a real hassle, so I decided to hold a monthly meeting with everyone who is of importance. There is my immediate command staff, but also the leaders of the workers.


    Klein is currently giving me a report on the state of affairs. It looks good. The civilian quarters are done and a large part of the ''palace'' is finished. The academy still needs a lot of work and the hired teachers are complaining that they need equipment like chairs and tables.


    Klein taps his pen onto the sheet with his notes. ¡°But those problems are all minor and in the process of being solved. What''s a real issue, is the accessibility of the sky.¡±


    I look up. ¡°The sky?¡±


    Klein nods. ¡°We have a population of slightly over a thousand people. Most of Illum''s surface is reserved as park area, but that''s not enough. Even with Illum''s increase in size, the gardens get really crowded in the evening. We had to introduce a wheel system to keep too many people from being at the greenery at once. The people will get depressed if they have to stay inside their quarters for too long. This problem wasn''t urgent until now, but with our arrival in Laos I expect a huge increase of our population. More employees and even students. Edmund made some predictions and he expects that Illum will soon have a permanent population between two and three thousand people.¡±


    I rub my chin. ¡°I can stop the ring of unused matter from spinning. It''s just a joke anyway. If I flatten it a little and connect it to the rest of Illum, we would have a huge walkway around Illum. I''ll place it above the plane of the palace, so that everyone can have a good view. You can also plant more plants or create garden areas. I''ll flatten available surface to a width of a hundred metres.¡±


    Klein nods. ¡°That would solve the problem.¡±


    Kiara raises her hand. ¡°I want to start the project with your ''greenhouses''. The two large glass spheres which we are currently using as water tanks aren''t really needed. We can keep one of them, because the people are using it to swim. But as it is, one seems to be sufficient. We fill them to full capacity each time we travel through a large cloud system. Besides, can''t you always use spacial magic to create a cistern within Illum? Then we have no need to expose an important resource to attacks. Then we can reconfigure the spheres into food plantations. Maybe even create more of them if the first proves to be a success.¡±


    ¡°You have my permission to start the project.¡± The two spheres are just a temporary solution, so if we have the manpower, there is no reason to keep them as they are.


    There are a few more minor problems, but they are solved easily enough. Delegating work is the sweetest of all jobs.


    At the end of the meeting, the crowd leaves the office. Only Oswin and Zane stay behind. It''s good to see that the old man recovered, but he doesn''t look very pleased. Zane is avoiding my eyes. He tried to stay out of my way since I had a little fun with him.


    I lean back and smile. ¡°Can I help you?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Oswin takes a seat on the other side of my office table. ¡°It''s regarding the decision of my son. He took it without my consent, but that''s not why I am here. We Biralds stay true to our word. I want to know how you intend to get our people up to Illum once they arrive.¡±


    ¡°I can give you the same control rings which my command staff uses. Otherwise, you can take the scheduled transports down to the city.¡±


    I had to create a public transportation system for the masses. Two discs are transporting passengers at regular intervals. The people have various reasons to visit the town, though in Laos it''s being used for the first time. Everyone who leaves Illum has to sign that he left. Strangers aren''t allowed to visit Illum. It''s strict, but nobody can say that I lock up my citizens.


    I am already dreading the day when the first people start missing the last bus, but it can''t be helped.


    Reaching down, I retrieve two more command rings from the drawer beneath my desk. I throw one to Oswin and one to Zane. ¡°You can ask Brian to give you one of his guard squadrons. Then you can wait for your people directly at the gate network down in the city.¡±


    Oswin nods and puts on the ring. I am not entirely sure how they informed their people of the new plan, but I suppose that they have a hidden communication crystal. Sigh, so many things to do. I would love to play a little more with Zane''s morals, but there is simply no time. ¡°Is that all? I have a meeting with the Mirai envoy.¡±If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    Oswin nods and turns, but Zane stays behind. He turns to his father. ¡°I need to discuss something, Dad.¡±


    Oswin doesn''t reply and leaves the room. As soon as he is gone, Zane turns towards me. ¡°Please explain what that one evening was about!¡±


    I furrow my forehead. ¡°What do you mean? And is your old man mad at you? He seemed cold.¡±


    ¡°Oswin will come around. The evening when you seduced me! What was the meaning of that?¡±


    I shrug. ¡°I was needy and you were convenient. Don''t make such a fuss about it. It was just sex. Go back to your fianc¨¦e and be happy. Or, if you have the urge, you are welcome to visit me on evenings. I''ve had better,¡± in another life, ¡°but your tool isn''t too bad.¡±


    His mouth gapes open. ¡°I am not that type of man. I know my responsibilities.¡±


    I dismiss his ideals with a flick of my wrist. ¡°I am my own person. I am independent and you certainly don''t have to take care of me. You have no responsibilities towards me and there will be no consequences. Isn''t that a situation which every man would wish for?¡± I smile. Oh, his horrified expression is epic, so I place a leg on the desk and run a hand up the curves of my body. ¡°Don''t you want to touch me? I admit that it felt good to be in control.¡± My former master always tried to hurt and restrain me, so it was quite nice to be the one who is in charge.


    Zane shakes his head. ¡°I am very sorry, but what happened between us shouldn''t repeat itself. I doubt that I will be able to live with it, so I have to confess it to my fianc¨¦e.¡± He stands up and bows to me, then he leaves without looking back.


    I sit there, dumbfounded. What was that? I look at the ceiling and play with a strand of my hair. How long has it been since I was rejected in such a manner? Do I remember a single person who has such high moral standards?


    I don''t.


    At first, it was interesting to corrupt Zane, but it''s slowly becoming a matter of honour. What was his fianc¨¦e¡¯s name? Carmen? Karmilla? She didn''t strike me as a noteworthy person. The impression I got was that of a cute doll with control issues. It''s almost certain that she won''t react well to Zane''s confession.


    Oh, well. Let''s see how that turns out.


    A signal informs me that Willow is about to return. I make sure that the shuttle''s stealth function is activated and get up. The ship will enter the secret hangar which connects directly to my workshop. I want to be there to see how it fared.


    ***Laos***


    ***Willow***


    I open the door of the shuttle and scowl when I see that Joyce is already waiting on the other side. ¡°I am not a charwoman!¡±


    Joyce raises her eyebrows. ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    I point at the large ship which is floating next to my shuttle. ¡°Fifty-four bodies! It took me a whole day to scrub up the mess! I was so close to losing it! And the smell! I am a delicate fairy! I am not supposed to clean up corpses.¡± I know that I sound like a little child, but this had to be said.


    ¡°So the ship was a mess and you cleaned it all up? I only meant for you to kill the crew, just in case that some survived, but it''s nice of you to do a little preliminary cleaning. I''ll wash the ship in any case. Submerging it in de-ionized water should do the trick.¡±


    I fall to my knees and curse my own stupidity. She already thought of a way to clean the ship. ¡°The next time, try to be clearer!¡±


    Clenching my teeth, I look up at her. ¡°And why do you want the orks to rebel against the Sociocrathy? Are you aware that your actions could cause a worldwide war? The Empire will gain a lot of enemies because of your machinations, but they are still strong. It will take a lot of effort to bring them down! You will have the blood of thousands on your hands. Maybe millions! I am an assassin, but even I think that something like that is an atrocity!¡±


    Joyce''s expression turns sour. ¡°So you met Gregor?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    She tilts her head and puckers her lips. ¡°I could answer that question in a myriad of ways, but the easiest way would be that I want revenge and a clean conscience.¡±


    I get back to my feet. ¡°A clean conscience? How can you have a clean conscienceafter doing something like this!¡±


    Joyce crosses her arms behind her back and studies me with an emotionless expression. ¡°I was born as the child of a slave. For eighty years, I had to serve a weak-minded fool who took pleasure in abusing his pleasure slaves. And I wasn''t alone. There is at least one slave for every citizen in the Empire. The Sociocrathy isn''t that public about their slavery, but as long as the money flows, they have no issues about trading them on the black market.


    ¡°Meanwhile, the Alliance is doing nothing because their internal conflicts are more important. The Consortium is watching, hiding on their island. This world hasn''t changed in over a hundred years and the average slave lives less than twenty years. Do you have any idea on how many bodies the Empire built its power? What does a puny war matter? It will be over in less than a decade.¡±


    She spreads her hands. ¡°I am guilty of killing a few goblins and bandits. I am guilty of forcing a band of murdering pirates to do my bidding. I am guilty of dangling a huge, shining toy in front of the ruling powers. And, I am guilty of selling weapons to those who want them. I''ll even tell you that I am responsible for the rebels who are running amok in the Sociocrathy and the Empire, freeing slaves to join their fight for freedom.¡±


    Joyce nods and crosses her arms in front of her chest. ¡°But I forced none of the people who will initiate this war to follow their desires. I gave the orks weapons. What they do with them isn''t in my hands. I am also not responsible for what others will do once they realize that those weapons come from the empire. All of the hatred already existed before I escaped. I am only accelerating it, bringing it to a quick end.¡±


    I squint my eyes at her. ¡°That doesn''t free you from responsibility.¡±


    ¡°No, it does not. I am just taking the path which all the others aren''t willing to walk. They prefer to uphold the status quo and to burn their young soldiers on something they call the Eternal Battlefield. An atrocity without equal. I have been to many worlds, but none of them had two ruling powers who fought a sanctioned war like that. How many people does their inaction kill? Nobody cares about that. A million people in a decade? Ten in a century? How many will I save if I force the war now, even if it will cost millions their lives?¡±


    She squints her eyes at me. ¡°You have to understand that this isn''t a war between good and evil. There is no black and white. There are bastards on both sides.¡±


    I shake my head. ¡°I understand your logic, but what will you do once the Empire is defeated? Or worse, if the Empire wins?¡±


    She laughs. ¡°Who says that there will be a victor?¡±

 57. ~Envoy~

    ¡°The spirit cats are the familiars of the necromancers. It¡¯s said that they follow their master''s bloodline until it perishes.¡±


    ***Laos***


    ***Joyce***


    I return to my office and find out that Emil Fotenu is already waiting for me. The Mirai envoy is sitting in the visitor''s chair and watches with raised eyebrows as I climb the stairway to my office. The guards must have let him in to wait inside my office. My secret entrance isn''t so secret anymore. I should have told them that everyone has to wait outsideunless I call for them. Then again, I haven¡¯t even told them that I am not ready to receive visitors. I totally forgot because of Willow¡¯s arrival. A mistake on my part.


    Well, it can¡¯t be changed, unless I end Emil once and for all. At least my documents can''t be rummaged through. Upon getting my new office, the first thing I did was to set up an automatic barrier which restricts movement within my office.


    No matter, it''s not like his knowledge of the stairway changes much. He simply knows that I have a few secrets, just like everyone else who wields a lot of power. ¡°I heard that you want to tell me something?¡± I walk around the table and sit down in my beloved office chair. The carpenter did a good job with the black leather. I place my hand on the armrests and wait.


    Emil smiles. ¡°The Mirai Sovereign requests to meet with you.¡±


    ¡°Aaah... yeah...¡± Why are the Mirai interested in me? Is it about my ethnicity? Why am I suddenly so interesting? Aren''t the Mirai busy with laying waste to the Empire''s northern coast? And most importantly, how am I supposed to meet with this Sovereign? I certainly won''t fly all the way to their state. There are still a few things to do in the Sociocrathy, and then I have to go to the World Assembly. ¡°No thanks.¡±


    The envoy straightens in his chair. ¡°May I inquire why not?¡±


    ¡°I simply don''t have the time to fly all the way to her estate. There are a lot of things on my list of things to do.¡± I gesture at the huge piles of documents on my table, then I try to look busy by sorting one of them.


    Emil relaxes. ¡°Oh, that''s no problem. Janice will come to you. She just needs a little of your time.¡± The envoy grins at me like an idiot, not realizing that his withered gums turns his grin into a grotesque imitation of the real thing. Seems like the spell which turned him wasn¡¯t absolutely perfect.


    I stop the act and study Emil very carefully. ¡°The Sovereign will visit me? In the middle of a country which is at war with your people?¡±


    He nods, still grinning.


    ¡°Explain,¡± I demand. ¡°What''s going on?¡± And how do they know where to find Illum? Ah, stupid question! Emil told them.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Emil raises his hands, palms out. ¡°Oh, I am sorry. The Sovereign forbade me to say unnecessary things. She wants to discuss this with you in private, so that there are no misunderstandings.¡±


    ¡°That still doesn''t explain how she intends to get here.¡± I stab the office table with my index finger.


    ¡°Oh, that. She will arrive with her fleet. Our warships are always a few generations ahead of everything the other nations have. The fleet is our best defense. The ships will fly at a height of approximately ten kilometres. No other fleet of warships is able to operate at this height and it''s very unlikely that they will be spotted. Even if they notice us, which isn¡¯t likely, it will take the Sociocrathy days to respond to our arrival at their southern border.¡±


    I close my eyes and massage the bridge of my nose. ¡°So you are saying that your people can go anywhere they want and nobody is able to stop them? Then why are you striking the Empire just at its northern coast? You could go to their damned capital and wipe it out!¡±


    He repositions himself in his chair. ¡°This capability is supposed to be a secret, not to be revealed until we are ready to deal a decisive blow to our enemies, of which there are many. Besides, the Imperial Capital is well protected. They have a large part of their fleet permanently stationed there.¡±


    I cross my arms in front of my chest and glare at him. ¡°Your story sounds mighty suspicious. Something which I have must be very important to your Sovereign. Why else would you risk to reveal your capabilities to others?¡±


    Emil shrugs. ¡°I am just an envoy. It''s not my place to make such decisions. It''s not a problem to reveal this to you, since you would have found out anyway. The reason why I am hereis to petition you to meet the Sovereign''s fleet at the highest altitude that''s possible to Illum. You surely understand that we don''t want to reveal our cards if it isn¡¯t absolutely necessary.¡±


    Drumming my fingers against my elbow, I squint my eyes at him. After a few moments of silence, he realizes that I expect more of him.


    ¡°Of course, it''s okay if Illum isn''t able to deal with high altitudes. It would simply mean that the Sovereign descends the fleet down to Laos. That would surely cause an uproar, and I am not entirely sure if you want to be associated with us. Not to mention what the Sociocrathy might think of you. They are strangely quiet about your violation of their borders. At the same time, the Alliance''s lack of a reaction is also surprising. You blew two of their airships out of the sky.¡±


    So he watched that. I click my tongue. Well, I knew that allowing someone like him onto Illum is equal to inviting a spy. Still, I think that his presence is beneficial to me in the long run. ¡°You are trying to force me,¡± I say. ¡°Bad things happen to people who try to force me into things.¡±


    Emil shakes his head. ¡°Please, don''t be offended. The Sovereign really just wants to meet with you. There are some important things which have to be confirmed.¡±


    ¡°This sounds like a convenient opportunity to attack Illum,¡± I mumble.


    ¡°Please be assured that we Mirai don''t wage war on those who didn''t attack us. This will be a simple official meeting, nothing more.¡±


    I raise my hands. ¡°Fine! Illum will meet your fleet. When will you arrive?¡±


    ***Zenith***


    ***Janice***


    I watch the clouds passing by beneath us. The large window front in my cabin allows me a grand view of everything in front of the Zenith. Just two more days and I''ll get to meet this ''Joyce''.


    Minx meows and rolls onto her back, presenting me her belly. The ghost cat is totally comfortable with lying on my lap. She even starts purring, so I pet her.


    At the same time, I try to come up with an explanation for Joyce. I don''t like riddles and this mystery is one of the biggest I had to deal with since a long time.


    There are many possible explanations for Nova being alive. For her being alive and in control of her mental faculties? Not so many. For her having created something like Illum and being recognized as an independent power by the Alliance? Very few.


    And all of them are very unlikely.


    The cat looks at me with her blue eyes.


    ¡°You will tell me if that woman is legit. Isn¡¯t that right, Minx?¡±

 58. ~Diplomacy~

    ¡°The Sociocrathy knows two forms of diplomacy. Peace for those who they deem stronger. War for those who they deem weaker.¡±


    ***Laos***


    ***Joyce***


    I wake up and rub my eyes. After Emil¡¯s visit yesterday evening I felt tired and went to bed. It¡¯s really annoying that I can only make up theories about the Mirai at this point. I simply don¡¯t have any solid leads to go on.


    Maybe I should just stay in bed today. It¡¯s not like Illum will fall apart if I am not supervising everything. My staff has a firm hand on things and if there is anything they can¡¯t handle, they can call me.


    Or I could take a walk through the park? Ah, there are so many people out there. It wouldn¡¯t be relaxing. Relaxing? Yeah, maybe that¡¯s the problem. It has been seven months since I escaped and I didn¡¯t take a single day off. Maybe half a day when I created Illum, but that¡¯s all. It could be that I am over-worked.


    Someone knocks on the door of my bedroom.


    I close my eyes, draw in a deep breath to let it out. ¡°Yes?¡±


    Fae opens the door. ¡°Are you sick?¡±


    ¡°No. Why?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s already midday and you are a very active person. We never noticed you oversleeping for any reason.¡± The elf enters the room. She looks around, dissatisfied with what she sees. ¡°It¡¯s not surprising that you are depressed. Your private quarters are very spartan, almost gloomy.¡±


    I roll my eyes. Yes, my quarters are very simple. There are no pictures or plants. Just furniture and cabinets for storage. I am used to it, so it isn¡¯t that bad. In fact, I hate having plants in my quarters. Plants belong in the garden. In a room, they just create unnecessary work. The same goes for decorations, because they gather dust. ¡°I threw Klein and his crew out as soon as the quarters were ready. There is no need for decorations and all that stuff. Is there anything you need? Otherwise, I would call this day a vacation.¡±


    ¡°Vacation?¡± She raises her eyebrows. ¡°Well, I suppose you can. Oswin and Zane went down to the city in order to get their family. I thought that you might want to meet them, but since Oswin and Zane are going to be your contacts I suppose that it isn¡¯t necessary.¡±


    ¡°Who exactly are we talking about?¡± I ask.


    Fae scratches her head. ¡°Oswin¡¯s wife and Zane¡¯s little sister. Apparently, the fianc¨¦e also decided to make an appearance. Maybe we can get some information about what¡¯s going on within the Alliance. The lack of a reaction worries me.¡±


    I bite my lower lip and chew on it for a few moments. ¡°I guess it can¡¯t be helped.¡± I sit up and search for something acceptable to wear. My nightgown might not relay a sufficient impression of my person. Then I remember that Laos isn¡¯t necessarily a friendly environment, so armour isn¡¯t a bad idea.


    Five minutes later, Fae and I depart. Brian accompanies us with ten of his guards. Suddenly, I realize why I felt so down. I didn¡¯t leave Illum for quite a while. My only possibility to see the city was that stupid birthday party¡­ And we all know how that went. Union seemed to be an interesting city, but because of the threat of an assassination, I didn¡¯t dare to wander around.


    Well, the threat is still there, but at least I caught Willow. I guess being hunted is going to be my life from now on. At least until my plans come to fruition.


    We land directly in front of the large building which houses the gate network. Unlike the one in Hormundad, this one is made out of red bricks and looks like a simple warehouse. It¡¯s located at the market and heavily guarded, so we wait outside.


    The market doesn¡¯t look very sophisticated. The stands are made out of wood and there are just a few shops which are of higher quality. Laos isn¡¯t on the same level as Hormundad, but it¡¯s big enough for a gateway connection. The people keep their distance from us. I can¡¯t blame them for it. They are clothed in a similar fashion as in the Alliance. Robes and leather. Nothing extravagant like in Union. Most of them are humans or beastkin.


    What worries me though, is the abnormally high amount of city guards. They are positioned all over the area. At least they aren¡¯t well-equipped. Only leather armour and spears, but there are many of them. I count at least forty. A precaution? I reach up and make sure that my barrette is in position. ¡°I can¡¯t see Oswin and Zane. Shouldn¡¯t they be here?¡±


    ¡°They are waiting inside the building for their people,¡± Brian informs me.


    I quickly survey our guards. Brian brought ten people, all of them in heavy armour. Five are equipped with shields and short swords. Three more have halberds and the last two are armed with bows.


    I study them and wrinkle my nose. ¡°Fae, remind me to upgrade Illum¡¯s guards with proper equipment.¡± My two little students aren¡¯t ready to take care of Illum, but I can teach them some enchantments which should enhance the equipment of our soldiers a lot.


    Fae studies the men. ¡°It¡¯s the best equipment we can buy. There are a few good blacksmiths on Illum, but we have nobody who is dedicated to weapons and armour. Even if we had someone, such things take a lot of time to produce.¡±


    I snort. ¡°I am not thinking about metal. There are some materials which are at least as good and weigh a lot less. Weight doesn¡¯t matter to people who have a strength ability or inner mana manipulation, but everyone else will benefit greatly. I really have to talk to some of the scholars. My ideas will need some research.¡± Mainly about what is feasible and what isn¡¯t.


    ¡°Okay. You intend to pull a few more inventions out of your hat? Why am I not surprised?¡± Fae shakes her head and pulls out a small booklet to note down my wishes. ¡°I¡¯ll talk to the scholars, but I am afraid that we tasked most of them with organizing the academy.¡±


    I shrug. ¡°They can stop their activities for a few days. I don¡¯t remember greeting them properly.¡±


    ¡°They arrived when you were occupied, and afterwards the Mirai envoy took your attention. I heard that you had a second meeting with him. Anything new?¡± Fae closes her booklet and stows it away.


    ¡°That remains to be seen. He was very secretive, but I don¡¯t think that it¡¯s something you have to worry about. There is no way to change what¡¯s going to happen.¡± At least I think that it¡¯s not worth the effort. Whatever the Sovereign wants, it seems to be important enough to visit me in person. If she is willing to go to such lengths, then the easiest way to solve the issue is to talk to her.


    Oswin and Zane appear with seven of our guards. They leave through the gate network¡¯s main entrance and are accompanied by five people. Two women, a teenager, and three men. Upon seeing us, they make their way in our direction and join up with our group.


    I immediately recognize Barbie-face. Now that I see her in person, I also remember her name, Carmen. The teenager must be Zane¡¯s little sister, which means that the other woman is Zane¡¯s mother. She is a brunette with a strict face and a lean body. Her daughter is a little sturdier with a slightly rounder face. Must be Oswin¡¯s genes. I smirk.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Oswin reaches us first and introduces me to the newcomers while the guards form a circle around us. ¡°Joyce, I think that you already know Carmen. This is Esmeralda, my wife, and our daughter, Nadine.¡± He points at the men. ¡°These two are trusted members of our household and their personal guards.¡±


    I shake hands with one after the other and smile. ¡°My name is Joyce. I am the ruler of Illum.¡±


    Esmeralda looks up to the floating city above us and I use the chance to check out Zane. Something tells me that he didn¡¯t have ¡®the talk¡¯ with Carmen. ¡°Is Carmen already an official member of your family?¡± I point at the blonde.


    Zane clears his throat. ¡°I beg you to overlook her presence. I know that you only extended your hospitality to blood relatives.¡±


    Carmen squints her eyes at Zane, then she glares at me. ¡°Don¡¯t be so high and mighty. The Biralds might need this alliance at the moment, but my people are already working on undermining the Atrach¡¯s influence on the king. He will surely realize that his policy isn¡¯t beneficial to his goals.¡±


    Like I care, but let¡¯s stay diplomatic. ¡°I see. Do you bring any other information regarding the Alliance? After all, two of their ships attacked Illum. I can hardly believe that a diplomatic incident like that stays unanswered for several days.¡±


    Esmeralda turns her attention to me. ¡°The various faction leaders came down hard on our king, so it might take a while for the Alliance to reach an agreement on how to respond.¡±


    I play with a strand of my long hair and answer as friendly as possible. ¡°I understand. Maybe we should talk-¡±


    ¡°Stay back!¡±


    A commotion and a shout from one of our guards distractme. While we were talking, the Laos city guards closed in on us, led by a group in very expensive armour. There are silver and gold all over them. Thankfully, they were stopped by our people, which led to the commotion.


    I turn to address Brian. ¡°Don¡¯t do anything, unless you are attacked. Only defend.¡± I turn back to the new arrivals and walk closer until I am directly behind the guard who warned them off. Addressing their leader, I bow slightly. This has to be some kind of misunderstanding, so let¡¯s try to resolve this peacefully. ¡°I am Joyce, ruler of Illum. Do you need something?¡±


    A highly decorated fellow steps forward. ¡°We are the Paladins of Mercy. Joyce, you are under arrest and all your property is confiscated. The charges against you are as follows. Illegal entry into our airspace, assistance of dubious elements from the Alliance, violation of the trade agreements...¡±


    He goes on and on.


    I turn back to the others. ¡°Who are the Paladins of Mercy?¡±


    The teenager, Nadine, looks at me as if I am retarded. ¡°They are the Sociocrathy¡¯s highest legal jurisdiction and strongest military force. Some say that they are judges and executioners in one.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡± I turn back to the man and quickly count his followers. Seventeen guys in heavy armour. ¡°Does this mean that you don¡¯t recognize Illum as an independent power?¡± I ask, interrupting their leader. While doing so, I call up Illum¡¯s control menu and step out of the protective circle which was formed by our guards.


    The paladin stops his self-righteous listing of my supposed crimes. ¡°Why should we recognize you as an independent power!? Just because the Alliance is afraid of a single, oversized piece of rock, doesn¡¯t mean that we have to follow their example. Come with us peacefully and nobody has to get hurt. If you comply with our demands, you may even walk free.¡±


    The muscles in the left side of my face start twitching, so I reach up to rub my cheek. ¡°That¡¯s strange. You see, there must be a problem with your code of conduct. A reasonable person would expect that you first try to talk to the offending party. Before you arrest and blackmail them.¡±


    I smile and take a step closer. ¡°I didn¡¯t get a single complaint from your government about Illum¡¯s presence at Laos.¡±


    He glares daggers at me and reaches behind himself. When he reveals his hand, he has a set of shackles in them. ¡°I am only doing my job.¡±


    That does it! Shackles, slave collars. Never again! I activate the barrier around my group and a clearly visible, blue bubble flashes into existence. I may as well use this chance to test the results of my training. I raise both hands, palms out. ¡°Sorry, but since you don¡¯t want to be reasonable, I have to see this as a declaration of war against Illum.¡±


    The large man furrows his forehead and steps forward, raising the shackles. He took my offered hands as a sign of capitulation.


    I also advance on him and my hand shoots out, stopping him in the middle of his step. My lengthened fingernails burrow through his armour and pierce his heart. His eyes widen and he looks down at his chest.


    Retracting my fingernails, I leave five little holes in his chest-piece. He stands there, clearly not believing what just happened, so I place my palm on his chest and shove lightly. The paladin falls backwards like a felled tree and impacts the ground with a heavy ¡®thud¡¯.


    I look around and access the energy in my barrette, channelling it through me. ¡°Wow. I would¡¯ve never believed that a large market place like this one can be quiet enough to hear a pin drop. I like it quiet. So peaceful.¡±


    That spurs them into action. They rush at me and I meet them by leisurely walking forward, raising my hands. Two jets of blue flame shoot at the first row of attackers. They scatter, but the flames hit the closest ones, charring three of them. They scream as their exposed skin is blasted off their flesh.


    The others quickly resort to ranged combat. ¡°Almighty Lord! Strike thy foe down with thunder!¡± His lengthy incantation left me with plenty of time to prepare a counterspell. Besides, which idiot announces his attack to the enemy?


    I reach out and use my left hand as a lightning rod. Redirecting my magic into a tight leash, I pre-charge the air-molecules and create a channel of superconductive gas. With my right, I throw it out towards the tightest group of enemies.


    The bolt of electricity hits me and is redirected towards the paladins. Four of them drop to the ground, nothing more than twitching bodies. They are already dead, but their nerves are still being animated by the electricity.


    Using force magic, I pick up the bodies of three downed opponents and throw them at targets of opportunity. The casters react as expected and stop their chants. It¡¯s hard to keep your concentration if a comrade is dropped onto you.


    Pushing myself off the ground, I jump forward to evade several spells. I land right between them and punch the closest opponent. His head snaps back and he is sent flying. Tumbling, he crashes into a nearby stall, but I don¡¯t spare him much of my attention.


    Laughing, I point my arms to my left and my right, recasting the flamethrower spell. A quick spin leaves me in a group of squealing foes.


    Well, mostly. Two of them seem to have a protection spell and aren¡¯t affected. The closest one charges through my flames and tries to bash in my head. His huge war mace parts the air right in front of my face as I frantically roll backwards over my shoulder.


    Coming back to my feet, I ready crude energy blasts in each hand to repel anyone who is too close.


    The paladin with the war mace followed me, but he drops dead before I can shoot him with my spells. Someone nailed him with an arrow.


    A spear point blooms from the second opponent¡¯s chest. Zane appeared out of nowhere right behind the paladin and turned him into shish kebab. He must have taken the spear from one of the fallen.


    I wrinkle my nose and turn to look at the rest of the group. Our guards are still holding their protective formation. About fifteen city guards are dead on the ground in front of their feet. The market place is empty of any living soul, except for us. Even the remaining guards fled.


    Well, mostly. There are the wounded paladins, but Brian is enthusiastically putting them out of their misery with his trusty sword.


    I dispell my magic and cross my arms in front of my chest. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to stay back? How did you even take down the barrier?¡±


    Fae raises her hand and points at her ring, smiling. ¡°I had this thing for long enough to understand what it can do. You don¡¯t cast those impenetrable force fields entirely by yourself. As soon as you broke up their formation, I switched off the barrier to assist you.¡±

 59. ~Demonstration~

    ¡°A nation only stays a nation as long as its government has the power and determination to uphold its ideals and policies. If it can¡¯t do that, the nation crumbles.¡±


    ***Laos***


    ***Joyce***


    ¡°This is bad.¡± Oswin studies the scene of corpses. ¡°Now they will send their fleet for sure.¡±


    I laugh. ¡°I bet that their fleet is already on the way. But don¡¯t worry. This is nothing I didn¡¯t prepare for. Though, I must admit that it¡¯s a little insulting. These paladins tried to capture me all by themselves. Unfortunately, this practically forces a reaction from our side.¡±


    Turning, I glare at Fae. The fact that she switched off the barrier is a little disconcerting. The rings grant my command staff a certain amount of control over Illum, which includes the minor force fields. ¡°And we will have a nice discussion about our behaviour, later.¡± This isn¡¯t something to be discussed in public.


    The elf blushes. It seems like she realized that she said a little too much.


    Esmeralda raises her eyebrows. ¡°What do you mean with responding to this attack?¡±


    I gesture at the mess which is surrounding us. ¡°They attacked the representatives of an independent power. Worse, they tried to put a slave collar on their leader, me.¡± I turn and search for the item. It¡¯s just a few feet away, so I go and grab it. My initial hunch turns out to be true. This is indeed a slave collar in the form of shackles.


    In a wicked way, it makes sense for a police force to use them to restrict violent prisoners. But the sheer audacity of trying to put it on me is unbelievable.


    Just in time, I notice that Brian is already almost done with killing off the survivors. Isn¡¯t that guy supposed to be a paladin himself? ¡°Brian, stop killing the survivors! Geez, what are you so worked up about?¡±


    The commander of my guards stops his sword from finishing off yet another injured paladin. He blushes and steps back. ¡°I am sorry! I guess that I got carried away.¡±


    Fae points at the large knight. ¡°He is from a different order than those douche-bags. Their groups have something like a blood feud going on. Their disciples are sworn to kill the other party if they ever cross paths.¡±


    I raise a hand to cast a healing spell onto the man who was about to die by Brian¡¯s sword. The injured man is one of those who got burned by my flamethrower spell. Yuck! Seeing the aftermath of my magic isn¡¯t a pretty sight. The skin on the man¡¯s hands came off completely, but he managed to protect his face. Well, most of it. That¡¯s the reason why he is still alive.


    The paladin is moaning in agony, but my healing spell quickly numbs his pain and starts regenerating the skin. I don¡¯t wait and clip the shackles around his wrists, infusing them with magic. He screams and tries to resist the enchantment which begins to influence his mind. I wait patiently, knowing perfectly well that it¡¯s just a matter of time until he succumbs.


    ¡°What do you think you are doing?¡± Zane asks. He looks horrified.


    Why is he so upset? Is it about the fact that I used the slave collar on the idiot who watched while someone tried to put them on me? ¡°I want to get a little information before he dies.¡±


    Zane closes his mouth and looks at his father, but the old man shakes his head.


    When the paladin is finally silent, I order him, ¡°Get to your knees. Tell me everything you know about your orders. How did you intend to capture me? Will you gain any assistance from airships? I can hardly believe that you thought to take on Illum together with a few city guards.¡±


    The man gets to all fours, whimpering. He stays silent and I know that he is still fighting the slave collar, which is surely sending electrical impulses to stimulate all his pain receptors at once. If it¡¯s one of the fancy collars, which I assume, then I don¡¯t even have to worry about him losing consciousness. Admiringly, he keeps his mouth shut for a whole minute until he gasps and spills his breakfast on the ground.


    I step back to avoid getting dirty.


    Once he is able to breathe, he is suddenly very eager to tell me everything. ¡°The captain got the order to wait for an opportunity to seize you, robbing Illum of its leader. In any case, we are awaiting a fleet of eighty ships. They should arrive in two or three days and are supposed to deal with the flying island. I don¡¯t know anything more! I swear!¡±


    I click my tongue and consider his words. ¡°That makes the Sociocrathy¡¯s standpoint towards Illum very clear. I am afraid that I have to show them that Illum isn¡¯t theirs to take. Claw out your eyes and eat them, then bite open your wrists until you die of blood loss. That¡¯s an order.¡±


    The man howls and starts clawing at his eyes, but Zane steps in before I get to see the results. His weapon pierces the man¡¯s heart, ending his struggles prematurely. Zane pulls the weapon out of the corpse and glares at me. ¡°That was unnecessary!¡±A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    I raise an eyebrow. ¡°That¡¯s the imperial method for punishing an enemy. They tried to put that slave collar on me, therefore they won¡¯t get any mercy. Brian, kill the rest.¡±


    Turning, I show Zane that the discussion is at an end. ¡°Oswin, make sure that your people know that they have only one more day to use the gate network. After that, they have to wait until we arrive at another city with gates.¡±


    He nods and I allow myself a quick glance at Esmeralda, Nadine, and Carmen.


    Oswin¡¯s wife is composed and has a determined expression on her face. It¡¯s clear that she isn¡¯t new to death. Nadine, on the other hand, is as pale as a ghost. She is holding onto her mother¡¯s sleeve and shows all signs of shock.


    Carmen avoids eye contact. It seems like my little show changed her perception of me.


    I touch my tattoo and connect directly to Illum. It takes only a few moments to find the preset feature which turns Illum¡¯s barrier into a huge speaker. This works by vibrating the barrier, transmitting my voice all over Laos. I set the volume to a reasonable level and clear my throat.


    ¡°Test, test.¡± My voices echoes all around us. Damned feedback effect! Entirely too loud. Ouch.


    I turn down the volume even more and try to sound cheerful. The people of Laos will need it. ¡°Ahem! This is Joyce, the leader of Illum. We are a new independent power, but your government doesn¡¯t seem to recognize that. They tried to put a slave collar on me to gain control over Illum. Unfortunately, I am allergic to such things. Aside from the attack on my person, Illum won¡¯t tolerate any form of slavery or slave collars. Anyone who uses them on one of our citizens will have to deal with the consequences.


    ¡°As it is, I probably could have overlooked this attack as the mistake of a misguided group of people. Unfortunately, your government also sent a fleet of airships to take control of Illum. I have no other choice, but to see this as a declaration of war. You have until tomorrow, midday, to evacuate Laos. Afterwards, this city will cease to exist.


    ¡°I may remind you that any attack on Illum will be met with an immediate lethal response. The same goes for any rioters or people who try to take advantage of the situation. I¡¯ll simply bombard offenders and victims alike. Just leave the city with everything you need in an orderly and civil manner.¡±


    I loop my speech to be endlessly repeated, then I set Illum¡¯s force cannons to automatically destroy any location which is the origin of an attack on the floating city.


    Turning, I realize that everyone is looking at me with blank expressions. ¡°What?¡±


    Even as I ask, a huge fireball rises from somewhere within the city and one of Illum¡¯s gun ports opens. The magical attack is answered by the heavy ¡®thud-¡®thud¡¯ of several kinetic projectiles. I can¡¯t see the impact zone, but I am quite sure that a few large craters appeared there. The fireball keeps rising and impacts Illum''s barrier, doing nothing. I harrumph. They don¡¯t seem to have a power stone in this city.


    Airship barriers posed a problem to my smaller force cannons, so I decided to invest my time in a few upgraded versions. The small ones shoot projectiles which are two centimetres in diameter. The new, large ones are fifteen centimetres in diameter and have a weight of ten kilograms, they pack a heavy punch. So far, I have only two of the large cannons protecting each side of Illum. They are another hotfix which isn¡¯t intended as the final solution. I really would like to have the time to weaponize Willow¡¯s ability and to study her crossbow. The enchantments on the bolt especially.


    Brian shrugs and decides to be the one who complains. ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t know. Wiping out a city, isn¡¯t that kind of evil? And what happens if the Sociocrathy is so pissed off that they don¡¯t stop hunting us?¡±


    I dismiss his argument with a gesture. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Am I not giving them time to evacuate? The Sociocrathy will soon have too many problems to even consider us. I expect them to apologize as soon as they realize that they can¡¯t spare the resources to deal with us.¡±


    As I activate Illum¡¯s force magic to get us back to the island, Esmeralda starts smiling. ¡°Zane, I am not sure about your reasons for throwing us into the same pot with that maniac, but I am starting to like her.¡±


    ***Illum***


    ***Zane***


    I glare down at Laos, leaning onto the balustrade. Carmen and I are positioned at Illum¡¯s mid-section, this is one of the best locations to watch the destruction of the city. I tried to argue against it for the rest of the evening, but Joyce didn¡¯t want to consider any of it. She thinks that this is a good opportunity to demonstrate our policy and determination towards the world.


    There are lots of people outside to watch. Nobody has an idea how she is going to do it. I survey the rows of people who are manning the balustrade. Even the new walkabout around Illum is full of people.


    Honestly, I don¡¯t understand why she thinks that she can get away with this. At this point, it¡¯s still possible to fix things with the Sociocrathy. After Laos¡¯s destruction, there is no way back.


    I talked to a lot of Illum¡¯s citizens. None of them seem to have any problems with Joyce¡¯s actions. To them, she is some kind of saviour. I have to admit that I can¡¯t blame them. Most of them are simple workers or upper middle class. My family is the first large group of nobles who get to join Illum. Everyone else is facing vastly improved living standards.


    But all those people down there will lose their homes. Those who refuse to flee will also lose their lives. I watch the camps of refugees which sprung up all around the town. Most are still hoping that Joyce won¡¯t follow through on her threat, or that they can rebuild afterwards.


    They hope in vain. I have seen Joyce¡¯s determination.


    I still can remember her biggest argument for doing this. ¡®If I do it now, I can reduce the casualties to a minimum. Additionally, all these people will become refugees and carry the word of what happened here through the Sociocrathy and the Alliance. Now that I have seen the Sociocrathy¡¯s policy, I don¡¯t think that it is beneath them to manipulate the news about what happened here. It¡¯s almost impossible to do that with a hundred thousand people who know the truth running through their country.¡¯


    A sudden ¡®crack¡¯ and a crumbling building draw my attention to Laos¡¯s city centre. Slowly, the entire area is flattened. It¡¯s like a god reached down from the heavens and used his finger to crush an annoying bug. Joyce is using Illum¡¯s force magic to destroy the city. I gulp when I remember the large scars in the ground back at the dead mine. That¡¯s when I realize that Illum wasn¡¯t built. Not really. Most of Illum¡¯s mass must have been simply ripped out of the ground. There is no reason why this ability can¡¯t be used as a weapon.


    I watch as the invisible pillar of force starts moving in circles. Slowly but steadily it stirs up the ground, grinding Laos to dust! The force field seems to be about a hundred metres in width.


    At this rate, it will take a few hours until the city is completely gone. I feel a little better when I realize that this gives even the most pigheaded fellows a last chance to flee. I only hope that Joyce has an idea on how to escape this approaching fleet.


    Carmen steps to my side and reaches for my hand. We didn¡¯t talk much since she showed up. I pull a face and sigh.


    ¡°Carmen, I have to tell you something.¡±

 60. ~Heights~

    ¡°At the beginning of the war, a deciding factor was the enchantment which allowed to recycle the air which was trapped inside an airship¡¯s barrier. This allowed it to weave a barrier tight enough to create an air bubble around the ship, which made concerns about flying too high obsolete.¡±


    ***Illum***


    ***Joyce***


    Willow and I watch as the last of the city''s buildings are ground to dust by Illum''s force fields. The remains look as if a god drew a huge spiral into the earth, not caring that a city happened to be in the way. Of course, there are faster methods to get rid of a city, but in my identity as Joyce, I don''t want to be connected to the new imperial weapon which burned Orwen and laid waste to Jebli''s black market.


    Joyce is the just and benevolent ruler of Illum. That¡¯s what everyone has to think. The truth behind the scenes is quite different, but that only concerns those who are unable to betray me.


    Doing anything flashy like burning everything to a crisp would certainly make some people suspicious. Using force fields is perfectsince I am known for force magic.


    If Dorver is correct, then the outbreaks of spontaneous incineration of slaves are becoming a real concern to the Sociocrathy and the Empire. I doubt that it''s the death of the slaves which concerns them. It''s surely more about the fact that most of the slavers also burn in those incidents.


    In the long run, I''ll have to come up with a new weapon for my agents. Inferno isn''t a complicated spell, so I expect that someone will find a counter to it soon. According to the reports, the resistance is using the spell more often. The spell is a military class attack, but it''s expected to be used together with counterspells and interference magic to stop the enemy from cancelling it.


    Willow averts her eyes from the scene. ¡°You look worn out.¡±


    ¡°Bad dreams,¡± I answer.


    She studies me for a few moments. ¡°I suppose it''s a good thing. The fact that you feel for the town and all those people who are left without a home... It makes you a little less of a psychopath.¡±


    Maybe Willow is a little too blunt. And I don''t give a shit about the town and its people, but maybe it''s better if I keep that to me. Willow can have her delusions.


    The paladin shoved that slave collar right into my face and because of that, all sorts of bad memories resurfaced. I was trying really hard to forget about most of them. Some techniques to recover lost memories can also be used to purposefully forget something. Sadly, that takes time. On top, it''s really complicated because I want to remember a few more clues about my origin.


    I am sure that Nemus didn''t manage to keep his mouth perfectly sealed. There must be something buried in all those years. Some hidden meaning or a careless comment which I didn''t manage to understand at the time.


    Or did he? Who says that he even knew why he had to keep me alive? He was clearly under orders to do so. So why should his superiors tell him anything more than necessary? I wouldn''t have either, especially because he was an idiot. In which case I have to find the fat little bug who was with him when he bought me. That''s not good. I don''t even have a name to go by.


    I touch my tattoo and order Illum to rise. The Sociocrathy will find nothing more than rubble and several thousand refugees when they arrive.


    Another thought comes to mind. ¡°Do you think that the Sociocrathy will leave the survivors untouched?¡±


    Willow raises an inquisitive eyebrow and turns her attention to the camps of refugees. They had sprung up all around the town. ¡°I don''t think that it''s beyond them to solve the problem by eliminating the cause. But it''s unlikely. The people down there are just a part. A lot of refugees have already left, heading for other cities and villages. They are spreading in all directions. Not to forget, we left the gate network open.¡±


    She shifts her weight around. ¡°That means that many of the wealthier citizens are already out of the Sociocrathy''s reach. Then there are the communication crystals and other means to share what happened here. The Sociocrathy can''t keep the news from spreading, even if they purge the whole area. Say, aren¡¯t we a little too high? We are already above the clouds.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± I nod slowly. She made some good points. Then I squint my eyes at her. ¡°I wanted to ask, but why does an assassin like you seem to have morals? It doesn''t fit.¡±


    Willow looks away. ¡°I only do what I have to. My job involves taking lives for payment, but I always take the lives of those with a lot of power.¡± She looks at me. ¡°Nobody with a lot of power is innocent.¡±


    I purse my lips and think about it. ¡°That''s a dangerous generalisation, but I suppose that it''s true for most cases. The question remains, why do you have to work as an assassin?¡±


    Suddenly Willow starts twitching. It''s clear that she is fighting the rules of the special magical contract which I made with her. ¡°Because I have to.¡±


    I turn and look down at the fairy. She is currently about a head smaller than me. After a few days, I noticed that she likes to play with her size. Sometimes she is as small as a bug, then dwarf sized, and on some days she chooses to play in the human league. ¡°I can''t let that go. Explain. I ask it of you.¡±


    She looks at me with a mournful expression. ¡°Because they have my hive.¡±


    ¡°They? Hive?¡± I ask, not understanding.


    ¡°We fairies live in hives, like bees. They are our version of cities. Normally, we hide far away in the wilderness. The assassin''s guild found my people and used poison to anaesthetise us. Then, they transported the entire hive to one of their hidden training camps and locked us inside a cave. Now they are using us to fuel their magic. If there is a task which requires our skills, they have no problem with forcing one of ours to do their job.¡±Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    I cross my arms in front of my chest and turn to face her. So, there is an entire hive of fairies. ¡°How many fairies? And how long has this been going on? Won''t they retaliate against your people if they learn that you are with me?¡±


    Willow shrugs. ¡°Two, maybe three hundred. And I don¡¯t know. Generations? And I don''t think so. Their forced assassins disappeared in the past. It happens from time to time. The assassins will punish the hive by pulling more magic out of us, but they won''t kill anyone. But if they find out that I told you something, they will kill my people for sure.¡±


    I sigh. An entire tribe of little fairies who can help me with my experiments. ¡°We will go and get your people once we are done with the Mirai. Tell me, where do we find this training camp?¡±


    Willow pales. ¡°M- M- Mirai?!¡±


    Ah, that''s right. I have to tell everyone about our visitors. ¡°Did I forget to mention it?¡± I guess I can''t postpone it any longer. Fae will wet her pants.


    ***Zenith***


    ***Janice***


    I must admit that Illum looks more impressive than the descriptions made me think. After getting informed about our arrival, I went to the observation platform to have a better view. It''s a genuine flying city. The main body is an oval bowl and has a large building on top. It looks like a cute, little palace.


    A large ring surrounds the whole central structure at a slightly elevated level. The oval and the ring are connected by several walkways.


    A large crystal sphere is connected to the front part of the oval, while a second one is placed at the ring. It looks like they have different purposes. The one at the oval seems to be used as a large pond, while the one at the ring is in the process of being re-purposed. There are clear signs of construction work.


    One thing to take note of is that they met us exactly at the suggested altitude. We didn¡¯t even have to search.


    I lean forward to look over the balustrade of my flagship. We should be too high for the Sociocrathy. Their ships can''t reach this height and the distance will make it hard for them to identify us. My whole fleet has got strict orders not to display any signs of national affiliation. The Sociocrathy won''t be stupid enough to think that we are from the Alliance or the Empire, but maybe they will play with the thought that we belong to the Consortium.


    The story about Laos''s destruction took me by surprise. It''s certainly something to keep in mind when I talk to Joyce. A shiver runs down my spine. The thought that Joyce could be Nova and that she was inches away from getting enslaved a second time ¨C it turns my guts.


    My ghost cat appears out of the floor and meows. I whistle and Minx jumps up into my arms. ¡°Good girl.¡±


    There is only one way to satisfy my curiosity about Joyce. I would''ve wished for more information from Emil, but I had to give the communication crystal to my captain. He has to manoeuvre the Zenith to one of the docks at the outer ring.


    It took some negotiation, but in the end, Joyce allowed us to close in with our entire fleet. I doubt that my general would''ve allowed me to board Illum otherwise. He has to follow my orders, but foremost, he has to keep me safe. If he can. I am strong enough to watch out for myself, but it¡¯s easier to leave him to his delusions.


    I pet Minx and watch as Illum comes closer. The Zenith has a third of the size of Illum''s main-body. It''s hard to believe that Illum already houses over a thousand people, but Emil would never lie to me.


    My doubts evaporate when we come close enough to identify people on the ring, which seems to be in the process of being turned into a walkway around the main body, including greenery and shops. There are hundreds outside to watch the Zenith. I don''t understand what''s so interesting about my airship. They live in a flying city.


    Finally, the Zenith docks with the outer ring. I take the stairs down to the main deck and am not surprised to find the general and ten guards waiting for me. ¡°I am afraid that you have to stay here, General¡±


    ¡°Why!? You are entering foreign territory. There is no way that I would stay behind. What do I tell your children if something happens?¡± He shakes his head.


    I sigh and pet Minx. ¡°My son knows perfectly well what to do, should something happen to me. Aside from that, you can''t go with me, since you could offend the people of Illum.¡±


    He looks at me, not understanding.


    Shifting, I try to hold Minx with one arm and point at my cheek, where the general has a large hole in his flesh, showing white teeth. ¡°They might be afraid of you.¡±


    The general gasps. ¡°That''s racism! Barbaric!¡±


    ¡°I told you many times to get yourself repaired. The new enchantments which regenerate dead bodies are well tested. There is nothing to fear.¡±


    He shuts his mouth. ¡°Fine. I''ll send the guards who look like the living. Just make sure that I don''t have to explain anything to your children.¡±


    I ignore him and approach the ramp which allows us to pass over to Illum. After a few quick changes, ten guards follow in my wake. On the other side of the ramp is Emil and several of Illum''s guards. All of them look like highly skilled warriors. Former adventurers, as Emil informed me.


    ¡°Sovereign!¡± Emil kneels and gestures towards three people who are standing next to him. ¡°These are Brian, commander of Illum''s guard, and Fae and Tristen, members of Illum''s command staff.¡±


    The large man who is in full body armour nods and the elf bows to me, showing proper manners. The lean man next to her also bows, but less deep. ¡°If you would follow us? Joyce is waiting for you.¡±


    I nod and gesture for them to get going. My guards take their positions in front of and behind me, while twenty of Brian''s guards surround us. The whole display is rather unnecessary, but since the general was in a rebellious mood, I didn''t want to waste time by arguing that I can easily take on fifty soldiers.


    We have to walk a hundred metres until we reach the inner side of the ring. It didn''t look that big from far away. The people are staring, but I am used to that. I notice that all of them are dressed well and seem to be happy. It''s like at home, though, this place is clearly a work in progress. There are a lot of unfinished buildings.


    I notice that none of my guides are interested in starting a discussion, so I stay silent.


    We arrive at a long walkway. Its many little stairs allow the masses to travel between Illum and the ring, but we are led onto a platform. Once everyone is on board, it detaches from the ring and floats us smoothly over to Illum''s main-body. We land directly in front of the large building which houses Illum''s ruler.


    I am led through a long hallway and into a large reception room. Fae walks ahead of us and opens a door for me, smiling. ¡°Joyce is waiting for you.¡± I step inside and Fae closes the door behind me.


    The room is an oversized office. To my left is a stairway which leads out of the room. On the other end, is a large office desk with a panorama window behind it. And in the office chair behind the desk is Joyce, studying me.


    Nobody can deny the family resemblance. She looks so similar to my daughter. But that doesn¡¯t mean that I should let my guard down.


    I smile and concentrate on my senses to look for any dangers. The room is filled with residual energy, just like the rest of Illum. A little fairy is hiding in the ventilation shaft, left upper corner of the room. What''s more troublesome is Joyce''s aura. The barrette in her hair is like a bright star of power to my senses.


    There is also a strange tendril of violet energy on her chest, from where it wanders up and coils around her shoulder. Her hands are motes of white power. What really intrigues me though, is the rest of her aura. All I have seen so far, can be explained with artefacts and body modifications.


    Her aura though, is of a light blue. Most normal people with average souls have green auras. In fact, seeing another colour is very rare. It''s very easy to observe their growth as they go through a whole range of colours and grow in strength. From green to yellow after a few decades, eventually turning orange after centuries. Blue is high up the chart of colours and indicates that Joyce¡¯s soul has the experience and strength of someone who can reincarnate. She must have the life experience of several thousand years.


    I smile and approach her, taking the free chair which is facing her. When I am settled down, I take a deep breath and let it out. ¡°Who are you?¡±


    Joyce raises her eyebrows in surprise.

 61. ~Tie~

    ¡°There are two types of people, cat-people and dog-people.¡±


    ***Illum***


    ***Joyce***


    ¡°I am Joyce. Who are you?¡± Duh!? I throw her a curveball in order to gain some time. It seems like this person knows a little too much about me. She also seems to be very powerful. The energy is coming off of her in waves, almost as if she has too much power to control all of it. As long as she is in Illum I am fairly sure that I have the upper hand, but I wouldn''t want to meet her outside my place of power.


    The woman in front of me could be a slightly older version of myself. I can''t deny the family resemblance. She is a little less well-equipped than I am, and a lot leaner. Her expression is also harsher than mine and there are two small scars on her face. Nothing which makes her outright ugly. Just a small, pale line on her left cheek and above her right eyebrow. I guess she keeps them as a reminder. There is no reason why something like a scar can''t be healed.


    ¡°I am Janice.¡± She tilts her head. ¡°Please don''t play games. I am trying to figure out what''s going on. You are a reincarnated person. Have you always inhabited this body?¡±


    ¡°I am not a body-snatcherif that''s what you mean. And how do you know what I am?¡± I squint my eyes at her. Should I end her right here and now? If she is also a reincarnated person, she could be dangerous. Though, it would explain her confidence. Damn, why does she have to be the leader of a nation? I have her entire fleet surrounding Illum. I should never have allowed them to get so close to us. Illum won''t be able to get out of this unscathed if somebody starts shooting.


    For some reason, she looks relieved. ¡°Not that old then. You have no idea of soul magic, do you?¡±


    ¡°Soul magic?¡± Never heard of it. And she already saw through me, so there is no point in lying. ¡°No, but I am very proficient with force fields and barriers, science stuff, as you can see.¡±


    Janice leans back and pets the white cat which she brought with her. ¡°Let''s make a deal. We don''t kill each other until we have resolved all our questions. An answer for an answer. A story for a story. No lies.¡±


    I slowly reach for my tattoo. ¡°I don''t think that you are in a position to make such demands.¡±


    She shrugs. ¡°You are probably able to crush my body and I can''t do much about that. But you would also die, together with some serious repercussions for your next reincarnation. I certainly won''t be inconvenienced as much as you. So, do we have a deal?¡±


    I am not entirely certain what her soul magic entails, but it bothers me that she took a single look and knew what I am. ¡°For now.¡±


    ¡°Okay, and since I am the guest, I''ll start. Tell me about your life on this world. Don''t bother with the previous ones, or we would probably still be sitting here a year from now.¡± She nods for me to go on.


    Why don''t we decide by tossing a coin? Well, I guess it doesn''t matter. This will take a while and I really have to get a grasp on what''s going on.


    I start with a short introduction and what little I remember of my early years as a slave. Then I quickly skim over my life as Nemus''s slave. A small reaction shows me that Janice knows the name Nemus. I finish with my escape and the creation of Illum, not telling her anything of real substance.


    Of course, I never mention all my little operations and less moral decisions. Nor the fact that I was the one who torched Orwen. In my version, I simply used the chance which fate gave me. There is likewise no need for Janice to know who created the conditions for the coming world war.


    She huffs when I have finished my story. ¡°I see. That''s unfortunate, and I am sorry that I wasn''t able to change your fate. At the same time, I am glad that you are who you are. It makes things a little easier.¡±


    ¡°You said that you would trade a story for a story. So? I think you know what I am going to ask.¡± I cross my arms in front of my chest.


    It takes a few moments for Janice to decide where to start. In the end, she gives me a brief overview of the history of this world. Nothing I didn''t already know, except for a few little details. Janice reincarnated about nine hundred years ago in the Mirai kingdom. That was when they still ruled over the coastal area which now belongs to the Sociocrathy.


    The Mirai religion and their practice of necromancy were already in place when Janice was born, probably created long ago by another reincarnated person. Janice''s parents died in the war against the Murians and she became their Sovereign. Faced with enemies from all sides, she decided to lead her people over the ocean and to create the Mirai State.


    That was a hundred years ago.


    Two decades later, after the Mirai established themselves as a pirate kingdom, the Sociocrathy launched an attack. They somehow managed to persuade the Alliance and the Empire to join their attack. It looked like a remarkable diplomatic feat to gain the assistance of two mortal enemies.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    But the Empire had a plan of their own. They held back their forces and launched an attack on the Mirai''s island, instead of joining forces with their allies. The task-force abducted Janice''s daughter, Castella Mirai, and killed her husband. She was pregnant at the time. One year later, Janice''s agents managed to rescue her, but the child was gone. Mother and daughter were kept in different locations to stop any rescuers from reaching both of them fast enough.


    I raise a hand and laugh. It takes me a few seconds to calm down. ¡°So, you are saying that I am a Mirai princess and your granddaughter.¡±


    ¡°You are Nova Mirai, daughter of Castella Mirai and Alec Vast.¡± Janice pulls a face, clearly angered. ¡°There is an easy way to test it.¡± She takes the cat from her lap and places it on the table between us.


    I pull back and instinctively raise a barrier to stop the animal from coming closer, but the white cat is unaffected and turns insubstantial upon passing through all my defences. Purring, it flops down into my lap. The furball curls up and goes to sleep as if nothing happened.


    ***Illum***


    ***Janice***


    I smile upon seeing Joyce''s reaction to Minx. The woman is frozen in shock. ¡°Oh, you are definitely a cat-person. And my granddaughter.¡±


    ¡°Fuck off! I don''t even know you. And what is this thing?¡± Joyce presses out between clenched teeth. She still doesn''t dare to move and I notice that the little fairy in the ventilation shaft is moving. I have to appease them, or it might get violent.


    I stop smiling and gesture at the cat. ¡°That''s Minx, a ghost cat. To be more precise, an ethereal energy construct which is linked to our bloodline. A familiar which is able to determine who belongs to the family. It''s the symbol of being a member of the Mirai bloodline. You have nothing to fear from her.¡±


    Joyce looks down at the cat, so I decide to continue. ¡°Your mother was in a bad state when she was rescued. Unfortunately, we didn''t get to you in time. Afterwards, the Emperor made sure that we didn''t get our hands on you. Our fleet is powerful, but even we can''t do much against a whole city which is full of mages. The Emperor also threatened to kill you, should a Mirai do so much as step onto imperial territory.¡±


    Joyce looks up. ¡°Excuse me, but that sounds fishy. You kept quiet for over eighty years, just to keep me alive. I gather that you attacked as soon as you heard of Orwen''s destruction. Why?¡±


    ¡°Actually, I attacked when he couldn''t give me proof that you were alive.¡± Leaning back, I try to get more comfortable. ¡°That asshole deserves worse than seeing his Empire burn. And I am sorry for caring about my bloodline. I know that my feelings are a weakness of mine, but had I caused your death, my daughter would''ve never forgiven me, or herself if something happened to you. She is in a bad mental state.¡±


    Joyce doesn''t show any consideration for my feelings. ¡°That still doesn''t explain why the Empire abducted her in the first place. Was it really just to have a hostage? How did they know that you care that much about your family?¡±


    I nod. ¡°Having a hostage was just a secondary goal. The Emperor is playing the long game. He intended to use you and your mother for a breeding program. Each member of our bloodline can command the dead who were created by one of us. With that, after a few generations, the Mirai''s biggest advantage could be used against us. They simply have to order our soldiers to lay down their weapons.¡±


    Joyce shakes her head. ¡°I can''t command the dead.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you can. Didn''t you notice that Emil readily answered all your questions? It''s an ability which is handed down through the bloodline. No knowledge necessary. It''s a peculiarity of this world.¡±


    I continue before she can object. ¡°As for why he kept some things from you, that''s because I gave Emil very specific orders not to tell you about some things. It''s also a matter of intent. You must will him to follow your order, and while my commands outrank yours, you can overcome that by giving your command repeatedly over a longer period of time.¡±


    I shake my head. ¡°Believe me, I am powerful, but not omnipresent. Had the emperor bred a whole group of loyal Mirai who share my bloodline, the Mirai State would be easy pickings for the Empire. Our own warriors would fight against us. It was incredibly lucky that you are infertile.¡±


    ¡°I am not infertile,¡± Joyce grumbles and pets the cat. ¡°And why are you telling me all of this?¡±


    ¡°You would realize it sooner or later.¡± Then her words register in my mind and a cold shudder runs down my spine. ¡°What did you say?¡± Did my agents feed me with the incorrect information? Eighty years! How many...


    Joyce''s expression lightens up. ¡°Hah! Got you. You should''ve seen your face. No, you don''t have to worry about an army of necromancers who are able to undermine your commands. Nemus was an idiot and never told me that I can''t take preventive measures. I have no desire for brats.¡±


    I let out a sigh. ¡°That still leaves me with you. I hope you understand that I can''t simply walk away and leave you to your own devices.¡±


    Joyce studies me for a long time. ¡°Why didn''t you take over the world? I haven''t met many reincarnated people, but shouldn''t it be easy for you to force everyone on this fucking dirtball to their knees?¡±


    I smile warily. ¡°That would be the case if this was a normal world and I the only reincarnated person. This is a nexus point within the multiverse.¡±


    She looks at me with a blank expression. ¡°I know of the multiverse theory, but otherwise... no idea what you are talking about.¡±


    I massage the bridge of my nose. ¡°It means that there are other reincarnated beings on this world. Souls travel in something like streams from world to world, passing through the entire multiverse. Every once in a while, there is a world on which several streams meet. The high number of souls which pass through this plane increases the possibility of meeting another reincarnated soul. If you can recognize them. We aren''t exactly advertising ourselves.


    ¡°The Emperor is one of them. The elven king is another one. I think that the Sociocrathy and the Consortium are also led by people who aren''t from this world, but they are playing the game from the shadows. They don''t take an active role like you and me. There are also one or two fellows who like to wander around a lot. They aren''t affiliated with any nation, but I haven''t seen them in several centuries. It could be that they got done in and aren''t any longer in this world. You see, it isn''t quite that easy to take over the world. Currently, the others are leaning back, but if you stir up the water too much, they might decide to take action.¡±


    Joyce''s expression turns distant. She is clearly trying to make sense of the situation. ¡°Let''s assume that you aren''t telling me all of this just to get my cooperation. Because, to be honest, I don¡¯t buy it. Why is this world so poorly developed if there is a constant flow of knowledge from people like us? And what do you suggest? I certainly won''t give up on Illum.¡±


    ¡°Did you study this world¡¯s history? One ongoing sob-story about the rise and fall of civilisations. A culture can rise within a few decades, but it takes only a few years to devolve to barbarism. It¡¯s not like people like us bring only knowledge to this world. We destroy as much as we give. This world is caught in an everlasting dark age.¡±


    I shrug and proceed. ¡°I won''t ask you to become a part of the family. We are strangers, but would you consider talking to my daughter and give her at least some absolution? And as I explained, I can''t go away and ignore your existence. Therefore, would you like to join in an alliance with me? Two reincarnated souls are better than one, and your actions will force you into conflict with the others sooner or later.¡±

 62. ~Pets~

    ¡°There is strength in being able to care for others.¡±


    ***Jebli Port***


    ***Alias***


    I take the empty chair and sit down in front of my captive. It took me weeks to catch one of the slaves who work for the rebellion. Admittedly, I already caught a few scores of them, but this one is the first who seems to know a little more than nothing.


    My research led me from Gregor, who conveniently disappeared, back to the slaves who survived the attack of Gregor''s pirate ship. Guess my surprise when the slaves had already extracted themselves from the hands of the authorities and disappeared before I managed to arrive at the scene. Honestly, those idiots from the harbour watch left the only witnesses of the attack completely unguarded. On the other hand, who would expect someone with a slave collar to simply stand up and walk away. A week later, the rebellion of the slaves started. An accident? I don''t think so.


    The man coughs.


    We are inside an empty cellar which I confiscated as an interrogation room. The owners of the house aren''t at home, so there is nobody who can complain if it gets loud. Save for a few shelves and a worktable, the cellar is conveniently empty.


    I turn my attention to the man. Beastkin, dirty and badly nourished, but it seems like he wasn''t a slave for too long. The tattered clothes on his body look like they were expensive, once. If I am lucky, he is still lucid. Too many slaves have completely mashed up brains. It''s the slave collar''s fault. After a few months, most victims simply stop thinking and turn into automatons. It takes incredible willpower to stay sane over an extended period of time.


    The guy in front of me was about to start another one of those damned fire rituals. Of course, I informed the authorities of where to find the glyphs and runes which were supposed to activate the spell. I have no love for the Sociocrathy and their politics, but having them weakened could destabilize the whole world. The balance of power is already tipping as it is.


    It would be nice if I manage to prevent another large war. ¡°Who taught you the spell.¡±


    As expected, he shakes his head and refuses to answer.


    Smiling, I ramp up my ability and concentrate on him. He looks at me with admiration in his eyes and I reach out to touch his knee, trying to convey that I understand his situation. ¡°I know that this is terrible, but I really need to know who is behind this rebellion. Slaves don''t free themselves. Someone gave you the order to rebel.¡±


    The man starts shaking as conflicting interests and the collar''s influence battle for superiority. I would love to take the slave collar off and free him, but previous attempts showed that the slaves don''t survive it. Whoever gave them the order to rebel also showed them how to modify the slave collars. My knowledge on how to remove the collars is useless.


    The new safety mechanism is very crafty and sophisticated. The spell uses several complicated tricks and layered enchantments to safeguard itself against manipulation. It reminds me of a certain dagger, but accusing Joyce based only on such a flimsy clue is a long leap in logic. Still. Gregor bought the chests from her organization. Even if she isn''t directly involved, who says that she didn''t sell her expertise to whoever is behind all of this?


    So far, I noticed that the slaves work with a clear modus operandi. They free those who can be freed, and use those who are already a little too far gone. They also enslave the slavers who get caught. So, since this man is still relatively aware of himself, I assume that he is a slaver.


    ¡°Old man...¡± he croaks. ¡°Leader...¡± His eyes turn upwards in their sockets.


    I grip his knee tighter and use my ability with every ounce of power that¡¯s available to me. ¡°Where!?¡±


    ¡°Amitesh...¡± His spasms cease and his whole body slackens.


    I reach for his throat and search for a pulse, but I find none. ¡°Amitesh¡± At least that''s something to use. I get up and leave the cellar in order to return to my ship.


    Once I am there, I spend the rest of the day with studying my maps. The result doesn''t sound too bad. Amitesh is a little village in the mountains between the Empire and the Sociocrathy.


    A perfect place for smugglers and elements who want to hide from the authorities. And also a good base for a rebellious group which operates in both countries.


    ***Illum***If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ***Fae***


    ¡°And you are simply going to believe her story?¡± I ask, astounded that Joyce is going along with this unreasonable request. She just announced to us that we are now in a friendly relationship with the Mirai, which makes us enemies of almost everyone.


    Tristen and I guessed most of what was about to happen when we saw Janice for the first time. She is clearly related to Joyce. There is no way to deny it, even without a test.


    ¡°I have to... For now. There are no inconsistencies with my own story. In fact, it explains everything,¡± Joyce explains.


    ¡°Don''t get this wrong. I am happy that you managed to get a few answers about your past. But do you think that it''s wise to allow Janice to stay on Illum? I am not happy with the tactical situation. Her fleet is surrounding us.¡± Tristen shakes his head. He, Brian, Kiara and I were called to an urgent meeting in Joyce''s office right after Janice left.


    Joyce closes her eyes. ¡°We can''t do anything about that. And don''t worry. I am not trusting her just because she appears out of nowhere and claims to be my grandmother. Though that part seems to be true. I am more interested in the fact that she offered to teach me soul magic if this alliance works out.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure that you want to learn soul magic?¡± Kiara complains. ¡°It''s so creepy. And the Mirai are known for being religious fanatics.¡±


    Joyce huffs. ¡°Have you ever talked to a Mirai?¡±


    ¡°No. But-¡±


    She interrupts Kiara. ¡°I can''t claim that I know the Mirai. But I have talked to two of them. For several hours in fact. They seemed very reasonable. So, until I learn the hard way, I prefer to trust in my own experiences, rather than what the rumours tell me. Rumours which are spread by the enemies of the Mirai. Enemies who haven''t treated me very well. In fact, the Sovereign is the first national leader who actually talked to me. All the others relied on messengers and tried to use me for their games.¡±


    She interlaces her fingers and leans forward. ¡°Which doesn¡¯t mean that Janice doesn¡¯t have her own motives, but I must admit that I feel much better about her than the elven King, the Empire, or the Sociocrathy.¡±


    I press my lips together. The newest developments aren''t to my liking. Illum is distancing itself further and further from my homeland and the Sociocrathy. It''s not Joyce''s fault. She is right that the Mirai offered us a good deal, especially if the part about Joyce''s origins is true. I admit that I didn''t quite believe it until Janice confirmed the story.


    Talk about a conflict of interests.


    But I knew that this could happen when I joined this endeavour. Joyce never made a secret out of her plans or the fact that she won''t yield to another power. ¡°I don''t think that talking about the Sovereign will get us anywhere. We have to wait and judge your grandmother by her actions. What''s the other thing which you wanted to talk about?¡±


    Joyce''s face lights up and she reaches into her robe''s breast pocket, pulling out the little fairy, Willow. ¡°I had a little discussion with Willow and learned about her reason for becoming an assassin. Her family is being held hostage, so we''re going and getting ourselves a few fairies!¡±


    Why is she carrying the fairy in her pocket? No, forget that¡­ She wants more fairies...


    Tristen becomes interested. ¡°Held hostage by whom?¡±


    Seriously, Tristen!? That''s what you ask? Don''t you have a problem with the way she phrased it? Everyone else would say that we''re going to ''rescue'' them, but Joyce seems to think of the fairies as something that¡¯s free to take!


    Joyce smiles. ¡°In an assassin training camp! Willow provided me with their location. Three days from here.¡±


    Brian joins the discussion. ¡°Why are you so happy about that? The assassin guild is not to be messed with!¡±


    Willow nods. ¡°He is right. Don''t risk hurting my people. They are fine as long as they don''t disobey the assassins!¡± She turns to face Joyce. ¡°Nova, don''t do anything unnecessary!¡±


    Why did she call her Nova?


    Joyce ignores Willow. ¡°Oh, it''s just that this situation is so black and white. For once, I don''t have to think about consequences.¡±


    Hah! I bet that you just like the fact that you get a chance to kill people without holding back! I saw your face when you fought those paladins! Oh, I am so glad that I didn''t say that aloud. ¡°Why did you call her Nova?¡±


    Willow crosses her arms in front of her tiny chest. ¡°Because that''s her name. Nova Mirai, seventh in line to the Mirai throne. Given names are very important for us fairies. Especially if they were given by your parents. I refuse to call her anything else as long as I don''t get better treatment.¡±


    Joyce glares at the fairy who is standing on her office table. ¡°Be glad that you aren''t in my dungeon or getting taken apart to see how your magic works, little assassin! The fact that you are still alive is only thanks to your usefulness as a spy.¡±


    I am not happy about this ''almost-slavery-thing'' that''s going on between Joyce and Willow, but what else can we do with her? We can''t let her go without punishment.


    There is a knock on the door and a guard looks into the office. ¡°The Sovereign is here.¡±


    ¡°What now? It''s been just a few hours since she went back to her ship,¡± Joyce grumbles. ¡°Let her in.¡±


    The guardsteps aside and the Sovereign enters the office. She is cupping something in her hands and smiling. ¡°I have something for you, Nova, since you accepted the situation so well. See it as a gift to celebrate our alliance.¡±


    The guard closes the door behind the Sovereign and Joyce glares at her. ¡°I told you not to call me Nova.¡±


    ¡°What does it matter to you? You chose Joyce for yourself. Aren''t you glad to know your given name? Once I start teaching you, you will learn that names are important.¡± She walks to the office table and places a small, white furball on the table in front of Joyce. ¡°I performed the ritual to create another ghost cat for you. It will be your familiar.¡±


    Joyce doesn''t reach for the little kitten. She even shoves her chair back a little to gain some distance. ¡°It looks like a hamster.¡±


    Could it be that Joyce is bad with animals?


    ¡°As a necromancer, you need a familiar,¡± Janice insists.


    The little furball crawls towards Joyce. ¡°Meow!¡±


    ¡°I am not comfortable with this... Ah! I already have a pet!¡± Joyce reaches for Willow, but the fairy does the hundred metre dash, relative to her current size, and jumps off the table. It takes just a few moments for her to grow to full human size and turn around. ¡°I am not a pet!¡± She grabs Joyce''s hand, takes the kitten and places it on Joyce''s palm. ¡°There you have your pet!¡±


    The little kitten is immediately happy and curls up, going to sleep. She studies the kitten in her hand and looks at the Sovereign. ¡°I am too old for this. And you made this with a ritual? Did you magically force your cat to go into labour? Or did you kill some poor, living cat to harness her energies?¡±


    The Sovereign huffs. ¡°Didn''t we already talk about it? Minx is an ethereal energy construct. She isn''t a real animal and doesn''t get pregnant. I fed her enough energy to reproduce by splitting off a part of herself. Like a bacteria. It''s infinitely easier than creating a completely new familiar. It¡¯s the perfect pet. Technically immortal and all it needs is energy!¡±


    Joyce returns her attention to the kitten. ¡°So what can it do?¡±


    ¡°Be your eyes and ears. Help you in casting spells. Identify you as a member of the Dynasty...¡±


    The Sovereign goes on and on about the benefits of having a ghost cat, but I have no idea what they are talking about. They lost me after the third point. Why am I here? Why do I have to listen to this bullshit!? Oh, I think that I am having an existential crisis.


    Joyce nods after listening to everything. ¡°So until it¡¯s grown up, it¡¯s essentially just a leech. Well, at least it¡¯s soft and fluffy.¡±

 63. ~Control~

    ¡°A good fight needs at least two participants.¡±


    ***Illum***


    ***Joyce***


    With my fingers interlaced and my chin propped on my hands, I have a fierce staring contest with the little kitten. It¡¯s been one night since I managed to throw everyone out of my office to have some peace. Yeah, peace my ass. This little hooligan takes a lot of attention. It explores everything, creating havoc in its wake. I almost lost some important documents to its curiosity.


    ¡°Now that I am watching you, you do nothing? The documents aren''t so interesting anymore? I am not stupid, grandma. I know that that you can use this thing to spy on me.¡± I taunt it, but it¡¯s just sitting there, eyeing me.


    ¡°Meow?¡±


    ¡°I know that you understand me. So, why do you keep destroying my stuff?¡± Somehow, I feel stupid for talking to an ¡®ethereal energy structure¡¯. I really need to get a manual for this thing before it grows up and escapes my control. Yesterday was tiring, so I didn¡¯t listen to Janice¡¯s whole story about the familiar. A mistake. And I have to find out if this thing is a safety risk.


    I have no proof, but my assumption that the Sovereign can use it to spy on me isn''t too far-fetched. In my ignorance, I tried to cage it, but the little critter walks through all my barriers as if they aren¡¯t there.


    At last, I found out that it simply wants to be close to me. As long as I keep it with me, it doesn¡¯t venture out on its own. That makes contacting my spies a lot more complicated. There is nothing in my office which is worth hiding. Illum is completely under my control. There is no password which can be stolen.


    The door opens and Zane enters the office. I requested his presence because I need the help and the expertise of his people.


    ¡°You wish to talk to me?¡± He closes the door and approaches my office table, but he doesn¡¯t sit down. Instead, he keeps his distance and remains standing two metres away from my desk.


    ¡°Yes, we have a little problem,¡± I answer.


    He sighs. ¡°What else could be? You get me into the worst fight I ever had with my fianc¨¦e, my father gave me two hours of chastisement, My mother doesn¡¯t talk to me, and my little sister thinks that I am a philandering bastard. I am afraid that I¡¯ll never be able to make things right. Oh, and I totally forgot the Mirai fleet which is surrounding us.¡±


    What is he talking about? ¡°We need to find a name for it. Do you think that Kalypso is a good name? Or Elias if it¡¯s a boy? I don¡¯t know its gender, yet. That¡¯s a problem.¡±


    Zane pales and his jaw drops. It¡¯s as if all the colour left his face in an instant. ¡°W- Wh- What are you talking about? I thought that we were safe!¡± He reaches up and runs his fingers through his hair. ¡°You said that we were totally safe!? How could you!¡±


    I raise an eyebrow and turn my attention towards him. ¡°Safe? What are you talking about? Nothing is ever completely safe.¡±


    He covers his mouth with his right hand and steps forward, taking the chair to sit down. ¡°I am dead! I¡¯ll never be able to explain this to my family. You¡­ you¡­ Why are you doing this to me!? What did I ever do to you!?¡±


    His distress is obvious. And it seems to be a little out of context. I quickly rehash the conversation and realize that he must¡¯ve misunderstood me. An evil grin appears on my face. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I am not pregnant. Didn¡¯t I tell you that our little one-night stand wouldn¡¯t have any consequences for you?¡±


    Zane deflates. ¡°Oh. But what were you talking about?¡±


    I point at the little furball in front me. ¡°I was talking about this. The Sovereign gave it to me as a present to celebrate our alliance and the reunion with her granddaughter.¡±


    Zane looks at the ceiling. ¡°I am sorry for being a little out of the loop, but I had my hands full. Who is the Sovereign¡¯s granddaughter?¡±


    ¡°I am! From your comments, I gather that your fianc¨¦e found out. How? I didn¡¯t tell her anything.¡±


    He closes his eyes. ¡°Of course. I didn¡¯t just betray my fianc¨¦e, I did it with a Mirai princess. How did she find out? The answer is simple. I told her. Better to learn it from me than from you.¡±


    I shake my head. ¡°Zane, Zane.¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°What?¡±


    I take the little kitten to pet it. ¡°You are an idiot, but I guess that being an honourable idiot is a little bit better than a dishonourable one. But first! A dispatch arrived. Their reasoning is a little vague, but it seems like your king isn¡¯t exactly a person of justice. They accused you of killing a certain Atrach...¡± I allow my voice to fade away and wait for him to respond.


    It takes a while for Zane to give in. He throws his hands up in the air, giving up. ¡°Okay! I admit it! I killed Pavel. He practically asked for it.¡± He continues to explain what happened and why their timetable was destroyed by my early departure.


    Okay. After listening to everything, I suppress a sigh. ¡°You know that I don''t blame you for it. He was an asshole. At some point, I would''ve killed him myself, given the opportunity.¡±


    Zane studies me with a wary expression.


    Leaning back, I continue. ¡°What I do blame you for is being a hypocrite. You always spout those speeches about morals and try to behave honourably, but then you go and kill one of your enemies without remorse. Your code of honour seems to be a very stretchy thing. So why weren''t you able to do the smart thing, which was not to tell your fianc¨¦e?¡±


    He plays with his thumbs, clearly annoyed with me for pointing out his character flaw. ¡°I already explained that there is no love lost between me and her. Our betrothal is a purely political arrangement. Maybe, and this is just theoretical, I wanted to see what type of person she is. Especially since she followed me to Illum, which is highly suspicious if you ask me. We lost our status within the kingdom. For all intents and purposes, we are traitors.¡±


    ¡°And she freaked out.¡± I nod, surprised that he is already aware of one of the reasons for calling him. ¡°Her reaction was within your expectations?¡±


    ***Illum***


    ***Zane***


    I grimace, remembering the scene. ¡°She cried and screamed, beating at my chest and calling me a traitor. It was bad enough for me to feel bad about it.¡± I close my eyes. Her teary eyes were red when it was over. At least the tirade didn''t get too violent. ¡°She had a real episode.¡±


    Joyce tilts her head and rubs the little kitten against her cheek, lost in thought. ¡°I am glad you aren''t completely under her spell. Spies who woo the other party with love and sex are the worst. Especially when real feelings are involved.¡±


    I squint my eyes at her. ¡°What do you want to say?¡±


    She shrugs and places the kitten on the table. Then she pulls a sheet of paper from a stack of documents and hands it to me. ¡°These are her movements while she was on Illum. Do you notice something strange?¡±


    I look at the document. It''s a detailed map of Illum and there is a red path, indicating the movements of someone. Someone very busily walkedevery path and tunnel in Illum. ¡°No?¡± I answer questioningly.


    ¡°She is trying to map Illum''s interior,¡± Joyce answers. ¡°She also had a few suspicious conversations with my citizens.¡±


    I close my eyes slowly and place the document on the table. ¡°So she is a spy? Just because she walked around to explore the area? I did that too.¡± I open my eyes. ¡°So why am I not a spy?¡± I raise a hand and add a second question. ¡°Are you monitoring everyone on Illum? How?¡±


    Joyce huffs. ¡°Of course I am logging everything that''s important. At least of the important people. Like you, your family, my command staff, the Mirai. Though, I paid a little special attention to Carmen. She is the only one of my guests who flies beneath the radar of being famous and easily recognizable.¡±


    My blank expression prompts Joyce to continue.


    ¡°She is unimportant enough to walk around unhindered and unrecognised. As you said, walking around to explore Illum isn''t a crime, but she is clearly mapping the city, paying extra attention to the guard''s quarters and our watchtowers. A person who is just exploring walks directly towards the interesting stuff after inquiring about it from the locals. She ''explores'' every path and maintenance tunnel, may it be completely unimportant and plain. Oh, and I already mentioned the discussions with the locals?¡±


    I glare at Joyce. It''s clear that her story raises some suspicions, but I can''t believe that I failed so completely in judging Carmen''s character. ¡°You seem to be very sure of your accusations. So, if she is a spy, why haven''t you taken her in?¡±


    Joyce rolls her eyes. ¡°I''ll use her. So far, she hasn''t found out anything which I would call a secret of the state. Once she gets restless to produce some results, I''ll feed her some critical information which I want the Alliance to have. Then I''ll give her the chance to leave Illum unmolested. It''s the oldest trick in the book. Afterwards, I can return my attention to corrupting you.¡± The last words come out with a stupid grin on her face.


    ¡°Corrupting me!? I am not some toy!¡± I complain, being righteously angry. ¡°And how can I trust your records? You used some kind of magic? Not a person? How do I know that you didn''t manufacture this document?¡± I stab my index finger at the map in front of me.


    ¡°Oh, did I say that last one aloud? I am so sorry. Well, but being wary of your fianc¨¦e is just one part of your new assignment.¡±


    She simply goes on as if my opinion doesn''t matter. I can''t understand this woman.


    ***Illum***


    ***Joyce***


    ¡°The second part has to do with freeing some fairies. I will equip your people with some small drop-ships. You will have to coordinate with Brian to get some ground troops. There is an assassin training camp which uses fairies as an energy source.¡±


    Zane bends forward and covers his face with both hands. ¡°It feels as if I am talking to awall.¡± It takes a few moments for him to recover. At last, he returns to an upright position and looks at me. ¡°How do you intend to get close? Illum isn''t exactly hard to overlook.¡±


    I raise a finger. ¡°That''s where you are wrong. I added a new trick to Illum''s arsenal. I call it the cloudoflage.¡±


    His angry glare tells me that my attempt at a joke wasn''t understood.


    I grumble. ¡°Okay. Then we call it ''C.W.F.W.R.I.A.C'' - Camouflage with fog, which results in a cloud.¡±


    He still doesn''t look amused.


    I sigh and stand up. ¡°You are no fun. Follow me.¡±


    ¡°Where are we going?¡± he asks and gets to his feet.


    I notice that he avoids getting anywhere near me.


    ¡°The hangar.¡±

 64. ~Hangar~

    ¡°Names are an important part of your soul. Especially those which were given freely.¡±


    ***Illum***


    ***Joyce***


    I guide Zane out of my office, carrying the kitten in my hands. Tristen and Brian are already outside. I sent them an invitation when I invited Zane. ¡°Ah, good. I hoped that you two would already be waiting for us. I placed the hangar''s entrance in the guards'' quarters at the front of Illum. They can guard it.¡±


    I start walking and Zane hurries to catch up. He nods to greet the two men who fall in line behind us. ¡°What do you mean by ''hangar''!? How did you create something without anybody knowing about it?¡±


    ¡°Give the man a coin for his questions. I know better than to question your wizardry, but a hangar implies more than an empty room.¡± Tristen joins the conversation. I didn''t inform him of the reason for his presence, but the implied meaning of my choice of words is enough to allow some conclusions.


    We leave the palace and I head directly for the small tower which was raised at the front area of the island. It''s nothing more than the entrance to the barracks. ¡°Illum''s force fields make it very easy to shape materials, of which I have more than enough since we visited Sawood and the Dead Mine. I invested a lot of time in automating several processes which lead to the creation of various enchanted items.¡±


    ¡°I don''t understand.¡± Brian''s voice sounds a little dumbfounded.


    Zane makes some kind of gesture, touching his nose and then his belly. Something religious? ¡°She said that she managed to instruct Illum to create magical artefacts for her. An artefact which creates artefacts. Only the Consortium and maybe the Mirai have such things. Joyce, if another nation learns about that, there will be no questions about their stance towards you.¡±


    ¡°Just wait for a while. You will get to see it soon enough,¡± I soothe them and keep walking.


    We reach the guards'' quarters and are allowed to enter the tower without questions. The ''tower'' is a plain structure of just ten metres in height and a diameter of five metres. It''s really nothing more than an entrance to the underground facility which I created for our military staff. We walk down the ramp which leads to the guards'' quarters. The quarters aren''t just accommodations but also have office areas for jurisdictional work and matters of administration.


    Halfway down the tunnel, I stop and place a hand on the empty wall. It splits open and reveals the secret, shorter tunnel. ¡°I''ll transfer the control over this area to you three, once I am done with the instructions. There will be a second, more detailed tour, once you have a proper crew of people who are fit for this new task.¡±


    I lead them into a large hall which is filled with equipment. Flattened,tear-shaped forms fill the hangar. They are ten metres in length and shine like polished steel, which they are. As we watch, a large piece of metal floats into the hangar. It was transported from a storage area through a hole in the ceiling. The metal shrieks as force fields press it into a new shape, while simultaneously heating it up and enchanting the entire thing. A metal casing is transported from a second storage area and embedded in the new attack ship. It''s a power core, but I am not ready to let them in on the secret.


    The hall is three hundred metres in length with a large exit at its end. The large blast door can open, allowing a large section on Illum''s front to spew out several fighters at once.


    ¡°Once the hangar is at full capacity, we will have about five hundred small attack craft and fifty large transporters. Before you complain, I know that we don''t have enough crew, but I went into mass production right away. The small fighters are equipped with one, large force cannon for ships, and a small one for nimble targets. So, Zane, find me some pilots and talk to Willow. She turned out to be a very proficient pilot.¡±


    ¡°Do we intend to take over the Sociocrathy?¡± Tristen whispers.


    ¡°We made a good start with destroying one of their cities,¡± Brian replies.


    I huff. ¡°We won''t do anything of the sort. Illum is neutral... but it never hurts to have a large stick to make that point clear.¡±


    A few additional tunnels lead to crew quarters, offices and manufacturing areas. I point at the first door. ¡°Let''s visit the armoury. That''s important for Brian and Tristen.¡± Taking no heed of their pale faces, I open the first door to my left.


    We enter a significantly smaller hall. Here, Illum is busily creating armour and smaller versions of force cannons, stationary and hand-held. I point at a stack of greyish armour which is made out of carbon fibre and ceramics. ¡°You can supply our guards with their new equipment. The armour should be lighter than their current equipment, without having the downside of less protection.¡±If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°Why is everything just dropped in large piles?¡± Brian complains.


    ¡°Seriously!?¡± I throw up my hands. ¡°You just witnessed Illum creating magical artefacts on demand, and you ask me why I don''t store everything correctly? That stuff can be thrown away and recycled without a second thought. It''s worthless!¡±


    ¡°Actually, that bothers me too. What are those long staff-barrel-things which are so carelessly dropped to the ground?¡± Zane points at a pile which is close to us.


    I place my kitten in my pocket, allowing it to look outside. Then I walk over and take one of the items. It''s a large staff which is slightly thicker at the end. A wicked blade allows it to double as a halberd. ¡°The new standard weapon for our guards.¡±


    I take it at the grip and the weapon hums to life. Blue runes of energy spread over its surface. ¡°It shoots energy bolts which are intended to stun and wound the target, depending on the setting. One charge is enough for about fifty bolts. Afterwards, the weapon has to recharge by being close to Illum or to its wielder. The second method isn''t recommendable, since it takes a lot of time.¡±


    Shouldering the weapon, I head for the shooting range which I created for instructional purposes. It''s located at the left side of the armoury and heavily shielded with barriers. Pointing the staff at one of the stone blocks at the end of the shooting range, I pull the trigger.


    ¡°Zzzzp!¡±


    A blue orb of energy shoots out of the end and blows a hole into one of the targets. Because it was so satisfying, I unleash several more bolts in rapid succession and explain the weapon to my helpers.


    ¡°The bolts look like pure energy, but are actually small needles of compressed ice crystals. The staff creates them from the water in the air. An enchantment is attached to the ice, which heats the crystals upon impact. The enchantment is unstable, which is the reason for the light show. But it doesn''t need to last longer than one or two seconds. When the crystal shatters, the enchantment activates, which results in a small explosion.¡±


    I end the demonstration and plant the staff on the ground. ¡°Any questions?¡±


    Tristen turns away to look at the large piles of weapons. He flinches when a new staff drops onto the stack, which already reached a height of ten metres. ¡°I''ll get some people down here to clean up. This place doesn''t deserve being called an armoury! It''s a safety risk!¡±


    ***Illum***


    ***Janice***


    I whistle upon entering Nova''s office. Ever since I found out that she is also a reincarnated person, I''ve been in a really good mood. My granddaughter is alive and in a better state than I hoped for. Additionally, her personality seems to be okay, given the circumstances. We have to work out her trust-issues, but it seems like I can turn her into a reliable ally. That''s something I haven''t had in ages. Another bonus point is that if I can get her to play nice with her mother, my daughter may even recover from her mental trauma.


    ¡°Hello, Nova!¡± I greet her. She is sitting at her usual place in her chair. ¡°Ready for another round of fierce arguments?¡±


    She pulls down the corners of her mouth. ¡°I told you-¡±


    ¡°Yes, please?¡± I raise a hand and close the door behind me, shutting the guards out. ¡°When you visit Mirai, you will have to get used to the name. Didn''t you promise that you would do your best for your biological mother?¡±


    Her eyes narrow. ¡°It feels more like you are trying to push me into a certain role. I am not sure about your idea. If your daughter didn¡¯t come out of her shell for over fifty years, wouldn¡¯t my appearance be an even greater shock for her? I have to warn you, my acting skills are abysmal.¡±


    The doubt is strong with this one. I sigh. ¡°I am fully aware that your appearance could worsen her mental state. Though, if we do nothing, it won¡¯t get better either. She hides herself on our estate and refuses to take part in any social activities. I just want to tear down the walls which she has built around herself.¡±


    I close my eyes and cross my arms in front of my chest. ¡°You managed to distract me from the reason for my presence. Let¡¯s start with lessons in soul magic!¡±


    Nova tries not to show it, but I can see the sparks of interest in her eyes. She even stops petting the kitten and shoves it into one of her pockets in order to get to her feet. The unconcerned act reminds of the many hours of surveillance I had to watch. This person has no clue about pets. At least the kitten isn¡¯t a real animal.


    ¡°How do we go about this?¡± she asks after a few moments of silence.


    ¡°Yes. We need a laboratory and a really strong power source,¡± I explain, which sets us immediately back to square one.


    Nova laughs and shakes her head. ¡°You just want to learn my secret.¡±


    So, another round of negotiations. ¡°Yes, because it¡¯s so hard to guess that you know how to make power cores. Guess what, the Consortium and the Mirai know that too. How do you think thattwo small nations without natural resources, would be able to stand up to the powerful nations of the main continent? The thing that¡¯s unique to you, is your masterful skill with force fields and barriers. Oh, by the way, that hangar of yours was really cool.¡±


    ¡°I knew it!¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t we allies? I thought that you knew when you accused the kitten. So, the fact that you brought the kitten means that you wanted to show me the hangar.¡± I gesture wildly with one hand. ¡°I am about to teach you soul magic, which is a practical application of quantum mechanics. You need to understand what a soul is, and for that, I need to guide you through some experiments which require a lot of energy. Of course, we could start with a few simple spells and jump over the scientific basis.¡±


    Nova tilts her head and takes her time to think about my words while I wait.


    I try to appeal to her logic. So far, that worked best. ¡°Think about it. New knowledge. The only thing which doesn¡¯t disappear when we die.¡±


    She clenches her teeth. ¡°Fine! But you also have to tell me how to switch off the surveillance camera inside the kitten.¡± She makes a gesture with her hand and the floor beneath my feet starts moving.


    I quickly step aside and furrow my forehead, studying the secret passage. Looking up, I squint my eyes at her. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s so old school for a secret laboratory.¡±


    She grunts. ¡°I know. The kitten!¡±


    I roll my eyes. ¡°You should have listened to me! Didn¡¯t I tell you that the kitten is only your familiar once you name it, infusing it with your magic? Once it¡¯s yours, the link to Minx is also disconnected. Therefore, no surveillance.¡±


    Joyce purses her lips. ¡°I am bad with names, but I want to find a good one. That¡¯s why I''m taking my time with it.¡±


    I noticed that.

 65. ~Soul~

    ¡°Don¡¯t try to be one step ahead of your enemy. Try to win the game before it even starts.¡±


    ***Illum***


    ***Janice***


    ¡°You have to be very careful when you attune yourself to soul magic. It''s very easy to lose control, lusting for more and more power. You are already training hard to channel more energy. Just don''t forget the principles behind soul magic, and the consequences it has.¡± I finish my explanation and use the chance to study Nova''s workshop.


    She got very far in her attempts to recreate various technologies, but everyone can see that most of her designs rely heavily on enchantments. It''s a good way to circumvent some of the issues of purely physical technologies, but sooner or later her progress will slow down. Some things can''t be created with a hand gesture.


    Nova stares at the three-dimensional representation of the formula. It proves the existence of the multiverse and allows the conclusion that there is also something like a soul for every intelligent being. I guided her through the necessary steps to find the answer by herself.


    Illum''s ability to project illusions was very helpful in documenting our work. Nova even gave me restricted access to make our work easier. It''s surprising how much she achieved with the limited calculation power of her power cores. I really need to give her a few of the CPUs from my laboratories. It would make her an even stronger ally. Should I use it as bait to lure her to Mirai? Or should I make it a surprise for our arrival?


    ¡°So these quantum fluctuations, energy waves, which exist all around us, are souls?¡± She plays with her hair, pondering the implications. ¡°I still don''t get it. How can they store memories?¡±


    I sigh. ¡°They can interact with the nerve system of an intelligent being. If the frequency fits, if body and soul are attuned to each other, all the body''s experiences and memories are stored forever in the layers of reality. It''s like an endless radio transmission, and since a soul exists outside the physical reality, you can access your memories from wherever and whenever. The fact that so many signals overlap each other at different frequencies makes it look like white noise,¡± I reach for her control interface and activate the filter, ¡°but if you focus on a single frequency, you see that your ''soul'' has the same frequency as the nervous system of your body.¡±


    Nova shakes her head. ¡°It''s just strange. It would mean that all my memories of previous lives are just that, memories. Pure information. There is no consciousness or guiding will. But I know that I have strong feelings about some of my memories. I always thought that my whole personality transcends to the next life.¡±


    I deny her theory with a wave of my hand. ¡°That''s not true. Your soul is pure information storage. Once your body dies, it attaches to the next available nerve system which fits the criteria and isn''t already connected to another soul. Normally, the information flow goes only from the body to the soul. In our case, we can access some of the information. The connection goes both ways.¡±


    With a gesture, I draw her attention to the hologram. ¡°Theoretically, it would be possible to develop a wholly different personality if you don''t get to access your memories. But strong souls produce a feedback signal which returns memories and knowledge to the body. It''s clear that those memories shape a child''s personality once it is able to make sense of them. That¡¯s why you are a result of your memories.¡±


    She turns and looks at me. ¡°Then what are the orbs and auras which you taught me to see.¡±


    ¡°Physical manifestations of the connection between your soul and your body. Very weak energy leaks,¡± I explain.


    Nova turns away and studies the electromagnetic emitter which she created according to my instructions. It took us the whole night to create the necessary equipment to prove the basics of soul magic. ¡°I understand your theory behind the reincarnation process. Continued existence allows the soul to strengthen and to gather power, along with memories and experience. Death of the body weakens a soul, since it has to attach to a new body, attuning itself. The energy loss is equal to lost information, since a soul is, per definition, pure information. That explains why a long and prosperous life allows access to more information and grants strength.¡±


    She turns to face me. ¡°But what happens if soul and body are perfectly attuned?¡±


    I shrug. ¡°I don''t have all the answers and I''ve never met someone who achieved such a high level of synchronisation. Maybe you will find out at some point? I see my research as the first step to unlocking even greater secrets. Young scientific civilisations think that E=mc2 is the holy grail of physics. Once they stumble over quantum mechanics, they realize that their perfect formula has a few flaws and only applies to a certain set of circumstances.¡±


    Nova nods slowly. ¡°I''ll have to go over everything a second time, but I have the records of our work. You also mentioned that you would teach me some physical applications.¡±


    ¡°Yes! Finally! Let''s start with something easy, yet powerful.¡± I draw my epee and present it to Nova. ¡°This should be easy for you. We''ll enchant an item to automatically curse a target, draining their soul''s power and raising their bodies! It''s one of my favourites! Then we will try our luck with mental links and telepathy. That''s a very important skill if you fight other people like us.¡±


    She tilts her head, clearly wary of my weapon. ¡°Why?¡±


    I place the thin blade of my epee on my shoulder. ¡°Think about it. The only thing which permanently hurts us, is a mental attack on our souls. Or even easier, on the connection between thesoul and thebody. You could get reduced to a mere mortal who has to exist without memories. Losing the battle for survival isn''t the same as losing the battle for existence.¡±If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    ***Illum***


    ***Joyce***


    Janice''s words motivate me to get a good grasp on soul magic. The field includes a whole set of very useful skills. I shut up and listen to every piece of knowledge this woman is willing to share. There are some blank spots in her theory, but she is aware of that and even encourages me to come to my own conclusions. That''s a good thing and it makes her a good mentor.


    When we finally emerge from my workshop, both of us look like corpses. Janice takes a look outside the window and realizes that the sun is already setting. She excuses herself and returns to her quarters.


    Remembering that we will soon arrive at the assassins'' training camp, I decide to do the same. Further teaching sessions with Janice will have to wait until I''ve acquired my personal set of fairies.


    ***Illum***


    ***Zane***


    I walk slower when Carmen decides to inspect a part of the wall. Joyce''s accusations were ridiculous, but they planted the seed of doubt in my mind. It caused me to rethink everything that led to the betrothal. Carmen''s clan was never an enemy of the Biralds, but they also weren''t exactly friends. At the time of our betrothal, it looked like an alliance between our families would lead to a decisive advantage over the Atrachs.


    Now, our people''s influence within the human part of the Alliance is practically zero. We fled the battle with the Atrachs, proving to our king that we don''t have the means to remain in a position of power.


    It''s not like I gave Carmen a reason to love me. Given the circumstances, it would be much more beneficial to her to renounce the arrangement in order to find a better match.


    So why are Carmen''s people still on our side? She swore to my parents that they are doing everything they can to influence the king, but what do they gain from this charade? We certainly won''t be able to return once this is over. There is only one reasonable answer: access to Illum.


    Next question. Why does someone need access to Illum?


    Diplomatic relations are one possible answer. But to have those, Carmen would have to talk to people. Good connections are the basis for any diplomat and she does nothing of the sort. No. She is just scurrying around, studying everything on Illum with her scrutinizing expression.


    Oh, she talks to people. But strangely enough, only to those who might allow her access to Illum''s military areas. I grasp my hand and rub the ring which I got from Joyce. How much does Carmen know? Is she aware of the command rings? She is clearly searching for something.


    Carmen disappears around a corner, so I quicken my steps. If she chooses one of the stairways to the upper levels, I could lose her in a mass of people. It will be hard to find her again. Joyce didn''t give me the rights to use Illum''s observation capabilities. With them, it would be much easier to find out what my fianc¨¦e is really up to.


    Turning around the corner, I find an empty corridor in front of me. We are on one of Illum''s lower floors. Nobody comes down to this level, unless they have to. There is more than enough space on the higher levels.


    So where did Carmen go?


    I quickly check on the illusion which makes me harder to see. No. Seems like everything is in order. It''s unlikely that I was spotted. I grumble and advance slowly, checking the empty rooms left and right of the corridor.


    Suddenly, a sharp pain erupts from my back. Cursing, I turn around and swing my fist at whoever attacked me. My arm swings through empty air. Turning, I search for the source of the attack and fumble for the pain in my back. The room tilts and I drop one knee. My hand comes to rest on what feels like the hilt of a dagger.


    ¡°I wouldn''t pull that out. It¡¯s likely that I nicked a kidney. You will bleed out in no time.¡±


    I recognize Carmen''s voice. She sounds cool and collected. After a few moments of consideration, I reach for the handle and concentrate on a healing spell, but the magical energies escape my grasp. ¡°Carmen? What did you do?¡±


    ¡°I took advantage of your superiority complex. You aren''t the only one who can weave an illusion to hide. Such spells always create small distortions when you move. I had the advantage of standing still, while you ran right into my trap.¡±


    The pain slowly dissipates and is replaced by a numb feeling. My whole body feels like lead. Unable to stay upright, I fall forward onto my face. ¡°Waaah...¡± Even my tongue feels like a swollen potato and everything is spinning.


    ¡°Don''t worry. I coated the dagger with curare and a strong truth serum. Of course, not enough to kill you immediately.¡±


    The corridor blurs and I feel myself being dragged. The walls close in on me and try to squash me. Time passes. At the edge of consciousness, I feel myself answering questions. Time seems endless and the same questions are asked again and again. At last, the effect of the poison lessens.


    ¡°Are there plans for more weapons?¡± Carmen''s voice echoes loud through the room.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Do you know her plans for the Sociocrathy?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°What will she do in regards to her heritage as a Mirai?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± I try to get up, but I feel so weak. There is a puddle of blood under me. Is this how it ends? With a dagger in my back?


    Carmen clicks her tongue and steps forward, pulling the ring from my finger. ¡°The effect is weakening.¡±


    I reach for her, but she slaps my hand away. ¡°Just lie down and die. Your people are traitors through and through. I don''t know what I expected when I was sent here.¡± Squinting her eyes at me, her features change, turn more manly. More like me. Her clothes also transform and she¡­ I... turn and leave without looking back.


    I get to my knees and crawl after her, creating a trail of blood. Back in the corridor, I somehow manage it back to my feet. My back burns and my clothes are wet from my hot sweat. Stumbling forward, I reach the stairway and take one agonizing step after the other. My magic is still not back when I reach the surface and stumble past shocked civilians.


    Screaming commands, I try to warn the guards at the tower. But my voice is raw and my throat is dry. I can¡¯t even understand myself.


    Someone tries to stop me, but I reject the helping hand. Reaching the tower, I bark at the guards, and together, we head towards the hangar. The door opens and I stumble into the large hall.


    Carmen¡¯s smug expression is the last thing I see of her, before the tear-shaped attack fighter shoots out of the hangar¡¯s blast door. It spins and alarms howl, but I feel too numb to care and drop to my knees. What did I do? She knows everything. Will they shoot her down?


    Someone pats my head and ruffles my hair. I look up to find Joyce looming above me. She studies me with a tired expression on her face. Then her lips part to show perfect, white teeth and the corners of her mouth curl upwards into an evil grin.

 66. ~Fled~

    ¡°Nobody can claim to understand themany layers of reality.¡±


    ***Illum***


    ***Joyce***


    ¡°We have to stop her!¡± Zane forces the words out of his mouth, clearly desperate.


    ¡°Why?¡± I lower my hand to his shoulder and cast the strongest healing spell I know. Then I return my attention to the scene which is playing out beyond the blast door of the hangar. ¡°Look. She is doing such a good job at evading our anti-air defence and the Mirai airships. Hm. Maybe I shouldn¡¯t make it too easy.¡± I instruct one of the force cannons to graze the fighter with a short stream of projectiles.


    The fighter¡¯s protective barrier is weak, but it should be more than enough to handle a few small projectiles. I didn¡¯t design the small ships to take a lot of punishment. Instead, I focused on speed and manoeuvrability. Nonetheless, it should give Carmen a good shaking and add to the thrill of her escape. I don¡¯t want her to think that I engineered her escape.


    Just as intended, the barrier of Carmen''s fighter lights up with blue energy and the vehicle is wildly thrown to the side. I applaud when Carmen gets the machine back under control in record time. ¡°Did you see that? She is a good pilot. Does the Alliance have similar artefacts? I can¡¯t believe that it¡¯s her first time handling a fighter jet.¡±


    Then the fighter shoots past the last Mirai airship and escapes while staying close to the ground.


    Several healers arrive. They immediately hurry to Zane¡¯s side and start taking care of his injury. The poor man is too dazed to do anything. Well, I can¡¯t blame him. I wouldn¡¯t do any better if I had to deal with that degree of blood loss. Ugh, he is almost white, like a corpse, even though his skin colour is a little darker than mine.


    But Zane refuses to be carried to the infirmary. ¡°What happened? You allowed her to escape?¡±


    ¡°Obviously? Didn¡¯t I tell you that I would use her to send the Alliance a message?¡± I gesture at the open blast door. ¡°We had to tip her off somehow. I wanted her off Illum before we rescue the fairies and go to the World Assembly. What¡¯s better than to use you? I hoped that you would start your own investigation and cause her to take action.¡±This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°But...¡± He gestures wildly. ¡°The command ring! The attack fighter! Aren¡¯t they very important artefacts? You used me! What if I had died!?¡±


    ¡°I watched from the moment you got wounded. Illum automatically alerts me when my subjects get injured. If things had gotten dangerous, I could have stopped her atany time by raising a barrier between you and her.¡± I huff and wave a hand to calm him down. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. She got nothing she wasn¡¯t supposed to get. In fact, I was a little disappointed about her escape route and that you allowed her to wound you like that. Didn''t Iwarn you? I guess the male brain simply switches off when it''s about dealing with a female.¡±


    I cross my arms in front of my chest. ¡°The rings only work for their intended users. I had to improvise when she grabbed it. Somehow, I hoped that she would have her own means of escape. Giving her that attack fighter was a little tricky, but I assumed that she''d want one. She was very interested in the hangar when I made it public. I also gave you the means to access it, because she is affiliated with you. Seriously, I thought that she would bed you to steal the ring and get the information. Or that you would get a soft heart and smuggle her off Illum. Stabbing and drugging you... that was a little outside of my expectations.¡±


    He gapes at me, swaying. ¡°But they will learn about your technology!¡±


    I sigh. ¡°They will get a lot of information which would¡¯ve become public sooner or later. Don¡¯t take it as an insult, but you didn¡¯t carry any secrets of the state. What¡¯s with that expression? You and your people joined us less than a month ago. Nobody who is in her right mind would give some newcomer vital information.¡±


    Tilting my head, I look down at him. ¡°Then there is the attack fighter, which will power down and turn completely useless when she reaches the Alliance.¡± Including its power core. It will melt into unrecognisable slag right when it lands. There is no way that I would take the risk of sharing that technology with anyone. ¡°The fighter will be an example for the truth of the claims which I made in front of the Alliance¡¯s council: Nobody but I can handle my artefacts. They will marvel for months over the runes and enchantments on the fighter, but without the power source, it will be essentially useless to them.¡±


    I use a finger to draw a circle into the air and go on to the next point. ¡°Then there is the ring. They will study it and find out how Illum¡¯s control interface works. Something which I anticipated all along. Giving out control keys is always a risk. Sooner or later, they are bound to get lost. If our enemies decide to launch an operation to take control of Illum, they will experience a nasty surprise. And we''ll reveal that it was a trap all along. Humiliated like that, they will think twice before they take another action against us.¡±


    Reaching into my pocket, I bend down and take Zane¡¯s hand. Then I place another ring on his finger. ¡°Don¡¯t lose this one so quickly, okay?¡±


    His face turns red, despite his anaemia. He is clearly angry. ¡°I lost the ring because of you! Do you have any idea what I went through? Why didn¡¯t you tell me anything?¡± He tries to get up, but the healers force him down onto a stretcher which they brought with them.


    I roll my eyes. ¡°Because this was a test for both Carmen and you. Congratulations. You passed. She didn¡¯t. Now I am a lot surer of your loyalty. I wasn¡¯t able to include you in my plans because I wasn¡¯t sure of Carmen¡¯s abilities. Torture, a truth serum, reading thoughts. All of those possibilities made it impossible to tell you anything. At least, now she thinks that she got away before I used her.¡±


    Zane tries to jump up, but the healers restrain him and take him away. He is simply too weak to oppose them.


    I watch their departure until they are out of sight. He was clearly furious about the fact that I used him. It can¡¯t be helped. I''ll just have to find a way to appease him. I reach for my pocket and pull out the kitten in order to pet it.


    Maybe an invitation to my bedroom?

 67. ~Bedtime~

    ¡°Were you ever bedridden? Without entertainment or work to distract yourself? After a while, you realize that all that''s left to do is to think and dream.¡±


    ***Illum***


    ***Zane***


    I lie in my bed, staring at the ceiling. The room is small and completely white. Annoyingly, the bedroom is the same one in which my father was when I visited him at the hospital, a public institution which is paid for by Joyce. I was a little surprised when I learned about this noble gesture from a person like her. It violates my impressions of her.


    When Father visited me yesterday, he didn''t fail to point out that our roles are now reversed. With me being bedridden because of my failures.


    It''s been a day since I was betrayed by Carmen and used by Joyce, something I''m still very unhappy about. My initial reaction was a little over the top, most likely because of the drugs. Now that I had the chance to cool down, I see her actions in a different light.


    Which still doesn''t mean that I like being used like that!


    I hope that I am not down for too long. The healers have yet to come up with a proper way to compensate for blood loss. In the military, in extreme cases, the healers would risk a transfusion. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn''t, with severe, negative effects in the latter case. Everybody knows that it has something to with the degree of relationship since it''s more likely to work for family members. Yet, nobody found a way to test the blood for compatibility.


    Dad wasn''t happy when he paid me a visit. I didn''t bother to complain about my father''s fury for allowing myself to be stabbed in the back. Had I paid attention, someone like Carmen wouldn''t have been able to sneak up on me like that. I have to admit that he is right.


    On the other hand, he also didn''t suspect Carmen''s betrayal. My family was at least as blind to the situation as I was. The only one who warned me about Carmen''s suspicious actions was Joyce. Then she went and used me in a manner which she deemed beneficial to her cause. Whatever that is.


    She showed no remorse or hesitation and simply assumed that I would act accordingly to her predictions. Which I did. At least to a certain degree.


    I close my eyes and try to remember my mother''s visit. At least it wasn''t as bad as my father''s self-righteousness. She even apologized for not thinking of Carmen''s motives. I sigh and try not to think of her mournful expression when she mentioned that we would probably never regain our lands in the human kingdom. She gave up on our estate.


    Clenching the bedsheets tight between my fingers, I try not to interpret too much into her cautious questions about my relationship with Joyce. I was very careful about my answers, knowing perfectly well how my mother''s mind works. She would''ve come to the conclusion that Joyce has the hots for me, which is probably true... though... only in a purely physical sense.


    Following her logic, Mother would have assumed that Joyce saw Carmen as competition and removed her. Which would clear the way for a relationship between me and her?Without a doubt, mother''s next action would''ve been to encourage a relationship between me and Joyce.


    While Mother is very smart, I doubt that she would''ve been right in this case. Joyce is very different from other women. Oh, I''ve seen many independent and harsh women, but few have this certain ruthlessness to them.


    Oh, by the gods. How did I get into this mess? I guess that I have nobody but myself to blame. I always prided myself on my logical thinking and my ability to analyse each step of my enemies. It''s what gave me the ability to keep my family safe.


    Opening my eyes, I bite my lower lip. Everything changed with Joyce''s appearance. The game changed and I somehow missed the point at which we had to change our strategy. Or did the game really change? It was more like I was drawn into a much larger game than the one I was playing. I had my eyes on a single country, while Joyce''s plans concern the whole continent.


    The door opens and Fae enters the room. She smiles and raises a hand to greet me. ¡°Hi! We were wondering how long your recovery will take? The rest of the command staff is worried about the newcomers.¡±


    I raise an eyebrow and turn my attention to the elf. ¡°Worried?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you know, being a victim of our supreme ruler''s machinations. We always wondered what would happen if someone is unlucky enough to catch her attention. I think that you already talked with Kiara about that?¡± Fae steps into the room and closes the door behind her. ¡°Anyway, we think that her actions towards you weren''t justified, so I decided to pay you a visit.¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    I cough and glare at the elf. ¡°I am glad that I am such an interesting topic for the rest of you.¡±


    She takes the visitor''s chair from next to the entrance and carries it over to me, placing it next to my bed. Then she sits down, facing me. ¡°I am sorry. Joyce is just... she is...¡± She purses her lips and her face distorts, showing visible effort to find the right words to describe her ''supreme ruler''.


    After a few moments, she gives up and smiles. ¡°She is Joyce. I am sure that she didn''t mean you ill when she used you. Joyce may be many things, but she isn''t cruel. At least not to those who don''t deserve it. You don''t deserve it, according to everything I''ve heard about your family. Sorry for having researched you guys. Joyce used you, but I am sure that it was the way with the least chance to cause harm to the innocents on Illum.¡±


    I return my attention to the ceiling. ¡°What makes you say that? Do you know her motivations or her goals?¡±


    Fae raises her hands. ¡°Nobody knows her ultimate goal, but I think that I know her priorities well enough to think of her as an acceptable person. Joyce simply isn''t the type to trust others. That''s why she simply took action and used you. She may have secrets, but she isn''t the worst ruler.¡±


    ¡°Like the human or the elven king? I admit that both don''t deserve my loyalty, but ''trust'' is important. Joyce hasn''t exactly encouraged me to trust her.¡± I growl, remembering how she used me. ¡°Explain your thoughts about Joyce to me. I thought that I could judge her future actions, but I was wrong.¡±


    Fae shrugs and tells me everything she knows. How she and her party met the strange woman who was wandering the wilderness in torn rags. Then their travel through the dangerous Marshwoods, where Joyce demonstrated her heroism, which ended up saving the caravan. Them parting ways and Joyce''s sudden reappearance at the old ruins, where she demonstrated a weakness towards aggressive men.


    I find myself reminded of the scene in Laos. Has Joyce some sort of trauma? She tried to be patient and reasonable until that idiot showed her the slave collar.


    Finally, she talks about the creation of Illum.


    At the end of the story, I straighten out the bedsheets in order to gain a little more time to think of an answer. ¡°Joyce is obviously operating according to a very strange moral code. She is clearly capable of violence, but won''t harm innocents who haven''t infringed upon her opinion of justice. When citizens of Illum violate her rules of behaviour, she has no qualms about executing them.¡± I raise a hand to stop Fae. ¡°I know that you want to argue the point, but exiling that man to the dead mine was a death sentence.¡±


    Joyce bent the law by more than ninety degrees when she threw that rapist off of her island. Not that it matters now.


    I sigh. ¡°And let''s not forget the destruction of Laos. Fae, you are smart, but you forgot to ask yourself a very important question. Why?¡±


    The elf looks confused. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Why does Joyce do the things she does? Look around you! I was wondering, but your story confirmed it. Illum''s magic, its capabilities, all of it was created by Joyce. The people are nothing more than an extra. Oh, they do some of theinterior polishing, but that''s it. Why does she even need the people? Joyce could''ve chosen to be a lonely genius on her flying island. Would Illum be a little smaller and faster, nobody would be able to touch her. Have you seen the speed of those ''fighter jets''?¡±


    Fae pouts and crosses her arms in front of her chest. ¡°Maybe she is lonely? I think that her interest in you is an expression of that. Just look at how protective she is of that little kitten. She takes it everywhere, like a mother hen.¡±


    I shrug. ¡°Do you really think that Joyce is the type who is desperate for relationships? You said yourself, she dumped you right after you left the Marshwoods. Joyce is a person with goals and she doesn''t care who she has to leave behindor to walk over, in order to achieve her objectives. One of her goals was to create Illum and to present herself as an independent power. If we know her goals for Illum, we can hope to understand her.¡±


    Fae huffs. ¡°Okay. What do you propose?¡±


    Placing both hands on my chest, I interlace my fingers with each other. Then I allow my thoughts to flow out of my mouths. ¡°A former slave who stayed reasonably sane, even after decades of abuse. I killed my master and escaped. What would I want more than my own life and freedom? What would drive me? What would I feel?¡±


    Fae presses her lips together and concentrates on the wall. ¡°I would feel fear, anger, maybe hatred. I would want to kill the ones who did this to me. Though, Joyce already killed her master. She said so herself. She already had her revenge.¡±


    ¡°Only in part.¡± I look at Fae. ¡°Her revenge is incomplete. Haven''t we just learned from Janice that Joyce has another identity as Nova Mirai? They took a whole life from her. With that connection, we know that there must be a few more people behind Joyce''s fate. Not only her direct handler. Maybe she intended to get them all, even before she learned about her heritage.¡±


    ¡°Them all?¡± Fae''s eyes widen. ¡°But... how... How would someone accomplish such a goal? To defeat the Empire...¡±


    I interrupt her. ¡°Obviously not just the Empire. Joyce wants everyone who practises slavery.¡± Before Fae can ask more questions, I shake my head in order to stop her. ¡°I need time to think about it. Think outside the box, research recent events throughout the world. One doesn''t simply build an army and defeat the Empire.¡±


    Fae looks towards the door. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    I gesture with my hand. ¡°As an officer, I had the doubtful honour of being a spy in the Empire. That''s how I managed to climb the ranks so quickly and to be employed on an airship. The Empire practices slavery not only for economical reasons. It''s way of life for them and deeply rooted in their social structure. The Alliance never dared to risk all out war for that very reason.¡±


    ¡°I am afraid that I still don''t understand. Isn''t the Sociocrathy also using slaves? Why are you so hung up on the Empire?¡±


    Turning, I face her. ¡°Because to end slavery in the Empire, would require to wipe them out as a people. In the Sociocrathy, you would probably get away with a revolution and some strict laws.¡± I harrumph. ¡°Very much like what''s happening right now.¡±


    Fae opens her mouth and closes it again. ¡°We are entering dangerous territory. All of this is just speculation. It''s a big leap of logic to assume that Joyce is behind the revolution.¡±


    I laugh and nod. ¡°You are right. And that''s why we won''t talk about it. Yet, you wondered about her slave collar.¡±


    That''s why I''ll have a very close eye on Joyce. She already used me twice as if I am nothing more than a convenient tool. Once at the birthday party and once here on Illum. I won''t allow it to happen a third time. This is my final oath. I''ll show her that I can stand up to her.

 68. ~Preparations~

    ¡°Every day brings new choices.¡±


    ***Illum***


    ***Joyce***


    I step onto the balcony, slamming the door shut behind me. ¡°I''ve decided!¡± I call out, raising the little kitten to my face.


    ¡°Eeep!¡± Willow twitches, clearly surprised by my sudden entrance. She is currently in her smallest form and is sitting on my balcony''s balustrade. After a few moments, she regains her composure and gets up. The little fairy turns towards me, anger on her face. Willow places her little fists at the sides of her hips. ¡°What''s wrong with you!? Calling out like that out of nowhere. I almost had a heart attack!¡±


    With her squeaky voice, she isn¡¯t able to gain any respect from me.


    ¡°Maybe you shouldn''t sit out here on my balcony, staring at the white nothingness,¡± I suggest, pressing the kitten to my chest. ¡°I thought that I gave you more than enough tasks to last you an entire week.¡±


    ¡°How could I ever concentrate on your stupid tasks while knowing that you are about to launch an attack on the assassins who are holding my family prisoners!¡± The fairy starts raging, shaking her fists. ¡°And let''s be honest! This gloomy weather is your fault to begin with! You evaporated half of Illum''s water reserves to create this cloud!¡± She points at the mist which makes it impossible to see further than ten metres.


    I look around. ¡°Well, we also had to cover the Mirai fleet. It wouldn''t have done us any good to protect only ourselves. I have a feeling that you are a little tense today. Why don''t you go to the others and help them with our strategy?¡±


    ¡°What''s there to plan? I''ve told you everything I know about the layout of the camp. You are planning to take the camp with superior numbers, dropping on them from above. We have the numbers to overwhelm them, so why not?¡± She shakes her head. ¡°The issue is that my people will still die. The assassins will use them as cannon fodder! Or they will erect a barrier and suck the hive dry.¡±


    I sigh. ¡°That''s where you are wrong. Next time, stay until the meeting is over. You would have learned that our best fighters are supposed to go in before the battle starts. We''ll disconnect your people from the magical barriers which protect the camp. Once that''s accomplished, our troops go in and ensure that we have no problems with our escape. I''ll go personally in order to negotiate with your mother, queen... What''s her title?¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    ¡°Septarch!¡± The fairy flops down on her behind and returns to her gloomy mood.


    ¡°Don''t worry. Your Septarch won''t be able to decline my offer. I¡¯ll offer your people lodging, as much mana as they want, and an alliance. All that, just for a little help with your special magic,¡± I explain. ¡°Come on. By now, you should''ve learned that I am far from being a monster.¡±


    Willow shudders. ¡°That''s exactly what I am afraid of.¡± She turns back to me. ¡°Why did you call out earlier? Did you decide on a name for your kitten?¡±


    ¡°Oh, no. I''ve decided on what to do regarding the assassins, should we catch any of them alive,¡± I answer.


    Willow huffs. ¡°Let me guess. You will turn them into your slaves, or you will kill them. What is it going to be?¡±


    ¡°Neither,¡± I answer quickly. ¡°I''ll give them to Grandma. She mentioned that she never has enough bodies for her army. Almost all of her ground soldiers are mindless. That results in a lot of casualties, even if she manages to retrieve the soldiers.¡±


    ¡°Do you realize that you are slowly adapting to calling her Grandma? Before you know it, you will think of yourself as Nova.¡± Willow shakes her head. ¡°I still don''t believe that your plan will work. It''s too risky.¡±


    I laugh. ¡°It will work. I''ve equipped our attack squad with my best illusion magic. The assassins won''t know what hit them.¡±


    It''s in the middle of the night when we reach our position above the assassins'' camp. It''s located in a forest on the border between the Alliance and the Sociocrathy. According to Willow, the officials of both sides are bribed to look the other way. Another problem is that officials from both nations use the services of the assassins. I intend to end that. The less skilled assassins there are, the better.


    Willow assumes that there aren''t more than two hundred assassins at the encampment. Most of them should be trainees because the skilled ones are out on missions most of the time. That saddens and annoys me a little, but it has to be expected from a training camp. Nonetheless, better not to get too confident.


    I''ll go down with thirty of Brian''s best men. They are equipped with my newest gear and proved to be the best at using it. The plan is to land directly in front of the entrance to the underground grotto which serves as the fairy''s prison. We will storm the grotto and I''ll disable anything remotely magical. From then on, it''s just a matter of holding the grotto against intruders until our main forces wipe out anything that''s left alive in the camp.


    According to Willow, her people are under a permanent guard of ten to fifteen assassins. The biggest problem would be to stop them from doing anything to the fairies.


    It''s the deepest part of the night when we assemble our troops on the flight deck of the hangar bay. I can tell by their expressions that none of them belong to the older adventurers. Noticing my doubtful expression, Brian explains that the younger generations are much better at adjusting to the new equipment.


    I realize that my forceful introduction of firearms was maybe a little too quick for the locals. Even though I tried to disguise the new weapons as hybrids between a medieval close combat staff and a gun, there are still those who are opposed to changing their ways. Luckily, we are still in an early stage of Illum''s development. I can exile anyone who proves to be too thick headed.


    Our soldiers are waiting for the signal to depart when Fae tries one last time to stop me from joining the drop team. ¡°Joyce, you really shouldn¡¯t do this. There are others who can risk their lives. You are the ruler of Illum. What happens if you die?¡±


    In an attempt to relax, I roll my shoulders. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I simply want to test a few things which I learned from Janice. Down there are a few hundred people who deserve killing. What better chance is there for me to test my new skills in soul magic?¡±


    ¡°Soul magic!?¡± she squeaks. ¡°Are you going to become a necromancer!?¡±


    I wave my hand. ¡°Ah, don¡¯t worry. Just because I get to learn the skills, doesn¡¯t mean that I¡¯ll go around and raise armies of zombies. Though, there are some possible applications for soul magic which don¡¯t necessarily raise zombies. I want to test some of my own theories. No need to copy everything I was shown.¡±


    An alarm shrills through the hangar, signalling that we are about to strike.

 69. ~Deal with the Devil~

    ¡°The assassins were always a strong and feared guild. No matter the country, people with power always have enemies who they want dead.¡±


    ***Assassin Training Camp***


    ***Dagger***


    It''s a good night. A cool breeze allows me and the other guards to relax. Guard duty for the grotto isn''t the best job in this part of the continent, but today it isn''t too bad.


    The entrance to the grotto is a large hole in the ground. A long staircase leads down into the large cavern which houses the fairy hive. Placed around the hole is the guard detail which is supposed to protect our most valuable asset.


    Normally, the nights in this part of the continent are hot and sultry, but not this one. I sigh appreciatively and retrieve a smoke stick from one of my pockets. ¡°How are the new recruits doing? Any promising candidates?¡± I ask Bolt, my friend and one of our best sword fighters. Not waiting for an answer, I light the stick and draw in a deep breath.


    ¡°They brought in a new batch of younglings and threw them into the pit. So far, none of them showed exceptional ferociousness. What''s the world coming to if not even the street urchins are willing to fight for their lives?¡± He snorts and cuffs me from the side. ¡°Imagine that! One of the elders suggested to put them on half rations. If they refuse to fight because they are killed otherwise, then maybe they''ll fight because they are hungry.¡±


    I sigh. ¡°Maybe that will teach the elders not to recruit from those highly religious villages. Even their rats have too much pride to do what''s necessary in order to survive.¡± I turn my attention to the complex of barracks which are known as the pit. In a good year, fifty new recruits enter the training camp. They are made to kill each other until just one or two real murderers are left. Those survivors are then trained in earnest. A real assassin can''t afford hesitation when he is ordered to take the life of a target.


    The rest of the camp has several buildings which provide for the administration and house experienced assassins. Those buildings alsoserve asa large fence around the inner area. There are also several parcour fields for training.


    ¡°Aren''t the barracks a little bit too blurry? It''s night, but the torches should illuminate them just fine.¡± I squint my eyes and rub them when the first attempt yields no result.


    Bolt laughs. ¡°You really should pay another visit to that sexy healer you spoke of. Tell her to check your eyes before she checks out your other parts.¡±


    ¡°My eyes are fine!¡± I walk a few steps towards the barracks. ¡°Look. I think it''s fog.¡±


    Bolt coughs and looks around. ¡°Hmpf. You may be right. Though, the fog isn''t here. Could be a tiny fog-bank. The wind must''ve blown it towards the camp.¡±


    ¡°Fog in this weather? It''s too windy.¡± I look up and notice that there are no stars in the sky. ¡°That''s strange.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Bolt follows my line of sight.


    ¡°I could swear that the sky was full of stars just a few minutes ago. Can clouds move fast enough to blot out the entire night sky?¡± I shift my weight from one foot to the other, getting nervous.


    ¡°Erm... Maybe if it''s a break in the weather?¡± Bolt shrugs. ¡°I just hope that it won''t rain since we still have two hours of duty. It would suck to get drenched just at the end of a shift.¡± We look around to determine if any of the other guards noticed. It doesn''t seem to be the case. As we do this, I suddenly notice more moisture in the air. Within moments, we are covered in thick and heavy fog.


    Just as I want to protest his easy dismissal of this strange phenomenon, several dark shapes appear in the sky above us. It takes me two long seconds to make sense of the silhouettes. In an attempt to warn Bolt, I yell loudly, but it changes nothing. One of the attackers lands directly on top of my friend, ramming a wicked blade through his chest. The force of the impact pins Bolt to the ground, killing him immediately.


    I hurl myself sideways, escaping my own attacker just barely. At least my scream alerted the other guards in front and around of the grotto. Our attackers are clad in dull, black armour. They are everywhere! Those bastards! They dropped right on top of us.


    Getting back to my feet, I draw my twin daggers and parry the wicked blade of my opponent''s halberd. He jabs at me twice and swings his oddly shaped weapon to get me with the blade. I evade the last blow, judging that parrying with my daggers would be a fool''s move. A few light jabs are something completely different from blocking the brute force of a two-handed weapon.


    Failing to dispatch me immediately, the invader points the tip of his halberd at me. A faint, white glow is my only warning. I twist my body out of the way, just in time in order to avoid the bolt of energy. Enchanted weapon!


    Fearing a second shot, I hurl the dagger at my opponent. It sinks into the less well-protected joint at his elbow. The man grunts, but doesn''t unleash a second spell.


    My manoeuvre caused me to lose balance, so I fall unceremoniously onto my butt. But I don''t lose any time and scramble back to my feet, retreating towards the staircase. The other guards fight bravely, but are clearly outmatched. Flashes of light illuminate the scene and men scream all around me. I suddenly realize that all of our attackers are moving towards the grotto''s entrance. They want the fairies!


    To my side, two of our men charge a woman in black armour. Her armour and the white skin give her the appearance of a Draugr, but she has her own beauty. I feel myself reminded of a Mirai necromancer. The first guard howls and cleaves with his short sword at the woman.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    Unfazed, the woman grins and sidesteps the attack. Blue mist flows from her shoulder and forms into a two-handed long sword. She brings the blade up and down on the man as if it weighs nothing. Though, the move itself is crude and slow. My comrade could''ve easily avoided the blow.


    My comrade could''ve easily avoided the blow, but his training takes over. He steps into the attack and brings up his sword in an attempt to block her blade, setting himself up for a riposte. It''s the oldest trick in the box. Stop the flow of your opponent''s weapon and use the opening for a counter-attack.


    He never gets the chance. The blue, ethereal weapon passes right through his sword and his body. It''s as if the sword doesn''t exist. The man twitches and his whole body cramps up, forcing him to his toes. He acts as if great pain robbed him of any coherent thought. Finally, he clutches at his chest, right where the weapon passed through him. An ear-splitting howl of agony almost makes me stop my retreat towards the staircase.


    Then he falls backwards... or more accurately... his body falls backwards and lies still. A greenish, translucent figure is left behind where he just stood. Itwrithes for a short moment, then it hurls itself at the second guard. He swipes at the ghost, his mace passing right through the figure. The ghost is dispelled and flows back towards the woman, where it disappears into her weapon.


    The erratic attempt at fighting the ghost left the guard wide open. The woman doesn''t hesitate. She uses the offered opportunity to stab her sword into his chest. He howls and the same scene repeats itself.


    Somehow, I kept running while watching this. Reaching the stairway, I hurl myself down the stairs. We have to activate every protective spell that''s available to us. This is clearly a large-scale attack. Screaming, I run past a dumbfounded guard, but he doesn''t get it. I realize that only a few seconds had elapsed since this nightmare started.


    They don''t even know that we are being attacked!


    A short glance over my shoulder is enough to see the man being cut down by the woman. She entered the stairway right behind me, together with a growing collection of ghosts. Her cruel laugh follows me down the stairway. She is right on my heels!


    The runestone! I have to reach the runestone and activate the camp''s defences.


    The guard who was just taken down was one of our better magic users. What can I do against that monster if even he doesn''t have any protection against her weapon? She cuts out their damned ghosts and absorbs them. No! Not their ghosts! She''s taking their souls!


    Not caring about the surprised men and women in my path, I head directly for the grotto. Down the stairway and through the long corridor, ignoring the storage rooms. Another glance back shows me that she is farther away. The other people must''ve cost her time. Due to the possibility to catch my breath, I realize that I am still screaming and that I''ve pissed myself. Screams from down the corridor remind me that I am scared out of my mind.


    Reaching the large door which allows access to the grotto, I start removing the many chains and locks. Who thought it a good idea to lock the fairies behind so many redundant locks!? What if someone has to get in quickly? What if the enemy is already at the door? Stupid mages!


    Fumbling with the last lock, I suddenly experience horrible pain in my chest, just as the lock clicks open. My body crumples against the door and pushes it open. But I... I am still standing? In disbelief, I touch the blue blade which is protruding from my chest. It''s solid?


    ***Hive***


    ***Septarch***


    There is a commotion outside. I step towards the window and take a look. Something is going on. Someone is screaming and banging against the grotto''s door. Are the assassins having one of their parties out there? Are they being attacked? I wince at the thought. If that''s the case, then they will use our magic in order to raise protections for their camp.


    My eyes land on the large runestone. It controls the magical circles which imprison us. The circles are arranged all around the hive. Some are meant to drain us of our power. Others imprison us. I feel sick at the thought of losing more of my people because we are used as a power core. The rest of the grotto is empty, except for a few stalactites and stalagmites.


    The door opens and a dead assassin crumples to the ground. A green, ghostly figure remains above the body. The ghost looks dumbfounded and uncomprehending.


    A woman who is clad in black armour steps through the ghost and it dissolves into green mist. The mist is sucked up by the ethereal sword in her hand. She grins and strolls into the room as if she owns the place. She doesn''t even take notice of the corpse. Above us, I feel a few vibrations shake the cave. Outside, a battle must be going on.


    Looking around, she studies the spells which are holding us. ¡°Interesting and effective setup, but clearly not intended to handle forceful manipulation.¡±


    The woman walks forward and stabs her sword into the runestone, twisting it like a key inside a keyhole. The runestone shatters and I feel the magical circles around us power down. Many of my people are now outside the hive, ignoring the uncertain danger this intruder might present. Then I notice a single fairy sitting on the woman''s shoulder.


    ¡°Willow?¡±


    We remember all of our people who had to go with the humans. They never come back. I climb out of the window and fly towards them, stopping just two metres in front of them.


    Willow waves at me. She looks a little shaken. As if she herself can''t believe that she is here. ¡°Hello, Septarch. This is Nova Mirai, ruler of Illum. She wants to make you an offer.¡±


    Nova raises an eyebrow. ¡°I told you to call me Joyce.¡±


    Willow isn''t impressed. ¡°Don''t listen to her. Nova is her given name.¡±


    Humans and their names... the assassins are also using false ones. Since I don''t understand what''s going on, I remain silent.


    Nova returns her attention to me. ¡°I am here to offer your people an alliance. If you work for me, you will get all the resources and the magic you want. I just want your services with your people''s special magic. You will get a place on Illum, where you are protected. What do you say?¡±


    Willow shakes her head.


    I was wary from the beginning, but Willow wants to tell me something. Is this person not trustworthy? ¡°What happens if we refuse?¡±


    Nova places her sword on her free shoulder and smiles. ¡°Then we finish off the remaining assassins and go our separate ways. But it seems to me like your people aren''t able to refuse the offer.¡±


    I turn around and look at the hive, which was nothing buta huge pile of dirty rags. They were given to us by our captors after they took our real hive away. Around and above the pile of dirty rags are the one hundred and eighty-three fairies who remain of my people.


    I am the only one who is old enough to remember the time when we were free. When the hive was a large, hexagonal structure of gold and silver, housing over two thousand of us. We had everything we needed. Warriors and craftsmen flourished in our society. Now, we have weavers and dirt collectors, as there are no other resources.


    Slowly, I try to take in the state of the dimly glowing fairies who remain. They are broken. We are broken. If we return to the wilderness, we may as well end it right here and now. Maybe in another generation.


    The distant explosions remind me that the assassins were attacked. Will they return if we simply stay here? But what kind of leader would I be if I simply allow us to return to slavery?


    I turn back to the woman and Willow. The little fairy who left us so many years ago looks at me and the others with a mournful expression on her face. She is clad in good clothes and probably didn''t realize that the assassins treat us worse and worse as time goes on. When we were ordered to hand Willow over, we still had thrice our current numbers.


    Sighing, I fly closer and offer the woman my hand. ¡°We accept.¡± I just hope that I didn''t just sell us into a worse form of slavery.


    Nova smiles wickedly and holds out her pinky in order to seal the deal.

 70. ~A helping hand~

    ¡°A fool thinks that his education is over when school ends. The wise know that learning never ends.¡±


    ***Assassin Training Camp***


    ***Janice***


    ¡°Hm. Hm.¡± I step over one of the many bodies which are littering the camp. Only a few of the younger trainees survived the attack. I had the honour of observing the attack on the assassin training camp from my flagship. Or should I call it a massacre?


    Right after Nova and her team fought their way into the grotto, the first pilots left Illum with their fighter jets. They bombarded the camp with their cannons until it was clear that the last organized resistance was broken.


    Afterwards, Nova''s newly equipped ground troops went in and took control of the ground. I can''t say that she has a lot of them, but what she has is equipped well. ¡°Very good. Though, they could''ve left a few more bodies in one piece. Those force cannons really make a mess when they hit the target.¡±


    Zane coughs. ¡°How can you say that? This was nothing more than cold-hearted murder! They never had a chance!¡±


    I turn my attention to Nova''s newest recruit. Nova assigned him as my guide when I expressed the wish to study her handiwork. At first, I thought that it would work out, but this guy seems to be a little too idealistic for my taste. ¡°You are an odd one. Why are you even in the military if this¡± - I gesture at the battlefield - ¡°discomforts you?¡±


    He huffs. ¡°I know that my ideals might seem high and mighty. It''s just that I abhor her methods. Joyce had the upper hand. More men, more equipment. She could have taken most of them alive.¡± He surveys the scene, the craters, the destroyed buildings, the bodies.


    I admit that it wasn''t much of a fight, so I study him for a long moment. ¡°You are right... and wrong.¡±


    Zane looks at me. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°What if she had taken them alive? Should she have given them prison sentences?¡± I chuckle. ¡°This is a harsh world. Nobody would have accepted to share Illum''s precious resources with murderers and enemies. Nova used the chance to give her new fighter pilots a little easy training. The guards also got battle experience, something they will need in the future.¡±


    ¡°You are right about that. Our people needed a chance to use the new equipment in a real combat to get a feeling for it. We still lost a few. There would have been more casualties in a real battle.¡± Zane clenches his teeth and looks at one of the barracks. ¡°Some of their new recruits were not older than ten!¡±


    I roll my eyes.


    Unfortunately, he notices it. ¡°I probably should have known that the Mirai don''t have concerns about killing the innocent. The reports said that you bombarded entire villages during your campaign against the Empire.¡±


    Smiling, I turn towards the man who is supposed to be nothing more than my guide. Yet, he seems to be fixated on starting a discussion about morals.


    ¡°Zane, you are aware that we, the Mirai, are at war with the Empire?¡±


    He furrows his forehead. ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°Then allow me to educate you on the true meaning of war. War is the use of violence to get an opponent to do your bidding. It''s to be used after diplomacy fails to achieve a satisfying compromise. The Empire and the Sociocrathy intend to wipe out my people, even after we fled over the sea. They won''t stop at anything to achieve that goal, something which they proved to me again and again.


    ¡°You are too young to see the great picture in awar, which I fought for centuries. Be glad that you had the chance to grow up during a relatively peaceful period. It''s admirable that there are still areas in this world which allow people to develop a moral code like yours. But I have to think of my people. I''ll use any degree of violence I deem necessary to protect my island.¡±


    Again, he doesn''t budge, but maybe he sees me in a different light. ¡°I still fail to see why you bombarded innocent civilians.¡±


    Tilting my head, I study him. ¡°Zane, my intelligence network informed me that you are a bright young man.¡± He cringes at the thought that I know more about him than he might like. But I don''t care about his feelings, so I continue, ¡°Civilians are the backbone of a society. Each of the fishing villages which were attacked by my fleet provided large amounts of food-stocks for the Empire.


    ¡°I won''t deny that it felt good to take revenge on those who side with my enemy, but there was logic to the madness. We aren''t yet strong enough to attack the Empire directly. Getting caught, or losing a lot of our ships on their territory would prove disastrous. Our attacks forced them to respond and drew out some of their forces. They gathered most of the airships they have in the area and tried to intercept us.¡±


    His expression shows that he didn''t hear about that. ¡°What happened?¡±Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    ¡°We destroyed them,¡± I answer. ¡°The Empire''s northern coastline is now weakened. They lost most of their defences. If they reinforce them, they will have to redistribute forces from other parts of the Empire. Accidentally, their weakened coastal area is a perfect breeding ground for the rebels who are currently in the process of infiltrating the Empire. I admit that I didn''t know about this new development at the time, but I am not opposed to it. From my perspective, I crippled the Empire''s ability to launch an immediate attack on my country. I don''t doubt that it would''ve happened sooner or later.¡±


    He grumbles. ¡°I hope that you are aware that this will most likely end in a war. Some people within the Alliance are already pressing for war. Once they hear about this, they will get yet another argument in their favour.¡± Zane shakes his head and focuses his attention straight forward. We walk silently for a few minutes.


    I have the feeling that Zane is trying to make up his mind about me. Does he intend to tell me something?


    Suddenly he says, ¡°Your granddaughter will like the development.¡±


    I raise an eyebrow. ¡°Oh? What leads you to believe that?¡±


    He looks at me. ¡°I want to strike a deal with you.¡±


    Now that is indeed interesting. ¡°You? A deal with me? I realize that we were speaking very casually with each other, but I am still the Mirai Sovereign. Twenty of my best guards are watching each step we make.¡±


    He nods. ¡°It goes against my principles. But as you said, this world forces people to be flexible. Since you seem to be so knowledgeable about my circumstances, I will be blunt. I want to pull down Joyce''s mask. That''s also why I volunteered to be your guide. It gave me an opportunity to talk with you.¡±


    I scratch my head, wondering what this guy is up to. Do I have to inform Nova that there is an untrustworthy person in her ranks? ¡°That sounds like-¡±


    Zane interrupts me, ¡°Nothing of the sort. I thought about this long and hard. I have a very definite contract with your granddaughter and I will never betray her. Yet, there are things about her which need explanation. I''ll share nothing with you which isn''t already public knowledge. In fact, I can''t betray her without serious repercussions for me and my people. I can''t even talk openly about my suspicions.¡±


    ¡°That sounds strange. What exactly are you offering, if it''s not information?¡±


    He looks up at Illum. ¡°I chose to involve you, because you are the only possible option. Joyce declared you an ally of Illum and you are practically family to her, even if she wouldn''t say that herself. According to my contract with her, that allows me a little more leeway with you, despite the fact that you are outside her sphere of influence.¡±


    I consider his words and decide to listen to him. His contract must be worded very carefully if only my ''special'' circumstances allow him to talk to me. ¡°Listening never hurts.¡±


    ¡°Good. Then allow me to start with something like the date of Orwen''s destruction and Joyce''s appearance in the mountains...¡± He continues to talk for several minutes, drawing my attention towards certain events. None of his information is new to me. Yet, the way he presents it paints Joyce in a totally different light.


    I stay silent long after he shared his thoughts with me. We keep walking through the camp and continue to walk around it after reaching the northern end. Finally, I scratch my chin and nod slowly. ¡°Your thoughts are certainly appreciated. I can see where you are going with this. Sadly, I must say that it doesn''t change what I''ll do.¡±


    Zane almost doubles over. ¡°What!? You do realize that I just informed you that someone, if not Joyce herself, is steering the world towards total war!¡±


    I shrug. ¡°And? What does it matter?¡±


    He deflates. ¡°I should have known.¡±


    I close my eyes. ¡°Zane, Zane. You are too nice for your own good. I appreciate what you intend to do, but this world will always suffer under people like Nova and me. We are far too old and knowledgeable to accept being controlled by anyone. I even bet that Nova was listening to every word we just spoke.¡±


    He looks around. ¡°That''s impossible. We even left Illum for this discussion.¡±


    I point at his hand. ¡°The ring. What makes you believe that it only allows you control over some of Illum''s powers? But don''t worry. If you are lucky,shewill never listen to this discussion. I doubt that she has the time to monitor all of her people twenty-four-seven.¡±


    A long string of really imaginative curses escapes Zane.


    Smiling, I poke his upper arm. ¡°Let''s talk about something else. You know, I was really happy when I heard that ''you'' volunteered to be my guide.¡± I wink at him.


    He pulls away from me. ¡°What do you mean? Please don''t forget that you are the Mirai Sovereign!¡±


    ¡°Oh, I am! That''s exactly why I can be so bold. Don''t pretend that you know nothing about the rumours. They are all over Illum since your ex caused that scene in public.¡± I poke him again, revelling in his facial expressions. This guy is really expressive when his guard comes down. Now I know why Nova shows so much interest in him. Teasing him is fun! ¡°Are you really her boy-toy? She told me that she doesn''t want children, but if she takes you to bed there is still hope.¡±


    ¡°Of- of- No!¡±


    Seems like I have to be a little more forceful. ¡°Don''t lie to me, boy! You nailed my granddaughter! Didn''t you!? Do you intend to join the Mirai line?¡±


    He gasps and pales. ¡°Not so loud! What if someone hears you!? And it wasn''t like that at all!¡±


    I pull at my ear and consider him. ¡°It''s a little sad that you will never be a match for her. You are smart and you clearly try to think several moves ahead. That''s something you don''t get just from military training.¡± I shake my head. ¡°She is clearly several levels above you in terms of strategy and conspiracies. You will never catch up to her.¡±


    Zane squints his eyes at me. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    I look up at the sky. ¡°Just that. Nova has access to the memories of her previous lives. You are hopelessly outmatched. May it be education or life experience. It seems like you can''t compensate for that with just your intellect.¡±


    ¡°Your religion-¡±


    I interrupt him. ¡°Isn''t a religion. It''s the truth. Why should I lie to you? It isn''t the Mirai''s fault that everyone else is wrong. Look up at Illum. Do you think that a simple slave could create something like it?¡±


    He looks up. I can almost see the gears turning inside his head. Then he studies the ground, thinking. ¡°That''s preposterous! How can this be true!?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, nobody believes it. That''s why most of the reincarnated never bother to talk about it. It''s too much trouble to convince the people around you.¡± I cross my arms behind my back and study the plant life outside the camp. Most of it is thick underbrush.


    ¡°How can I catch up to her?¡±


    ¡°You can''t.¡±


    ¡°I don''t accept that! You are seriously telling me that Joyce has access to the memories of several lifetimes? That''s why she is so knowledgeable? I can''t accept that I''ll be forever under her thumb! Tell me how to unlock those memories.¡±


    Raising an eyebrow I return my attention to him. ¡°There are ways. Certain training methods. But no. Nova won''t be happy if you end up dead. She will hold it against me.¡±


    He grabs my shoulder and stops me. I admit that I am a little shocked about his boldness. Should I rip out his arm for touching the Sovereign? I stop and confront him.


    ¡°Tell me. I''ll be the judge whether the risks are acceptable or not.¡± He looks straight into my eyes.


    We stand there for over a minute, measuring each other.


    ¡°I''ll admit that you have guts for touching the Sovereign like that.¡±


    Realizing what he did so casually, he deflates with my words. I am still the ruler of a nation and he is just some noble. Grinning, I glare at him for several moments.


    ¡°But I admit that might be fun if Nova has a subordinate who isn''t completely outmatched.¡±

 71. ~Amitesh~

    ¡°Most wars aren¡¯t won on the battlefield.¡±


    ***Amitesh***


    ***Alias***


    I sneak closer to the window, but the guards who are positioned all over the area make it hard to do so. Fortunately, there is a convenient spell which solves the problem of listening in on the rebels. It enhances all sounds which reach my ears. To my utter dismay, even the spell doesn¡¯t help much in this case. The two men inside the cottage are always whispering.


    A bush just ten metres from the shed¡¯s window is the only hiding place which provides at least a little cover. So it¡¯s hard to get close enough to listen in on their conversation.


    It took me long enough to reach this spot and to find out who is leading this rebellion. After my arrival in this village, my special talents made it easy to identify the rebels'' command staff. They are taking great pains in keeping it a secret, but not all of the villagers in this town wear the slave collars which hamper my investigation.


    Even after learning about the old man who is organizing the rebellion, I resisted the urge to take him captive. While he is clearly the one who is in charge, he also wears a slave collar, which must mean that he is yet another puppet. I have no interest in catching yet another middle man.


    I can''t be sure of it, but I have a feeling that he would simply be replaced. And while he is one of the commanders, there is no guarantee to get worthwhile information from him. More than one slave died during the questioning without giving away a single word, even when I used all my power.


    No. If interrogation isn''t a foolproof way to get to the bottom of this mess, then I need to identify someone who can lead me to the solution.


    Now, I''ll finally learn what''s going on. A quick check reassures me that the patrolling guard isn¡¯t in sight. I get up and sprint towards the cottage. Reaching the window, I drop to the ground beneath it. A peek into the small cottage allows me a glance at the dark figure. A dark cloak is hiding most of his body. He arrived in the village this evening and immediately paid a visit to the rebellion''s leader.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    The old man receives a pile of notes from the hooded figure. Are those instructions for future operations? If so, then it would be a big achievement to get my hands on this information.


    They are talking, the old man mentions orks more than once. Straining my ears, I edge just a little closer to the glass. Why do they have to whisper? Aren''t they in a small shanty at the edge of town? They are far too cautious. Are they under instructions to stay vigilant at all times?


    Just at that moment, the hooded figure jerks his head up and looks at the window, directly into my eyes.


    ¡°Spy!¡± the hooded man screams.


    My whole body tenses in anticipation. I have to get them before they can escape.


    But the hooded man doesn¡¯t act according to my expectations. Instead of fleeing with the old man, he charges directly at the window. He raises his hand and I notice the spell just in time. Surprised, I step back and try to avoid the pieces of shattered glass.


    I roll backwards over my shoulder and get back to my feet just as the hooded figure jumps through the window. He draws a sabre and the silver blade blurs. It parts the air just an inch in front of my eyes.


    ¡°Hahaha. Look at the rat. It¡¯s the elves¡¯ spymaster! I expected more from someone like you!¡±


    He knows about me?


    The man follows me and I draw my own blade. He probes my defence with a few quick strikes and jabs. My sword repels his attacks and I evade where it isn¡¯t practical to block. His inhuman speed doesn¡¯t give me the opportunity to talk. It takes me somewhat off-guard to fight someone who can match my ability with the sword.


    He weaves his attacks together as if sword-fighting is an effortless dance for him. Nobody has such speed! Slowly, he is forcing me backwards. Step by step I lose ground. Yet, his technique seems crude and brutal. It¡¯s as if I am fighting an untrained peasant with vastly superior speed and strength. The situation is a conundrum to me.


    Given the chance, I strike at his blade to stop his playful combination of attacks and use the chance to gain some distance. ¡°We don¡¯t have to do this. There is another way.¡± I lay as much power into my voice as I can.


    The man grunts and reaches for his head, lowering his sword. I can only see his mouth, which parts to reveal a row of perfectly white teeth. He is gritting his teeth. The rest of his head is hidden by his hood.


    Grinning, I step forward to finish it.


    ¡°No!¡± His sword rises and blurs.


    By pure instinct, I return my own weapon to a guard position and avoid the fatal blow just barely. The sabre still bites into my flesh, creating a nasty wound from my shoulder down to my elbow. Grunting, I use his lowered guard to kick him. My booted foot lands in his belly and drives him back. ¡°What the fuck are you!? How can you resist my ability!?¡±


    He grins and shifts his blade around. ¡°Call me Kerrigan. I exist to give people like you a few headaches.¡±


    The man launches himself forward, but I am prepared. Our swords clash and I quickly draw the dagger from my belt, ramming it into the man¡¯s side. He doesn¡¯t cry out. Instead, he simply takes the wound and headbutts me.


    I feel one of my teeth break and stab him again, infusing my mana into the knife. Electrical energy surges through him, but this time, he cries out.


    Revealing an egg-shaped device from under his coat, he throws it onto the ground and suddenly everything is covered in smoke. I swing my blade, but it connects with nothing. No! I can''t lose them like that!


    ¡°I think that I bought them enough time. Let¡¯s adjourn this duel for now.¡±


    I follow the voice and leave the smoke, but there is nobody. Crying out in anger, I spit out blood and stomp my foot onto the ground. ¡°This isn¡¯t over!¡± There is no sign of my targets, so Ichoose a random direction and start jogging. Maybe I can find their tracks.


    A look at my dagger reveals deep, dark blood. ¡°Whatever you are¡­ you aren¡¯t human.¡±


    I draw in a deep breath and try to calm down. Next time I won''t be caught off guard. Still, it''s worrying that the rebels have people who have the ability to delay me. Maybe I should go back to the king and call for reinforcements in this matter.

 72. ~Capacity~

    ¡°Who ever said that fate is a good thing?¡±


    ***Westfall***


    ***Rahar***


    I lower the detailed map and look up. The fort is waiting for us quietly. There is no sign that our warband was detected. ¡°Is everyone in place?¡±


    ¡°The warband is ready, leader. I am just not sure if we should trust these maps and suggestions. They strike me as... poorly planned.¡± My second in command swings his large club and points at the fort which protects the border. ¡°I can''t believe that the white-skins are stupid enough to have a major trading town just a few miles behind the fort.¡±


    I use one callused finger to scratch my temple. ¡°That''s why I trust these plans.¡±


    ¡°What!?¡± My second calls out and clicks his teeth together, showing his disbelief.


    ¡°If this really is yet another plot by the Sociocrathy, then they went through an enormous effort to make it look real. There are easier ways to weaken us than to supply us with enough weapons to take out all the forts at the border.¡± I return my attention to the map. ¡°This was provided by someone who wants to mess with the Sociocrathy.¡±


    He isn''t convinced. ¡°It still doesn''t mean that this isn''t a trap. Rahar, you are one of the few who were allowed to study our old scrolls. We can''t lose you.¡±


    ¡°You are right, my old friend. But this is too important. We might never again get such a chance.¡± When the empire drove our people to Westfall, they took our land and our pride. They didn''t take our wits, knowledge, or our determination to survive. Only a few selected students are allowed to study our history and to receive a proper education. There are simply not enough resources to allow for everyone to be educated properly.


    I sneer and spit onto the ground. ¡°You are completely right, and that''s why we changed the plan. We won''t take out each fort, as suggested. We take down this fort with all our troops and occupy it. Then we simply push through to less well-defended territory in order to gather more supplies. If we encounter resistance, we retreat. We only fight when it''s to our advantage.¡±


    My second sighs. ¡°Guerilla tactics! What would our ancestors think? Our honour-¡±


    I don''t allow him to speak further and growl. Stepping towards him, I slap my open palm onto his chest, pushing him back. ¡°Our ancestors fought like honourable fools! That''s why we, their children, have to live in this desert while the white-skins grow fat in our fertile lands. What do you think will happen if we form a large army? One of their airships will be enough to scatter us in all directions.¡±


    I shake my head. ¡°That will only get a lot of our warriors killed. First, we need more resources to convince the other clans that this isn''t yet another hopeless rebellion. That''s why we need to take the fort intact. Its magical defences can withstand a few airships, so it will take a few days for the Sociocrathy to take it back. Enough time for our raiding party to retreat back into the desert.¡±


    My second huffs. ¡°Okay. What about the town? Can we eat the villagers? Enslave them like they do to our kind?¡±


    I ball my hand into a fist and barely restrain my rage. Why do I have to work with these grunts? We really need to convince the other protectors of knowledge that this isn''t a fool''s quest. ¡°Didn''t I just explain that we do this to get resources? Slaves will need provisions. We don''t have any food to spare. Force the civilians to flee and take what they leave behind. If the Sociocrathy has to care for refugees, they will have fewer resources to deal with us. Don''t take any prisoners. Force them to flee.¡±


    My second nods. I am well aware that he isn''t fond of my strategy, but I am not here to please him. My goal is to free my people and to recapture the green and fertile lands at the northern coastline. We will force the white-skins back to the mountains and their meadows.


    ***Illum***


    ***Joyce***


    After receiving Kerrigan''s report, I place the communication crystal back inside the drawer. My spy network is developing quite nicely.


    Absentmindedly, I release the noise dampening barrier around the kitten. Even if grandma Janice can use the kitten to listen in on my communications, I doubt that the kitten can pick up something which it can''t hear. Slipping through a barrier is one thing. Being inside a closed off space is different.


    I don''t even want to assume that the kitten can pick up noise from outside the barrier. If it''s capable of something so sophisticated, then I might as well give up and call Janice the winner.


    Leaning back, I place both legs on top of my office chair. I think that I actually have some free time on my hands. The fairies got their quarters and are now my loyal servants... ahem... allies of Illum. This evening, we will have a meeting to discuss their future part in my weapon program. Their skills in miniaturization will allow me to create more sophisticated rockets and power cores. Maybe I''ll even manage something like a real CPU. They are truly a gift from the gods, assuming that such entities exist.


    But that''s for later. I turn my attention to the kitten and a sudden idea strikes me. Now I know the perfect name for it! I lift the kitten into the air above me, treating it as if it''s an item of worship. ¡°I name thee-¡±


    The door to my office bursts open and Janice enters the room, followed by Zane. ¡°Hello! I hope that we''re not bothering you, but I need your laboratory. The facilities on my flagship aren''t equipped well enough to conduct the experiments which I have in mind.¡±


    ¡°Experiments!?¡± Zane shrieks. ¡°I thought that you know what you are doing!¡±


    They continue to bicker, but I don''t listen. Instead, I talk to myself. ¡°Did you ever have the feeling that you just found the answer to a profound problem? Something which would solve all your issues? And then you get distracted and it slips your mind!¡± I lower the kitten and get to my feet. ¡°What do you want?¡±


    ¡°... told you that what you wish for involves dangers. If I knew how to awaken you safely, I would call it a procedure.¡± Janice turns towards me. ¡°Although it is unlikely to succeed, Zane volunteered to become one of us. I need to conduct some experiments in order to strengthen his soul.¡±


    ¡°Aha...¡± I study Janice for several long moments. Essentially, I am waiting for her to reveal her statement as bullshit.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    She isn''t faced by my reaction and points at the hidden stairway. ¡°You are welcome to watch. It would help to further your studies.¡±


    She isn''t bullshitting me! ¡°Why exactly, should I allow you two to conduct such an experiment?¡± I have my own plans for Zane. It would be troublesome if he ''offs'' himself. On the other hand, watching such an experiment would be very interesting.


    Zane crosses his arms in front of his chest. ¡°Because I want to become stronger! Janice told me what you two are. How can I be of proper service if you are centuries ahead of me!¡±


    ¡°Come on, Nova. I promise to do my best.¡± Janice smiles wickedly.


    Giving in to my curiosity, I open the staircase. ¡°And what if something goes wrong? I won''t be the one who explains Zane''s death to Oswin.¡± I hate to be the messenger of such news. There is all the crying, the tears, and the anger. It''s no fun. Then I realize what Zane said. Iturn to Janice. ¡°You told him about reincarnation and he believed you!?¡±


    How did the two of them get to conspire with each other? No. More importantly, why does Zane want these experiments? Does he have some kind of inferiority complex?


    Janice grabs Zane''s hand pulls him down the stairway. ¡°Oh, we simply got to talk about this and that. Zane complained about his lot in life. Did you know that your boy-toy is very ambitious? He doesn''t want to be just pleasurable. He wants to be useful!¡±


    Zane almost chokes on his own reply when he tries to deny Janice¡¯s words and the Sovereign shuts him up with a quick jab to his throat.


    ¡°Boy-toy?¡± I quickly follow them down the stairway and into my laboratory. ¡°I don''t believe that you have any right to judge my relationships with-¡±


    Janice raises a hand to stop me. ¡°Uh- uh! I never said that I am against it. Your preferences are your beer. This is an issue between me and Zane. You have nothing to do with it. I only need to borrow your equipment.¡±


    ¡°Exactly! You are using my equipment!¡± I walk forward and position myself between Janice and the table which is loaded with tools and equipment. It¡¯s the stuff which we used for our soul-research.


    She raises an eyebrow and smiles at me. ¡°Could it be that you feel protective of Zane? I thought that you don''t care about relationships with other people? Are you afraid of losing your toy?¡±


    Drawing in a sharp breath, I step out of her way. ¡°Do what you want!¡±


    No! She is playing with my feelings! I have to play my role properly. Joyce would never allow slavery or human experiments. Changing my mind I bar her way again. ¡°You won''t play with me! Nobody gets to use my equipment for human experiments!¡±


    Janice turns her attention to Zane. ¡°I told you that-¡±


    ¡°Fuck!¡± I step out of her way. ¡°I''ll watch very carefully! Don''t do something stupid!¡±


    Zane whistles softly and looks at Janice. ¡°You really have to teach me. I never saw someone who could get under her skin.¡±


    I kick his shin.


    ¡°Ow! What''s wrong with you!?¡± Wincing, he hops up and down on his remaining leg.


    ¡°Calm down, children.¡± Janice ignores us and steps towards the workbench. She gathers some tools and starts building something. In the process, she dismantles some of the gear which we used to prove the existence of souls and the multiverse. Her quick and nimble fingers quickly reassemble the parts into something new.


    Of course, I pay her all of my attention. It isn''t necessary to explain every little detail, but she still gives me some hints here and there. What she is building looks like one of those old-fashioned hair dryers which you can pull over your entire head. A helmet. The quartz and crystal cartridges which were used inside our detection gear are now used as emitters.


    Her ''creation'' slowly takes shape. It looks like a headgear with lightning rods. It''s clear that she wants to stimulate Zane''s soul with a direct infusion of energy. That''s doesn''t strike me as a safe method. Even if it works...


    I turn to my ''boy-toy''. ¡°Zane, I think that you should reconsider the idea.¡±


    He crosses his arms in front of his chest, letting through the arrogant noble. ¡°Why should I? I am convinced that this is the only path forward. You have no right to give me instructions regarding this! This concerns my personal life. I am not like you, playing with a person''s personal life until he ends up as a traitor to his country and his fianc¨¦e!¡±


    I wince. Only half of it was really planned. The traitor thing simply happened. How was it my fault? It¡¯s not like I have any deep insight into the politics behind the human king. Nonetheless, it concerns me if I lose an employee because of it. ¡°I just want you to know that she apparently plans to supercharge your soul with a direct energy infusion.¡±


    ¡°Nova is right. I already warned you about the dangers and even if I have to repeat myself, this isn''t a safe method. We have no idea how much your soul can take. The idea is to create a feedback inside your soul, which rebounds memories of a former life back to you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like I understand the theory behind it. Can¡¯t you give me numbers?¡± Zane asks.


    ¡°Fifty-fifty,¡± Janice answers and takes one of the power cords and attaches it to her apparatus, routing the emitters together. ¡°We have to hit your soul''s wavelength exactly, or it won''t work. My assumption is that once the rebound happens, your consciousness will be flooded with all your soul''s memories. A natural reincarnator experiences very small rebounds, getting only a few memories at a time.¡±


    Janice arranges a few of my magnetic coils next to the emitters. I''ve seen those used in brain experiments. A sufficiently strong electromagnetic field is able to shut down certain parts of the brain. I''ll have to ask her later why that''s needed.


    She gives Zane a serious look. ¡°I won''t be able to control the rebound in your case. A large one is very likely to happen. You have to stay in control. Don''t get overwhelmed byyourmemories. Stick to your identity as Zane, or you will likely end up insane. You have to control the rebound and concentrate on the memories of your strongest reincarnations. Otherwise, you could end up with nothing and this whole exercise will be pointless.¡± She finishes her apparatus by plugging it into the control circuit of my measuring equipment.


    I nod vehemently. ¡°Do you understand now? She will fry your brain. Don¡¯t do it.¡±


    The idiot ignores me. ¡°I''ll do it.¡±


    Janice gestures at a stool and raises her creation. Zane sits down and she lowers the helmet onto his head. ¡°Are you ready? Remember, you have to control the memories!¡±


    He will get his brain fried. That¡¯s what will happen. But those two clearly made up their minds before they requested access to my facilities. I step back to gain some distance, already plotting various stories for Oswin to explain how his son ended up as a vegetable.


    Zane nods a final time and Janice takes it upon herself to manipulate the controls of her apparatus. A blue glow around the helmet is the only thing that indicates that something is happening. It''s not like Zane is sitting inside an electrical chair, but his facial expression slackens. Half of his face is relaxed, while the rest is contorted as if he is in pain. It looks like cerebral apoplexy.


    Janice is still at the controls. ¡°That''s good. Concentrate! Don''t get overwhelmed!¡±


    It lasts for a few seconds. Unavoidably, Zane starts drooling, sullying his clothes. By observing his aura, I notice it changing colours. Seeing a soul''s aura was the first skill which Janice taught me. It''s essential in order to recognize other reincarnated people and I''ll be eternally grateful for that.


    Remembering that this isn''t exactly a scene which is approved for children, I cover the kitten''s eyes.


    ¡°I think that''s enough.¡± Janice switches off the power and steps forward to rescue the helmet, pulling it off of Zane''s head.


    Zane falls off the stool. It''s as if he is a boneless piece of flesh. His head impacts the ground and bounces several times before he lies still. Then the twitching starts, reminding me that Zane has more problems than a simple bruise on his head. We watch him carefully.


    At last, Zane regains some control over his body. He curls up into a foetal position and starts sucking on his thumb.


    ¡°Zane, are you okay?¡± Janice lowers the helmet onto the table.


    He shakes his head, tears in his eyes. His voice is muffled, but clearly understandable. ¡°Fuck no! You never told me about the possibilities!¡±


    Well, at least he seems to be lucid and himself. ¡°Possibilities?¡± I ask.


    ¡°I concentrated on my longest life. The one in which I was the most powerful.¡± He shudders. ¡°I was a woman! By the gods! I had no idea. And there were other lives! And in most of them, I was a woman! What''s wrong with this reincarnation business!?¡±


    Janice flicks her finger and points down at Zane. ¡°I totally forgot to mention the psychological side effects of what happens if the experiment does succeed. But all in all, I think that we can call it a success! Don''t worry, Zane, you will get used to it. Happens to all of us. Though... I admit that it might be a little shocking to find out that your soul tends towards the female side.¡±


    ¡°Wha...¡± He tries to form the word, but it seems like he is still a little out of it.


    ¡°Oh, my god. I never expected that it would really work! Now we have to explain so much to you. First of all¡­ ugh¡­ this is like explaining the flowers and the bees to a child. Yeah, you see. Most of the time, people end up with the same gender in their reincarnations. But once in a while we roll dirt and get to see theother side of the coin. It''s interesting to find out that this can also happen to normal souls. It must be horrible to find your true self like that...¡± Janice continues her monologue, fascinated by this discovery.


    ¡°True self?¡± Zane moans and starts rocking back and forth. ¡°Why didn''t you tell me...¡±


    I step towards him and hunker down, placing the kitten next to him. With one arm wrapped around my knees, I pat his head and run my fingers through his soft hair. ¡°Don''t worry. The important thing is not to get so hung up about it. It''s just a body. Your hormones might make you swing towards something which you aren''t used to, but that doesn''t mean that you can''t enjoy it. Just take the equipment which fate handed you and use it. You will learn that soon enough.¡±


    He doesn''t look convinced. His miserable sight reminds me of my own situation, so I want to cheer him up. At least a little. ¡°I am not lying. I know exactly how it feels like. We are in the same boat!¡±


    ¡°S¡­ s¡­ same!? You¡­ are¡­ I¡­¡± His eyes turn upwards in their sockets and he passes out.


    Screw it! It didn''t go so well. That¡¯s what I get for attempting to be nice.


    Suddenly Janice hugs me from the side. ¡°Nova, I am so sorry. You should have told me. To experience such a fate when you are actually a-mpfh!¡±


    My hand on her mouth shuts her up. ¡°Shut up! Don''t say it! Never even talk about it!¡± Using all my strength, I try to push her away, but she holds onto me with all her might.


    ¡°Let go of me, or I''ll hit you!¡±

 73. ~Top~

    ¡°There doesn''t need to be love in order to have a good time in bed.¡±


    ***Illum***


    ***Zane***


    I slowly open my eyes, waking up. It takes several long moments for my brain to start working. My memories are hazy... there are just too many of them. Minutes pass while I try to sort through all of them. Zane... yes! That''s my name. With great effort, I force myself to sort Zane from all the others.


    When I feel like a human being, I gulp and realize that my throat is dry. An attempt to get up yields no result. I am lying spread-eagled on my bed. No, not my bed. ¡°Where am I?¡± I rasp and start paying attention to other things than the ceiling.


    I am in a small bedroom. The bed on which I am lying is large and luxurious. Thin satin bedsheets cover me. The reason for my inability to move turn out to be four, heavy handcuffs which chain my hands and feet to the bed. My left arm feels like burning fire. It tingles as if I was lying on top of it for the entire night.


    Turning my head sideways, I find out why. Joyce is there, using my arm as a pillow. She is sleeping. Her expression is totally relaxed, something I never expected to see from a person like her. I rattle on my chain, but they are sturdy and clearly enchanted. ¡°What''s going on? What happened?¡±


    Joyce moans and opens one eye while rubbing the other one. That''s when the events of last night return to me.


    ¡°Don''t be so loud,¡± Joyce mumbles and goes back to sleep.


    ¡°Where is Janice?¡± I ask.


    Joyce sighs. ¡°I threw her out and forgot to tell her that she has to take you with her. Being left alone with your unconscious body... I had the choice of leaving you on the ground in my laboratory, or to get you somewhere where you can recuperate.¡±


    ¡°And you chose to chain me to your bed and sleep with me!?¡± I rattle my chains again. ¡°What''s wrong with you?¡±


    The ruler of Illum pulls her hands closer to her body and shudders. ¡°So much noise. Okay, now I am awake.¡± She sits up and the silk flows down her naked body, revealing her luscious shape. Not minding my presence, she stretches her arms and grants me a perfect view of her...


    I look away. ¡°What do you think you are doing? Release me right this instant!¡±


    ¡°Don''t be such a clueless prude. I really hoped that Janice''s experiment would turn you into a little less of a goody-two-shoes.¡± She pulls on her lower lip and her gaze wanders up and down my body. ¡°Though I have to admit that I planned to do this anyway. Firstly, as a way to corrupt you further. Secondly, to apologize.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± I really don''t understand what''s going on in that woman''s mind... or is she really... No! I shouldn''t even go there. It will give me even more headaches. ¡°Just tell me why I have to be tied up!¡±


    ¡°Ah, that''s because I feel safer that way. My former master wasn''t a nice person. It feels good to turn the tables on a man. You might call it a form of therapy.¡±


    Her fingers wander over my body, which turns my attention to another problem. ¡°Why am I naked?¡±


    ¡°Because it makes it easier to take care of you.¡± She smiles and touches the tip of the bedsheet-tent which rose against all of my intentions. Not waiting, Joyce raises the sheets and slides on top me. Her nakedness against mine makes me gasp.


    Her arms slide around me and she moves further down to nibble on my collarbone. Despite the strangeness of the act, that woman manages to arouse me.I try to protest, ¡°I don''t love you.¡±


    ¡°Who cares?¡± Her undulating hips touch the tip of my erection. Moaning, she slides me completely inside her, just to repeat the process again and again. Her hands force my face into her generous chest and a shudder runs down my spine. My body reacts involuntarily and I thrust, losing control of myself. She simply feels too good.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Her throbbing heat envelops me as her hips fall down a final time.


    It takes over a minute until she loosens her grip on me. Sighing deeply, she sits up, pushing back the bedsheets.


    ¡°Phew! You really aren''t bad. Be glad there is magic to prevent accidents from happening.¡± Smiling, she uses a finger to draw a circle just below belly button.


    ¡°I think that you should let me go.¡± I glare at her. ¡°Now!¡±Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    Joyce wets her lips and reaches behind her to cup my balls in her hands. ¡°Your body says something different.¡±


    An hour later, I am dry and still chained to the bed. Joyce left the room some time ago. I look up and test the chains once more, but somehow they prevent me from using magic. The perfect tool to restrain a magician.


    ¡°Holy moly!¡±


    A squeaky voice draws my attention. Moments later, the little fairy flutters into my field of view. Yes! She will help me! ¡°Willow! Get me out of here!¡±


    Willow lands on my chest. She has a cluster of miniaturized grapes in her tiny hands. As if to mock me, she throws one of them into her mouth. ¡°She really did a number on you. The hickeys on your collarbone and on your cheek look as if they hurt. What did you do to warrant such a punishment? Did you confess your eternal love?¡±


    ¡°Nothing of the sort!¡± I rattle my chains. ¡°Just open them. I''ll explain later.¡±


    The fairy shakes her head. ¡°I am sorry, but Nova has my entire hive under contract. I won''t do anything to cause her animosity. Especially since my people got to have a reasonable life for the first time in ages.¡±


    ¡°Then water! You have at least some water?¡± I rasp.


    Willow turns to look at the door which leads out of the bedroom. ¡°I guess that she won''t punish me for feeding her pet.¡±


    ¡°Pet!?¡± I squeak!


    She rolls off my chest and returns to human size, together with her grapes. Unceremoniously, she shoves one grape into my mouth. I chew and hum as the fruit''s cold liquid runs down my throat. Willow feeds me a few more before the door opens and Joyce steps inside.


    Both, Willow and I, freeze up in shock. The fairy still has a grape on my lips. She slowly turns towards our employer. ¡°Nova, good to see you! And... This isn''t what it looks like.¡±


    Joyce''s hair is wet and she is in a bathrobe. Squinting, she observes the scene in front of her. It takes a few moments, then she shrugs. ¡°Don''t worry, Willow. I was already done.¡±


    ¡°I would never.¡± Willow bites her lower lip and looks at me.


    I have a bad feeling about this.


    Luckily, the fairy doesn''t seem to be interested. ¡°Admittedly, he has nice abs... but... even if I would want to, you made sure that he will be almost useless for at least another day. If not two.¡±


    I groan.


    Joyce shrugs and comes closer, revealing a key. She opens the handcuffs and gestures at a pile of clothes next to the bed. Joyce presses the key into my hand, allowing me to open the cuffs on my legs myself. ¡°Get dressed, you are needed in front of the office. I''ll sleep in.¡±


    ¡°Office?¡± I quickly open the cuffs and get dressed in record speed. ¡°Who knows that I am here!?¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Isn''t it a little early?¡± Willow asks.


    ¡°His parents want to know where he is.¡± Joyce shoves the fairy out of her bed and lies down, covering her head with a pillow.


    ***Illum***


    ***Joyce***


    I yawn and place both legs on top of my office table. ¡°I had a wild ride, so at least try not to take too much of my time.¡±


    Janice raises an eyebrow. ¡°What''s your impression of Zane?¡±


    ¡°He seems to be fine. Congratulations. I really thought that you would fry his brain.¡± I cross my arms in front of my chest. ¡°Though, how effective your experiment was remains to be seen. While it didn''t look like he has a lasting injury, he also doesn''t seem to be stronger.¡±


    ¡°Give him some time to get used to his new memories. He gained decades, maybe even centuries of experience. It''s impossible to make sense of everything in a single night.¡± Janice pulls a chair towards her. ¡°More importantly, what are your immediate plans for the future? I think that by now, everyone on Illum knows that you have an affair with Zane.¡±


    I shrug. ¡°Let them talk. I am the ruler of Illum and if they want to complain, then they can leave by jumping off the island. I certainly won''t turn Illum around for someone who tries to tell me what to do. And regarding our next destination, we''ll visit the World Assembly to promote Illum''s independence.¡± I call up a map of the world and enlarge it for Janice.


    The Sovereign leans forward and studies the hologram. ¡°You might want to add a few updates. My spies informed me that there are some recent changes to the Sociocrathy''s border.¡±


    I clear my throat and try to sound clueless. ¡°Changes?¡±


    ¡°Yes. If I believe my sources, then the orcs started to move against the Sociocrathy. They destroyed afort and pillaged the trading town which is located a few miles behind the border. They moved in several small raiding groups. The public is frightened. Thousands are trying to get as far away from Westfall as possible. If the Sociocrathy had its attention focused on us, then that''s surely no longer the case.¡± Janice leans back. ¡°There is another interesting detail. Some of the raiding parties were caught before they managed to retreat. It seems like the orcs got their weapons from the Empire. The Sociocrathy is outraged.¡±


    Scratching my chin, I purse my lips. ¡°That''s understandable. The Sociocrathy and the Empire had an unspoken agreement of neutrality for over a century. Now the Empire clearly equipped the enemies of the Sociocrathy with weapons. I would feel betrayed.¡±


    Janice nods slowly and smiles. ¡°Not to forget, there is the hostility between the Empire and the Alliance. They are already amassing their troops at the Eternal Battlefield. If I believe Zane''s judgement, then it''s just a matter of time until the Alliance invades.¡±


    ¡°Indeed?¡± I smile. ¡°That sounds ominous. It''s lucky that Illum can move out of the war zone.¡±


    ¡°There is something I haven''t told you. Don''t forget that there are other reincarnated people on this world. I think that someone is manipulating the odds behind the scenes.¡± Grandmother waits until I nod, then she goes on. ¡°There is one thing I don''t understand. If you play the Alliance against the Empire and support the orcs with imperial weapons, why would you do so in a manner which makes it impossible for the Sociocrathy to assist the Alliance?¡±


    She waves her hand through the air. ¡°Then there are the rebels who cause chaos all over the continent. It looks like someone has something against countries which support slavery. The thing which I don''t understand is this: Wouldn''t it make much more sense to create a situation in which the Alliance and the Sociocrathy attack the Empire? Why support the orcs with enough weapons to give the Sociocrathy serious trouble?¡±


    I twiddle my thumbs and study her for several long moments. ¡°I think that, maybe, you misinterpreted the intentions of your hypothetical puppeteer.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Janice leans forward, willing me to elaborate.


    I decide to throw her a bone. Not that it will help her to understand. ¡°To me, it would seem like the puppeteer wants only one thing. Chaos! He wants the world''s superpowers to be so concerned with each other that they don''t realize his real goals.¡±


    ¡°Now, let''s change the topic.¡± I slam a hand onto the table. ¡°That reminds me! I''ll be gone for two or three days while Illum moves to the island where the World Assembly is held. I have a few things to do.¡±


    Janice protests, but I pay her no heed, insisting that my absence has to do with top secret matters which only concern Illum.

 74. ~Old~

    ¡°You don¡¯t lose the war because your enemy is stronger, you lose because you don¡¯t know what he is up to.¡±


    ***Shuttle***


    ***Joyce***


    I push the lever forward, accelerating the shuttle to its full speed. My personal transport vehicle bucks and I feel my whole body being pressed into the seat. I don''t dare to touch the steering controls at this moment. While sturdy, the interplay of forces could tear the jet apart.


    The ''Needle'' was designed as a one-person, high-speed courier-ship. The little ship is formed like an elongated icicle without wings. There is just enough space for the pilot and a little bit of cargo. Its only purpose is to be fast. Therefore, I completely neglected defensive and offensive capabilities.


    After the initial acceleration, a grin steals itself onto my face as I engage the cloaking function and slightly tap the steering controls, allowing the Needle to rise to a higher altitude. The reduced air pressure will allow the shuttle to fly faster and will also reduce the noise of a supersonic object travelling through the atmosphere.


    Leaning back, I allow the ship to take me to my destination.


    Getting away from Illum and my responsibilities required a lot of preparations and instructions. Fae and Tristen were less than happy. Again and again, I had to reassure them that Illum won''t fall down, just because I am not present for a few days.


    I shudder, remembering all the instructions and contingency plans which I had to leave behind for my administrators. They are as independent as humanly possible, but the fact that I won''t give anyone besides myself direct control over Illum is troublesome. It... restricts what my aides can do.


    Hell, I wouldn''t be comfortable either. Imagine yourself being a passenger on a transatlantic flight, and suddenly the pilot walks past you, informing you that he will go for a short swim. And then he jumps out of the plane. Hahaha.


    Yeah... It''s understandable that they don''t feel so good about my little tour, but I insisted on going alone.


    Reaching behind me, I touch the large crate to reassure myself that it''s still there.


    Everyone wondered about it when I left. Of course, I had no intentions of showing its contents to anyone. Only Fae, Tristen and Janice were present when I left. It surprised me since I suspected that Zane would have something to say about my sudden departure. He didn''t show himself after he left my quarters this morning.


    I purse my lips while fighting the urge to smile at the same time. ¡°I suppose that he has to deal with his parents.¡± They strike me as the types who meddle in their children''s affairs. Add to that the fact that they are nobles and Zane won''t get a free second until he made a full report.


    Turning my attention to a more productive activity, I call up a map of the world and spend my time considering everything I know about the various factions.


    It takes less than an hour to reach Abasin Valley, where I discovered the old crypt. After making sure that I am at the right coordinates, I lower the Needle''s speed and decrease my altitude. I promised that I would return to this place. The time has arrived, not only to satisfy my curiosity, but also to set yet another plan into motion.


    Before I land, I fly three large circles around the area, making sure that there is nobody who could cause me problems later on. The air is empty of ships and the jungle seems to be silent. Of course, I can''t be entirely sure with all the plant life on the ground.


    Remembering the area from my last visit, I ignore the scholar''s old camping site and manoeuvre the ship directly to the old ruins. From above, the pyramid looks like an overgrown hill. The jungle''s plants clearly aren''t kind to human constructions.


    Finding the right landing spot for the Needle proves to be difficult. The ship is only nine metres in length, but that''s more than the jungle is willing to give me. Close to the ruins, there is no gladewhich makes it easy to land.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    In the end, I decide to use the Needle''s force fields to cut out a landing area. I avoid cutting down a tree, but a few large branches have to go. The decision to land the Needle, instead of allowing it to hover above the area, is a risky one.


    Janice''s warning of other reincarnated people made me wary. I don''t think that the Needle''s cloaking function is bad, but there are ways to see through it. Additionally, I am visiting anarea where I''ve been previously. An opponent with the right skill-set might want to investigate places in which I showed my interest.


    Down on the ground, the trees and plants will provide additional cover for the Needle. Unless someone steps onto it, I am relatively sure that it will stay undetected.


    After touching down on the ground, I open the cockpit and retrieve the crate from behind the pilot''s chair. Shouldering the heavy item, I order the cockpit to close and inspect the damage I did to the vegetation. There is a large hole in the jungle''s canopy, but that should be fine. What''s more worrying is the fact that my intervention made it quite clear that something artificial happened to the trees.


    I wince. The cuts on the branches are too smooth. Worried that this sign will still be visible a few weeks from now, I use a force spell to split and damage the trees in the affected area. No matter how my plans evolve, someone is bound to investigate this place sooner or later.


    Having done all I can, I walk towards the old digging site. It should be less than a hundred metres from here. The thick underbrush is troublesome, but magic allows me to advance at an acceptable pace.


    Reaching the right spot, I find myself bewildered. Before we left the digging site, we filled the hole with dirt to cover it up and to prevent the possibility that someone accidentally activates the teleportation circle. Or worse, that the crypt''s guardians would escape.


    Yet, there is no sign of the hole. The vegetation overgrew the area so completely that it''s almost impossible to notice the spot. I quickly check my memories and compare them to the southern side of the pyramid, which is barely visible behind a few bushes. I am definitely at the right spot.


    ¡°Let''s hope that my shuttle''s landing spot will be equally overgrown in a few weeks.¡± Maybe my worries of leaving clues are unfounded. This verdant jungle is quick to eliminate or cover any signs of human presence.


    I walk over to the digging site and access the power core inside my barrette. Then I stretch out all my senses to search for the crypt beneath the ruins. I teleport.


    I teleport and appear right inside the teleportation chamber which allowed the scholars access to the crypt. Not wasting time, I draw the white mask from my belt to see in the dark. Boy, it has been ages since I had a use for this thing.


    The room is empty, just like we found it the first time. I lower the crate and open it in order to retrieve the equipment which I piled on top of the item which is my real reason for being here. To reassure the others, I left Illum in a casual robe. They would have worried for nothing, had they seen me fully armoured up.


    Besides the dragonbone armour, which is still a fine item, I put on the black armour which I issued to all of my guards. The enchanted carbon fibre is light-weight and sturdy enough to absorb a few blows. If a spell gets through the protective charms, I doubt that it would matter whether the armour is made out of metal or paper.


    When it comes to magical resistance, the dragonbone is still my best bet. Hmm, maybe I can find a way to synthesize the material. According to my knowledge, it''s just a blend of ceramics and carbon. Though, I would really need a properly equipped laboratory to perform the necessary chemical tests.


    Yet another way to spend my money.


    I close the crate and shoulder it once more.


    Slowly and silently I follow the corridor, always careful not to activate any traps. The main corridor seems to be safe. I am quite sure that the scholars had to trip some kind of alarm to be hunted so vehemently. Last time, the scholars advanced quite deep into the crypt before the guardians attacked.


    At the first large junction, I chose the left corridor. It ends soon afterwards in a small room with a shrine. A dead-end. The shrine is filled with sculptures which are made out of bronze. Some are even silver. There is a large, red crystal embedded in the graven image which is looming above the shrine. It''s a large face with oversized teeth. An orc? Or maybe their god?


    My mask reveals that some of the tiles in front of the shrine are enchanted. It also looks like some of the offerings and the large ruby are cursed. It isn''t even a strong curse, but my tattoo starts tingling as it fights the subtle influence on my mind. The curse is meant to draw the observer''s attention to the items. It serves purely as a distraction.


    Otherwise, the room doesn''t hold anything of magical worth. I turn my back on the worldly treasures and walk back to the junction. It''s highly likely that the tiles activate the crypt''s defences. That''s something I really want to avoid. There is no need to spring the trap if it serves no purpose.


    But I can imagine that it''s quite a good trap for hapless fools. They reach the small room and activate the crypt''s guardians by stumbling forward to inspect the various sculptures. Then they get drawn in by the curse, while the guardians advance from their resting places and flood down the corridor.


    The victim finds himself trapped in a small room with dozens of Draugr who are ready to add him to their numbers. It keeps up the number of guardians and lessens the chance of escape.


    I keep checking out the various corridors. After three junctions I realize that there is always only one way forward, while the others lead to a shrine with traps, or to a room with a large hole in the floor. The latter one strikes me as a way for the crypt guardians to get around. Maybe there is a whole, separate tunnel system beneath these corridors.


    As long as there is no need to, I have no desire to check out the holes in more detail.


    After several junctions, I reach a large room with a metal door at the other end. Up until now, I encountered no signs of my first visit. There were no bodies or any equipment on the ground. The guardians cleaned everything up. Annoyed, I click my tongue and study the floor. Each and every tile has some kind of enchantment on it.


    I remember the scholars mentioning that they were attacked in a large room. So they managed to get to this point, but no further. No wonder, it doesn''t seem as if anyone is supposed to get past this room.


    On the room''s far end are the guardians inside their coffins, arranged in neat rows of two. They are waiting, motionless. There must be dozens of them. Maybe even over a hundred.


    It''s not hard to imagine that a simple mage light won''t illuminate the whole room. My mask eliminates that problem. So anyone who enters the room doesn''t know about the crypt''s protectors until he gets charged. I bide my time by inspecting every little detail of the room. As long as the guardians don''t act, I can use the time to think.

 75. ~Reverse~

    ¡°Only a few people would expect a thief to place an item inside a vault.¡±


    ***Abasin Valley***


    ***Joyce***


    I lower the crate to the ground and kneel down in front of the closest tile. Each of the enchanted tiles has a side length of roughly thirty centimetres. More than enough to comfortably place a foot on it. My inspection of the tile confronts me with an unexpected problem. Whoever designed this alarm system wasn''t a fool.


    The tile is enchanted with a fairly simple spell which activates through pressure. That''s it. Nothing fancy will happen. I reach out and use my magic to tug at the tile''s enchantment in order to test it.


    No. It''s certainly nothing more than an alarm spell. A ward which reports that the tile was activated. The principle is the same as the interlocking enchantments which I used to create Illum.


    The advantage over other traps is obvious. I don''t get to learn anything from studying the tile. It''s nothing more than a switch, a sensor. I can either choose to activate it or to leave it alone. The enchantment which controls the crypt''s guardians is probably well-hidden and safely out of reach. At least that''s what I would''ve done.


    I could try to disable the tile, but that might activate the crypt''s defences anyway. The question is why the crypt''s creators enchanted each and every tile separately. There must be some kind of combination which allows crossing the tiles safely. Of course, that knowledge is lost and this isn''t a cheesy entertainment show where the crypt''s creators were so nice as to hide the answer in the form of a riddle on a nearby wall.


    Just to be sure, I check.


    Nope, the cheapskates didn''t leave a cheat-sheet for me.


    I study the other tiles within my reach, but five minutes later I conclude that, in principle, all of the tiles are the same. One nasty little detail is that not all of them have the same activation requirements. Some sense warmth, while others seem to react to air pressure. One spell even comes close to a photoelectric sensor which detects changes in the ambient light. That''s a nasty trick. It means that a simple mage light is enough to activate the alarm. Luckily, my mask doesn''t need light in order to allow me to see.


    Abandoning the floor as an option, I turn my attention to the walls and the ceiling. There are also detection spells, but far less than on the floor. My force magic might allow me to levitate across the room.


    And then I still have to open that stupid iron door at the other end, which is probably keyed to the very same tiles. The more I look at it, the more this seems like a bank vault.


    I sigh and get back to my feet, then I shoulder the crate and cast the levitation spell. I allow myself to float forward and to the left, staying close to the wall. When nothing happens, I continue onwards and take the risk of floating further into the room to stay away from the traps on the walls.


    Reaching the first coffin, I take a look inside. The corpse inside it seems to be dead. Or should I say non-functional? The guardians seem to be in some kind of stasis when they don''t have to defend the crypt.


    My inspection brings me closer to a coffin which doesn''t hold one of the guardians. The brown robes make it clear that it is the corpse of one of the researchers. And the body looks far better than I would expect after a few months of decomposition. So they do turn the caught victims into more crypt guardians. What a joy.


    I concentrate on the new convert and try to remember what Janice told me about creating zombies, draugr, and other undead. She has hope that, as a Mirai princess, I''ll one day be able to raise people with their minds intact. According to her, it''s a matter of preserving the corpse with a set of complex enchantments and to link the soul to the body.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    As a person who will simply reincarnate after my death, I see no reason in such a practice. Though, I admit that normal people might not oppose a few more years with their memories intact. The Mirai ambassador doesn''t seem to live a bad life... Apart from being unable to get it up... no food...


    Okay, personally, I would rather be dead than undead.


    I study the corpse and compare the network of spells to what Janice taught me. The coffin is an artefact which weaves spells around the body. It looks like an early version of the Mirai spellwork which Janice taught me. The basic principles to reanimate the nervous system are the same, though the preservation spells are clearly inferior and there are no regenerative capabilities.


    The soul is also recalled to the body, but it''s suppressed, giving the guardians only marginal mental capabilities. I can''t tell if that''s intentional, or if the creators of this place didn''t know better.


    Be that as it may. My visit to this place has already paid off.


    I had the theory that this crypt is an ancient precursor of the Mirai culture. It proves that Janice didn''t lie to me in regards to the old civilisations and the perpetual cycle of therise and decline of this world''s cultures. Getting undeniable proof for a part of her story makes her a little more trustworthy.


    After a few more coffins, I am pleased to find out that the detection wards around them are just basic switches. Without further ado, I float to the large iron door. It''s heavily enchanted, so I don''t dare to touch it.


    The tiles around the door are safe, so I land and lower the crate to the ground. Five minutes of studying the door get me nowhere. Neither do I understand the runes, nor can I decipher the spellwork. Enchantments get harder to read the more complex they get.


    I would compare the issue to a circuit board. Every skilled technician can tell at a single glance what a simple circuit like a potential divider does. But if the circuit has hundreds or even thousands of components, the issue gets tricky.


    Time to test another of Janice''s claims. I am still not sure if she is lying, or if she wants to use me for her own goals. If this works, then she might really be trustworthy.


    The Sovereign said that the ghost cat isn''t just a familiar, but also proof of the bloodline. If this place is a historical Mirai site, then there should be something in this crypt to prove that the cat is indeed important to the Mirai. I would hate to find out that Janice only gave me the kitten to spy on me.


    I study the runes on the door for a long time. The door is the only artefact which shows more than ornamental decorations, so I am willing to indulge myself. What strikes me as odd is the single rune which holds a central place on the door. It''s a large, black dot with four smaller dots above it. The whole set is encased by a larger circle.


    A stupid thought occurs to me. ¡°That would be too easy.¡± I bend down and open the crate again. Then I unseal the small compartment at the crate¡¯s left side. The kitten looks at me with big eyes, clearly asking why I locked it away for the duration of this trip.


    I grab it by the scruff of its neck and lift it with my right hand. With my left hand, I take one of its paws and press the paw against the rune. There is a little spark of energy, then runes on the door light up and it opens, retreating into the ceiling.


    I gape, more surprised than I want to admit. Those early Mirai were idiots! Who turns his familiar into a key!? Not to speak about Janice! I am practically a stranger to her, yet she simply gives me the key to her society. That''s something I would never do. It goes against any logic. Does she really think that I will become a part of her family? They must have some kind of genetic defect. No, wait. That would mean that I am also affected!


    Or is she that desperate?


    She mentioned that she doesn''t have many allies among the other reincarnated people on this world.


    Absent-mindedly, I stuff the kitten into a pocket and pick up the crate. The room on the other side of the door is filled with treasure. Golden statues and coins sparkle in every corner, but I have no need for wealth. Even the large prize on the altar in the centre of the room doesn''t interest me. It''s a tiara which was made out of gold and silver. Some blue crystals are embedded in it.


    I place the crate on the altar next to the tiara and take out the large power core which is supposed to convert this crypt. The core heats up and sinks smoothly into the large stone plate which is the altar''s surface.


    With the core installed, my work in this horrid place is finished. It''s not like I don''t appreciate adventuring, but there are better activities than to crawl through dusty, dirty places which are filled with life-threatening traps and monsters.


    It''s not like I need any of the treasures. I have more than enough money. Well... maybe the tiara. It looks nice and the blue crystals match my style. I quickly pocket the artefact which is made out of several interlocking segments. It''s just a piece of jewellery.


    Turning around, I am suddenly faced with one of life''s unpredictabilities. Patting my pocket confirms that the kitten is indeed not inside my pocket and that what I am seeing isn''t a bad dream.


    The kitten is stumbling around in the first room, activating all the tiles. The Draugr are awake, facing me. The kitten must''ve slipped out of my pocket as soon as I put it in there. With a ''crack'' the large iron door slowly starts lowering itself.


    The guardians howl and rush towards me. I jump forward, using the first guardian as a stepping stone to launch myself over the closest attackers. Outside the treasure room, I roll over my shoulder, grabbing the kitten as I come back to my feet.


    One guardian tries to decapitate me, but I launch a fireball into his face and lean back as I rush past him. His blade passes just an inch from my nose. Then I dodge and weave myself through the crowd, casting force spells as I run. My body follows the instincts which I honed through several lives. Luckily, the guardians aren''t clustered together too tightly after leaving their coffins.


    My personal protections flare up with energy when a spearhead strikes my shoulder. Then I am through the crowd and running, laughing like mad. Stupid kitten!

 76. ~As told~

    ¡°One alliance may lead to another.¡±


    ***Illum***


    ***Janice***


    I watch Zane as he walks around the room, clearly nervous. The poor man has a lot of issues. My granddaughter, his ex, his parents, all of that weighs on a person¡¯s mind.


    He invited me for further tutoring, so we met in his office and tried to deduce the extentof his new knowledge. I am not helping him just out of benevolence, I also want to know the exact results of my experiment. It¡¯s not like I go around and help people to awaken their memories.


    Not to forget, there is still the possibility that he might lose it after all. In that case, being nearby in order to deal with him permanently might be a good idea. Though I regard the risk as minimal at this stage.


    Zane definitely grew in power, but I don''t think that he can face Nova. I shift in my seat and smile. ¡°Don''t worry. She will come back sooner or later. Nova isn''t a person who would simply walk away and leave what she created.¡±


    He throws his hands up into the air and scowls. ¡°I know that! But still! She is the ruler of Illum! How can she run off like that!? I have never heard of a country''s king or queen leaving their seat of power. It''s unimaginable! What if she needs our help? Or worse, what if she is dead?¡±


    I tilt my head and smile, unconcerned by his complaints. ¡°I would know if she is dead. My familiar has a link to hers. I assure you that she is very much alive. As her subject, you should learn that independent actions are sometimes necessary in order to survive. You should rather focus your energy on making sense of your new memories. Have you gotten a handle on the rune magic?¡±


    Zane glares at me. ¡°I have, but it takes too much time to cast a spell that way.¡± He draws two runes into the air, his finger glowing with red light. A moment later, a faintly glowing energy shield appears between the two of us. ¡°If I do that in real combat, I am dead twice over before I get the spell done.¡±


    ¡°Don''t dismiss it so easily.¡± I get to my feet and walk closer until I am right in front of the shield. Then I test the spell by punching the shield, causing a visual distortion. Despite that, the shield holds. ¡°The spell''s effect seems to be stronger and better controlled than in a traditional spell. You are definitely wasting much less energy. I remember this technique from another world. The correct way to use it is to pre-cast several spells and enchantments before you enter combat. The improved defences allow you to recast the spells while fighting.¡±


    ¡°That''s true, but I have only very few memories of actual combat. My... previous self... didn''t cast a lot of spells when she fought.¡± He bites his lower lip. ¡°But for some reason, she was very strong during battle. The memories are just too jumbled to make sense of them. It''s like waking up from a dream, only remembering a part of it.¡±


    ¡°It will become clearer. Give it some time. I needed years to get used to the knowledge of previous lives once I awakened. Nova had eighty years to sort out her memories.¡± I shrug. ¡°My advice is to be patient.¡±


    ¡°But that means that nothing changed! She is still far ahead of me!¡± Zane shakes his fists. ¡°And there is also the problem of my family! Why did you just leave me with her after I passed out? Now my parents know for sure that something is going on.¡±


    I laugh. ¡°I never promised that you would suddenly be her equal. Be glad that it worked out as well as it did. The gap between the two of you definitely lessened. And about leaving you behind... There was little I could do. Nova threw me out. She even threatened to use violence and I am not stupid enough to challenge her on Illum. On my flagship, it may be another matter, but definitely not here.¡±


    ¡°What''s so special about Illum?¡± he asks.


    ¡°Do I really have to teach you how to read enchantments? Nova turned Illum into her seat of power. The entire island is a single mess of growing, interwoven enchantments which are keyed to her. As long as she is here, her powers are much stronger than they would be away from this place. The main shrine on my island is similar.¡±Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    His expression darkens. ¡°Another reason for reprimanding her.¡±


    A low buzzing draws our attention to Zane''s ring. He touches the artefact and Fae''s face appears in front of us. ¡°She is back. Her shuttle just landed in the hangar bay.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Zane touches the ring again and furrows his forehead, inspecting the artefact. ¡°It''s so strange. At first, I thought of her spellwork as nothing less than a miracle. Now that I have access to my memories, I know intellectually that these functions are nothing more than several enchantments which are linked together, simulating a ''computer''.¡±


    He shakes his head. ¡°I can marvel about it later.¡± Not wasting any time, he approaches his office''s door and heads outside. I follow and, together, we walk to the hangar bay. Zane''s office was placed in the palace-like building at the rear of Illum. That puts him on the same level as Fae, Tristen, and the rest of the command staff.


    Luckily, the distance isn''t mentionable, so we arrive just in time to encounter Joyce leaving the guards'' tower. She is in full armour, which is a little dirty and even dented in some places. It looks like she was in a fight. The kitten is hanging from her shoulder, purring and using its claws to soften the cloth.


    Maybe I should have used the kitten to spy on her while she was away? Annoyingly, she locked the kitten inside a sealed crate, so I gave up on permanently monitoring her. I call upon my mental connection with Minx and order her to replay the kitten''s footage while Zane starts his rant.


    Nova doesn''t listen and walks right past him, only to be stopped by my smiling grin. I have no idea where she found it, but the scene which I am just watching through my mental eye leaves no excuse. I stretch out a hand and wriggle my fingers. ¡°I think that you took something out of the grave of one of our ancestors.¡±


    ¡°I don''t know what you are talking about.¡± She doesn''t even twitch, lying straight to my face.


    It reminds me not take her lightly. ¡°You can have it back. I just want to take a look at it.¡±


    Nova huffs and pulls the tiara out of her pocket. She places it in my hand so that I can study it. The artefact is made out of gold and silver. It holds three blue crystals and displays a few wicked spikes which streamline away from the central stone, creating the image of little horns. The ring which holds the central piece is divided into several segments.


    Each segment is engraved with complicated runes and inlaid with a green material. The artwork is superb. At one point this must''ve been an artefact of great power. Sadly, there are no traces of magic left. Whatever enchantments were placed on the item, they didn''t withstand the ages and faded away.


    It happens to many worn artefacts. They are too small to add an energy gathering function, so the wearer has to use them regularly, or the enchantments unravel.


    I return the artefact to Nova. ¡°You definitely stumbled upon an old Mirai site. The markings on the Tiara are theold script. Something only a head priest or priestess can read.¡±


    She raises an eyebrow. ¡°Can you read it?¡±


    ¡°No. That thing is so old that probably not even my parents could remember the written language.¡± A wicked grin spreads on my face. ¡°But if you are interested, I am sure that we can find some helpful scrolls back at my home. There are some old texts which survived the ages. With their help, we can surely deduce what''s written on the Tiara.¡±


    Nova shrugs. ¡°No matter. I just pocketed it because it¡¯s shiny and I like the style. First and foremost we have to visit the World Assembly.¡±


    Zane raises his voice in order to get our attention. ¡°I am talking to you!¡±


    Nova glares at Zane. ¡°After I am done with the Sovereign, or do you forgot that she is the ruler of a nation?¡±


    He blushes and closes his mouth with an audible ''click'' of his teeth.


    I wave my hand and smile. ¡°Don''t worry. We''ve been so informal with each other that Zane''s behaviour is hardly a surprise. So, Nova, what do you want at the World Assembly? Do you even know the social rules of that event?¡±


    She returns her attention to me and raises an eyebrow. ¡°Social rules?¡±


    Oh, my God. This is a catastrophe in the making. I wince. ¡°Like not bringing any weapons? The need for absolute politeness. What constitutes as an insult and what not. This is the only event which allows people from different nations to meet each other on equal footing.¡±


    Nova nods. ¡°I admit that I only want to go there in order to have a good look at the various parties which I am facing. I am playing a big game, so it''s only good to know the various players.¡±


    I try to smile, but it doesn''t work as well as I wish. ¡°Then let''s go together. If you are with me, I can help you to avoid mistakes.¡±


    ¡°And I am sure that being there together, in addition to arriving with your fleet in tow, would send a strong signal to everyone.¡± She regards me with squinted eyes. ¡°It would tell all the other reincarnated people that I am with you.¡±


    ¡°You got me there,¡± I answer through clenched teeth. Unfortunately, it seems as if Nova realized how much I need the alliance with her. Illum''s military power might not be able to threaten a whole country, but once the knowledge spreads that Nova is reincarnated, others will act more carefully. That alone is worth a lot.


    I can only speculate, but I am sure that the Emperor is reincarnated. The elven king is also one of us. Then there are the other nations. I have no proof, but it''s very likely that the Sociocrathy and the Consortium are puppets of strong entities who prefer to stay hidden. It''s not my style to lead a nation from the shadows, but I have to admit that there are benefits to it.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Nova answers and crosses her arms in front of her chest. ¡°Once the others learn that you have two reincarnated allies, they will be very careful.¡±


    ¡°Two?¡± I ask and raise an eyebrow. Then my attention wanders to Zane. ¡°I am sorry, but we can hardly count Zane as reincarnated at this point. He isn''t nearly as powerful as you or me.¡±


    A wicked grin appears on Nova''s face. She reaches out and links arms with Zane. ¡°His aura says something else. Judging him just by his aura, he must be at least as strong as me.¡±


    Zane struggles, but invisible force fields hold him in place. I can see the muscles and tendons on his neck strain, but Nova is merciless. She is clearly using Illum to subdue him.


    ¡°Stop that! People are watching!¡± he hisses through clenched teeth.


    Nova doesn¡¯t stop smiling and ignores him. ¡°Yeah... he is still weak, but nobody has to know that.¡±

 77. ~Bonds~

    ¡°Some people simply don¡¯t care about what others think of them.¡±


    ***Illum***


    ***Joyce***


    ¡°I find it very interesting that the orks destroyed one of the forts which secure the Sociocrathy''s border to Westfall. Oh, and rumour has it that the Alliance crossed the border towards the Empire. They are marching a huge army towards Orwen¡¯s remains. The only country which doesn''t seem to be directly affected by this political mess is the Consortium.¡± Janice looks away from the projection of the world map. ¡°We shouldn''t forget that you didn''t have the chance to sink your fingers into their affairs.¡±


    ¡°Who says that they aren''t involved? They already sent an assassin after me, so I would hardly call them innocent.¡± I take a sip from my fruit juice. Janice gave me the time to clean myself before we met in my office. Surprisingly, she called up a world map and started to complain about the recent political unrest. ¡°I fail to see your point. What does this have to do with the World Assembly?¡±


    She huffs. ¡°I just tried to sensitize you to the dangers of visiting the World Assembly. There will be many people who are enemies on the battlefield. Normally, this event is already a dangerous place to be as it is, but this year it''s a powder keg which is just waiting for someone to light the fuse.¡±


    I grin. ¡°I guess that you will simply have to stop the kids from playing with fire.¡±


    Janice raises an eyebrow and deactivates the hologram with a swipe of her hand. ¡°I am afraid that you want to take part for the sole reason of creating havoc. It''s clear that you are involved and steering the events towards a greater goal. What do you want to do to this world?¡±


    ¡°Want to do?¡± I consider her words for a long moment. ¡°Personally, I would be fine with keeping to myself. Unfortunately, that doesn''t seem to be an option. This world is full of powers which are roughly equal to each other. Yet, they struggle for superiority. As I see it, I am forced to join the game in order to reassure my independence. This isn''t a world where someone like me is simply left in peace.¡±


    Janice snorts. ¡°So you want to make sure that nobody is in a state which makes it possible to oppose you. That''s your final goal. Do you want to tell me what exactly you have in mind?¡±


    I don''t play for a draw like you and the others. ¡°You will see.¡±


    She crosses her arms in front of her chest, clearly miffed at my refusal to tell her what will happen. ¡°It doesn''t matter. Just make sure not to insult anyone at the World Assembly. You can refuse to talk to people of lesser social status, but to everyone else, you have to be as polite as possible.¡±


    So, I just have to refuse to talk to anyone and that alone can be interpreted as a great insult against some monarch. It will be very easy to make even more enemies.


    ¡°The World Assembly is held on a small island, as you''ve surely noticed. There is no special nation which oversees the event. The island is considered neutral ground as long as you don''t attack anyone. Should you do anything that can be misconstrued as an attack on one of theparticipants, you will find yourself as the target of all the other participants.¡±


    Janice sighs and continues, ¡°That might turn into a problem since you are visiting the event with your whole nation. If you want to call a population of two thousand a nation.¡±


    I ignore the remark and raise a finger. ¡°Will the others show up with a lot of military power?¡±


    ¡°You can expect everyone to send at least a fleet of airships. Nobody will send a simple diplomat to this event. We can expect high-ranking officials from every nation. Maybe not the Emperor himself, but he will send at least a son or a daughter who can act in his name.¡± Janice shrugs. ¡°The huge amount of military power at the site is the only thing which keeps everyone in line. Nobody dares to start something because getting caught in the crossfire might be fatal.¡±This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    I hum and try to imagine the potential for chaos. ¡°Do I have any responsibilities at the event? And... is there a possibility to challenge someone?¡±


    Janice shifts her weight from one side to the other, clearly uncomfortable with the question. ¡°The island on which the World Assembly takes place is a flat piece of rock in the northern ocean. Every major power will get a part of the available area to prepare. The Empire and the Consortium are always trying to outdo each other in terms of luxury and hospitality.¡±


    She nods to herself. ¡°It''s seen as a sign of power to be able to entertain and feed guests who happen to wander into your area of the island.¡±


    I interlace my fingers. ¡°That''s good to know. I''ll charge Dorver with the creation of something presentable. He has the talent of turning his projects into gold.¡±


    ¡°There is something else I wanted to ask. How did your experiments with soul magic go? You never shared the results with me.¡± Janice tilts her head. ¡°Your idea to turn the souls into ethereal energy constructs sounded interesting.¡±


    I curl down the corners of my mouth, showing my displeasure. ¡°The goal of the experiment was to create an energy weapon which automatically curses the target, separating the soul from the body. At least I succeeded in that. The soul''s energy should then be turned into an ethereal energy construct like the ghost cat.¡±


    Reaching up, I pet the kitten which was hanging from my shoulder since the conversation began. ¡°The idea was to create an army of ghosts who keep fighting. Just like your epee turns its victims into undead. Unfortunately, the average soul doesn''t hold enough energy to create much more than a faint illusion. They don''t serve as much more than a distraction. A simple swipe of the hand is enough to dissolve them.¡±


    I sigh. ¡°It works, as long as the opponent doesn''t know that the ghosts pose no threat. I abandoned the idea. The ghostmaker spell is fine for close combat, but overall it lacks the versatility of your original version. Killing someone, as well as creating a distraction can be achieved more easily through other means. Though, I have to admit that its demoralizing effect was worth the effort against the assassins.¡±


    My grandmother nods slowly. ¡°So you will continue your studies on soul magic?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    She points at the kitten. ¡°Then you should bond with your familiar. What''s holding you back? It will never grow up if it has to feed on residual magic forever.¡±


    ¡°I still need a good name,¡± I reply.


    Janice throws her hands up into the air as if she is surrendering to me. ¡°Name it Scratchy for all I care. You need a working soulbond to take the next steps on your path. Having a familiar is the easiest way and much less dangerous than being bonded to a human.¡±


    I immediately listen up. ¡°Dangerous? Why didn''t you tell me that it can be dangerous to bond with a familiar?¡±


    She rolls her eyes. ¡°You should really listen more carefully. I said that a soulbond with another human being can be dangerous. It would mean to bond with another soul. Bonding with a familiar like your kitten isn''t really dangerous because it isn''t human. The kitten is designed to pretend to have a soul. Bonding with it is nothing more than adding an extension to your soul. It will be lost once you or the kitten dies.¡±


    Her voice turns grave. ¡°Bonding with another soul, however, is a wholly different story. Never... ever... under no circumstances... bond your soul to another human. It''s much too risky.¡±


    I gesture for her to go on. ¡°I am waiting. Why is it risky?¡±


    ¡°It depends on the strength of the bond, but in extreme cases, your memories would merge. You would essentially become one being. Worse, the nature of the bond makes it very likely that you would carry it with you through all your future reincarnations. If you are lucky, you retain your identity but are always reborn in close vicinity to each other. Depending on whether you like or hate the other party, that could end you in eternal heaven or damnation. I can''t imagine that I would ever want to be linked forever to another person.¡±


    I shudder. ¡°There is no way to break the bond?¡±


    ¡°Sure there is, but it would be very dangerous. It would be necessary to completely drain both souls of all their energy. The least I expect from such a procedure is a complete memory wipe. It would be equal to committing permanent suicide.¡±


    Janice snorts. ¡°The funny thing about such a bond is that the two parties don''t have to be aware of it. Yet, the bond would subtly influence your decisions until you meet each other and encounter whatever fate your personalities have in store for you. Once, I knew a guy who linked himself to the love of his life. The two of them found out halfway through their marriage that they can''t stand each other. I have yet to meet them again, but it can''t imagine that it''s a good thing to be damned to fall in love with someone who you can only stand for a few years until the relationship explodes in your face.¡±


    ¡°I can hardly believe that a soulbond can hold such power over two thinking beings.¡±


    ¡°Why not? It links your souls, which contain all your memories. Is it that hard to believe that it can transfer something so simple as a few feelings, which in turn influence you? It will make you tend towards one decision or the other.¡±


    It really sounds like a version of eternal damnation. ¡°Okay. I understand. No soulbonds with something other than a familiar. Under no circumstances.¡±


    ¡°Good. Now that we have that out of the way, which name will you give it?¡±


    I take the kitten from my shoulder and regard it. ¡°It''s so fluffy. I don''t want it to grow up.¡±


    ¡°Please admit that you are kidding me!¡±


    Not really. ¡°Okay, I name thee... Lucifer!¡± I start giggling, remembering the old myth from a planet on which I lived so long ago.


    ¡°Finally! Now infuse power into your bond.¡±


    I do as I was instructed and feel the mental connection to the kitten forming.

 78. ~Small~

    ¡°A choir is made up of many voices. Many think that the louder they are, the truer their words. Sadly, most of the time, they just suffocate the truth.¡±


    ***Illum***


    ***Joyce***


    ¡°I expected it to be larger.¡±


    Lucifer meows, announcing that it shares my resentment. I pet the kitten and study the little island which serves as a neutral ground for the World Assembly. It''s really nothing more than a dead piece of rock in the northern ocean.


    Janice and I went to the observation platform on top of my palace as soon as the island came close enough to have a good look.


    No, the little piece of rock doesn¡¯t amount to much. Someone took care of flattening all of the usable area, but it¡¯s still not bigger than three, maybe four football fields. ¡°It''s no wonder that nobody wants to have the little island. The staggering amount of airships is much more impressive.¡±


    I turn my attention to the various fleets which are circling around the island. There is Illum and grandma''s fleet of sixty ships. She had to send some of her ships away, since there is apparently a limit on how many ships a single nation is allowed to bring. The Mirai warships are sporting dark colours. Their design includes some nasty spikes. It''s clear that the airships are meant to intimidate anyone who dares to look at them.


    The Empire brought fifty-two ships. Their ships have long, blue coloured hulls. It¡¯s possible to mistake them as real ships, but a closer look makes the sharp edges and the cuboid design obvious. They clearly don''t care about seaworthiness. I am very sure that their ships can¡¯t be sailed in water. These ships are just weapon platforms for whatever technology their designers decided to use.


    At least they pretended that they want them to look pretty.


    The Alliance ships are also already here. They are the same, already well-known,imitations of seaworthy ships. ¡°I really have to ask Zane why the Alliance builds imitations of real sea-ships and uses them as airships.¡±


    ¡°It''s cheap,¡± Janice answers. ¡°They use the same hulls for their sea fleet as they do for their airships. The only difference is that the airships have a power core installed. I dislike the idea, but I have to admit that there are advantages to the system. They can replace a damaged airship by taking out the core and putting it into any of their sea vessels. They have to redo the rune network, but that¡¯s a matter of a few days. It¡¯s much easier than rebuilding a heavily damaged ship.¡±


    I bite my lower lip. ¡°It also means that their hulls aren''t optimized for aerial combat. I am not convinced of their policy.¡±If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    My attention wanders to the Sociocrathy''s ships. They are nothing more than flying platforms which are stuffed with all sorts of equipment and little buildings. I am convinced that a soldier with sufficient experience is able to tell me the entire history of a ''platform'', just by looking at it. I refuse to call those things airships.


    Then there is the Consortium. They arrived with ten ships, but they are huge. Each of them rivals the Zenith, Janice''s flagship. Each of the sleek ships is about three hundred metres in length. They also have strange protrusions which make them look like centipedes. A very peculiar design. The guys from the Consortium are also the only ones who used metal for their entire ships.


    Janice tries to reassure me, ¡°Don''t worry about them. The Consortium won''t try to attack you in public with all these witnesses around. That simply isn''t their style.¡±


    ¡°They aren''t beyond sending an assassin,¡± I inform her coldly.


    She smiles. ¡°That''s true. You have to be very careful while we are down on the island. It''s unlikely, but we shouldn''t let our guard down.¡±


    I frown. ¡°Why is an assassination attempt unlikely?¡±


    ¡°This is a deserted island. Whoever makes the attempt risks getting caught. If the assassin is caught, even if it''s just his or her body, everyone will know who brought him to the island. It will be a catastrophic loss of reputation for whoever is involved.¡± Janice makes a dismissive gesture. ¡°Of course, that won''t help us if the assassin was successful.¡±


    ¡°So we better not eat anything down there. The most obvious way to pull off an assassination without getting caught is poison.¡± I turn to face Janice. ¡°One other thing. Is it an insult that I wasn''t invited to decorate a part of the island?¡±


    Only Janice got a message to participate in the World Assembly. It''s a little infuriating, since I instructed my subjects to prepare something that''s worthy of Illum.


    Janice shakes her head. ¡°I think that they simply weren''t prepared for you or me. Just look down there. The Consortium and the Alliance clearly had to work double shifts to clean up some space for the Mirai.¡±


    ¡°That doesn''t sound very organized,¡± I answer.


    ¡°Itisn''t. Look over there.¡± She points at three rugged ships. They look like real pirate ships which were supposed to be seaworthy at some point in the distant past. ¡°Orks. They are probably from Westfall and didn''t get any space either.¡±


    ¡°Why are they even here?¡± I ask.


    ¡°It''s likely that they want to ensure that the Sociocrathy isn''t able to present the other nations with a one-sided story about the war between the orks and them. The Sociocrathy will most likely say that the orks attacked their fort and violated the border, while the orks will try to argue that the war between them and the Sociocrathy never really ended.¡±


    I scratch Lucifer''s neck. The bond between the kitten and me is still weak, but I can feel it growing steadily. Janice explained that the kitten won''t start talking or developing its own personality. While smarter than normal, it¡¯s mind is still the copy of a real cat. Though, I''ll be able to share mental pictures and impressions with my familiar.


    ¡°That''s practically the same argument which you are using against the Empire. Shouldn''t you have similar enmity towards the Sociocrathy?¡± I ask.


    Janice clenches her teeth. ¡°Believe me, nothing is forgotten. I just made the Empire a priority when they abducted my daughter and you. Their plan would''ve worked, hadn''t you been a reincarnated person and thwarted them without their knowledge.¡±


    Okay. ¡°I still want to have a little area to represent Illum.¡±


    A stupid smirk appears on Janice''s face. ¡°What would you trade if I gave you half of the space which was reserved for the Mirai? I can''t do anything against the other nations not recognizing you, but I can give you a part my area. At least, it would mean that the Mirai recognize you.¡±


    ¡°And it would be yet another strong signal that we are allies,¡± I grumble. But I want that area. There is no other choice. ¡°What''s your price? I''ll pay.¡±


    Janice laughs. ¡°Oh, no. I don''t need money.¡±


    ¡°What do you need? Technology? Warships? Illum is a flying dockyard. I can supply you with as many warships as you want. You just have to bring me the materials. Point me at some iron mine and you can have a fleet.¡± There is no way for her to refuse such an offer.


    Janice makes a show of polishing her nails. ¡°I admit that Illum''s assistance would be a humongous boon to any war effort. No airship fleet in the known world has access to a mobile fortress with repair and production capabilities. Not even mentioning your technology. But no, I have something else in mind.¡±


    ¡°What is it? Spit it out.¡±


    ¡°From now on, you have to call yourself Nova.¡±


    ¡°That...¡± Isn''t fair... Her price might actually be too high. ¡°I have to think about it.¡±

 79. ~Bargain~

    ¡°Knowing your name is important. The fairies know that having a true name grants power, therefore they place high importance on names. Yet, names are often underestimated, as most people never realize their potential.¡±


    ***Illum***


    ***Nova***


    ¡°Your sour expression should be recorded for the sake of ensuing ages. Is it really that bad to use your given name?¡± Janice giggles. It''s clear that our deal is the cause of her evil delight.


    At first, I played with the thought of using forcefields to add some free space to the island. Then I thought about landing Illum. In the end, I gave up on those options. Too much can go wrong and it¡¯s sure that Illum would be blamed if there are any problems while this event is ongoing.


    In the end, I had to bite into the sour apple. ¡°I am not mad about the name. I am mad that you had me swear an oath to use it!¡± I complain while watching the preparations for the feast. The area which I got assigned has no more than four thousand square metres, but my employees will make up for that with the best decorations which Illum has available. Before we left the Alliance, Dorver saw to it that we are properly stocked with everything that might be needed. It¡¯s not like I have money issues, so I ordered to fill our warehouses to the limit.


    Then there is the little fact that I used spacial magic to increase my area''s size.


    Doing this without walls wasn''t easy, but I found a loophole to solve the mathematical problem. Spacial magic is a matter of changing the laws of physics, but there are rules and limitations.


    I point at one of my workers. ¡°You there! I want our crest in the centre of the dance floor so that everyone can see it.¡± The poor man nods and hurries to reposition the pole which is displaying Illum''s insignia.


    ¡°I wanted to ask, but is there a reason for using the last letter in the Greek alphabet?¡± Janice asks. She studies the decorations with great interest.


    ¡°No. I simply drew whatever came to mind and ordered the seamstresses to use it as a guideline in order to make whatever flags or crests we need.¡± Well, maybe there is a little foreshadowing involved, but I''ll be damned if I admit anything.


    Illum''s crest is an upside down Omega which encases an infinity symbol. The symbols are golden, while the background of the crest is greyish white. Other nations have better flags, but I like the simplicity of ours. There will be no question of who or what they face.


    The Sociocrathy, for example, chose a curly pattern as the background of their flag. In the foreground are the four symbols which represent the four ruling families. It''s very similar to the Alliance''s crest, which is a representation of all the various races who chose to join the club.


    The fairy queen flies closer and bows. ¡°We are almost done with the wards and the safety precautions. Is there anything else we can do for you?¡±


    Smiling, I shake my head. ¡°No, thanks. That''s all for now. You can return to your hive, once you are done. Oh, and make sure that Willow doesn''t overdo it. I noticed that she is overly energetic since she gets to spend more time with other fairies.¡± The little fairy nods and flies away with incredible speed, taking care of her business.


    The fairies turned out to be invaluable assistants. Their nature as magical creatures makes them naturals at chanting wards and enchantments. They are a little expensive to maintain, but they are also worth the expenses.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    Their new hive is located on Illum and allows them access to the whole island. They insisted on casting it from gold, as only gold is worth the effort of being enchanted with fairy magic. I even had to give them access to the energy of a whole power core in order to sustain the entire hive. I am not really sure what they are doing with all that power, but Willow assured me that it''s necessary to create more fairies. Apparently, they want to regain their former population of at least two thousand individuals, as anything less can''t be called a proper hive.


    It reminded me that the fairies might be the most inhumane race on this world. I really don''t want to know how the bees and the flowers work for them, so I didn''t ask. As close as they behave to actual bees, I wouldn''t be surprised if they lay eggs and hatch hundreds of larvas at once. That must be a nightmare for the poor babysitters.


    Janice interrupts my train of thought. ¡°Do you intend to pick up more strange personnel? Maybe a few orks?¡±


    ¡°No. I think that the fairies are enough for now. Picking up several hundred humans would be a strain on Illum''s food supply. The fairies were a good opportunity. They don''t eat much as long as they stay small and are masters of spacial magic, so they can take care of their own needs. The only thing they really demand is energy, but I have that in abundance.¡± I wrinkle my nose. ¡°I would never take in a bunch of smelly orks.¡±


    Janice clears her throat. ¡°They aren''t really that smelly. The orks of this world are quite educated. Their moral values are higher than the ones of most of the other countries. At least they were until the Sociocrathy drove them into Westfall''s desert and pillaged their cities.¡±


    ¡°I see. In a book, I read that the Mirai and the orks were allies.¡± I look at Janice. ¡°Is that true?¡±


    She uses a hand to indicate that the matter is a little more complicated than the history books might imply. ¡°We shared the northern coast with them. They preferred the steep cliffs at the shore and the grasslands. We stuck to the forests and the beaches. It was a quiet sharing without actual agreements or an alliance. In the beginning, the Sociocrathy was smart enough to wage their war only on the Mirai. They left the orcs alone.¡±


    Janice huffs. ¡°Of course, the orks didn''t lift a finger as long as the Sociocrathy didn''t threaten them. Their leaders refused to recognize that their belief in multiple deities would make them the next target of the Sociocrathy. By the point at which the orks realized that, we Mirai had already prepared to flee over the ocean. At that time, our military force wasn''t mentionable anymore.¡±


    ¡°Couldn''t you have raised more zombies?¡± I ask.


    She tilts her head. ¡°Raising more mindless zombies is good and well, but they stand no chance against an organized army. The creation of a Draugr or a lich takes a lot of time and effort. Time which we didn''t have. The Sociocrathy''s attack was well planned. They built up their forces until they were sure that they can take our standing army in a reasonable amount of time. Which means that they didn¡¯t give us the chance to turn the tide.¡±


    My grandmother hums. ¡°Maybe the orks wouldn''t have been driven from their cities so easily, had the Mirai stood and fought to the last man.¡± She shrugs. ¡°But I am not responsible for the fate of the greenskins. They should have picked up their weapons as soon as it was clear that the Sociocrathy was bent on forcefully spreading their religion.¡±


    We talk for another hour while the event takes shape around us. It seems like Janice is of the opinion that the Sociocrathy wouldn¡¯t be any better than the Empire, given the chance. I already met with their fanatics, the paladins, so I have to admit that she might be right.


    Like so many others, we prepared areas which would serve as entertainment or possible meeting spots for our potential guests. The most obvious ones are things like free space for dancing and music. There is also a lot of food.


    What''s a unique feature of Illum''s area, are the expositions which show off unique things about Illum and my various enterprises. Most importantly of them all, the spacial chests. But there are also other things. Little things which are supposed to kick-start even more economical change. I see this as an opportunity to show everyone that Illum isn''t to be messed with.


    There are gadgets which allow mundane people to cast a light orb by themselves. Rings which boost their owner''s power. The list is endless, since I was very busy during the last months.


    I want to advertise the fact that Illum is a source of knowledge and enchanted artefacts. I grin upon noticing the plain area which advertises our academy. My two young pupils are in charge of bewitching random visitors with their childish delight in learning magic. The two of them made a lot of progress in the recent months, so I decided to allow them to show off their powers.


    They can''t share any world-changing knowledge, but it might be just enough for some people to question the traditional way of using magic. Once they realize the power of properly organized enchantments, instead of ritualistic magic, they will want to have that knowledge for themselves. Additionally, I have some of my new books on display. They are supposed to give anyone who is interested a few insights into the more complicated areas of enchantments.


    The only person who I am missing now is Zane. ¡°Where is Zane? Didn''t I order him to accompany me on this fair?¡± I touch the shoulder with the tattoo and call up the map. ¡°Hm. It says that he is hiding in the toilets.¡±


    Janice scratches her cheek. ¡°I still feel a little embarrassed about the fact that it never occurred to me to introduce modern plumbing. Magic allows any magicians to deal with such issues, just by casting a few small spells. But a vast amount of people don''t have that luxury in this world.¡±


    ¡°I had to live for eighty years without magic and without modern toilets.¡± It was hell!

 80. ~World Assembly~

    ¡°There is only one grace in life¡­ If death comes quickly and painlessly.¡±


    ***World Assembly***


    ***Zane***


    Someone bangs his fist against the toilet''s door. I try to ignore it, but the person in question is very insistent. When I don''t react after three knocks, the impacts increase in strength until I notice the hinges coming loose.


    ¡°Stop that! Take another box!¡± I need this little haven in order to hide from ''her''.


    An all too familiar female voice answers me, ¡°You are my date for this fair. Do you intend to hide for the entire week? I warn you, I¡¯ll wait in front of this stall until you come out. A human needs water sooner or later.¡±


    I quickly clear my throat and try to alter my voice by muffling it with a hand. ¡°I don''t know what you are talking about. And isn''t this the men''s area? What is a woman doing in here?¡±


    ¡°Quit it. Do you really think that this stupid game works with me? I can sense my ring on your finger! Unless Zane was smart enough to take it off and give it to a random person or flush it down the toilet, you are Zane!¡± The banging resumes and a nail drops to the floor. The uppermost hinge is already freely hanging in the air, held by a single screw! She is really going to take down the fucking door.


    I curse and check my ring. That was a serious oversight on my part, but what could I have done? Giving the ring away isn''t an option. Not only would losing a second ring look stupid, it''s still a control item for Illum. ¡°Stop it! My trousers are down!¡±


    ¡°Like I care! I have already seen you with your trousers down. The sight isn''t pretty, but it''s certainly nothing new to me.¡±


    I gasp, fumble with the lock and open the door quickly. My trousers being down was a lie. I was just hiding. For some stupid reason, I thought that Nova would be deterred by social rules. ¡°Could you at least try to be a little less noisy about it?¡±


    I glare at Joyce, or should I call her Nova? Hard to tell. It seemed like she wasn''t happy about the contract with Janice.


    She is clad in a golden robe which might be a little too tight on her chest, emphasizing her bust more than necessary. Her hair is bound in three ponytails and decorated with the same barrette which she is so fond of.


    The sword on her waist is new. It''s over a metre long and thin. There is a similar stone encased in the pommel as she has in her barrette. Nova is definitely gearing up for something. There is no way to tell what else she has hidden on her body. Not to mention that it''s rude to carry weapons in this event.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    Nova lowers her raised fist and crosses her arms in front of her chest. Unfortunately, I notice several other men who were disturbed by her sudden raid on the men''s toilets. And they heard every word! Though, some are more interested in covering themselves. Just great!


    She turns to look around, making eye-contact with one spectator after the other. ¡°Just continue with your business. There is nothing interesting to watch here.¡±


    I step outside and quickly leave the wooden building which was set up as the men''s toilets. It¡¯s probably going to revolutionize this world¡¯s sanitary culture. Nova follows me with a smug expression. ¡°I assumed that you would be reasonable once I paid you a personal visit.¡± Without asking, she links arms with me. ¡°Where should we begin?¡±


    My plan to hide on the toilets for the entire event clearly failed. In fact, it backfired. Now the rumours about a relationship between me and Illum''s ruler will grow even worse. Maybe I should simply give up and try to become her consort? ¡°I don''t know what you mean.¡±


    ¡°Didn''t you get the written orders to be my date? I even went so far as to hand them down through the proper chain of command. Who else on Illum would have a high enough rank to be my companion?¡±


    Oh, yeah. I crumpled the papers and threw them into a trash bin. My first official orders were to be an escort. Nova really has no shame when it comes to using her position as Illum''s absolute ruler. She tries not be too obvious about it, but when it serves her wishes, she isn''t afraid of showing that she is a dictator.


    I close my eyes and take a deep breath in order to calm down. ¡°Okay. What do you want me to do?¡±


    ¡°Be my escort. Take me on a trip around the World Assembly. I want to see everything. Not necessarily meet a lot of people, but that will probably be unavoidable.¡±


    Slowly opening my eyes, I start walking. Somehow I manage to ignore the glances which people throw at us. It will pass once we leave Illum''s area. Fewer people will recognize us, so the level of attention will go down. The only thing we have to worry about is that the wrong people recognize us.


    I just have to be professional about it. ¡°The island is divided into several areas. The centre is neutral ground, while all the nations got assigned to areas around the centre. It looks like a pie-chart...¡± I ramble on, knowing perfectly well that I am telling nothing new to Nova. But it allows me to avoid a serious conversation. At least for a while.


    We take the central walkway, which leads us away from Illum''s area and in a circle around the whole island. Illum and the Mirai are located between the Alliance and the Consortium.


    Since the Sociocrathy¡¯s area is located behind the Consortium¡¯s, I decide to take the path with the least risk of turning immediately into a catastrophe.


    I point Nova away from the Sociocrathy. The Alliance shouldn''t be too friendly towards us either, but at least we didn''t destroy one of their cities, doing it in a manner which announces our deed to the whole world. That still makes me a traitor, though. I doubt that they will be happy about meeting a member of my house.


    In fact, walking around the island is a terrible idea. We are asking for trouble! If not with the Alliance, then someone from the Sociocrathy or the Consortium will react badly to our presence. Maybe it would''ve been possible to send a representative or a nameless diplomat, but Nova earned herself a name.


    And there is the Empire¡­ I¡¯ll have to deal with that once the issue comes up.


    We leave Illum''s area and enter the Alliance''s section.


    ¡°You went so silent. Are you afraid of something?¡± Nova asks with a bemused expression on her face.


    ¡°Not really afraid, but I am worried,¡± I reply stiffly. ¡°The World Assembly is supposed to be a neutral event without violence, but the idea often doesn''t count for much.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry.¡± Nova pats my shoulder and smiles. ¡°Janice is trailing us in order to lend assistance, should something extraordinary happen. She has Tristen, Fae, and Kiara with her. We have plenty of back-ups.¡±


    ¡°Then why do we have to expose ourselves in such a manner? It would be much safer to walk in a large group.¡± I try to smile and nod towards a random passer-by. I recognize him as one of the higher nobles beneath the human king. The man winces and quickly steps out of our way.


    Nova answers cheerfully. ¡°We want to find out who is willing to attack us openly. I have no illusions that anybody has cozy feelings towards Illum, but some might be more willing to use violence than others. I want to identify those individuals.¡±

 81. ~Stage Two~

    ¡°I am a diplomat!¡± -says the man who wields a lot of complicated words


    ¡°I am the executioner.¡± -says the man who wields anaxe


    ***World Assembly***


    ***Nova***


    ¡°So you are using us as bait!?¡± Zane bristles. ¡°That strikes me as an exceptionally bad idea. Do you have no survival instincts? The longer I get to observe you from up close, the more I have to question your sanity. I understand that you have a goal, but you take exceptional risks in order to achieve it. You faced the Alliance¡¯s council alone. You make enemies left and right. You allow a Mirai fleet right next to Illum. You use yourself as bait! How long will it be until one of your gambles fails and all your plots snowball out of your control?¡±


    I chuckle. ¡°You are still looking at this world as if it''s your only chance to get things right. To me, this life is just another game in an endless row of games. Let''s call it the game of life. Right now, you are only playing for survival.¡±


    He coughs, startled. ¡°What other goal could there be!?¡±


    I don''t answer immediately. Instead, I survey the Alliance''s guest area. They didn''t do anything genuine with their available space. There is a dance floor, food, and the various members of each race are touting their skills, showing off. Compared to Illum''s area, it''s pure chaos.


    After a few seconds of silence, I decide to answer, ¡°To win... to control the board.¡± Maybe even to topple it? I shrug. ¡°A while ago, you mentioned that I am playing the game on a different scale than you. Is it so hard to imagine that I also have a different goal in mind?¡± I point at a man who is heading straight for us. ¡°It seems like we''ll have our first diplomatic encounter.¡±


    The man, a well-fed beastman with grey, furry ears stops right in front of us and bows slightly. Not deep enough to show that we are his superiors, but deep enough to honour us. ¡°My name is Granford Canbell. I am the Alliance''s lead-diplomat.¡± His eyes focus on Zane. ¡°I was informed that you harbour a traitor. We have to request for you to surrender him and his family to us.¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡± I smile cheerfully. ¡°He belongs to me.¡±


    If the man is startled by my reply, then he doesn''t show it at all. ¡°May I ask why you refuse to cooperate? Is he your prisoner? Slave?¡±


    I can feel Zane stiffen next to me. ¡°Employee,¡± he growls.


    Reaching into my robe''s pocket, I pull out a fat stack of documents which I prepared beforehand. ¡°This is a complete report on how the Biralds entered my service. You will realize that the fault lies entirely with how the human king manages his subjects. Illum''s point of view is that the Biralds don''t owe the Alliance anything. Illum is glad to employ them as loyal subjects.¡±


    I drop the pretence and show a neutral expression. ¡°Should you have any problem with that, bring your complaints to me. Illum will respond according to my policies. I may bar your pupils from joining the academy. Though, I am sure that other nations will have a lot of interest in what we have to teach.¡±


    Granford eyes the report with suspicion, but after a few silent moments, he takes the documents from me. He flips through them, clearly uncertain on how to proceed. I get the feeling that he wasn¡¯t given all the necessary information to win this encounter. Not surprising. I expected that the human king isn¡¯t eager to share his internal conflicts with the other races.


    ¡°I can''t influence your decision on how to handle my report. Be assured that Illum will act as if it is true.¡± I chuckle.


    ¡°The Alliance won''t be happy if you simply ignore the fact that we allowed you to come this far. Don''t forget that we decided to treat you as an independent power. Your actions don''t make you look very grateful,¡± Granford answers in a carefully controlled tone.


    ¡°And from my point of view, you only accepted my independence because you wanted Illum out of Union City. You were afraid and tried your best to make me leave, waiting for the chance to attack Illum far away from civilisation.¡± I point at him to emphasize my words.


    His eyes narrow. ¡°That''s preposterous. Why should we be afraid of something like Illum?¡±


    ¡°Didn''t you hear about Laos? I think that your council was perfectly aware of what could happen if you try to attack Illum. Of course, we didn''t even get to address the little issue with your spy. Did you have fun with what you stole from me?¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    The beastman pulls down the corners of his mouth, displeased. ¡°Laos was just a small city.¡±


    ¡°Yet, large enough to have a gate,¡± I reply.


    Granford raises the documents in front of his chest, almost as if he is trying to shield himself from me. It''s a protective gesture, so I know that I have him. ¡°I''ll have to study your version of the story in more detail. I am a diplomat and a diplomatic agreement seems to be impossible at this point in time. We''ll revive the discussion once I had the opportunity to study your side of the story.¡±


    He forces himself to smile. ¡°Have a nice day and make sure to make full use our hospitality.¡± He turns around and practically flees the scene.


    ¡°That''s one issue addressed.¡± I turn and smirk at Zane while we continue on our path. ¡°I don''t think that they will be able to simply take you away from me since I clearly declared you as a citizen of Illum. It''s doubtful that the Alliance will act against Illum as a whole. They will most likely decide to ignore the incident in order to preserve the status quo.¡±


    Zane isn¡¯t so sure of my opinion. ¡°But the human king...¡±


    I raise my hand to stop him. ¡°Isn¡¯t important in the grand scheme of things. We have to stay alert, but he is one voice among many within the Alliance.¡±


    ¡°Most likely,¡± Zane admits grudgingly. ¡°Which doesn''t mean that the human king will simply ignore someone like me. We practically defied him openly, showing everyone that he doesn''t have his subjects as tightly under control as he wants them to believe.¡±


    I huff and pull him forward. ¡°You should have a little more hope for the future. Your pessimistic attitude doesn''t serve a constructive purpose.¡±


    ¡°It''s just that I don''t feel like I am in control of my fate since I met you,¡± he answers.


    ¡°What are you talking about? Nobody is ever in control of his fate. It''s nothing more than an illusion. Even before you met me, your fate was in the hands of the human king, while his fate is in the hands of the Alliance.¡± I huff. ¡°The only way to battle your own insecurities is to take action. Didn¡¯t you learn anything from your memories after Janice unlocked them? By the way, don''t try that again. It was stupid.¡±


    He looks down at the floor while we walk. It takes him over a minute to come to a decision. ¡°You may be right, but it will take time for me to accept my situation. If ever.¡± He pulls at my arm and tries to lead me off the marked path. ¡°We should take a short cut through the neutral area.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°We are approaching the area which is designated as the Empire''s. There is no point in tempting fate.¡± He pulls, but I stay rooted in place.


    ¡°That''s exactly the reason why I want to take a look. Our plan can''t succeed if we don''t execute it completely.¡±


    He sighs and relents. ¡°Gods in the heavens! What did I do to deserve this?¡±


    ¡°You were at the wrong place at the wrong time. Don''t worry. It happens to all of us,¡± I console him while we walk into the area which he tried to avoid.


    At a first glance, the Empire isn''t any different from the Alliance. Oh, it''s mostly represented by humans, but they didn''t invent the wheel anew. Though, I have to admit that they didn''t hold back with their expenses. The clothes are of the highest quality and everything is decorated with the finest materials. There is dancing, food, entertainers; the same things which everyone else also has.


    Though, there is a small but distinct difference.


    All of the servants and performers are slaves. Only the visitors and the Empire''s representatives are free men. On the surface, this show is even more pompous than Illum''s. I clench my teeth and fight the memories and my own feelings. There is no question that the Empire thinks that showing off their slaves is yet another way to show their wealth. What they don''t understand is that their wealth wouldn''t exist without their slaves.


    I allow Zane to increase our speed, just to get quicker through this area.


    We are almost on the other side of the Empire''s area when a strange duo bars our path. One of them is a young man with freckles on his cheeks. Though the freckles don''t do anything to betray his otherwise strict appearance. He is standing straight like a rod and has a grim expression on his face. The shortly cut brown hair makes him look like military in his dark uniform.


    The other man is fat and small, wearing expensive red clothes. His round face shows distinct similarities with a marshmallow. My eyes narrow involuntarily as I try to remember why he seems so familiar.


    ¡°My name is Wisen, second prince of the Empire.¡± He gestures at the fat man who positioned himself next to him. ¡°This is my advisor. I always wanted to meet with you, Joyce. There are many rumours about the eccentric talent who is terrorizing the Alliance and Sociocrathy.¡±


    ¡°Aha...¡± I reply with my attention still focused on the advisor. Why do I have this craving urge to pull my sword and hack him to little pieces?


    The prince doesn''t seem pleased at my lack of attention. His attitude turns a little frostier. ¡°The Empire never says no to an ally. What do you think of an alliance with us? Of course, it would mean that you have to give up on whatever arrangements you made with the Mirai. We didn''t fail to notice that Illum arrived together with their fleet. Everyone is speculating on the relationship between you and them.¡±


    So the Empire has no clue that I am a Mirai princess, nor that I changed my name to Nova. The information is already out, but I suppose that the Alliance isn''t inclined to share intelligence with the Empire.


    It also seems like the Empire doesn''t have a spy on Illum, or at least that the spy and the prince aren''t stupid enough to expose the presence of a spy.


    Not caring about how it makes me look, I crouch down a little. I really have to know why I know the fatty.


    If he wasn''t before, then the prince is now really irked. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Could you tell me the name of your associate? I have the strong feeling that I know him from somewhere.¡± I crouch even deeper, changing the angle towards the fat man''s face.


    The prince raises an eyebrow and turns his attention to his companion. ¡°Chancellor, Hesh? Well, I assume that it''s possible? He is one of my father''s most trusted advisers and well travelled.¡± The fat man is still wearing a bored expression, but it seems like he is slowly becoming aware that this isn''t yet another normal confrontation with the representatives of a political power.


    When my eye level is below Hesh''s chin, it suddenly makes ''click'' in my mind and the pieces of my blurred memories fall into place. A grin spreads on my face as I return to an upright position. ¡°Now I remember you.¡±


    Hesh furrows his forehead. His husky voice sparks yet another memory. ¡°I don''t know what you are talking about. And quit your strange behaviour. We are in the presence of royalty.¡±


    I reach out and pinch the pig''s cheek before he can object. ¡°You gained a little weight since we last saw each other, but now I am sure. That voice. It''s you! Don''t worry. You will have a special place in my heart, forever.¡± I wink at him.


    He slaps my hand away and turns his attention to Zane. ¡°Is this woman mad!?¡±


    Zane clears his throat. ¡°I can''t deny that. She is an exceptional talent who is powerful enough to levitate something like Illum. In military school, I learned that channelling large amounts of mana can damage the mind.¡± He pushes me past the pair. The urge to lunge forward and to peel Hesh layer by layer is incredibly strong, but I can''t freak out right here and now. I have to stay calm until he is off the island.


    Is it possible to ambush the Empire''s fleet as soon as they leave?

 82. ~Interlude~

    ¡°Some called her mad. Others worshipped her like a god. History would call her a changer of the world.¡±


    ***World Assembly***


    ***Zane***


    I throw a quick glance behind me, but the prince and his advisor seem too baffled by Nova''s strange behaviour. Standing next to me, she is still giggling, plotting something in her shrewd mind. There is excitement and a maniacal determination in her eyes. I half guide, half drag her along the path and into the Sociocrathy''s area.


    We somehow managed to pass through the Empire¡¯s part of the island. Being on the Sociocrathy¡¯s soil isn''t much of an improvement, but right here on the border between the two areas, we are in a grey zone. There are very few people who would bother us here.


    Once it''s clear that the prince didn¡¯t follow us and that we aren¡¯t being approached by someone else, I return my attention to Nova. Her eyes are focused on the ground and she is whispering something, caught up in her own world. I try to gain her attention. ¡°Could you explain what''s going on? Why did you behave like a maniac in front of a prince of the Empire?¡±


    She looks at me. ¡°I think that I did very well, given the circumstances. The urge to kill them right then and there was overwhelming. Do you think that Hesh recognized me?¡±


    I consider her words and shake my head. She didn¡¯t make any sense. I am definitively missing vital information. ¡°I think that he was too puzzled about your behaviour. Touching him out of nowhere, pinching his cheek like an old grandma would do to a grandchild. Not even peasants do that to a stranger. Who the hell is he to you? How do you know him?¡±


    Nova bites her lower lip. She is clearly regretting her behaviour, but what¡¯s done is done. ¡°Touching him wasn''t smart. Even if he didn''t recognize me, he is bound to think about my comments after such a scene. I clearly lost it a little. We have to modify our plans accordingly. He will expect that I want his head on a pike.¡±


    I spread my hands in desperation. ¡°I don''t understand. What are you talking about? Please, have mercy on me. I can''t read your mind.¡±


    She surveys our surroundings, seemingly suspicious of something. Then she performs a set of complicated gestures, manipulating her mana with her hands and her mind at the same time. That¡¯s something I have never before seen her do. What kind of spell is complicated enough to require such a level of precision? I have seen Nova casting large spells without much effort, so this is without precedent.


    A blue bubble spreads from her hands. It brushes over our bodies, enveloping us completely. I feel the light brush of the forcefield. It isn¡¯t strong, but much denser than typical barriers. Airtight? From one moment to the next, we are in complete silence. The people around us are just blurred shapes. Is this an intentional effect of the spell? Being suddenly cut off from the event¡¯s noise allows me to realise how annoying such parties are.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    ¡°It''s a privacy sphere. Now we can talk without being overheard,¡± she explains solemnly.


    ¡°Good.¡± I huff and try to smile. ¡°Go on.¡±


    ¡°That man, Hesh. He was the one who sold me to my former master. The one I had to play the sex-slave for.¡± Her voice turns icy. ¡°I''ll kill him. Preferably slowly and painfully. I was a little too quick with Nemus, my former master. His death should have been slower. I''ll do better with Hesh. Do you think that it''s possible to skin someone alive?¡±


    She furrows her forehead. ¡°I think that one of my former selves knew how to do it. Mmh, yeah, I have to avoid cutting any major blood vessels. Otherwise, he will bleed out before I am done. I also need a large barrel with salt and a really powerful healing spell to keep him alive. It has to be restricted to the insides of his body, otherwise, the skin would regenerate. Oh, if I apply an imperfect version the salt will grow into the skin and it will fester...¡±


    I stopped smiling halfway through her soliloquy. ¡°Are you serious? Are you talking about abducting a former ambassador during the World Assembly? Then torturing him until he dies? You have no idea how much trouble that will cause. Everyone will treat us as free game!¡± She has lost it!


    Nova nods. ¡°Of course. That''s why we won''t do anything on the World Assembly. We will get them once they are heading home.¡±


    I try not to laugh. Instead, I allow myself being sarcastic. ¡°Oh, that''s even less of a problem. Let''s wait until they are back on their ships, where they are securely protected behind several barriers. Even if we manage to abduct them from their flagship, there will be tons of witnesses. And assuming that we manage to do it somehow¡­ Nobody will find it strange that a high-ranking official of the Empire disappeared right after his visit to the World Assembly¡­ Where ¡®you¡¯ acted very strangely towards him.¡±


    She waves a hand, dismissing the idea. ¡°Of course not. What are you thinking? There will be no witnesses.¡±


    I stiffen. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°We have to wipe out the fleet. There can be no survivors who could report the deed.¡±


    ¡°You are going to kill hundreds because you want to get one man? What about the innocent slaves who will be with the fleet!?¡± I gesture in the direction of the Empire''s area. ¡°What about your own people? The people who trust in your leadership? Are you going to risk them for nothing more than revenge? I really don''t understand you. On one side, you are a nice and benevolent person. You created something great on Illum and now you risk everything by attacking the Empire. Don¡¯t we already have enough enemies? Do you even understand how unique Illum''s society is? On the other side, you kill and destroy cities without twitching an eyebrow. The destruction of Laos took away the livelihood of thousands.¡±


    I never saw it until I got to live among Illum''s people. Within a few months, Nova changed a bunch of low-born people into a benevolent group of followers who accept anyone in their midst. Provided they follow the social rules. It isn''t just about giving them higher living standards than they ever had. It''s about how Nova is perceived as their ruler. For reasons I don''t fully understand, she is seen as some kind of messiah. Maybe it''s because she always tries to avoid contact with the general population. Hell! If she tried to be more in the limelight, she would be worshipped as a god.


    Nova looks at me without showing any expression. ¡°I think that you are misjudging my character, Zane. If it suits my goal, I am capable of slaughtering each and every one on Illum. I am not a good person. When I escaped my master, I also killed his children. They were nothing more than toddlers, but I took great delight in seeing his face when I told him that they would also perish. Do not question my goals or my determination, or you might get caught up in the wheels of my machinations.¡±


    Is she threatening me!? And she just pretty much admitted that she destroyed Orwen. Does she know that I suspect her? If Janice is right, then Nova really can listen in on everything in Illum''s vicinity. ¡°You want to tell me that I am not already in it up over my head? You should listen to yourself. Forgive me, but listening to you sounds like listening to a megalomaniac!¡±


    She furrows her forehead and, for a few moments, it seems like she is looking right through me. ¡°Maybe you are right. I am a megalomaniac. But one who has the power and the mind to back up her actions. One way or another... I''ll get my hands on Hesh.¡±

 83. ~Negotiations~

    ¡°There are some extremists who argue that war is a form of cultural exchange.¡±


    ***World Assembly***


    ***Nova***


    Zane is wise enough not to challenge me when I drop the privacy sphere. I smile and link arms with him, pretending that nothing is amiss. He clearly wants to argue, but this is neither the place nor the time and he knows it.


    We travel through the Sociocrathy''s area, but where the other powers tried to wootheir visitors with wealth, food, and games, the Sociocrathy took an entirely different path. It takes me a while to comprehend their intentions, but once Zane reminds me of their religious zeal, everything becomes clear. They turned their area into a shrine for their god, hoping to spread the word about their one true deity. Accordingly, their area is much less frequented than the ones I got to see so far. ¡°A bunch of fanatics who refuse to look beyond the horizon,¡± I complain. ¡°I wonder why I didn''t notice it when I visited Jebli Port.¡±


    ¡°Jebli Port is one of their major trading ports. Even they can''t prevent ideas from spreading in such a highly frequented city. They also realize that the suppression of freedom doesn''t increase their wealth, so they hold their leash much looser in large trading locations. It''s also about creating a better image towards their trading partners,¡± Zane explains in a subdued tone.


    His words make sense. So the Sociocrathy''s clergy fell victim to the same greed which corrupts every powerful leader. They preach and reach out with one hand, while they pocket the money with the other. I have seen religious groups which managed to control the masses without substantial financial backing, but they always had a strong enemy who could be used as a scapegoat.


    The Sociocrathy had that when they fought the orks and the Mirai, driving them off their land. Without a clear enemy for the common folk, they had to find another way of staying in control.


    I study a statue of their god when I catch the eyes of a priest. He seems to recognize me. Consequently, he doesn''t look pleased. The man scurries away, pulling his overly long white robe after him.


    ¡°I think that we should walk faster,¡± whispers Zane. He noticed the priest too.


    I straighten my back and smile. ¡°Don''t worry. We are the ones who are in the right.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn''t rely on who is right or wrong. You said yourself that they are fanatics and we offend their idea of how the world should look like.¡± Zane studies the people around us. The Sociocrathy decorated their area with a lot of statues and pillars, walling themselves off. They clearly tried to create something like a Greek temple.


    An unfortunate fact about their decorations is that all this junk provides a good shield against spying and prying eyes, so it''s not surprising when Zane and I walk around a statue and find ourselves suddenly walled in by several priests and paladins. Zane curses and reaches for his sword, but we are surrounded and outnumbered by over a dozen opponents. They carry an amazing collection of weapons and armour, seemingly oblivious of the fact that they are at a neutral event which is held for the sake of peace and understanding.


    One of the priests steps forward, a smug expression on his face. ¡°Put down your weapons and surrender, heretics.¡±This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°Why should we? Someone will pass by and witness this scene. You will be in a lot of trouble with the other powers,¡± Zane replies, but he doesn''t draw his sword.


    The priest isn''t impressed. ¡°Nobody will notice. You are caught within a reality maze. We closed it off as soon as you entered. You committed a grave mistake when you entered our area. Nobody will help you, so give up now. You will pay for what you did to one of our cities. The Sociocrathy doesn''t like to lose face in front of its citizens.¡±


    What a pile of self-righteous assholes. Of course, they only see what I did to them and not what they intended to do to me. And they really caught us inside a space time bubble? Wow. Good work! I didn¡¯t even realize that we walked into a trap. How did they do it? ¡°It makes your citizens much harder to control,¡± I interject and raise my hand, which results in several paladins aiming their crossbows at me.


    Their weapons should be loaded with barrier penetrating ammunition at the very least.


    I smile and try to make eye-contact with each of them before I slip my hand into my robe''s pocket. My movements are slow and deliberate while I keep my hand away from the hilt of my rapier. ¡°Don''t be so twitchy and relax. I doubt that we can fight all of you at once.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± The priest snorts. ¡°I read the reports. You went hand to hand with a group of paladins. I wouldn''t put it past you to try it again. Be aware that these warriors are our finest. Surrender.¡±


    Zane looks around, searching for an escape route. He is clearly nervous.


    I chuckle. ¡°Why should I surrender to a group of thieves and slavers who don''t even try to negotiate for what they want? Tell me, oh mighty priest, did it never occur to you that it might be a bad thing to lock yourself with me inside a private area where you aren''t protected by the witnesses of other powers?¡±


    Zane raises his hands. ¡°Stop! Peace and love! I am sure that we can talk like civilized people about any issue we might have with each other. We are all adults!¡±


    A flicker of doubt appears in the priest¡¯s eyes, just a moment before his protective barrier flares up in a brilliant flash of white light, and then breaks. The nine millimetre bullet lands right between his eyes. The back of his head bursts apart like a ripe melon and he jerks to the side. His twitching is nothing more than a last protest of his body¡¯s nerves.


    The priest is dead before he hits the floor.


    I raise the gun which I drew from the pocket inside my robe. It barks three times before the paladins and priests get over their shock. Each time, a man falls despite barriers and heavy armour.


    They let loose their crossbow bolts and I shove Zane to the side, drawing my rapier and activating my barriers at the same time. All of the soldiers aimed at me, as I am the main target. My barriers flare, but they hold, despite the barrier-penetrating arrowheads.


    A savage grin appears on my face when I realize that my modified barriers hold against their weapons. I keep shooting and parry a paladin''s sword with my rapier when he manages to close the distance. Instead of duelling with a man who probably wielded his weapon for his entire life, I place a bullet in his guts and slash at his throat when he is too occupied with the pain to defend himself.


    Zane isn''t idle either. He wields his sword with unerring precision while he stacks one rune spell on top of another, turning himself into a fortress while the paladins rush against him like a tide.


    It takes several precious seconds for the fanatics to realize that they are outclassed and outgunned. Ha! Pun intended. I am the only person with a gun!


    Determination turns to fear and then to panic. My gun clicks uselessly as I aim it at the back of the last fleeing coward, the magazine with thirty bullets was emptied in less than ten seconds of actual battle.


    ¡°It took me over a day to hand-craft those bullets,¡± I complain and retrieve a spare magazine from my cleavage. I know that it''s clich¨¦ to hide things between a woman''s assets, but where else can a fashionable member of the female gender store large equipment? I rarely land on a world where women get to have useful clothes with lots of pockets.


    I had to fight for this robe to have two large pockets, of which one is occupied by Lucifer and the other with my gun.


    The little kitten stirs in order to take a look outside. Its head peeks out of the pocket. Lucifer squints dreamily at the scene of carnage, then he retreats back into the folds of my clothes, deciding that the ruckus has nothing to do with him.


    Zane gets back to his feet. He is amidst a pile of cut up opponents. Sadly, I was too occupied to take a closer look at how he performed in this battle. Though, the pile of corpses is a good enough indication that my unwilling partner did a good job at protecting my back. ¡°What the fuck is wrong with you!?¡± he screams.


    ¡°You performed admirably, Dr. Watson,¡± I quote and pocket the gun.


    Zane surveys the scene and runs a hand through his hair. ¡°They will kill us and take Illum!¡±


    I roll my eyes. ¡°They will do nothing of the sort. Come. We will simply walk away as if nothing happened. The Sociocrathy can¡¯t accuse us of anything without incriminating themselves.¡±


    I leave the scene quickly, Zane on my heels. After a few turns I feel confident that we left the reality maze.

 84. ~Another~

    ¡°A play with a skilled puppeteer is a work of art. Add a second one to the mix and it gets interesting.¡±


    ***World Assembly***


    ***Zane***


    ¡°I still can''t believe that they allowed us to walk away,¡± I mumble and let out a sigh of relief as we enter the Consortium''s area. It doesn''t mean that we are out of danger, but at least we are away from those who mean us immediate harm.


    ¡°It''s like I said. They thought that they can take us silently and without witnesses. With that accomplished, they could deny that we ever entered their area. Maybe it would have even worked, depending on their influence with the other powers. Their plan failed the moment in which it became clear that they can''t apprehend us without creating hundreds of witnesses.¡± Nova corrects the hem of my shirt, smiling. She acts if nothing is wrong.


    ¡°You killed the priest,¡± I reply in a defiant voice. ¡°Why do you always resort to violence when the negotiations don''t go your way?¡±


    ¡°Violence is the easiest form of negotiation. Why should I bow down to someone who wishes me harm?¡± Nova raises an eyebrow. ¡°It''s not my fault. Negotiations are well and fine if there is a good reason to waste time with the other party. My enemies are at fault for creating situations in which I have no other choice but to fight. First, they tried to trick me with a slave collar. Now they attacked us like nothing more than petty thieves. I am really starting to dislike the Sociocrathy.¡±


    I shake my head. ¡°If you had given me a little more time to negotiate-¡±


    She interrupts me, ¡°We would''ve lost the initiative. I don''t feel confident enough to allow enemies to surround me when I am not on Illum. This time it worked out. My gun surprised them so much that they lost their heads, but there was no guarantee for that. They could have easily had a trick of their own. In fact, they had one. Armour penetrating arrowheads. Luckily, the Consortium already used that one on me, so I wasn''t caught off guard. The next time they will try something new.¡±


    I shut my mouth, not sure of what to say. Nova took the brunt force of their initial attack. I saw how badly a single one of those arrowheads managed to hurt her when she was almost assassinated at the Alliance''s council. Maybe I am wrong in taking her strength for granted. That first time, she wasn''t prepared and got badly hurt.


    Those arrowheads could''ve meant her death. She blocked at least ten projectiles.


    ¡°I am sorry.¡±


    ¡°What was that?¡±


    ¡°I won''t repeat myself!¡± I shouldn''t have apologized. She is still a bloodthirsty maniac.


    Nova rolls her eyes and turns her attention to our surroundings. The Consortium''s area is yet another break up with normal conventions. Like the Sociocrathy, they only care about furthering their own reputation by showing off what they are best at.


    Magic.


    There are artefacts and inventions everywhere. None of them without price tags. They clearly think that this is a good way to show off their products.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    We walk past a huge monster of a machine. My previous self wouldn''t have recognized it, much like I wouldn''t have been able to make sense of Nova''s gun. But thanks to my new memories, I recognize the device as a magically powered steam engine. It''s nothing impressive compared to some of Nova''s inventions, but the beauty of this device is that no mages are needed to keep it going. The description clearly says so.


    I let out a frustrated sound when I realize that the nobles of this world could have released this technology at any time. They didn¡¯t do so in order to keep their control over the masses.


    ¡°This would revolutionize the world, were it allowed to become public knowledge.¡±


    The voice of a man in a black suit draws my attention. He stepped out from behind the huge engine. His large and lean built is similar to mine, but his face is elongated, almost elven-like. Is he a half? The goatee which decorates his face hints at him being human. Half-elves don''t have beards.


    For a short moment, I am under the impression that he is wearing a metal glove on his right hand. Then I realize that he replaced it with an artificial limb.


    He performs a perfect gentleman''s bow. ¡°I am glad to finally meet the one who destroyed my little monopoly on spacial chests. The Consortium''s income plummeted after you started flooding the market. I was wondering who this extraordinary person with the name of Joyce is. Though, I heard that you changed it to Nova?¡±


    The man tilts his head and considers us as if we are nothing more than bugs. He continues, talking to himself, ¡°Rufus, I told myself, you have to be careful, Joyce must be another reincarnated, just like you.¡±


    Rufus furrows his forehead and turns his attention from Joyce to me. ¡°I expected her to be another reincarnated, but I didn''t expect to encounter two new faces. What''s your name, boy?¡±


    Did that bastard just call me a boy?


    ¡°I don''t think that''s any of your business.¡± Nova reaches into her pocket and smiles. ¡°And I also don''t believe that this is about money. As a reincarnated, you could find all sorts of ways to earn a fortune. All you have to do is to introduce new concepts to this world.¡±


    I know that she is aiming her gun at the man who is clearly yet another reincarnated. Though, the man either doesn''t realize the danger, or he doesn''t see us as a threat.


    Nova tilts her head, also a little taken aback by his behaviour. ¡°The Sovereign said that she doesn''t know who is pulling the strings behind the consortium. Why do you reveal yourself just like that?¡±


    Rufus shrugs. ¡°Oh, she knows me. Am I wrong, Janice?¡± He turns his attention towards a spot slightly to our left. ¡°I had much more to learn by coming here.¡±


    I try to look at the spot, but something forces my eyes to the side. It''s extremely uncomfortable to focus my attention on the area. Without it being pointed out, I didn''t realize what was going on, but now that I know where to look it''s fairly obvious. Someone combined an illusion spell with subtle mind magic in order to turn almost invisible. Suddenly, the air shimmers and parts like a veil, revealing Janice and several of our companions.


    Tristen, Fae and Kiara are right behind the Sovereign. Janice clicks her tongue in displeasure and takes a position next to us. ¡°Rufus. I thought that you don''t concern yourself with political schemes.¡±


    He scratches himself behind his ear, eyeing us with squinted eyes. ¡°Let''s simply say that I have a vested interest in the Consortium. Most of my important operations are based in that country.¡± His eyes wander from me to Nova, and then to Janice. ¡°So, it''s like that, eh? An alliance of three. That clearly shifts the balance of power. The others won''t like that. I think that it was worth my time coming here. Though, I admit that I expected to meet only one of us.¡±


    ¡°It depends,¡± Janice answers snappily. ¡°I would say that the balance of power is restored, since I was clearly the victim of several people ganging up on me.¡±


    Rufus pulls down the corners of his mouth. ¡°Don¡¯t whine like a little child. The fact that your people were driven off the main continent is owed only to the fact that you didn¡¯t manage to foresee the tides of war.¡± He changes his attention to Nova. ¡°Though, your new allies don¡¯t seem that strong. Maybe it¡¯s better if you keep hiding on your island in the north.¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary,¡± Nova replies without hesitation. She is clearly irked by this man.


    Rufus snorts. ¡°Are you sure? Wasn¡¯t the attempt on your life enough to show you that you should better stay out of this entire affair? Be assured, you don¡¯t know half of the power plays between the various factions. You aren¡¯t experienced enough to butt in with your manipulations. Everyone with half a brain can see that you are trying to spark a world war.¡±


    I tense when I realize that Rufus just told Nova to her face that he saw through her plans. Looking around, I check for bystanders. To my relief, most people are giving us a lot of room. They are smart enough to stay away from suspicious characters.


    But Nova just smiles, totally content. ¡°I already dealt with the assassins who dared to take a job which aims at my life. Rest assured that I will deal with their employer as soon as the time and place feels right. And if you are so sure of my plans, feel free to thwart them.¡±


    The smug expression on his face disappears. ¡°I will.¡± He turns around and his body blurs into his surroundings, disappearing.


    Janice crosses her arms in front of her chest. ¡°I hate it when he does that.¡±

 85. ~A strange power~

    ¡°Rufus is the world¡¯s wealthiest individual. Some say that a single word from him is enough to change the Consortium¡¯s political course.¡±


    ***World Assembly***


    ***Janice***


    Nova points at the empty spot where Rufus stood just a few moments ago. ¡°He disappeared! How did he do that? I sensed nothing!¡± She looks more than a little surprised. She pulls a faceless mask out of nowhere and puts it on. ¡°No energy signature at all.¡± After looking around, she takes the mask off.


    There are plenty of ways to pull off a vanishing act. Some are better, some are worse. Though, in most cases, the method can be identified, if the observer knows what to look for. That''s not the case with Rufus''s ability. I myself spent sleepless nights, trying to figure out how he does it.


    I shrug and decide to share my suspicions. ¡°It''s his ability. His magical gift is almost non-existent, but his ability is extremely useful and versatile.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Zane asks, equally befuddled.


    I turn to face them. ¡°I don''t know for sure, so don¡¯t blame me if it turns out that I am wrong. Rufus is wise enough to keep his mouth shut about his ability. As you surely know, abilities can be extremely powerful, but they are also easily countered if the opponent knows about them and is sufficiently prepared.¡±


    I pause for a moment in order to gather my thoughts. ¡°I think that he can influence and manipulate reality in a limited space around himself. It isn''t pure spacial magic, since he can also make things appear or disappear at will. If I had to put a name on it, then I would call it a genuine wish-spell.¡±


    Tristen raises an eyebrow. ¡°Could it be possible that he has an extremely large spacial pocket which is stuffed with anything he might need? If he is old enough, he must have had a lot of time to prepare for any situation.¡±


    I turn my attention to the man. He and his party took the exchanged words better than I thought. The whole talk about reincarnation must have some of them confused, but they are professional enough not to show it. Tristen voiced my own initial thoughts when I encountered Rufus for the first time.


    Reaching up, I play with a strand of my hair. ¡°It''s possible, though I deem it as very unlikely. I had plenty of opportunities to observe his feats. As far as I can tell, he can conjure anything within his imagination. Any device, any material, as long as he understands how the device in question works. Or he can make it disappear, given that he manages to touch the item. Range is his only real weakness. Oh, and as you saw, he can also do it with his own body. Either he hides in another dimension, or he teleports. Though, I believe that the latter is the case.¡±Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    ¡°That''s cheating!¡± Kiara complains. ¡°How can you beat someone like that? Such an ability is even worse than genuine magic.¡±


    ¡°As I already said, he is extremely powerful,¡± I repeat myself.


    ¡°Why doesn''t he control the world?¡± Nova asks. ¡°He could conjure as many power cores as he wishes.¡±


    I huff. ¡°He is the type who wants to play the game without cheating. And I didn''t say that his power is limitless. For example, I have never seen him conjure something that''s bigger than him. Or a device which requires a lot of power. We can be relatively sure that he won''t pull an airship or a weapon-rated spell projector out of his pocket. In fact, I think that he has to provide the power for his creations by himself.¡±


    ¡°The ability is still too good to be true,¡± Nova mumbles. ¡°If imagination and understanding are the only limiting factors and he uses his ability right, he is de facto unbeatable. Forget about a whole power core. He could flood the market with the raw materials and collapse this world''s economy overnight.¡±


    I shake my head. ¡°He won''t do it. You''ve heard his speech. He is of the sort who prefers balance and stability.¡±


    ¡°But let''s postpone this discussion and get out of here.¡± I gesture at the path which leads back into our territory. ¡°It''s clear that we''ve overstayed our welcome.¡±


    Zane takes Nova''s hand and pulls. ¡°Yes, that''s right.¡± He glares at me. ¡°Where were you when we needed your help with the Sociocrathy? Nova said that you would keep an eye on us.¡±


    Nova rolls her eyes. ¡°I told her not to intervene unless we meet someone like us.¡±


    ¡°Reckless!¡± Zane complains. He is clearly on the edge.


    My granddaughter ignores him. Something else seems to occupy her mind, so I decide to ask. Using telepathy, I turn our conversation into a little training exercise for her. Additionally, I want to keep this private. ''Why are you so concerned? Is it about the Empire? Something happened when you met with their representatives.''


    Nova uses the same skill to answer me, ''It doesn''t concern you directly. I just need a way to get my hands on the prince''s advisor.''


    That surprises me. Why does she want the advisor and not the prince himself? ''Why?'' I sent back.


    Her thoughts are so cold and icy that I can even feel some of the transmitted feelings. Nova holds a deep grudge against the man. ''For petty revenge. He is the one who ordered my tormentor to take me in.''


    ''I understand. Whatever you do, make sure that it doesn''t fall back on us while we are at the World Assembly. There are plenty of powers present who would be happy about the slightest excuse to attack us. Though I think that your fixation on the advisor is misguided. He is nothing more than a tool. The ones who have to die are those who ordered your abduction and approve of slavery.''


    By now, I learned enough of Nova''s motivations to influence her decisions to a certain degree. I am relatively sure that she abhors slavery and that her final goal includes the end of such practices in this world. Though, I can''t imagine how someone can accomplish such a feat, aside from taking over the world.


    Slavery is deeply rooted within the Empire. The Sociocrathy uses it to a certain degree. And while the Consortium doesn''t use slavery within their own country, they have no problem with the production and selling of slave collars. In fact, they manufacture a large part of the slave collars on the open market.


    ''He may only be a tool, maybe even an unwilling one, but that doesn''t matter to me. In order to quench my rage, I''ll satisfy myself with what''s within my reach... for now.''


    Nova''s answer surprises me. I just hope that she doesn''t cause an incident. An open alliance between several of the powers may be the Mirai''s end. ''What''s your plan?''


    ''You will see.''


    Despite several attempts, I don''t get any more information out of her. Maybe I don''t even want to know what she is going to do.


    Once we reach our own area, I relax a little. It''s much less likely to be attacked here. The rest of the day continues without further incidents until the night announces the end of the first day.

 86. ~Pummeled~

    ¡°Fairies may be the smallest sentient race, but they are good at evening the odds.¡±


    ***World Assembly, Imperial Flagship***


    ***Willow***


    ¡°Willow, shrink this. Willow, enlarge that. Willow, play with the kitten,¡± I mumble as I crawl through the airship''s ventilation shaft, followed by Blueberry and Maple, two fairies who I had to conscript for this job. They aren''t trained assassins, but they are the most capable fairies I managed to find.


    ¡°Quit whining, Willow. You have no idea how good of a job this is!¡± Blueberry complains from behind me. ¡°Yes, we have to crawl through a dusty ventilation shaft, but the rest of the day we can live in our luxurious new hive.¡±


    ¡°And we have food,¡± Maple adds.


    ¡°Assuming that we come back!¡± I stop crawling and turn around, facing my partners in crime. The pale faces of my two accomplices look at me expectantly. ¡°Do you two have no issues with this mission? None at all? I mean, I am a trained assassin.¡± For what it is worth. ¡°But you two lived for your entire lives with the hive. Don''t you have any moral issues with abducting someone?¡±


    Blueberry blinks. ¡°It''s not my place to question the orders of our queen and the master. At least we aren''t sucked dry of energy by Nova. Serving her is way better than dying as nothing more than a flask of energy. We even get to have everything we ask for. Energy, space, a new hive...¡±


    ¡°And food!¡± Maple doesn''t fail to mention the most important thing.


    Blueberry grimaces and shakes her head. Her green mane of hair bobs from left to right and she spreads her wings, shoving Maple. ¡°Yes, yes, we get it. We have food. Gods, Maple. Stop mentioning food. Do you have anything else inside that brain of yours?¡±


    The male fairy looks down and plays with a mote of dust. His long, orange hair falls down and covers his eyes, making him look even more gloomy. ¡°I am sorry. I get regular sessions with the hive''s counsellor because of my fixation. She says that the life with the assassins damaged me. The men got the least f... consumables...¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Blueberry pats his shoulder, then two unemotional fairy faces look at me. ¡°Why should we care about what happens to a single human who serves the Empire? From what I heard, being a slave in the Empire isn''t much better than serving the assassins.¡±


    I cough and turn around, crawling forward. It''s too easy to forget that my people had a harsh life. All too often I find myself thinking that my service to the assassins allowed them a passable existence. The culture shock of coming back was horrible. I still feel like an outsider. My people try to treat me as one of them, but they can''t do anything about the fact that I wasn''t with them for most of my adult life.


    The assassins were smart enough to take only young fairies who don''t really understand what''s going on. I was ten when they started my training. That''s an age at which a child still can be programmed and trained.


    I turn my attention to the here and now. This mission has absolutely no room for failure. If we get caught, Joyce would have to deny that she has anything to do with us.


    Luckily, entering the airship''s ventilation system wasn''t hard. It''s something almost nobody expects. Firstly, because there aren''t a lot of fairies in this world. Secondly, because most fairies don''t want to have anything to do with the other races. It''s why being a fairy assassin worked so well.


    We reach another access cover of the ventilation shaft. After crawling through fifty metres of ventilation shafts, we passed several of those entry points. I peek through the grating. The room on the other side is dark, but I can see a large bed. Lying on top of it is a snoring man. He is fat enough to look like a large ball. ¡°We finally found him! And¡­ I should have brought more people.¡±


    ¡°Just shrink him a little further than us. It will work out if all of us work together,¡± Maple says and reaches for the grating, but I stop him.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    ¡°Do you see the runes at the side of this grating? They are holding a safety enchantment in place. The empire may not expect fairies on their airships, but they aren''t stupid. Those runes check the air for poison.¡± I point at a set of engraved runes which connect the grating with the ventilation shaft''s wall. To the untrained eye, the runes are a complicated pattern of swirls and circles.


    Blueberry tilts her head, clearly not understanding. ¡°I don''t see the problem. We aren''t poison. What do those runes have to do with us?¡±


    I get to work, carefully disassembling the runes with my dagger. ¡°Poisonous gas could take out the entire airship if it gets into the ventilation system. That''s why all air ducts have to be carefully sealed and enchanted. Not a single leak can be allowed. Most airship captains are automatically alarmed when their ship¡¯s ventilation system gets compromised. At the very least, simply opening the grating would result in a technician checking up on the cause for the rune''s failure.¡±


    ¡°Why do you know so much about military airships?¡± Maple asks.


    ¡°In my time as an assassin, I was never hired for low-profile targets. Those can be taken out by anyone. The ones I got sent after were people in high political or military positions,¡± I explain.


    Blueberry cuts my story short. ¡°Until you got caught by Nova. How did she catch you? Did you also crawl through the ventilation system? We might want to avoid making the same mistake twice.¡±


    I press my lips together and try to suppress my feelings. ¡°That''s something completely different. Nova can cheat. On Illum, she is almost omnipotent.¡± I isolate the magical circle which connects the alarm to the rest of the ship. Then I pour magic into the system while I reroute the magical connections as I was trained.


    ¡°I heard that you got taken out by a fly swat.¡±


    Maple brings up the rumour which quickly made its way through the entire hive. I almost make a grave mistake which would¡¯ve triggered the alarm. Scratching just a little further would¡¯ve resulted in severing the wrong connection. I try to ignore the two of them while they discuss the shame of being attacked with a fly swat.


    Thankfully, I manage to reroute the alarm before they go into too much detail, or worse, start asking me if the rumour is true.


    I open the metal grating carefully. The hinges creak a little, but our target snores so loudly that there is little risk. I time the creaks of the hinges with his snores, opening the grating with three short movements.


    After giving the room a very thorough inspection with the monocle which I got from Nova, I decide that it¡¯s safe. We flutter out into the open. The monocle has a similar function as Nova''s mask, enabling the user to see mana and to check for hidden traps.


    Maple and Blueberry follow me. We already talked about this part of the plan several times, so there is no discussion when we form a triangle around the fat man. My two compatriots take their positions at the bed''s corners, close to the adviser''s head. I think that Nova called him Hesh.


    I land on the railing near his feet and reach out with my magic, latching it onto Maple and Blueberry. They answer likewise and, together, we form the complicated energy patterns which are required for the spell. Hesh is enclosed in our magic and starts shrinking.


    The process starts slowly but speeds up until Hesh is no bigger than a human''s index finger. That''s when the plan fails.


    Hesh wakes up! Opening his eyes, he sits up, fully awake. ¡°What is going on!¡± He screams at the top of his lungs, but along with his size, the volume of his voice was also greatly reduced. Hesh spots me at the end of the bed.


    His hand comes up and he fires a fireball. The little spark of flame doesn''t even reach me, since I am too far away. Scaled to a human-sized unit, I am more than a hundred feet away from him. When Hesh shrunk, he ended up close to his pillow which is too far for a simple fireball.


    Blueberry and Maple don''t allow him a second spell. They fly up into the air and dive down on the human, hitting him with their legs and fists, pummelling him into the mattress. Maple even landed a perfect flying knee directly in Hesh¡¯s back, but the man is simply too fat to be taken down easily. He is cushioned by a thick layer of fat on three hundred and sixty degrees.


    I spread my wings and fly forward in order to aid them. When I arrive, Maple is on Hesh''s back, trying to choke him. The male fairy has his legs around the man, trying to hold him while Blueberry clings to Hesh''s legs.


    Pulling my blade, I point it at Hesh''s heart. Cursing, I aim somewhere else and remember the poison just in time. Sword in hand, I pull a dagger and guide it to Hesh''s throat. Noooo... that won''t do either! Damned instincts! Maybe a major artery? He will lose consciousness if his blood pressure drops... and then he will bleed out! Maybe Maple can choke him? No, he would have done so by now if he had the strength.


    ¡°What are you waiting for!?¡± Maple calls out. ¡°I can''t hold him much longer! He is using strength magic!¡±


    ¡°I don''t know what to do! I was trained to kill people, not to incapacitate them!¡± I confess.


    ¡°Assassins!¡± Rolling her eyes, Blueberry lets go of Hesh''s legs and takes my sword from me.


    ¡°Wait! That''s pois-¡±


    Blueberry grabs the hilt with both hands, turning the blade sideways, and smacks Hesh straight on the head with the flat side. The blade rings and wobbles as Hesh''s whole body slackens and buries Maple beneath him.


    ¡°My sword!¡± I complain and take the blade from Blueberry. The blade which accompanied me for my entire life is now bent out of shape!


    Blueberry crosses her arms in front of her chest and huffs. ¡°A fine assassin. Was never in a brawl!¡±


    I bite my inner cheek to keep myself from saying something nasty. There is no reason to freak out. None at all. It''s just a sword. I am sure that Nova will be happy to repair it if I ask nicely. It will be better than before. I try to put the sword back into its sheath, but it''s too bent, so I put it on my belt for the time being.


    With Blueberry''s help, I manage to roll Hesh off of Maple. The poor fairy male was slowly suffocating beneath the heap of human fat. We quickly check up on Hesh''s health, but luckily he is alive. He also wasn''t cut by my poisoned blade. A big bump on the head was the only result of Blueberry''s misuse of my sword.


    Once we are sure that nobody noticed the fight, Blueberry and I take Hesh''s arms, while Maple lifts the fatso by his legs.

 87. ~A complicated Truth~

    ¡°Sometimes, the truth is even more unbelievable than a simple lie. And, as people are, they often prefer to believe in simple things.¡±


    ***World Assembly***


    ***Janice***


    Oh, Nova. What did you do? I reposition myself in my seat and eye the large group of representatives warily. They are heading my way and there is at least one of them for every major faction. I quickly take a look at my guards in order to make sure that they are paying attention.


    This morning, I headed down to the island early. It''s only the second day of the event and I wanted to make sure that my area, even though it is small, is in top condition.


    The whole group stops in front of me when they realize that my guards are closing in on them. I choose to remain sitting in my comfortable chair and swing my left leg over the other to show that I don''t fear them. Playing my role as the Sovereign perfectly, I raise my chin and study them as if they are nothing to me. ¡°Do you need anything?¡±


    Wisen, thesecond prince of the Empire, steps forward. ¡°I think that you know perfectly well why we are here. Where is your granddaughter and what happened to my advisor?¡±


    Gods, she really did it. ¡°Advisor?¡±


    ¡°Hesh!¡± Wisen raises his finger warningly. ¡°It must''ve been her! She acted strange enough when we met. Where is she?¡±


    I try to play for time and send a mental signal to Nova. ¡°It still feels as if I know only half of the story.¡±


    A beastman steps forward. I assume that he is representing the Alliance. He folds his hands in an appeasing gesture. ¡°This night, Hesh disappeared from his quarters. Wisen brought the issue before us, due to Nova''s strange behaviour yesterday. We assume that she has something to do with it. We tried to confront her, but strangely enough, today she is absent.¡± He continues with a detailed explanation of how the case was presented to them.


    ¡°I can summon her, but I don''t think that she will be pleased. Nova is an odd person.¡± I start chanting in my mind, ''Please be prepared for this, please be prepared for this.'' I am starting to believe that an Alliance with Nova might have been a bad idea. Concentrating, I sent her another summons.


    There is a flash of light and Nova appears next to me out of nowhere. I am a little impressed. It seems like she performed the teleportation on her own, a difficult and dangerous task if it isn''t performed correctly. It also requires the ability to channel a sizeable amount of mana with absolute control. To teleport with such precision and without a teleportation circle is hard. Maybe Ishouldn''t be surprised, given her expert handling of spacial magic.


    Nova is wearing a normal brown robe - work-clothes - definitively not an attire to meet the major powers. There is also a dark smudge of something oily on her cheek. In her hands, she has two half-spheres. Their insides are made up of a complicated mechanism and interconnected runes. She looks around and turns to face me. ¡°What''s wrong!? I thought that we would only use a mental summons if we are being attacked.¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Maybe it''s even a good thing that she doesn''t look like she can be taken seriously. I gesture at the group in front of us. ¡°In fact, it is important. These fellows are accusing you of abducting Hesh, Wisen''s advisor. They are saying that you behaved oddly.¡±


    The Alliance''s representative nods. ¡°We want that you allow us to perform a truth reading on you.¡±


    Nova turns her attention to the group in front of us, then she laughs. ¡°Yeah, sure. Why not? Can I also have a truth reading on you guys? My boy-toy disappeared yesterday, meaning that he is still on Illum, but I want to use the pretense to ask you some inconvenient questions.¡±


    Wisen glares at Nova. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Nova ignores him and looks at each of the representatives in turn. ¡°I mean that you are accusing me without actual proof that there even was a crime. Why do you even believe that stupid princeling? Have you checked all of the Empire''s ships for this Hesh person? Maybe he is hiding somewhere. Oh, and I have to give you an important piece of advice. Truth readings don''t work on me. They are a form of mental intrusion. I took careful precautions in order to block all such spells.¡±


    Wisen¡¯s face turns red with anger while the other representatives look mortified. He stabs an accusing finger at Nova. ¡°Of course they have to believe me! It would take days to search all of my ships! The World Assembly would be over by then!¡±


    Nova attaches the two half spheres to her belt and crosses her arms in front of her chest, a vicious smile on her face. ¡°So you simply walk up to the ruler of another power and accuse them of abducting one of your people.¡±


    I raise my hands in a calming gesture. ¡°Everyone knows about the issues between my family and the Empire. I am not even surprised to find out that the Sociocrathy is in on this. But I expected better from the Alliance and the Consortium.¡±


    Nova throws her hands up. ¡°You know what? Let''s make this quick. I will indulge you, just this one one time. But I¡¯ll only allow the Alliance representative to read me. The others have to accept that they don¡¯t have any proof against me if he fails.¡±


    Wisen shakes his head furiously. ¡°That¡¯s not acceptable! She has to allow us to search Illum!¡±


    But the Alliance representative and the guy from the Consortium start whispering, drawing in the man from the Sociocrathy. After a few quick comments, the beastman steps forward. ¡°It¡¯s true that one word stands against another. We accept.¡±


    ¡°What!?¡± Wisen squeaks. ¡°She doesn¡¯t even represent a proper power!¡±


    The man from the Consortium clears his throat. ¡°But she is closely affiliated with the Sovereign. While we are no friends of Illum, the iron rules which make the World Assembly possible can¡¯t be broken. Even the orks are protected while they are here.¡±


    I don¡¯t fail to notice that he emphasized the last part of his speech. So that means that we are free game as soon as this event ends.


    Nova holds out a hand and the beastman takes it, casting a truth spell. The magical formation shimmers and connects to Nova¡¯s aura. Slowly, taking care not to alert anyone, I shift my weight. If the need arises I want to be able to jump to my feet at a moment¡¯s notice.


    The beastman nods. ¡°Tell me your version of the story.¡±


    ¡°I dislike Hesh. Hell, I dislike all of the Empire. If I could be sure to get all of them without fail, I would burn the whole Empire in nuclear fire. That¡¯s why I ordered my subordinates to abduct a measly little advisor, totally ignoring the fact that there is a much more valuable target, like an imperial prince, close by.¡±


    Nova draws in a deep breath. ¡°So my people boarded an imperial ship, walked right past dozens of soldiers and pummelled Hesh unconscious. Then they carried the little fatty out, again, past dozens of potential witnesses. None of them seeing anything.¡±


    She raises and eyebrow and reaches into her pocket. Her hand pulls out the little kitten, Lucifer. ¡°Now Hesh is my prisoner. I placed all sorts of healing enchantments on him in order to make sure that he doesn¡¯t die while he has to be a plaything for my little Lucifer.¡± She smiles and rubs the sleepy kitten against her cheek. ¡°He is starting to grow and needs to train, so I decided to give him appropriate prey.¡±


    The kitten yawns, revealing a set of cute, little, needle-like teeth.


    The beastman lets go of Nova¡¯s hand and studiesNova for a long time. Then he starts laughing like a madman. ¡°The truth spell registered that she told the truth.¡± Shaking his head, he walks away. ¡°This is useless. That¡¯s such a hilarious story that it can¡¯t be true. She is clearly immune to truth magic.¡±


    The Consortium¡¯s representative also shakes his head. ¡°I am sorry, Wisen. We can¡¯t do anything without proof.¡± He also turns and walks away, followed by the man from the Sociocrathy.


    ¡°But- but-¡± Wisen looks back and forth between us and his supporters. ¡°This will have repercussions.¡± He turns away and flees the scene.


    I turn my attention to Nova. ¡°Really? You allow Lucifer to play with Hesh? That¡¯s not fair to the kitten.¡±


    Nova smiles, while petting Lucifer. ¡°Who says that Lucifer has to fight a mountain of flesh? The fairies brought Hesh down to the appropriate size. Willow is very happy that someone else can be Lucifer¡¯s toy.¡±


    Ittakes me a few moments to understand her meaning. Then I shudder, imagining being mauled by a gigantic kitten who has no understanding of how to kill its prey. A bite here, a scratch there, as long as the toy keeps moving, the kitten stays interested¡­

 88. ~Orks~

    ¡°Sometimes it¡¯s better to regard someone as neither foe, nor friend.¡±


    ***World Assembly***


    ***Nova***


    Zane looks at me and grins. ¡°If it grows any larger, it won¡¯t be able to fit.¡±


    I turn and glare at Zane after taking a look at the kitten. Luficer is looking out of my pocket, studying our surroundings with great interest. Even though I know exactly what Zane means I decide to play dumb, so I reply loud and clearly, ¡°I know that ¡®it¡¯ grows larger, but I can hardly believe that a normal man like you can get too large for a woman.¡±


    Several heads turn as some of the people in the crowd focus their attention on us. The World Assembly is in full swing. It¡¯s getting harder and harder to find a private spot, aside from returning to Illum.


    Zane stops smiling. ¡°You know exactly that I meant that cat of yours.¡±


    ¡°His name is Lucifer and he will grow quickly, now that we are bonded. I am feeding him more than enough energy through our link.¡± I pet the kitten¡¯s head, but Lucifer meows in protest as my hand obstructs his view. He is now big enough to look out of the largest pocket of my robe.


    During the last couple of days, he started growing rapidly. When I got him he was small enough to fit into my palm, but now I have trouble hiding him even in my largest pockets. And they aren¡¯t small pockets since I insist that even my official robes and dresses have a certain utility. Soon, I¡¯ll either have to keep Lucifer in my office, or I have to allow him to run free.


    Maybe I should try to train him before an accident happens.


    ¡°Whatever.¡± Zane turns his attention towards the crowd which is surrounding us. We are patrolling through Illum¡¯s area, checking the progress of our efforts. I tried to delegate as much work as possible, but as always, a large group of people needs a few harsh words from time to time. Preferably coming from the highest power in command.


    I must say that my plan of representing Illum in a positive light worked out fine. Our relationship with the other powers might not be the best, but people are flocking to our exhibition area nonetheless. Aside from the buffet, which has always a high amount of visitors, the various stands which are presenting our offers are well frequented.


    According to Fae and Tristen, most of the visitors are free agents of powerful merchant families who bought themselves a place on an airship. Those people aren¡¯t bound as tightly to the political policies of the various nations.


    At first, I was surprised to hear about such a practice. I was under the impression that the World Assembly is a purely political event. As I had to learn, that¡¯s certainly not the case. Many rich merchants with good connections pay a lot of money for a place on an airship. They aren¡¯t only interested in trade and new opportunities. It¡¯s equally important for them to learn about the latest political developments between the various nations.


    As always, war, natural disasters, and money are tightly interwoven things.


    I reach up and play with a strand of my hair, wondering if I can use those free agents to further my own agenda. It would have to be something which gathers a lot of attention. They will go home and tell a tale about the new power which, while small, can challenge the well-known players and get away with it.


    At the same time, I have to be careful not to cause instant retaliation against Illum. Well, if I make the right move it will strengthen Illum¡¯s position as an independent power.


    Taking my time, I study the type of people who decided to visit us. Most of them are well dressed, though not as gaudy as the nobility. While most of them don¡¯t show any sign of their political affiliation, some are clearly recognizable. They flash their national colours around in order to show off.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    Others chose more neutral outfits. I suppose that most of the merchants in weaker positions decided to visit us under the cloak of anonymity. A merchant from the Sociocrathy might get into serious trouble if he is caught trading with Illum.


    I have seen too many wars to believe that the Sociocrathy is able to shut down all their trade with us. Even if they don¡¯t buy from Illum directly, they will have to go through proxies. Otherwise, they will lose out on the new stuff which my people are going to introduce to the world. The spacial chests are already changing the economy all over the world. Suddenly, it¡¯s far easier to transport wares across long distances. This results in dropping prices, which raises the living standard of peasants and allows them to gain a higher education.


    The most important thing which Illum has to offer is knowledge and education. Of course, there will also be negative effects. Initially, many people will lose their jobs and fall into poverty. I am willing to pay the moral price of being responsible, even if the victims might see me as the one who is to be blamed.


    What¡¯s important is the long game. As the power between the general populace and royalty shifts, slavery will turn into a thing of the past. Nobody wants to be a slave, so it¡¯s natural for most people to work against it. Especially if it means beingruled by an artefact like a slave collar. Slavery is only possible because the slavers have the power to break and control a large group of people. Take away the difference in power, and slavery will naturally become a thing of the past.


    The process will be hard for the Empire. It will mean the destruction of their culture¡­ Can¡¯t say that it bothers me.


    My attention is drawn to a group of four muscular men. They are large and have green skin with huge muscles rippling beneath it. The crowd parts like water in front of them. Surprised, I realize that they must be the orks. My memories tell me that orks are large brutes who have more in common with animals than with intelligent beings.


    Seems like this world¡¯s version of them breaks with the normal preconception. Their clothes look decent enough, even if they are made out of leather and fur. A glance is enough to tell that a skilled craftsman made the outfits.


    They don¡¯t even look that bad. Weren¡¯t it for the large tusks and the green skin, they could be mistaken as humans. Human bodybuilders who ate too many steroids. Urgh...


    If I had thought about it earlier, I probably wouldn''t be surprised. The orks arrived in their own airships. Even if the ships look like flying trash-cans, maintaining them without enough resources must have been very difficult. It speaks of intelligence and skill.


    Zane leans closer and breaks the silence between us. ¡°I wonder what they want, but I assume that you already know?¡±


    I shake my head. ¡°Why should I know? In this life, I have never even seen an ork.¡± It¡¯s true. I also know that Zane already suspects me of being responsible for the weapon shipments. But I have no idea why the orks would seek me out. If my agents didn¡¯t make a grave mistake, even the orks must think that the weapons came from the Empire.


    Which they did. It¡¯s just that the weapons were bought and shipped by a third party.


    The orks reach us and their leader smiles at me, revealing a set of sharp canines. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, Nova. I am Gork, the head ambassador of the Tribe.¡± His words are easily understandable. He speaks the same tongue as the rest of the world, though I can tell that the large teeth create problems with the right pronunciation. Unless their whole race is willing to put up with this inconvenience, the orks must have their own language.


    I smile. ¡°Hello, Gork. It¡¯s nice to meet you. I must admit that I have no idea of the correct protocol when it comes to dealing with your people.¡±


    The ork nods. ¡°That¡¯s not a problem. Today, we only paid a visit to introduce ourselves, but the world will see a lot more of us in the future.¡±


    Zane raises an eyebrow. ¡°Really?¡±


    Gork hits his own chest with a gigantic fist. It¡¯s clearly a gesture to show that he is confident of his claims. ¡°Whatever the Sociocrathy might have told you, be assured that the war isn¡¯t going so well for them, now that we have weapons. Their soldiers turned weak after years of hiding behind their battlements. Admittedly, they destroyed several of our warbands with their airships, but we already took one of their fortresses and destroyed four others. The stranglehold which they had on our people is broken and it¡¯s just a question of time until we get our lands back. Harsh times are ahead of them.¡±


    Seems as if he is trying to sell me something. ¡°That¡¯s good for your people. I am not a diligent student of history, but I know enough to say that the Sociocrathy has no right to a large part of their lands.¡±


    Gork grins. ¡°Your people were also driven away from their homeland, and I heard that you are in conflict with the Sociocrathy.¡±


    I shrug. ¡°I know what you want to say, but Illum has no desire to enter an open war against the Sociocrathy. If they force me to fight, then Illum will teach them that we are not to be messed with, but neither Illum ¨C nor the Mirai ¨C have the resources to establish a strong presence on the mainland.¡±


    The ork grunts. ¡°The Sovereign said something similar. It¡¯s sad that you aren¡¯t willing to lend us your assistance against a mutual enemy.¡± He turns his attention to one of the show pieces. It¡¯s just a hovering plate of metal. The enchantments on it hold it afloat with force magic. Nothing extraordinary by itself, but the educated eye will notice that the power consumption is too low for the traditional ritualistic enchantments which are used on airships. ¡°Illum could be a great help.¡±


    ¡°There are enemies, and there are enemies. We simply have different priorities at the moment. Though, it doesn¡¯t mean that we exclude your people from our services.¡± I gesture at the stand where my two pupils are handing out flyers. ¡°Illum has no reason to treat you any differently than our other trading partners. Be it knowledge or goods, what you seek, you will get.¡±


    Gorks¡¯s nasty grin turns wider. ¡°That¡¯s good to know.¡±

 89. ~Day four~

    ¡°Public attention is always a double-edged sword.¡±


    ***World Assembly***


    ***Zane***


    ¡°I still haven¡¯t seen the centre of the island,¡± Nova muses as we watch the retreating backs of the orks. She handled them more carefully than the other political powers.


    Her careful and respectful treatment of them surprised me. Should I consider that as a sign that they play a role in her schemes, or does she simply want to avoid creating yet another enemy? Her words slowly reach the frontal lobe of my brain, but by that point, she is already pulling me towards the neutral part of the island. ¡°W- Wait! Don¡¯t you remember what happened the last time you went on a trip? Let¡¯s just stay here. Only three more days and the event is over.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly why I have to see it. Time is running out.¡± She huffs and continues onwards. ¡°I¡¯ve sent Janice a telepathic message. She will join us shortly, so stop being a fuss and man up!¡±


    Man up!? ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡±


    ¡°I have been testing your morals and ideals ever since we met. But instead of breaking, you just bend like a wet twig. You complain and preach, instead of facing the realities of life. It¡¯s annoying. Either accept that the world is different than you want it to be, or change it.¡±


    ¡°Change it?¡± I ask dumbfounded.


    ¡°Yes! Change it! Say no to whatever or whomever you dislike and change the world. That¡¯s what your power is for. If you are too weak, then become strong enough to do as you please. If someone spits in your face, then crush them.¡± Nova forms a fist and shakes it, then she touches her cheek in a contemplative pose. ¡°Or feed them to your cat.¡±


    I cough. Only an idiot wouldn¡¯t have realized that Nova is responsible for Hesh¡¯s disappearance. So far, I didn¡¯t dare to ask her about it. I quickly glance at Lucifer who is looking out of her pocket. She wouldn¡¯t, she couldn¡¯t¡­ but she has fairies who can¡­ oh, gods. I feel sick at the thought. This person really needs a voice of reason!


    ¡°What are you up to now!?¡±


    I sigh in relief when I hear Janice¡¯s voice. The Sovereign is jogging in order to catch up to us. She will surely be able to talk some sense into Nova. After all, she is the one who managed to make her accept her given name. Accepting her name isn¡¯t much of an inconvenience, but it shows that Janice has at least a little influence on her.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take a look at the neutral area,¡± Nova answers.


    Janice scratches her chin. ¡°Can¡¯t we do that at a time when the political situation is less¡­ complicated?¡±


    Nova shrugs. ¡°It would be a shame to never see it.¡±


    ¡°Wait. Why would you never be able to see it?¡± the Sovereign asks.


    Nova hesitates, but just for a moment. ¡°Who can guarantee that there will a World Assembly after this one? The various nations are clearly drifting towards a world-wide war. Someone would have to be stupid to not see it coming.


    The Sovereign and I glance at each other. We already had that discussion a while ago. Did Nova just slip up? Do her plans go far enough to doubt that there will ever be a World Assembly in the future?You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    Nova keeps walking and we follow her until she arrives at the neutral area. She stops and crosses her arms in front of her chest as if she is displeased. ¡°It¡¯s just the guilds?¡±


    I try to discover why Nova is so disappointed. It¡¯s common knowledge that the neutral area in the centre of the island belongs to the guilds. They are neutral organisations which operate in every country. Isn¡¯t it natural that they are represented at the World Assembly?


    It¡¯s also somewhat unimpressive. Most of the guilds just put up a table and are handing out flyers in order to advertise their association. It looks like the new year¡¯s market of a small village. Not surprising, since it isn¡¯t cheap to transport anything to this little island. Only the political powers are allowed to approach and they are the ones who dictate what¡¯s allowed on the island. The only noticeable construct is the duelling league¡¯s arena.


    ¡°What did you expect?¡± the Sovereign asks. ¡°The guilds are important to every nation, most important are the adventurer¡¯s guild, the merchant¡¯s guild, and the duelling league.¡±


    Nova narrows her eyes. ¡°What¡¯s a duelling league?¡±


    Janice¡¯s answer is quick and chipped. ¡°A bunch of idiots who like it to compare sizes.¡±


    When it¡¯s clear that the Sovereign doesn¡¯t intend to elaborate, Nova turns her attention to me. I sigh, already predicting what¡¯s coming next, and point at the large and round building in the centre of the island. ¡°The duelling league is renowned throughout all the nations. They have their fighting pits in every large village and are keeping very strict track of everyone who joins.¡±


    I clear my throat and lower my hand. ¡°The best fighters get an invitation to the World Assembly in order to show off their skills. They battle for the glory of being the best. Besides, just by coming here, they will get recognized by the political powers. Eventually, they will be hired as mercenaries or employed in positions which require violence. But most of them are already affiliated with one power or the other by the point at which they come here.¡±


    Nova hums and nods. ¡°I want to see it.¡± In her typical manner, she simply starts towards the arena without waiting for us. She is acting like a little kid who never got denied anything¡­ or a very powerful person who only very few dare to object to.


    I quickly glance at Janice, who carries a displeased expression and follow Nova. It seems like Janice has some sort of history with the duelling league.


    We enter the large and round building through an old, wooden doorway. The shouts and yells of cheering spectators greet us. They fill the rows of benches which were placed on several huge stairs, elevating the spectators who are sitting farther away. The arena is built like a coliseum with a pit in the centre. The battleground is littered with little craters. In some areas, it¡¯s possible to see that it was once paved with stones, but that was long ago.


    Nova walks forward until she is at the fence which keeps visitors out of the arena. Down in the dirt, two men are battling each other. Both are casting spells while not moving an inch. It¡¯s a rapid exchange of attack and counter magic.


    ¡°Why are they standing still?¡± Nova asks, wearing a befuddled expression on her face.


    I take a short glance into the pit. ¡°I am not that well informed about the duelling league, but I heard that the two duellists have to agree to a certain set of rules before they start the duel. The rules serve the purpose of limiting the damage to their surroundings. Otherwise, it would be impossible for spectators to watch a battle between people who can cause massive destruction. I assume that they agreed to exchange attack spells until one of them fails to defend himself.¡±


    Janice points at a wooden board on the wall. ¡°Those are the rules of their duel.¡±


    I squint my eyes at the board. She is right. Apparently, they are allowed to use magic and ranged abilities until one side accomplishes a clean hit. They also aren¡¯t allowed to move. Moving would result in a loss by default. ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound too bad.¡±


    ¡°Unless the hit is lethal,¡± Janice grumbles.


    Apparently, Janice lost someone important to her in one of those duels. I nod and turn to Nova. ¡°She is right. Depending on the rules, the duels can end with fatal injuries. Nobody would say a word about a death inside the arena. By entering a duel, you accept the risk of death.¡±


    One of the duellists makes a gesture, creating a large icicle. He hurls the projectile at his opponent, who answers with a ball of fire, destroying the icicle in mid flight. Having cancelled his opponent¡¯s spell, he summons a strong gust of wind.


    The other man¡¯s robes flutter and are almost ripped off of his body. The fluttering robes reveal that the man froze his own feet to the ground, therefore avoiding being carried away.


    Again, the pressured man summons a shield of pure ice in front of him, protecting himself from the wind. With another gesture, he creates a large cube of ice above his opponent¡¯s head.


    By that point, I am fairly sure that the first duellist is an ability user who was blessed with a very flexible form of ice magic. Or he is a mage who developed an unhealthy preference for ice magic.


    His opponent looks up just in time to realize that something is afoot. He throws himself to the side, barely avoiding being crushed by the oversized ice cube.


    A man in blue and black clothes jumps into the arena, shouting that the duel is over. The judge¡¯s intervention stops the ability user from following up with yet another attack.


    ¡°Gohal, from the Consortium, is the winner and gets fifty points for his ladder ranking! Mer, from the Empire loses fifty points! Are there any other challengers!?¡±


    Before I can stop her, Nova raises her hand and jumps up and down on the spot. ¡°Uh! I want to! Please let me!¡±

 90. ~New~

    ¡°Sometimes you win and yet you lose.¡±


    ***World Assembly***


    ***Janice***


    ¡°Are you mad!¡± Zane screams and gestures at the duelling circle. ¡°Didn¡¯t we just tell you that people get hurt or even killed in duels?¡±


    Fearing for her, I turn and grab Nova¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You aren¡¯t even a member of the guild! And you have next to no experience in duelling against an ability user. I have no doubt that you are strong, but this is a certain path to injury or death!¡±


    It¡¯s not that I doubt Nova¡¯s abilities, but ability users like that ice-manipulator can do totally unexpected things. Their magic isn¡¯t as tightly bound to scientific rules as the spells which a normal magician casts. They can unleash magical effects which are much too complex to cast them in a traditional way.


    And all it takes to die is being surprised a single time.


    Nova reaches up and brushes my hand aside. ¡°I don¡¯t know what made you so afraid of duels, but I see this as a perfect chance to get first-hand experience against so called ¡®good fighters¡¯. And it¡¯s even better that this man seems to be a strong ability user. I always wondered what I have to expect from them.¡±


    My gaze flickers down to the man inside the ring. Gohal Martinus, known for his ability to create and control ice. I never watched his fights in person. I think that he is among the top hundred in the league. That alone wouldn¡¯t be enough to know him by name, but I heard bad rumours about him. He likes it to end his battles in a lethal manner, if possible.


    Martinus has long black hair which is bound in a ponytail. His face is littered with little scars. Battle-wounds which he refused to heal. His body isn¡¯t too impressive, but it doesn¡¯t have to be. He mostly relies on his ability, which is almost as flexible as real magic.


    I clench my hand into a fist. ¡°There is a difference between a real battle and a duel. Many good warriors found themselves outmatched when they suddenly have to obey certain rules which distort the realities of combat.¡±


    The judge butts into our conversation by clearing his throat. ¡°I am afraid that this isn¡¯t possible anyway. Even if the infamous ruler of Illum makes the challenge, Gohal can¡¯t answer it. You have no rank, while he is among the top hundred on the ladder-board.¡±


    I realize to my annoyance that everyone listened inon our conversation. The whole hall turned completely silent when Nova voiced her challenge. But I am glad that the judge is a stickler for the rules. This is an easy way for Nova to take her challenge back.


    That¡¯s when Gohal raises his hands in order to stop the judge. ¡°Actually, I would like to know if the rumoured ruler of Illum is really a magician who defies common sense! There are all kinds of rumours floating around. Some are saying that she is lifting her island with her mind alone. Others claim that she lifted an entire pool with merfolk on a whim to show off her strength.¡±


    He gestures at Nova, an evil grin on his face. ¡°Can¡¯t we call it a duel for honour and treat it as taking place outside the normal ranking lists. After all, we are here to show off our powers. What would be better for any duellist than to defeat a magical monster like the infamous ruler of Illum?¡±


    Showing my displeasure, I pull down the corners of my mouth.


    The judge scratches his neck and nods slowly. ¡°I guess that¡¯s possible if both parties adhere to the rules for an honour duel.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡±


    I want to warn Nova, but before I can stop her, Nova grabs the railing and jumps over it. Her skirt flutters in the air, almost revealing her panties, but an unseen force keeps it in place. What is she thinking? Why does she have to show off like that?


    Zane throws his hands up into the air. ¡°Does she even know the rules!?¡±


    The judge looks uncertain, switching his gaze between Zane and Nova. He places a hand inside his black jacket to hide his discomfort. ¡°The rules are simple. Both duellists aren¡¯t allowed to move from the spot. There are no limitations to ranged spells or summonings. The first duellist who lands a clean hit is the winner, may it be an attack spell, a curse, or the attack of a summoned being.¡±


    Nova takes the place of Gohal¡¯s opponent and rolls her shoulders. ¡°That¡¯s fine with me, though I am not a fan of this standing still rule.¡± As an afterthought, she pulls Lucifer from her pocket and casts a spell, floating him gently upwards and into Zane¡¯s hands. ¡°Look after him. I¡¯ll be mad if he escapes.¡±Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Zane grabs the kitten, a baffled expression on his face. Lucifer just looks at him expectantly.


    I rub my hands anxiously, trying to find a way to stop this. But there is simply no other way than to get violent with Nova. She clearly isn¡¯t receptive to reason in this. She has some sort of goal in mind, but I¡¯ve no idea what it is. If I knew her intentions, I probably could have talked her out of it or offered a better solution.


    The judge shrugs and climbs out of the arena, using a nearby ladder. ¡°This arena isn¡¯t big enough for moving contestants. The rule of standing still also keeps the destruction within reasonable limits. I¡¯ll now raise the barriers in order to protect the spectators. You can start as soon as the barriers are up.¡±


    The judge reaches the top of the ladder and climbs out of the pit which serves as the arena. ¡°You may begin!¡± He places his hand on a stone slate next to him. Shimmering force fields and barriers appear, sealing the arena off and making interference almost impossible.


    Gohal crouches down into a defensive position, expecting an immediate attack from Nova. She doesn¡¯t do anything of the sort and simply stands there with a confident smile on her face. It doesn¡¯t look like either of the two opponents intends to strike first. But if anything, Nova is too confident. She should be erecting barriers and force fields.


    After a few seconds, Gohal can¡¯t take her mocking expression any longer. He thrusts his hand forward and a large icicle springs into existence, shooting directly at Nova.


    She raises her hand and a complex magical formation appears on her palm. With the hiss of an oversized blowtorch, blue flames shoot from her hand, melting and evaporating the icicle within an instant. The resulting cloud of steam covers Nova, blocking my sight.


    Gohal doesn¡¯t hesitate for a second. He follows up by summoning two saw-blades of ice. He sends them on arching trajectories towards his opponent. One from the left and the other from the right. With a sickening screeching sound, they disappear inside the cloud of steam. Raising his hands, Gohal summons a huge cube of ice directly above Nova¡¯s position, intending to end the duel in the same manner as the previous fight.


    I close my eyes and open them again, trying to use all my sense to find out what¡¯s going on. Normally, I would have no problem to analyse Gohal¡¯s magic, but the protective wards around the arena are charged with so much magic that it¡¯s hard to see through. Their light is obstructing my view.


    Gohal senses something I missed from my point of view. He slams his arms together in front of him and kneels down. A triangular wall of ice appears in front of him, serving as a protective shield.


    A white ball of energy leaves the cloud of steam and slams into his defence, cracking the ice. The crack widens as the spell almost drills through the ice. Judging by the complex structure of the spinning spell matrix, there is no doubt in my mind that it carries a complicated curse. Yet, it doesn''t seem to matter.


    As the spell travels through the shield, it slowly dissolves within the ice. It¡¯s like the spellwork came apart and lost its energy, something that shouldn¡¯t happen normally.


    Gohal raises his head above his shield and inspects the result of his attack with a raised eyebrow.


    The cloud of steam clears slowly, revealing Nova. She isn¡¯t smiling anymore.


    The cube of ice is levitating above her head, while the two saw-blades are whirring in place atthe left and right side of her head as if they are docile pets.


    I intensify my attempt at seeing through the barriers, using my spirit vision in order to take a closer look. Nova¡¯s whole body is a vortex of whirling energies. The barrette in her hair is a bright star of light, clearly the source of all the power. She is channelling almost as much energy as I do when I tap into the energy which is released by the slain souls on a battlefield.


    ¡°I feel insulted.¡± Nova raises her head and inspects the cube of ice above her. ¡°You are throwing physical objects at someone who is known to be extraordinary at force magic. Don¡¯t you have any other tricks?¡±


    Gohal purses his lips. ¡°I can see now that it was a mistake to fight you in a conventional manner. It won¡¯t happen again.¡±


    ¡°If you get a second chance.¡± Nova points a finger at Gohal and the two saw-blades shoot towards him, followed by the cube of ice.


    Sucking in a sharp breath, Gohal moves his hand as if wiping away the threat. Surprisingly, the three projectiles vanish just as easily as he summoned them. He smiles. ¡°You won¡¯t use my own ability against me.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Nova mumbles something, and a small ball of light appears in front of her. I can virtually see energy flowing from her into the spell formation. Suddenly, the spell matrix unfurls like a blossoming flower and creates a little halo of light. The spell is beautiful, yet terrible to behold. Inside the halo, is nothing, except for gaping, black emptiness.


    Is it real, or is it a visual effect? It''s impossible to tell with all the wards between me and the spell.


    Gohal squints his eyes in complete concentration and another icicle forms in front of him. This one isn¡¯t like the previous ones. Instead of real ice, this icicle has an ethereal feel to it. It¡¯s not physical ice, but an area that¡¯s completely devoid of any form of energy. That¡¯s when I realize that Gohal¡¯s ability isn¡¯t simply the creation of ice, but some form of energy conversion.


    That''s the explanation why his ice was so effective at stopping the curse. It simply sucks the energy out of any spell matrix which comes in contact with the ice. And also the reason why force magic works on the ice. Force magic just creates a physical effect. The spell never touches the ice.


    Gohal must have bound his ability to the ice in order to make it easier to control. But I can tell that this second field of zero energy isn''t bound to the icicle. The ice is just a side effect of creating the field.He thrusts his hand forward at the same time as Nova. But while he caused his field of zero energy to shoot forward at its target, Nova reached with one hand into the halo.


    Nova¡¯s hand appears behind Gohal from seemingly nowhere, grabbing his long hair. A surprised yelp escapes him as she yanks hard, pulling his head through the miniature portal and directly into the path of his own icicle of zero energy. His mouth opens in surprise and incomprehension as he gets to watch his own headless body which is standing in an awkward, bent-backwards position.


    The icicle embeds itself directly into his forehead. Immediately, a thin sheet of ice starts spreading over his skin. The effect acts like a curse and rapidly freezes flesh, blood and bone.


    The miniature portal closes, severing Gohal¡¯s head from his body. The body drops to its knees and slumps backwards, going down in an awkward position. With the heart not having realized that death is already at hand, fresh spurts of blood are pumped out of the severed neck, creating a rapidly growing puddle on the floor.


    When the sheet of ice reaches Nova¡¯s fingers, she hisses and drops Gohal¡¯s head. The flash-frozen piece of bone and meat shatters into a thousand pieces upon impacting the ground.


    Nova inspects her frostbitten fingers which are in the process of turning blue. ¡°What a peculiar form of magic.¡± She casts a regeneration spell and her fingers slowly return to their natural, pale colour. ¡°Gohal clearly managed to teach me something. Sadly, it seems like I lost the duel.¡±


    ¡°Wha- Wha-¡± The stammering judge is clearly at a loss for words, like everyone else who watched the fight.


    Nova gestures at the melting mess by her feet. ¡°I guess that ¨C going strictly by the rules ¨C he landed the first clear hit. Therefore, isn¡¯t he the winner?¡±

 91. ~Interplay~

    ¡°What''s important ¨C is for us to be aware that our actions have repercussions.¡±


    ***World Assembly***


    ***Zane***


    The ranks of spectators dissolve into chaos as they realize what they have just witnessed. I myself don¡¯t know how to react. The issue isn¡¯t that Nova killed her opponent in a formal duel. Such things happen and are actually quite common, even with fairly tame rules as were used in this encounter.


    As it goes, a single successful curse can mean the end if the victim can¡¯t identify and dispel it in time. Serious injuries are quite common among duellists.


    I suppose that Janice was against the duel because she lost someone important to her in the past. A quick glance at the Sovereign tells me a lot. Her expression shows relief and anger, a rare glimpse at the woman behind the Sovereign. She wasn¡¯t against the duel just for logical reasons. Janice clearly has some sort of emotional ties to the situation. Enough so to show some cracks in her perfect facade.


    Noticing myself drifting away from the most important issue at hand, I return my attention to Nova and the reason for the commotion. Nova opened a miniature portal during a duel. There is no doubt about the nature of her spell. Everyone who watched the fight will come to the same conclusion.


    The knowledge on how to create portals is a national secret. It¡¯s on the same scale as the spacial chests. Yet, Nova did it on the fly and without the support of a complicated rune-network. Since my awakening, I realized that Nova isn¡¯t casting the big spells by herself. Her barrette is clearly some sort of computational device and an energy source which replaces the large artefacts which are normally needed in order to create spacial distortions of that degree.


    But nobody else knows that. Nova showed them yet another proof that she is an extraordinary magician who wields magical power and knowledge which is comparable, maybe even superior, to that of the large nations.


    A sharp sting in my finger distracts me and I look down to find Lucifer gnawing on it. Clenching my teeth, I dislodge the kitten and hold it safely by the scruff of its neck.


    Nova notices my predicament and casts a levitation spell, ignoring the tumult all around us. She makes her way out of the arena and takes Lucifer from my hands.


    She smiles and cuddles her familiar who immediately returned to being a docile pet. ¡°You are a good little kitten, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Janice glares at Nova. The Sovereign is a little more relaxed now, but her emotions still seem to be in turmoil. ¡°Was that really necessary? Are you even aware of the implications which will result from your little show?¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Nova nods without looking at her. ¡°It was. Weren¡¯t you the one who wanted strong allies in order to deter your foes? I gave them proof and ¨C at the same time ¨C furthered my own goals.¡±


    ¡°Your goals?¡± I ask. ¡°You just turned Illum into a big target. The various national leaders will freak out when they hear about this.¡±


    Maybe I am a little too emotionally detached, showing not enough of a reaction, but Nova feels like a force of nature to me. Somehow I never doubted that she would beat Gohal and that, even if he had managed to hurt her, she would have gotten stronger from the experience. Resigning, I close my eyes and rub my face.


    All along I thought that Nova just wants war and destruction, but her actions and her behaviour don¡¯t fit. She isn¡¯t the person who would cause pain and suffering without a goal. Yes, she is ruthless towards anyone who hurts her, but people who don¡¯t cross her are left in peace. Finally, I realize that the world-war must be just another component of her plan. It isn¡¯t her ultimate goal.


    Suddenly, I feel that I don¡¯t really want to stop Nova¡¯s dreams, whatever they are. She isn¡¯t a bad person¡­ At least not one of the worst people. It¡¯s just her methods which I dislike.


    I want her to achieve her goals without hurting people. After being in close vicinity to her for weeks, I am fairly certain that Nova doesn¡¯t crave bloodshed and war. I should have considered her personality when I tried to make sense of her actions. All her deeds are necessary to achieve her goals. She¡¯s cutting down trees in order to build a house.


    Nova didn¡¯t kill Gohal because she likes violence. Well, maybe she likes it a little bit. Nonetheless, Gohal was merely yet another of those unfortunate trees who had to fall for something grander. What I have to find out, is what kind of house she is envisioning. Maybe I can steer her path if I find out.


    She looks at me and places Lucifer in her pocket. ¡°My plans require a certain amount of infamy. I want to be taken seriously.¡±


    The Sovereign grumbles and crosses her arms in front of her chest. ¡°You clearly succeeded in doing so. By revealing that you know the secret behind the gate network, you turned Illum not only into a power to be recognized, but to be watched carefully. Now they will think twice about anything that concerns you. The question is¡­ wouldn¡¯t it have been better to keep your capabilities a secret? You should have spoken to me before showing off your powers.¡±


    Nova turns her attention to her grandmother. ¡°Why is it such a big deal? I thought that all the countries know how to create portals.¡±


    Janice purses her lips and clears her throat. For some reason, it seems like she looks embarrassed. ¡°The Mirai don¡¯t know how to create portals. We just have our superior airships and necromancy¡­ up until now. Maybe this alliance will gain us a little more attention than I actually wanted. We aren¡¯t prepared to face their full onslaught if they decide that they are better off without Illum and the Mirai.¡±


    ¡°You mean that you don¡¯t know how to create portals?¡± Nova¡¯s smile widens to an evil grin.


    The Sovereign squints her eyes at Nova. ¡°Not every reincarnated person is a genius who invests each life into pursuing knowledge. Portal technology involves a complicated set of equations that I maybe never will bother to memorize. As you may have noticed, I focused my time and attention on researching other things, like soul magic. Not to forget, I am managing a nation and a religion while doing so. There is little time to reinvent the wheel.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Okay. No need to justify yourself. I just wanted to tease you. You taught me a lot during the last weeks. And knowledge is power which can¡¯t be taken away.¡± Nova huffs and turns her attention to the crowd which is surrounding us. They are staying at a respectful distance, but they might be able to hear a little more than we want them to.


    Their expressions tell me that we are tolerated, but no longer welcome. ¡°Maybe we should relocate to Illum?¡± I suggest and touch Nova¡¯s back, gently guiding her to the exit.


    Nova giggles and allows me to push her forward. ¡°No need to become so intimate. I know that it has been a little while since I took you to my rooms, but we can change that very quickly.¡± She pokes my side, causing me to grunt.


    I just have to stay calm and collected. She is trying to push my buttons in order to draw more attention to us. Turning, I look at Janice while we walk. The other woman rolls her eyes, but at some deeper level, I can tell that this duel is going to have repercussions.

 92. ~Relax~

    ¡°Some relationships are based on the more basic needs of the body.¡±


    ***World Assembly***


    ***Zane***


    I sigh in relief when Illum¡¯s force field picks us up and returns us to the floating island. Though, floating freely through the air ¨C without the planks of a ship under my feet ¨C it still disturbs me. At least we got away from the duellists without any further trouble. Janice still looks like she bit into a sour lemon, while Nova doesn¡¯t seem to care.


    ¡°Nova. Later, we will have a private discussion about what happened down there. Right now I have to return to my flagship in order to issue some orders. In future, you will inform me of your plans. I also suggest preparing everything for a hasty departure. When the event ends, we have to make sure that we are gone quickly.¡± She crosses her arms in front of her chest. ¡°We may still get into trouble because Illum is so slow. There is no way that you can outrun airships. It might be necessary to rely on our ability to fly higher than them.¡±


    Nova makes a dismissive gesture. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about Illum. In fact, I would prefer it if there are none of your ships around if your predictions indeed turn out to be correct. Most of Illum¡¯s new weaponry isn¡¯t meant to discern between friend and foe.¡±


    I turn and squint my eyes at Nova. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that you built a nuke!¡±


    She snorts and grins. ¡°Hell no! Do you have any idea how complicated it is to isolate the needed isotopes? I am far away from having the necessary equipment.¡±


    That doesn¡¯t reassure me. Magic makes it possible to cause mass destruction in a number of ways. In most cases, detailed scientific knowledge isn¡¯t even necessary. There is no way to tell what Nova is capable of with Illum¡¯s power behind her. I cast a quick glance at the Sovereign, but she doesn¡¯t seem to be concerned.


    Janice nods slowly. ¡°My ships are capable of diving beneath the waves of the oceanif you desire a confrontation. Will that be sufficient to escape whatever effects you intend to unleash in the case of a battle?¡±


    Nova raises her eyebrows. ¡°Diving? You really went all out on your fleet. Tell me, are those things also suitable for space?¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t tell you; unless you start sharing your plans,¡± Janice answers.


    Nova doesn¡¯t reply, so we remain silent until we land in front of Nova¡¯s palace. Janice bids us farewell, promising Nova to return soon. Then she walks away with long and purposeful footsteps. The civilians part in front of her, sensing that something is afoot. Two of our guards hurry after the Sovereign in order to guard her.


    Nova shrugs and enters the palace, ignoring me. On her way, she instructs one of the guards on the corridor that she doesn¡¯t want to be disturbed.


    I quickly follow in her wake to avoid the guard. She walks directly to her quarters and I hurry into her office before she can slam the door into my face.


    That finally causes a reaction in the form of a raised eyebrow. ¡°Is there more to discuss?¡± Nova asks and closes the door.


    I turn around and nod. ¡°Do you really think that you can keep pushing my buttons forever? Like down there in the arena? I have had enough.¡± I am done. The constant teasing and innuendos in front of everyone, just to cause attention, be it beneficial or not.


    ¡°Enough?¡± She purses her lips and touches her chin with her index finger. ¡°What exactly do you mean with enough?¡±


    ¡°Your behaviour in the public and especially in front of my family is unacceptable. You also drove away my fianc¨¦e, even if she turned out to be a traitor. I wouldn¡¯t have ended up in this situation if it weren¡¯t for you. If everyone is going to think of me as your lover, then I may as well reap the benefits.¡± I try hard to focus my gaze on her eyes instead of her body.


    For just a moment Nova looks genuinely surprised, but she regains her composure quickly. ¡°That¡¯s quite the surprise. How do you intend to align that with your nobleideals?¡±


    I shrug and spread my hands in a theatrical manner. ¡°You accused me several times of being a hypocrite. You are right, I am one. I only do things which suit my own ego.¡±If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    She hums and tilts her head, studying me in quiet contemplation while playing with a strand of her hair. She bites her lower lip and allows her eyes to wander from my face down to my groin. After a seemingly endless silence, she walks towards the stairway which leads to her private quarters.


    ¡°I get to be on top,¡± she proclaims imperiously.


    Not that again. ¡°That¡¯s getting old. How about allowing me to set the pace for once? Doggy-style.¡±


    ¡°Certainly not! I hate that position, but I may allow you to do your duty while I lay down on my back. Given that you perform well.¡± She starts unbuttoning her dress while walking through a narrow corridor to her bedroom.


    So it¡¯s a duty now? Oh, how low have I fallen? I am the officer-boy-toy for an immortal entity which I can¡¯t fathom. Then again, the Sovereign turned me into something similar. What will happen once I manage to make use of all the memories which are seeping through my subconsciousness? Will I change my personality and turn into something which the current me would abhor?


    Nova allows her dress to flow down her perfect shape and gets rid of her black undergarments upon arriving at her bedchamber. She steps inside and throws herself naked onto the mattress. With one finger, she indicates for me to follow her.


    Seeing that glorious body, I remember that my love life was on ice for weeks. It wasn¡¯t that troublesome for my previous self, but now that I got all those memories and had a rather blunt introduction to sexual pleasures with Nova, I feel myself getting hard immediately.


    I drop the jacket and my shirt onto the floor, then I kneel onto the bed while undoing my pants.


    Crawling over her, I start by kissing her arm, then her neck. She sighs and smiles, but her tense muscles betray her, telling me that something is wrong. I try to loosen her up by trailing my kisses back down her chest, circling my tongue around her left nipple. That finally gets me a reaction. She grabs my head and shoves my head down to her nether regions.


    Realizing that she needs a little warm up to get going, I get to work, using my tongue and my fingers at the same time. A cute little gasp escapes her when I push two fingers all the way inside her. It takes a while, but after a few minutes, she seems to be ready.


    While she is gasping and trying to cope with her body¡¯s reaction, I trail my kisses back up to her neck, fondling those gorgeous breasts of hers. Her personality might be troublesome, but that body of hers is a dream turned into reality.


    I place my hands next to her shoulders and kiss her while positioning myself. Then I slowly push inside, groaning upon experiencing the wet and slippery sensation. Her moans spur me on, so I start moving. At first, we go at a slow pace, but the more we give in to the moment, the more speed we pick up.


    Grinding our hips against each other, I lower my body onto hers, hugging her in a tight embrace. Nova hisses and captures my lips with hers. She places her hands on my shoulder blades and presses herself against me. Suddenly, her legs come up and close around me, hooking onto mine.


    It¡¯s as if she is trying to pull me into her, getting closer to the peak. A few times we just rock against each other, then she shudders and I feel her tighten around me, gasping, and moving her hips. The sudden change in pace sends both of us over the edge.


    My whole body shudders as I lower one hand to her butt and press her against me in an attempt to stop her from escaping at the worst possible moment. That¡¯s when she scratches my back. Strangely, the pain prolongs the height of my release.


    But in the end, I drop onto her, trying to catch my breath. It takes both of us long moments to return to our senses.


    ¡°Phew! I would say that you did the job,¡± Nova mumbles, still pressing her soft chest against mine, not allowing me to move.


    ¡°Yes!¡± I squeak. ¡°But I had something else in mind when I suggested this relationship! Please pull your fingernails out my back!¡±


    ¡°Oh, sorry.¡± She lets go of me.


    I push myself up in order to create some distance. It hurts like hell. All I wanted was a good fuck and a better relationship with Nova in order to build up some trust.


    She bites her lower lip, looking concerned. ¡°Hm¡­ That¡¯s not good.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I reach behind myself, trying to judge the damage, but Nova catches my hand and Inotice that her fingertips are bloody.


    ¡°There is a lot of blood.¡± She slides out from under me and pushes me down onto my belly. Then she sits on top of me, straddling me between her thighs. ¡°Ah, being on top is definitely more relaxing¡­ ahem¡­ Zane?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I know that I am repeating myself, but the fact that it doesn¡¯t stop hurting means that I didn¡¯t get just a few minor scratches.


    ¡°I might have to cast a healing spell to repair this¡­ or two¡­ nay¡­ three to make it quick...¡±


    I decide to interrupt, ¡°Just cast the spell, or I will cast a regeneration spell myself.¡± A universal regeneration spell might heal me, but certainly not as quickly as something which is deliberately aimed at the damage.


    ¡°No. That would take too long.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± I ask.


    ¡°Because we have to take a shower.¡± Without further ado, she gets to work.


    I bite my tongue to stop myself from saying something nasty. Finally, with most of the pain gone, I opt for something less offensive than I had in mind. ¡°You mean that I have to go into the shower.¡±


    She lowers herself onto me until I feel her chest touching my back. ¡°Who says that I can¡¯t join you? The night is still young and I know some spells which help with the male¡­ endurance.¡±


    And indeed ¨C the night was young.


    ***


    I open my eyes. The buzzing of insect wings woke me up. But the light is too bright. I swing my arm around, trying to get rid of the little pest.


    Nova grumbles and squeezes her naked body against me. One of her legs is hooked around mine while she is using my shoulder as a pillow. Suddenly, I remember last night and that I am well and truly committed now. Even if there seems to be no real love in this relationship¡­ though the sex is great¡­ and painful. I really have to find a way to deal with those fingernails of hers.


    ¡°Wake up!¡± ¡°It reeks of sex.¡± Two tiny voices.


    ¡°Can we get this done and find some food?¡± A third voice.


    ¡°Stop with the food!¡± ¡°Yes, you will get fat.¡± The two voices again.


    Fairies! I squint my eyes against the sunlight which is coming through the windows. How did they get in here? More importantly, why are they here?


    Nova grumbles and waves her arm, trying to shoo the three fairies away. ¡°Let me sleep, Willow. We had a very tiring night.¡±


    Willow isn¡¯t impressed. ¡°No! You can¡¯t sleep now. Something is afoot. There are a lot of people on the street. You have to get up and deal with this¡­ this uprising!¡±

 93. ~About Power~

    ¡°One for many.¡±


    ***Illum***


    ***Nova***


    ¡°An uprising?¡± I ask and roll off of Zane. Then I slowly sit up ¨C not overly hasty ¨C and look at the fairies which are buzzing around above my bed. Maybe I should see to it that the ventilation shafts which lead to my rooms are properly blocked. The fairies have sworn their fealty to me, but they are making a little too much use of their new freedom.


    Willow lands on my lap and nods feverishly. ¡°Elma told us to get you. This is something she can''t handle alone. Nice rack, by the way...¡±


    I look down at myself and try to ignore her attempt at provoking me. ¡°Fine.¡± I groan and get out of the bed. Elma, the woodworker''s wife turned out to be more useful than her husband. Not that Wilhelm is doing a bad job; he is good at what he does. Though, in the weeks since I started this community, Elma turned into something like Illum''s mayor. She is taking care of the people, the community.


    That''s something I want to avoid at all costs. Dealing with people takes a lot of time and I don''t have enough of that as it is. That''s why I got myself some employees to handle the complicated stuff. I am the shaper, the mind who puppeteers the whole. I might spend time on a particular project now and then, but I will never be able to run something like Illum all by myself.


    I am Illum''s ruler, the mysterious figure who stands behind the people who do the actual governing. And that''s fine. Otherwise, I wouldn''t have the time for all my projects and little mischievous adventures.


    ¡°But first, I''ll take a shower!¡±


    It was a short shower, combined with cold water to shock myself awake. Last night took its toll. Let''s simply say that Zane is a good lay. I admit it, I chose him because of his physique, not necessarily because of his mind. But he still performed above my expectations.


    Willow and her little crew used the time to fill me in on the situation. Luckily, it seems like her warning of an uprising was a little exaggerated.


    According to Willow, Elma got into trouble when we started to hire people by the hundreds. Not only did the newcomers not respect her properly, some of them outright challenged Elma''s position. My appointed spokesperson for the common folk did her best, but there is only so much she can do without involving the guard.


    Over the last few days, certain individuals started making speeches, calling for a city council with the power to defend the commoner''s rights. That''s something I expected. It''s a normal development. Give people the freedom to pursue their own wishes and some of them will grasp for more power. Elma tried to counter their speeches with reason, but that never works with hot-headed idealists.


    Now they have gone as far as making a public speech in broad daylight, riling up the masses. That''s why Elma called on me for guidance. Apparently, there is something like a little demonstration going on in front of my palace. Around eighty people are listening to the poisonous ideas of one of their fellow compatriots.


    That might not seem like a lot, but it shows that there is fertile soil for their ideas among Illum''s population. Shaking my head, I get dressed and leave my quarters, guided by Willow.


    Wetting my lips, I consider the probability of this being a natural development. It might be, but it''s equally possible that a certain someone helped the wound to fester. I don''t believe that my security measures got every last agent of another power. There could be sleepers who didn''t give themselves away up until now. If Zane''s former fiancee made it onto Illum, then other powers might have done the same. It''s too convenient for this to happen when I should have my mind on other things.


    Maybe it''s the doing of that guy from the Consortium. He openly threatened me and he seemed like the type of person who plays games.


    Too late, I remember that I left Lucifer in my quarters. Oh, well. The most he will do is to scratch the furniture. It''s not worth turning around because of that. He will survive on his own for half an hour. I am not willing to waste more time than necessary in this case.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    ¡°What are you going to do?¡±


    Zane''s voice turns my attention to him. He also got dressed and followed me, though he looks a little dishevelled since he didn¡¯t get to use the shower.


    ¡°What can I do? I obviously have to put an end to this uprising before it turns into something major. It''s an inconvenience, but I have to admit that this is probably my fault.¡± I shrug. It¡¯s never wrong to admit failure when you are indeed responsible for what¡¯s happening.


    Zane raises an eyebrow. ¡°Your fault?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I failed to hold a proper speech when Illum''s status changed. Apparently, many people still think of me as a small lord who has to answer to a higher power.¡± I hesitate. ¡°What they have to learn is that I am the highest power they ultimately have to answer to. Illum belongs to me and their presence on my estate is in my hands. There is no need for me to tolerate them. In my neglect, I failed to make that clear.¡±


    We reach the front of my palace, where I find Elma and a group of my guards. They are at the palace¡¯s entrance, warily watching a crowd of fifty to eighty people. The crowd is listening to a man who is standing on a makeshift pedestal. He has a lean body and brown hair. What he lacks in physical appearance, he makes up with his rhetorical talent. Wild gestures with his whole body enforce his speech perfectly. Not too theatrical, but not too stiff either. A natural mangler of words.


    I listen for a minute to his arguments. The longer I listen, the clearer it gets that he is trying to muster support for his cause. Of course, he carefully avoids mentioning open rebellion, but that¡¯s just a matter of time. I have seen how it works.


    First, you have to get the movement going until it¡¯s large enough to pose a serious threat. Then, when your demands aren¡¯t fulfilled, you identify the individuals who are willing to use force to get what they want. Once you have a few fanatics at your back, you can start the revolution.


    Elma is glaring darkly at the man, clearly not happy about his words. That¡¯s when she notices me. The stout woman quickly bows to me. ¡°Mistress, you are here. I wouldn¡¯t have called for you if I hadn¡¯t thought that this deserves your full attention.¡±


    I hold up my hand. ¡°It¡¯s fine. You are doing a good job at keeping the general population away from me, and for that I am thankful. I have many important things to do. Though, it seems like I need to show a little more public presence.¡±


    Elma presses her lips together in a defiant manner, then she answers in her usual accent, which identifies her as one of the original settlers who I picked up in Sawood. ¡°That¡¯s certainly not the case Mylady. We all know what you did for all of us ¨C are still doing for all of us. Be assured that none of those who were with you, in the beginning, are a part of this group. Those over there-¡± She gestures at the crowd. ¡°They are all the new folk who never got to see your power in person. They just need to learn a lesson. That¡¯s all.¡±


    I smile benevolently. ¡°If that¡¯s so, then I¡¯ll make sure to give them one they won''t forget.¡± Gesturing, I indicate for everyone to stay put. Then I slowly walk towards the crowd, casting a defensive bubble of force fields.


    The first few men who have their backs to me are simply pushed aside. The others quickly get out of my way when they realize what¡¯s going on. They clear a pathin front of me. The speaker stops his speech when he realizes who came out to visit him. He points at the smiling me, trying to sound outraged. ¡°See? That¡¯s what I¡¯ve been talking about! How can a single woman like her rule all of this? She belongs at the oven! How can a single person represent your best interests? But if we form a city council...¡±


    He rambles on and on. I grimace at the thought of having to listen to thousands of hours of recorded surveillance footage. But otherwise, I probably won¡¯t find out what this guy¡¯s goals are. Today, I don¡¯t feel like interrogating someone. The sky is too blue and I am sore. Hah, there is no choice if I want to know if this was orchestrated or not.


    Pulling down the corners of my mouth, I step onto the large pedestal. It¡¯s five by five metres and made out of wood. Touching my tattoo, I summon Illum¡¯s controls and activate the speaker function. A moment later, my voice booms loud and clear all over Illum. I try to sound as measured as possible while I interrupt the man¡¯s rambling.


    ¡°I failed to introduce myself to the common public. Allow me to rectify that. My name is Nova Mirai. I am the ruler of Illum and your employer.¡± I gesture at the grand structures around us. ¡°Let¡¯s make something clear. All of this is mine and while I allow you people to live here, you are my employees and my subjects. Maybe my benevolent and leisurely leadership didn¡¯t make that clear.¡±


    I sweep my gaze across the crowd. ¡°At least on Illum, my word is law. Here, I am your god. Never forget that, or you may be unlucky enough to gain my attention and suffer my justice! And believe me, while my justice is fair, it¡¯s also quick and without mercy. You never want to cause my ire!¡±


    I reconfigure one of the force fields which hold Illum in place, reshaping it beneath the crowd. Within moments, everyone is on his or her knees. Just as it should be. Some are trying to get back up, but the weight of several g¡¯s pulls them down. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to stay on Illum, then that¡¯s your choice. Leave if you must, but never again bother me with a scene like this.¡±


    ¡°What are you doing!?¡± The speaker steps closer, reaching into his leather jacket. Before he can do anything, I raise my hand towards him and close it. He chokes as the air escapes his lungs. His chest caves in, cracking ominously as bones give in to the force. The man can¡¯t even scream. How could he without air?


    He struggles in an attempt to cast a spell, but Illum¡¯s full might crushes him like the bug he is. Blood and flesh is pushed out of his mouth and his eyes pop out of their sockets as his skull cracks open like an egg. More cracking sounds pierce the silence as his bones yield to the force fields.


    I let go and his body flops to the ground like a sack of water, his bones broken in so many places that it¡¯s impossible for his limbs to keep their shape. His muscles twitch in an attempt to get back up, indicating that ¨C somehow ¨C he is still alive. At last, it ends with a last gurgling sound from his throat.


    Clapping my hands as if I touched something dusty, I watch the horrified gazes from the crowd. ¡°Does anyone else wish to be relieved of his duty because of treason against¡­ me?¡±


    Since nobody dares to speak up, I stroll past them. ¡°Stay here and contemplate your situation for the next hour. You might find that being one of my subjects isn''t so bad. And if you still can¡¯t bear the thought, then rip up the contract and leave Illum at the next opportunity. But never try to change the rules I set, or I will step on you.¡±

 94. ~Half truth~

    ¡°There are some thingsone shouldn¡¯t joke about.¡±


    ***Illum***


    ***Nova***


    I walk through the crowd, seemingly unaffected by the force which holds them in place. Showing off in such a manner is against my personality, but otherwise, they won''t learn the lesson. It''s important for them to understand the relationship between me and them. That reminds me, a real ruler needs a sign of office. I consider the issue for a moment, then I remember the tiara which I stole from the crypt.


    When I checked it, the enchantments on the artefact were weakened to the point of slowly dissolving into nothingness. It''s essentially a mundane piece of jewelleryby now. But it might be exactly what I need. Its appearance is close to that of a crown, even if it''s less pompous. I''ll have to get it from my workshop and make a habit of wearing it.


    Nobody dares to talk to me on my way through the crowd. They even looked away when I challenged them to establish eye contact. I am aware that most of them are most likely innocent. But the mere act of stopping in order to listen to a provocative speech is enough to warrant a small punishment.


    I detest people who hide behind numbers and call their riots a demonstration. The only thing they accomplish is to clog up the traffic, annoying those who are actually working in order to change society.


    It should be enough if they have to sit here for the next hour, while other passer-byes get to see their humiliation.


    Zane, Elma and Willow are still waiting in front of the palace¡¯s entrance. Zane is clearly fighting his emotions, while Elma looks a little sick. Her face has a greenish tinge, but otherwise, she looks to be fine. Willow is unreadable since I can''t discern the expression on her tiny face.


    I address the guards, waving my hand imperiously towards the corpse. ¡°Clean that up and strip the body of all items. He was reaching for something in his pocket when he stepped towards me. I want everything he had with him. Find out his identity and search his accommodations. Search the properties of his friends and family, should he have anything of the sort.¡± Though, I bet that the speaker was single and moved alone to Illum.


    The guards nod with sick expressions on their faces, then they hurry towards the pedestal. I don''t envy them the task of picking through the remains. I made a mess out of the man, but that''s why I bother to have subordinates.


    Elma is the first one to comment on my solution to the situation. ¡°It''s possible that your choice of words wasn''t the wisest, Mylady.¡±


    I tilt my head. ¡°My choice of words?¡±


    ¡°Labelling yourself a god. That wasn''t the wisest thing to do. Many of the less educated folk on your island already think of you as a messiah. It could cause problems if they elevate you to the next level.¡± The stout woman bows quickly after speaking her mind.


    ¡°I see. Though, I fail to see how I could have given them the impression that I am something more than a mortal.¡± I scratch my chin, considering the implications.


    Elma looks mortified. ¡°They don''t know anything about your personal shortcomings, Mylady. They only get to see marvellous feats which nobody else would be able to accomplish. That''s enough to create rumours, and I must say that this latest feat will only encourage them.¡±This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    I sigh. ¡°So long as they honour their contracts, it will be fine. I really need more helping hands. Getting called out for something like this-¡± I gesture at the group of naughty kids who I pinned to the ground. ¡°This isn''t worth my attention.¡± If I only had someone in this world who I can really trust. Someone who can manage affairs like this one to my satisfaction.


    ¡°Isn''t that what family is for?¡± Elma asks. ¡°Forgive my curiousness, but you never mentioned how you intend to organize the order of succession in case that something happens to you. You have no heir.¡±


    I realize that I must have spoken aloud. It''s not like I care what happens after my death. The possibility of me reincarnating on this world a second time is highly unlikely, but Elma is right. That''s what a family is good for. If eventual offspring is trained well, they are the most loyal of servants ¨C or the most dangerous traitors. Though, I still dislike the thought of having kids. ¡°I will have to think about this. The whole issue of having kids is only a long term solution. It takes decades to train them. But you are right. I wouldn''t trust any stranger with Illum. It''s not like I don''t have a donor, but the whole pregnancy business is tedious.¡±


    Zane coughs and chokes as if something got into his lungs. For some strange reason he held his mouth shut, but that''s no longer the case. ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    I roll my eyes and walk past them, back into the palace. Zane is the only one who follows me. ¡°You are not considering to get pregnant, are you? You promised that our encounters wouldn''t have any consequences. You said that you abhor the thought of having children.¡±


    Maybe I do. But the fact that Zane seems to completely lose his cool about the issue is amusing. I don''t know why, but pushing his buttons feels satisfying. His expressions are priceless when he gets one of his episodes. ¡°I do. But there are benefits to having someone who I can shape, beginning with his or her early years. Just take a look at Janice. She is the matriarch of a whole culture. She had several offspring, despite her immortality.¡±


    ¡°I still refuse!¡± Zane complains. ¡°You promised that our encounters wouldn''t have any consequences.¡±


    I still don''t intend to pursue this idea, but for the sake of teasing Zane I will play along. ¡°That was then and this is now. You don''t have to consider your fiancee any longer. That wench is out of the picture. And besides, who says that you aren''t already committed?¡±


    He pales.


    Continuing, I increase the pressure on him. ¡°I think that I didn''t cast an abortion spell this morning. Willow''s unbidden entrance caused a hasty departure in order to deal with the congregation in front of my palace.¡± I cross my arms in front of my chest and nod sagely.


    ¡°Then cast it now, before you forget about it!¡± Zane gestures wildly.


    ¡°Why are you so bothered by the thought? I don''t understand. Didn''t I already tell you that you don''t have to take responsibility? I have more than enough power to be a single mother. It''s not like I need you for anything.¡± That''s probably not what a man like Zane wants to hear.


    ¡°Because we don''t know each other well enough! And who says that I would allow you to keep it to yourself?¡± Zane asks.


    You wouldn''t have any choice. ¡°I would just want what''s best for the baby. Exposing it to your morals and ideas would be a grave mistake. Illum can''t have a weak ruler.¡±


    ¡°What are you two talking about?¡± A third voice causes me to turn around.


    Fuck! Now Zane did it for real. He had to have this argument with me in my palace¡¯s entrance hall. His mother is standing right behind us. What was her name? Esmeralda¡­ I think.


    ¡°I- a- erm- W- e-¡± Zane stutters but doesn¡¯t manage a single coherent word. Gods, he looks as guilty as a murderer who was caught with the dagger buried in his victim¡¯s chest.


    Esmeralda doesn¡¯t say anything. The lean brunette is just standing there with her hands balled into fists and her lips pressed into a thin, white line. Her left eye starts twitching while she waits for her son¡¯s answer.


    That makes me wonder how Zane¡¯s twisted personality was forged in the first place. His father, Oswin, is a soldier through and through. Daddy knows that the battlefield sometimes requires immoral decisions. So where does that strong sense of justice and morals come from? If I assume that his father is responsible for Zane¡¯s ruthlessness, then that leaves¡­


    My next action is a pure impulse, born from curiosity and the simple desire to learn a little more about this Esmeralda. I raise my palm and slap Zane on the back as if we are good friends.¡°By my jiggling tits, Zane, get your act together. It''s not like this is anything unnatural.¡± Turning to his mother, I smile.¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing! We just had a little argument about your son¡¯s responsibilities.¡±


    ¡°His responsibilities!?¡± Esmeralda chokes, which makes me wonder how much of our discussion she managed to listen in on.


    I nod. ¡°Yes! You see, he went and dipped his carrot into royal oil, and now he thinks that he has any rights to the natural results of his cooking.¡±


    Her eyes widen, but I can see that she didn¡¯t get my meaning. Oh, maybe she understood ¨C intellectually¨C but not emotionally. Maybe I have to be a little blunter.


    ¡°He shoved a bun into my oven.¡±


    No reaction.


    ¡°I am pregnant, and it¡¯s your son¡¯s!¡±


    Her eyes turn upwards in their sockets and she topples over, backwards, rewarding me with the reaction which I sought.


    ¡°Mother!¡± Zane hurries forward to catch his fainting mother.


    I cackle and return to my quarters, leaving Zane to tend to his mother.

 95. ~Pride~

    ¡°There are always some things in which a ruler has no say.¡±


    ***Illum***


    ***Esmeralda***


    ¡°Zane, I swear it! You will be the end of me!¡± I lie back on the sofa in my family''s quarters and place the wet, cold towel on my forehead. Nadine was so nice to retrieve it from the kitchen. Zane brought me home when I fainted right in front of Nova in a most undignified manner. Now, the whole family had to assemble to deal with this issue.


    Zane shakes his hands, denying Nova''s claim. ¡°I told you that she is lying... most probably...¡±


    How can he be not sure about something so important! This isn''t a joking matter.


    ¡°Stop lying, Brother. Just admit that you went fishing in foreign ponds. I knew it from the beginning. All men are the same. Even those who you think you know lose their heads when a beautiful woman spreads her legs.¡± Zane''s little sister, Nadine, glares at her brother. He was her idol for a long time, but no more. Not since he botched his betrothal. She is sulking at the little table in the room''s corner.


    The escape from our estate hit her the hardest. She never knew anything else, other than the life in our mansion. Our quarters on Illum aren''t bad. They are even luxurious, but it''s different. We can''t have any retainers and Nadine has to go school, instead of being home schooled. That''s something which shocked the spoiled child more than anything else. On Illum, minors are forced to go to the public school by law, where they aren''t treated any different than the rest of the population.


    Oswin clears his throat. ¡°I have to admit that Nova''s body is a very tempting argument for any man, but what the hell were you thinking when you bedded our liege lord? What if you have a fight with her and she throws us out? We don''t have anywhere else to go, other than hiding in the darkest corner we can find.¡±


    ¡°Yes! Not only did you betray your former fiancee, you even impregnated that woman!¡± I hiss.


    ¡°I told you that she is lying. None of you know her! I am working with her on a daily basis, so stay out of my business. It was me who got us into this, so trust my judgment.¡± Zane runs a hand through his hair, clearly tired.


    I growl at him, which causes him to shrink a little. It''s good that he didn''t forget that I am his mother. ¡°Then explain it to us. Why should a woman of her status and power lie about something like having a child?¡±Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    Zane looks a little lost as he tries to explain. ¡°She isn''t necessarily an evil person, but she loves to play her games with people. She is always pushing my buttons in an attempt to weaken my control. When you surprised us, you showed her weakness. Nova is a psychopath! I already learned the hard way that Nova is like a wild animal. If she senses a weak point, she pounces without hesitation. She couldn''t resist shoving a finger into your open wound and stirring it around.¡±


    My daughter shakes her head. ¡°The common folk tell a completely different story about her. According to them, she is an angel.¡±


    Zane leans against the wall. ¡°That''s because they don''t know her! Nova has a good reason for using her subordinates as shields against the public. She is a horrible person, once you get to know her.¡±


    I sigh. None of us know Nova as well as Zane. I saw her only three times, and Oswin less than ten, even though he started working for Illum''s air-forces. Today, I tried to get an audience with Nova. I simply had to find out what''s behind the rumours of my son and her being involved. ¡°Just explain what you were thinking.¡±


    ¡°I wasn''t thinking at all! I am just winging it, one problem after the other. Our family isn''t in a position of power. We don''t have the freedom to plan our actions. We are standing with our backs to a wall since the king abandoned us.¡± Zane spreads his hands. ¡°Nova has an interest in me. I don''t know why, but she is attracted to me. Ultimately, I had to make a decision, so I decided to get involved with her.¡±


    My daughter huffs. ¡°So you-¡±


    Zane interrupts her, shouting, ¡°Yes! Damn it! She is a beautiful woman! A sex-dream which turned into reality! Bedding her is the best experience I have ever had. It almost makes up for her flawed character and having this discussion with you!¡±


    Nadine shuts her mouth, eyes wide. It''s the first time ever that Zane screamed at his little sister. I am surprised myself.


    But Zane isn''t done yet. ¡°I don''t know what''s going through that woman''s head. One moment, she says that it''s just a one-night-stand, then she uses me to expose my fiancee as a traitor. She continues to drop all kinds of offers until I decide to take them. And then she practically throws herself at me, offering me every carnal pleasure I ever imagined. To top it off, she suddenly considers using me as nothing more than a breeding stud, denying me access to my offspring. She didn''t even ask for my consent!¡±


    Oswin clears his throat. ¡°That doesn''t sound too bad. Be a proper man and use the chance to...¡± He quickly turns silent when I glare daggers at him.


    ¡°Husband or not, one more word and you sleep on the couch.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Love.¡±


    Zane continues with his explanations. It takes over half an hour, but in the end, he manages to give us a little more insight into his situation. It forces me to change my opinion of Nova. At first, I thought of her as a competent ruler who is loved by her people.


    Then there was the issue with her newly revealed identity. Her relation to the Mirai alone opens a whole basket which is filled with hornets. Now I have to add to that a slightly psychotic streak, which makes her not only ruthless but also dangerous to her enemies and her subjects. It just shows that I am a bad judge of people. When we first met, I even said that I like her.


    Will she simply decide to sacrifice us at some point? We have to observe her actions closely.


    After a few moments of silent contemplation, I return my attention to Zane. ¡°I am beginning to understand what I witnessed. So Nova is using you. As her subordinate, you saw no other choice than to go along with her whims. You also fear that she could rethink our alliance if you turn out to be more trouble than it¡¯s worth. That''s not chivalrous. I really thought that I trained you better in your function as a knight of the house Birald.¡±


    Zane attempts to answer when suddenly the door to our living room opens and the Sovereign herself enters the room. ¡°Good evening. I hope that I am not disturbing you.¡± She looks around, inspecting our humble home.


    I am immediately up and on my feet. My migraine starts again and it feels like a hundred little men are pounding away on my brain, but I ignore it. ¡°Sovereign! How can we help?¡± More importantly, how did you get in here?


    ¡°I was nearby and heard a few interesting rumours from a little bird.¡± After surveying the whole room, she chooses the couch, sits down and swings one leg over the other. ¡°Let¡¯s just say that the rumour caused me to be very interested in Zane¡¯s family.¡±


    She grins devilishly, which makes mewince.


    Oswin instructs Nadine to fetch something to eat and a drink. ¡°I have a feeling that this will be a long discussion.¡±

 96. ~Old Bargain~

    ¡°The war didn¡¯t erupt overnight. It was a slow, gradual process. The involved parties took one step at a time¡­ until they realized that things had gotten out of hand and that there was no way of turning back.¡±


    ***Illum***


    ***Willow***


    I land on Nova''s office table. Normally, I wouldn''t care about her peculiarities, but the fate of my people is in her hands. If Nova behaves strangely, though it¡¯s hard to tell what counts as strange behaviour in her case, then I have to know what''s going on.


    Sitting in her office, staring off into nothingness for hours, that counts as strange behaviour in my book. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    Nova closes her eyes slowly and opens them again, focusing her attention on me. ¡°I was testing the new interface to Illum. I was working on it for a long time, but spending an hour here and there between other tasks didn¡¯t get me far. After a few failures, I think that I finally got it running.¡±


    ¡°Interface?¡± I cringe. Yet another strange expression. Nova has a lot of those. Luckily, I remember that Nova already used the word to refer to the magical illusion which controls Illum. ¡°I thought that your light-show-thingy is your interface to Illum. Why would you need another one?¡±


    ¡°An interface doesn''t have to be seen by others. The new one is thought-controlled, allowing me to tap directly into the spell-ware. It¡¯s much more efficient but needs a lot of foundations. It took time to make it work. By itself, it isn¡¯t much different than the old one. But it allows me to program much faster, which gives me the ability to improve a lot of Illum¡¯s functions. I can also add new ones which were out of my reach up until now.¡±


    Okay¡­ I must admit that I didn¡¯t entirely understand that. What¡¯s spell-ware? But the implications of the rest of her explanation are mind boggling. ¡°I thought that Illum is a series of separate enchantments which are woven together. How can you control all of them at once with your mind? It feels like something only a god could do.¡±


    ¡°Gods have nothing to do with it. But it¡¯s tricky. That¡¯s why it took me so long. Maybe you should visit the university and learn the groundwork of enchanting. Without that, I am afraid that you wouldn¡¯t understand a more detailed explanation anyway.¡± Nova tilts her head, looking at her desk. ¡°Strange.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I ask, anxious. Did something go wrong?


    Nova¡¯s expression turns worried. ¡°I just noticed that I didn¡¯t have any paperwork today. That¡¯s why I invested the entire morning into my project. Normally, I am overwhelmed by reports and requests to solve all sorts of issues regarding Illum. There were just three or four reports which needed my attention. No requests at all.¡± She reaches for a small stack of documents and sorts through them. ¡°Did the aide forget to deliver the documents? I will flay the skin off her flesh if that¡¯s the case.¡±


    That would be me!


    I shudder and clear my throat. ¡°Most of the issues which are brought to you require a final word from Illum¡¯s ruler. They only arrive at your office because there is no precedent to draw upon, or because the involved parties absolutely refuse to accept the judge¡¯s decision. They try to circumvent the judge by requesting the justice of the highest priority.¡± Illum¡¯s society is still a developing thing, but at least we managed to sort out the basic things like law, military and property rights.


    Nova looks at me. Her expression says that she has no idea what that has to do with her decreased work.


    Rolling my eyes, I answer, ¡°Yesterday, you executed someone in public for speaking against you. Now, most of the petitioners who persisted on your judgement are afraid of pressing their cases past Illum¡¯s judicial court. They are afraid that you might deem it necessary to punish one side or the other harshly.¡±


    The corners of Nova¡¯s mouth pull down in silent frustration and she slams her fist onto the table. I almost fall, because the entire table shakes under the impact. Shit, I should have returned to human size.


    ¡°Damn it all! I should have found a reason to kill someone much earlier. Had I known that they were pestering me because of that¡­ All that lost time,¡± She complains, clearly angry.


    Catching myself, I try to sound as calm as possible. ¡°The downside is that some people really started thinking that you are some kind of god. That might cause problems with other nations.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. Our policies conflict with those of the large nations. The possibility that we have a positive relationship with all of them is non-existent. I can see us working together with the Alliance, the Orks and the Mirai. Maybe the Consortium... if some of their policies change. Though, that¡¯s unlikely,¡± Nova answers and turns her attention inwards. ¡°The war will take more and more of our enemy¡¯s attention. Given time, Illum will quickly become a secondary target.¡±The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°A secondary target?¡± That¡¯s not very reassuring.


    Nova waves her hand through the air and summons a map of the world.


    ¡°The orks are pressuring the Sociocrathy, but they will lose momentum. Their troops will be outmanoeuvred and picked off in small groups once they spread too thin. Without a large fleet of airships, they can¡¯t fight the Sociocrathy¡¯s army. Even with weapons which can take down an airship, it will turn into a stalemate.¡±


    She points at the area around the Eternal Battlefield. ¡°The Alliance is pressing through the pass, but they face the same problem. The Empire is a larger piece than they can chew. If you want to conquer another nation, you need enough troops to occupy the enemy¡¯s territory. At least for long enough to turn a sizeable part of the population to your cause, and that takes time. A lot of it.


    ¡°Then there is the slave problem. The Empire is a moloch with more manpower than it could ever need. Were it only the slaves with collars, the Alliance could do something about it. But a large part of the Empire¡¯s slaves are serfs without collars. They are so broken that they don¡¯t even need to be collared. The fear of getting a collar is enough to hold them in check.¡±


    Nova grimaces. ¡°There are at least three or four slaves or serfs for every free man in the Empire.¡±


    I pull my gaze away from the map. ¡°You are clearly very well informed about the political situation.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. However, for that very reason, Illum poses no immediate threat to any of the larger countries. We can¡¯t occupy them, but we can cause material damage. That¡¯s our insurance. Attacking us doesn¡¯t gain them anything, but could probably result in them losing a lot. That¡¯s why I call Illum a secondary target. They will try to take us out, but only if they think that they can do it without losses, or have the chance of gaining control over Illum. I have no doubt that they will try, so we have to show them that it isn¡¯t worth the effort.¡±


    Someone knocks on the door.


    Nova looks at me and then meaningfully at the ventilation shaft, so I fly back into the shaft and hide. From my hiding spot, I have the best view of the office, which allows me to snipe anyone who dares to try something against Nova.


    ¡°Enter.¡±


    Janice enters the room. She stops upon seeing the tiara on Nova¡¯s forehead. ¡°It seems as if you took a liking in that thing.¡±


    Nova smiles and shrugs, touching the tiara with her fingertips. ¡°Illum¡¯s population has grown considerably. I am not into jewelry, but I thought that I should at least present myself according to my status. It¡¯s no good to be underestimated.¡±


    ¡°I heard about your ¡®judgement¡¯ as your subjects call it. Sorry, but I don¡¯t believe you. That barrette and the tattoo, then the ring on your finger and now the tiara. You are totally an accessory person.¡± Janice points her finger at the various items, grinning widely.


    She¡¯s right. I watched Nova several times while she was admiring artefacts. There is no doubt that shiny things draw her attention.


    Nova sighs. ¡°Is there any particular reason for your presence?¡±


    Janice takes the chair in front of Nova¡¯s desk and sits down, crossing her legs. ¡°It¡¯s about the little stunt which you pulled with Zane and his mother.¡±


    Nova furrows her forehead, trying to remember what she did. ¡°Oh, that... What about it?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s just say that I am interested... and you know why.¡±


    My master waves her hand in a dismissing manner, giggling. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I was just teasing them. The task of training trustworthy offspring is much too tedious for me. It takes decades and getting them isn¡¯t a pleasant experience.¡±


    Sounds like Nova has experience. Ah, damn. If the reincarnation story is true, then she must have had hundreds of children. Isn¡¯t it horrible to remember your lost ones each time you reincarnate? The thought isn¡¯t comfortable.


    Janice nods. ¡°But you admit that there are certain advantages to having children?¡±


    Nova squints her eyes at Janice and leans back. ¡°I know that tone of yours. You want something from me.¡±


    Janice wets her lips and leans forward. ¡°Do you remember the details of our agreement? All you have to do is to play nice with your mother and do your best to get her better. If you do that, you have my full support.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ I remember that.¡± Nova purses her lips, trying to catch onto Janice¡¯s game.


    ¡°I think that it would be very helpful if your relationship with Zane was a little deeper than it¡¯s now. You know, just to show your Mom that you are doing well. Living your life with a lover and children¡­ that would show her that you are doing well. It¡¯s important forher to know that her failure in protecting you wasn¡¯t as grave as she thinks.¡±


    I cover my mouth with both hands and fight the urge to giggle. Judging by Nova¡¯s expression, there is a distinct possibility that laughing right now would get me killed.


    It takes several long seconds for Nova to reply. ¡°I see.¡±

 97. ~New Bargain~

    ¡°If you take, you also have to give.¡±


    ***Illum***


    ***Nova***


    I fold my hands in front of my belly and regard Janice for a long time. During the last weeks, I have gotten to know her. She is a very rational person, but in this matter, her reasoning is very flimsy. It doesn¡¯t sound like her, or at least, not as if she told me the whole story. ¡°No. Not for such a weak reasoning. Now¡­ tell me the real reason for this visit of yours.¡±


    She smiles. ¡°Because I want you to have children.¡±


    ¡°Okay. If you don¡¯t want to talk, then the answer is no. Please leave my office. I have a lot of work to do.¡± I stand up, but Janice raises both hands to stop me.


    ¡°Wait. Wait! Okay! Here is the real reason.¡± She gestures for me to sit down.


    So I sit down. Listening to my tutor doesn¡¯t hurt. And I still want more lessons in soul magic from her. I have a feeling that it will take a long time for her to share everything she knows, even if she would teach me full time. ¡°I am listening.¡±


    She clears her throat. ¡°The reason is actually a cultural thing. I assume that you noticed our ambassador¡¯s¡­ devotion to me?¡±


    I nod. ¡°He tried to downplay it in his explanations, but was very clear that your Mirai aren¡¯t any less fanatic in their set of beliefs than the Sociocrathy.¡±


    ¡°Yeees¡­ he is actually one of the moderate ones. There are plenty who see the members of my family as religious symbols. Religious symbols who may be mortal, but religious symbols nonetheless. Defenders of our people and our religion. It¡¯s one of the cornerstones of Mirai culture.¡± Janice sighs.


    I tilt my head. ¡°And what does that have to do with me?¡±


    ¡°Everything!¡± Janice huffs. ¡°When your mother was taken and her husband killed, it dealt a huge blow the bloodline¡¯s credibility. As much as I would like it to be otherwise, the only ones who I have total control over are the undead. But the Mirai are more than their dead. We need people who are willingly turned into zombies.¡±


    She waves her hand. ¡°And for that, we need first class necromancers. Your bloodline is strong. It would be a waste if it ends with you. Not to mention, your return and the fact that you continue your mother¡¯s line will shut up some of the nastier voices within my court. It wouldn¡¯t undo the damage that was dealt to the bloodline¡¯s image, but it would be a start.¡± She clears her throat. ¡°It also helps that it seems like you are becoming a deity of your own.¡±


    I roll my eyes, but don¡¯t ignore her explanation. ¡°So you are saying that it would give you additional leverage on your fellow countrymen. I am sorry, but I was under the impression that the Sovereign is something like a dictator?¡±


    Janice wriggles her hand. ¡°Not quite. I am more like the high priestess of an order. There are a lot of people who will jump at my commands, especially the army, but the living part of the population is quite a different story.¡±Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    I nod. ¡°So you are concerned that people might lose faith in your leadership. And fewer devotees would result in less willing zombies for you.¡±


    Janice waves her hand in denial. ¡°Oh, getting corpses for zombies isn¡¯t a problem. The problem lies in getting them fresh and undamaged enough to create sentient undead. It¡¯s vital for the people to invite a priest into their homes when someone is about to die. If there is any doubt in the necromancers, then the willingness to be turned into an undead will plummet. After all, it includes a long time of service to the nation.¡±


    ¡°And turns you into a slave to a master you might not agree with.¡± I scowl, showing her that I understand quite well what the undead actually are.


    She nods, showing me that she understands my doubts. ¡°We never order them to do something unreasonable. Most stay with their families and work for their relatives'' benefits. The real issue is that we Mirai depend on our undead as soldiers. As it is, we need everything we can get. Especially if your machinations come to fruition.¡±


    I look down at my knees and play with one of the spikes on my tiara. The Mirai and the Sovereign were never a part of my plans. But it turns out that she might be a natural ally of mine. One who might be able to help me in case that my plans need some adjustments. I¡¯ve played with the thought, but the issue remains that children are a pain in the ass. Dealing with motherhood is a tough job. One which I don¡¯t want to bother myself. At least not without some additional benefits.


    ¡°If I do this I¡¯ll require payment. Whatever you might say, this isn¡¯t a part of our original agreement. I promised to do my best to help your daughter, even if her state might be hopeless. I still believe that meeting her might be worse than staying away. Helping you with keeping the status quo within your country, that¡¯s something quite different.¡±


    She presses her lips together and leans forward. ¡°What do you want?¡±


    Hm. That¡¯s the same question the shadows always ask their minions in that old science fiction show. What was the name? Damn. It seems like I have forgotten it.


    I return my attention to my grandmother. ¡°I want a favour.¡±


    ¡°A favour?¡± Janice asks, cautiously.


    I point at her. ¡°In the course of the coming war, I may ask something of you, and your Mirai and you will do it, even if you don¡¯t like it. No questions asked, no hesitation.¡±


    Janice pulls down the corners of her mouth. ¡°That sounds very much like a deal with the devil. I won¡¯t do anything that might harm those who are under my protection.¡±


    Leaning forward, I place my elbows on the table. ¡°I won¡¯t ask you anything that might betray your people, though it might get some of them killed in the line of their duty.¡±


    She nods. ¡°If they die in the line of their duty, then that¡¯s okay. I didn¡¯t become the leader of a nation without understanding the need for sacrifices. Though I advise you to word your request very carefully. It sounds like you are walking on a knife¡¯s edge.¡±


    I spread my hands, palms towards her, and smile. ¡°That will be my problem. So, why Zane? Don¡¯t you have someone from the bloodline who would be a worthy father for the breeding program?¡±


    Janice seems to be taken aback for the first time in our conversation. She answers slowly and very carefully. ¡°I think that Zane will do. He has a lot of magical potential, knows about us, and you find him agreeable enough to bed him. That¡¯s why I proposed this in the first place.¡±


    I look at her questioningly.


    She sighs. ¡°Look. If we do this, we need to sell it to my people. Knowing you, you would kill any stud you don¡¯t like. I can¡¯t present you to my people as a member of the bloodline with a child and a partner, if said partner winds up dead after a few days. Even if Zane remains just a consort, he will still be the father of your offspring. Therefore, he will be a formal member of the bloodline.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t share any power with him, if that¡¯s what you are after,¡± I clarify.


    ¡°Of course not,¡± Janice answers. ¡°So, do we have a deal?¡±


    ¡°One more thing. I want to know why you are emotional towards dueling.¡± I wondered why Janice had such a strong reaction back then.


    The corner of Janice¡¯s left eye twitches. ¡°My fool of a husband died in one. I never bothered to take another consort after I lost him. Happy?¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes.¡± I never expected her to be that sort of person. Clearing my throat, I try to offer her a peace banner. ¡°So, would you care to join me in one of my more frivolous hobbies? You seem to be hell bent on involving me in your familiar affairs, so I want to know who exactly I get involved with. You can also use the chance to explain how you intend on getting Zane¡¯s family into this. He is clearly a family-guy, so I doubt that this will work without his relatives. His mother surely hates me after what I did yesterday.¡±


    Janice huffs. ¡°I will fill you in. In fact, I already talked to them before I visited you. What¡¯s this hobby of yours?¡±


    ¡°Karaoke! I finally finished Illum¡¯s improved interface, and I am going to use it to write a karaoke game!¡±

 98. ~An eye for...~

    ¡°Sometimes, a scratch is enough.¡±


    ***Sociocrathy***


    ***Alias***


    I slowly follow the shadow down into the dark tunnel. His black cloak hides him perfectly, but I recognize the signature of his mana. After weeks my hunt is finally coming to an end! Seeing how widely spread the resistance already is, I gave up on stopping them. It isn''t my job anyway. At this point, my only goal is to gain a little more information before I return home and report to the king.


    Ever so slowly, I enter the cavern at the end of the tunnel. The ground is littered with the corpses of the local resistance group. Yesterday, I paid them a visit. Since then, I planned my ambush.


    Standing between the bodies is the shadow who I followed into the tunnel. ¡°Don¡¯t bother to check, Kerrigan. They are already with their gods.¡±


    The man in the dark cloak turns around and pushes his hood back, revealing a pale, human face. ¡°It took you long enough. You followed me since Amitesh. Did I hurt your pride as the elven king¡¯s loyal dog?¡±


    I draw my sword, a thin, silver blade. It¡¯s perfect for stabbing, but can also be used as a slashing weapon if the user decides that it¡¯s necessary. ¡°I just wanted to get a few more answers before I report back. I already caught one of your fellow agents, but something felt off about the body.¡±


    ¡°Yes, about that... how should I put it? He was unfinished. Carving flesh was new to me. The others turned out better.¡± Kerrigan laughs and draws his own blade, a short bastard sword with black runes on it. ¡°Why are you even hunting me? Do you really think that I will tell you anything useful?¡± He tilts his head and frowns. ¡°Or that I can tell you anything?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll get the answers from your corpse. After a few dozen attempts, even I have to admit that my ability isn¡¯t of any help in interrogating you. I won''t even make the mistake of using it against you,¡± I answer and edge slowly closer, careful to stay between Kerrigan and the exit. After hunting him for so long, I have no desire to let him escape a second time.


    The man nods and swings his sword, testing it. ¡°And you really think that you can take me on? It doesn¡¯t matter though¡­ I already created more agents with my abilities. The master will just lose one of his minions. It doesn''t matter.¡±


    I slowly raise my blade, taking an offensive stance. ¡°The last time you got me by surprise. This time, I am prepared for a fight. And I wouldn¡¯t have become his majesty''s assassin if I had only my ability to rely upon,¡± I threaten and take another step, then I jump forward.


    Kerrigan¡¯s sword blurs as he counters with unnatural speed, but I already expected it. The clash of metal on metal rings loudly through the cavern. Only the silent corpses stand witness to our duel.


    I try to centre myself and allow my instincts to take over. Kerrigan is a dangerous opponent, but so am I. We follow a wordless dance of attacks, parries, and evasions. My concentration is completely on his blade. His unnatural speed requires my full attention.


    It''s as if I am in a trance, so it¡¯s almost a shock when my opponent tries to kick my knee. Shifting slightly, I barely avoid losing my footing. Our blades sheer off of each other, drawing a shower of sparks. Ramming him with my shoulder, I shove him back and we resume our duel.


    The exchange happens so fast that neither of us can even attempt to cast a spell.


    No words are spoken as the seconds stretch to over a minute. I feel my muscles starting to hurt, but my opponent must suffer the same problem. Clenching my teeth, I realize that Kerrigan gained a lot of experience. He must have trained day and night since our last encounter. Though, he is still strongly relying on his speed and strength.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Then I realize why his fighting style is so odd. Someone must¡¯ve boosted his power somehow. He isn¡¯t familiar with his own body. That¡¯s why he seems stronger. In essence, he is still green behind the ears when it comes to close combat.


    And here I am, fighting him as if I am facing a sword-master.


    Relying on my footwork, I sidestep his next blow, using my sword to control his blade. My fist impacts his solar plexus and he chokes, falling back, but not showing the reaction which I expected.


    Too late, I realize that whoever changed his body, also made him much sturdier.


    Kerrigan executes a beautiful move, guiding his blade around mine. The tip comes up from beneath my field of vision, pointing directly at my neck. Twisting my upper bodybackwards, I barely avoid having my neck slashed open. Unfortunately, the tip still draws a thin line of burning fire up my cheek and over my right eye.


    The wound isn¡¯t critical, but it hurts like hell and I feel tendrils of mana reaching into my flesh. Crying out in pain, I use the offered chance. Kerrigan¡¯s desire to strike a blow rewarded him with success but also left him unguarded. A mistake which is often made by young swordsmen.


    The veterans know that committing yourself to an attack which leaves you wide open is dangerous. It¡¯s better to wait for a safe opportunity to inflict minor damage, hoping that the opponent bleeds out or loses the strength and concentration to fight back.


    Twisting my blade, I slash it across his belly while I draw it back for a decisive strike. With my free hand, I catch his blade-arm and step towards him. My sword slides easily up to the hilt into his chest. The elven steel parts his leather armour with ease.


    For a long moment, I just stand there, looking into his amused eyes.


    ¡°Looks like your hunt came to an end. But it doesn¡¯t matter. One body falls, while new ones rise.¡± Kerrigan shudders. His voice is strangely shifted as if it''s not his own. ¡°At least he gave you a little parting gift. I am pleased with my creation.¡± Then the light in his eyes dims and Kerrigan is gone... or whoever controlled him.


    The words caused me to shudder.


    I lower the body onto the ground and pull my sword out of his chest. Cursing, I reach for my face and cast a regeneration spell, but the spell matrix ripples and falls apart before settling into place. After trying two more times without success, I begin to suspect that I have a problem. The magic which I felt when I received the wound must have done something to me.


    Turning, I reach for Kerrigan¡¯s sword. Not touching it, I allow my hand to hover just a few inches above the blade. And indeed, the weapon is infused with layers upon layers of enchantments.


    With uneasiness spreading inside me, I rip off the sleeve of my shirt and improvise a bandage.


    ***


    ¡°¡­ and so I brought you the body of one of the agents.¡± I finish my report to the elven king.


    The monarch is sitting on his throne, his latest consort, Gwiaha, sitting on his lap. She has one hand on his chest, while the other rests on her bulging belly. It¡¯s still early, but the tight dress reveals everything. By now it¡¯s undeniable that she is with child. Her formerly firm and flat belly shows clear signs of pregnancy and the fact that the king still tolerates her within his presence can mean only one thing¡­


    I don¡¯t understand why he is so infatuated with her. She is just some upstart noble who he acquired like all his other servants. I expected him to lose interest after a few weeks of fucking her. Is she that good in bed to sway even him? On the other hand, every man has a type of woman he worships.


    The king gestures at my face. ¡°And that? There is really nothing the healers can do?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I grumble. ¡°They tried everything. Healing spells don¡¯t work and the wound doesn¡¯t close. The curse settled into the flesh. Someone suggested to remove the affected area completely or to blast the curse with concentrated magic. That bears its own dangers.¡± I reach up and touch the bandage which covers the wound. ¡°I am not willing to take the risk as long as the wound doesn¡¯t threaten my life.¡±


    The king nods. ¡°We already dealt with someone who likes nasty enchanted blades. I think that you can stop following this trail. With the weapon and the body you brought us, it¡¯s more than enough proof. The spellwork is different, but the underlying principles are similar enough to draw a conclusion. There aren¡¯t many who have the knowledge or the ability to create such enchantments.¡±


    I nod.


    He looks at the ceiling and massages his consort¡¯s thigh. ¡°What do you think of the rebels?¡±


    ¡°Things have clearly gotten out of hand. They are using the slave collars against their enslavers. The Sociocrathy might be able to root them out if they continue to act decisively. It helps that they didn¡¯t embrace slavery like the Empire. In the case of the Empire, I think that they are in trouble. The density of new recruits is much too high in their territory.


    ¡°The Revolutionists are spreading like cancer. The Empire might be able to deal with them in the short term, but the nature of the rebels¡¯ organisation makes me think that it¡¯s impossible to deal with them in a permanent way at this point. They are already out of control.¡±


    I sigh. ¡°They have good leadership and are split into many independent cells. In most cases, one group doesn¡¯t know what the others do, but they are steadily increasing their numbers. The agents who organize them are a different story. The agents don¡¯t take direct action, but they are the ones who coordinate the various groups. The changes to their bodies allow them to be stealthy. What worries me is that they don¡¯t have the collars. Someone branded the enslavement spell directly into their skin.¡±


    The king pulls a grimace. ¡°I saw the body. An ugly piece of work. Worse, I recognized some of the runes. Whoever controls them can watch through their eyes and ears. This is clearly something that deserves everyone¡¯s attention. I have to share this with the others.¡± He waves his hand, dismissing me. ¡°You may go. Find a way to recover from your wound. I need you in top condition.¡±


    I bow. ¡°As you wish.¡±

 99. ~Visions~

    ¡°Beg if you must, but make sure to deal with those who brought you into the position.¡±


    ***Illum***


    ***Esmeralda***


    I slowly follow Janice towards Nova''s palace. My husband, Oswin, and Zane are at my side, but I insisted that my daughter has to stay at our quarters. The child is too young to be included in the impending discussion with Nova. To tell the truth, I am not exactly thrilled about it. It''s shocking that all my teachings didn''t prevent Zane from entangling himself in such a web of responsibilities.


    In his attempt to do the right thing and protect his family, he ended up bargaining with powers who are far above our ability to cope with.


    Forcing my eyes away from Janice''s back, I focus my attention on our surroundings. The street in front of Nova''s little palace is busy, but not cramped. The palace itself, which was made out of white marble,is small but beautiful. It outshines the growing buildings around it. As everywhere in Illum, the palace isn''t what it seems to be. It''s far bigger on the inside, almost wasteful.


    People are milling about, following their various tasks. Illum is a place with many opportunities. Up until now, the rate of unemployment stayed at almost zero.One might think that a place like Illum doesn''t have much to offer, but that''s wrong. Because of all of Nova''s projects to develop Illum, there is even a distinct lack of labour force.


    Wrinkling my nose, I look away from a man who kneeled down in front of the palace to murmur a prayer. His eyes are closed and he seems to be totally serious about his beliefs. Idiot.


    Nova and the Sovereign are powerful, but they are certainly no gods. At least Nova isn''t doing anything to actively encourage this new cult. Though, she isn''t doing anything against it either.


    I have no idea how it started, but when we arrived at Illum, the original settlers of the island already had developed something like a cult. And their religion is spreading massively, especially since Nova grounded a group of people in front of her palace for over an hour and killed an offender who spoke against her rule.


    Admittedly, the woman has mind boggling abilities and knowledge, but that doesn''t make her a god. Does it? What''s required to be counted as a god?


    If she isn''t careful, Illum might turn into a second Sociocrathy.


    Shaking my head, I return my attention to the woman in front of us. Yesterday, the Sovereign simply barged into our quarters and gave us a choice. Taking her social status into account, nobody dared to refuse. Though, Zane is acting much too familiar with her. A sudden suspicion steals itself into my mind. Don''t tell me that he is doing her too!


    ¡°I still don''t like the idea,¡± Zane grumbles.


    Oswin''s answer is equally unhappy. ¡°You don''t have to tell me. It feels like I am being taken by my mum to the school''s director because I did something wrong.¡± He glares at Janice''s back. There is no doubt that he isn''t happy about the Sovereign''s suggestion for Zane to become Nova''s official consort.


    But what other choices do we have? It would be Zane''s - and our family''s - social end if it comes out that he had an affair with Illum''s ruler.


    ¡°Shut up. Both of you,¡± I hiss and shoot an angry look at Zane. ¡°Maybe you should have thought about your actions before you got yourself involved with the Mirai.¡± I quickly shut up when the Sovereign turns around and smiles at us.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°Believe me. This is the best way to settle things. Nova is her own person, but she is still my granddaughter. I don''t want her reputation to be damaged because of an illegitimate consort. Luckily, Zane is already heavily involved with Illum''s politics, so it won''t be hard to turn him into an official consort. Some people may question his suitability, but I am sure that the both of them can shut up any critics.¡±


    ¡°It wouldn''t be the first partnership which is arranged out of convenience. And there is no doubt that Nova is a good catch for any man with balls between his legs,¡± Oswin admits and grins at his son.


    At least Zane has the decency to blush.


    Janice laughs and resumes her march. ¡°Don''t worry. I don¡¯t know why exactly, but I have a feeling that the two of them are meant for each other. It¡¯s their destiny. Besides, if they manage to make it work, their opposing personalities will benefit from each other.¡±


    I raise an eyebrow. It¡¯s far more likely that they will end up trying to kill each other.


    For some reason, I feel like I am being watched. Looking around, I notice a gorgeous blonde in the crowd. She is smiling while looking directly at Janice. Just for a moment, my eyes wander from the stranger to the Sovereign and back. When my attention returns to the stranger, the woman is gone. She must¡¯ve disappeared in the crowd.


    I consider informing the others. Should I follow her? The mere thought makes my whole body shudder, giving me a really bad feeling about such a decision. I shake my head. What good would it do? The Sovereign is a celebrity. There is nothing strange in watching her when she wanders the streets.


    We follow the Sovereign into the palace while I try to forget about the stranger. Something tells me that confronting that woman would open a whole new can of worms.


    I am trying to hide it, but I have a prophetic ability. Unlike a real prophet, I just get a rough feeling if a certain action would be bad or beneficial to me. Getting just a rough feeling is unreliable at best, but I never regretted following my feelings when it was about a major decision.


    Like the urge to dash down the street and follow the stranger. Something tells me that it wouldn''t have ended well.


    My worries are forgotten when we arrive in Nova¡¯s office. Illum¡¯s ruler beams a smile at us and gets to her feet. ¡°Welcome! It¡¯s good to meet you under less formal circumstances.¡± She gestures at the corner to our right. There are two large sofas and a small table between them. Informal indeed.


    I nod and fake a smile, remembering our encounter in the entrance hall. It will be very hard to accept this meddling woman. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure,¡± I lie and walk to the sofa. Doing so, I prepare a mantra in my mind. Nova won''t play with my feelings that easily a second time. Catching me off-guard once is one thing. It''s different if Iknow what to expect from her and Zane.


    The Sovereign gestures for me and Oswin to sit down. Meanwhile, Nova approaches us and links arms with Zane, who is trying to smile despite the awkward moment.


    Nova grins from ear to ear. ¡°It¡¯s so good to finally get this over with. I had my eyes on Zane since he visited my island for the first time. Shooing away his fianc¨¦e in a way which wouldn¡¯t offend him too much was a real piece of work.¡±


    Zane looks at me and his expression says more than a thousand words. ¡®Please don¡¯t let her goad you into doing something stupid.¡¯


    I nod sagely. ¡°Zane told us a lot about the relationship between the two of you. I must admit that I am curious. What do you see in my son?¡±


    Nova looks like she is a little disappointed that I didn¡¯t react to her provocation, but she recovers quickly. If it wasn''t for that short drop of her mask, I wouldn''t be aware that she is playing. The woman is a good actress.


    She chuckles. ¡°Oh, I just like his innocence. Corrupting his ideals is such a sweet pleasure. I wonder how long it will take me to re-train him. You did a decent job in forging this sickening sense of justice in him.¡±


    ¡°Nova... Isn¡¯t the real issue whether you are really pregnant or not?¡± Zane asks. His face is an expressionless mask.


    Nova rolls her eyes. ¡°You lot are so boring. It¡¯s no fun to tease you when you show no reactions.¡± She pulls Zane to the sofa and sits down. ¡°To tell you the truth, I don''t know.¡± She touches her cheek. ¡°I didn''t cast protection spells since you went wild last night. I just played with the thought, but when I saw that you care so much I couldn''t help myself. Having such a leverage on you would be really interesting.¡±


    I am actually not sure if she is just a really meddlesome person, or a complete psycho.


    I lean forward and glare at Nova. ¡°I think that the real issue is something completely different. I don¡¯t trust you and Zane clearly doesn¡¯t love you. As a noble, I am well aware that a partnership between two people of high status often doesn¡¯t include love. This is a harsh world and those who love too much often die cruel deaths. But I also firmly believe that there has to be some kind of balance between the partners. The question is what you want from my son! You don¡¯t get anything from taking him as a consort. I don¡¯t trust you. What if you suddenly decide to throw him away?¡±


    Nova sighs. ¡°Yes, yes. I understand. To tell you the truth, I am the evil overlord who seeks misery for everyone. By saving your family¡¯s lives, I actually doomed all of you to a hopeless existence. Because... guess what? Life sucks! That''s my evil master-plan!¡±


    I look at Oswin. ¡°She doesn¡¯t take us seriously!¡±


    He huffs. ¡°Why should she? She is the one who is holding all the cards.¡±


    Zane clears his throat. ¡°Guys, maybe this meeting was a mistake. I think that you need to leave. Nova and I have to work this out between the two of us. Without interference!¡±


    Nova leans against him. ¡°Oh, hun! You are so strong and manly when you get all hot and bothered. Are you going to take me like last time, or do I get to be on top?¡±


    Zane''s face distorts in disgust.¡°Please be serious. Both of us know that this isn''t your actual personality.¡±

 100. ~End~

    ¡°If your opponent has expectations of you, do something completely different.¡±


    ***Illum***


    ***Nova***


    I wait until the others have left my office, then I shoot a brilliant smile at Zane. ¡°Seems like you ended up with me anyway. I have a proposition. Let¡¯s sort our problem out, settle a few, and kill the rest.¡±


    He sighs, showing that he is really tired of the charade. ¡°Just stop it. Why are you even doing this? I really don¡¯t understand you.¡±


    Puffing out my cheeks, I take my time in formulating an answer. Then I swing my legs onto the sofa, trapping his thighs beneath them. ¡°It¡¯s true that you are nothing more than a gear in my plans. There isn¡¯t anything like true, unending love between us. But you can satisfy my needs and it¡¯s clear that my body is also attracting to you. You already accepted one loveless matchmaking with your former fianc¨¦e. What¡¯s the problem with me?¡±


    ¡°You mean¡­ aside from the point that your sudden change in heart freaks me out?¡± He shrugs. ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t know. Maybe that you are an evil and manipulative person? That I don¡¯t know what you are after? Maybe we should start right there.¡±


    I laugh and lean back, lying down. ¡°So, you exchanged a manipulative spy with me. Don¡¯t you think that you really got the worse deal¡­ Hm¡­ Actually¡­ You might have a point.¡± Waving my hand through the air, I dismiss the issue. ¡°Whatever. Giving you the answer freely wouldn''t be fun. Let¡¯s just say that the future which I envision includes a world without slavery. Or at least with much less than now.¡±


    He furrows his forehead. ¡°What worries me is the way in which you will accomplish such a feat.¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t happen without bloodshed. That much is sure.¡± I raise my hand to stop him. ¡°And before you spout some bullshit about the innocent, ask yourself this: How many victims does inaction claim? According to my rough estimate, there are about fifty million slaves in this world. Or at least people who live in circumstances which are very close to slavery. A slave doesn¡¯t have much of a life expectancy and their children are also born into slavery. So I would say that each day on which we do nothing, about five thousand people die in misery and are born into misery. One point eight million people per year who never had a chance at a decent existence.¡±


    Zane huffs. ¡°You are reducing people to numbers. It isn¡¯t that easy. Your actions will cause a world war. Millions will die. I am not exactly sure if your means justify the goal.¡±


    Now it¡¯s my time to be frustrated. Why doesn¡¯t he get it? It¡¯s such an easy calculation. ¡°You are right. I am a being with unfathomable knowledge and power. At least compared to the common inhabitant of this world. My plan to end slavery could better the lives of future generations, but I am just too lazy to do anything about it. So what if the war costs fifty million lives? Or even a hundred? Within ten to twenty years, I would cause that many deaths by looking away. You know what? Let¡¯s go for the slow approach, which might take dozens of generations and will likely end up in a big war anyway.¡±The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    He looks at me as if I said something strange. ¡°Do you really care about the lives which your inaction costs? You aren''t responsible for the deeds of others.¡±


    ¡°No. A big part of my reasons is that the people of this world are pissing me off, so I am going to teach them a lesson.¡± I sit up and look at him. ¡°So, what do you say? I might even give you some lessons in manipulation and evil master plans.¡±


    He looks doubtful. ¡°Forgive me, but Janice seems to be the better choice for that. I have a feeling that she is the one who set this up.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure? The Mirai are the ones who ran away to an island instead of dealing with their enemies.¡± I sit up and place my feet on the ground. ¡°So? Are we going to do this?¡±


    Zane huffs. ¡°It isn¡¯t as if I have much choice. What comes next?¡±


    ¡°The World Assembly ends this evening, so I will use the opportunity to announce the fact that you are my official consort. It seems appropriate to spread the message.¡±


    Zane covers his face with both hands. ¡°What you want to say is this: By announcing our relationship before Illum¡¯s departure, you make sure that the word spreads quickly to everyone in high places. It will be impossible to revoke it.¡±


    I laugh. ¡°There, you are already learning from me. Give it a few years and you will be able to keep up with my schemes.¡±


    He holds up his hands, giving up. ¡°Let¡¯s just get it over with. But rest assured that I¡¯ll oppose you if your actions aren¡¯t acceptable.¡±


    Oh, you will be cursing me before this is over. ¡°You are so adorable when you are trying to threaten me. Almost like Lucifer.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Where is the cat anyway? Normally, you are sticking to it like glue.¡± Zane surveys the room, searching for my familiar.


    Yeah, that¡¯s one of the things which you are better off not knowing. ¡°He is playing with his toys.¡± Clearing my throat, I reach for his belt. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we celebrate?¡±


    Half an hour later, I let the others back into my office. All of them waited in front of the door.


    Esmeralda is the first one who breaks the awkward silence. ¡°And?¡±


    I giggle. ¡°He hasn¡¯t lost his energy.¡±


    ¡°I will be her consort, however that may play out. We are already in this up to our heads.¡± He looks at me. ¡°And I will get to see the possible results of such a relationship.¡±


    I wave my hand. ¡°As long as you don¡¯t implant this sickening sense of justice in them, I am fine with it.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yeah. About that.¡± Janice turns to face Esmeralda. ¡°The children¡¯s education will be in Nova¡¯s hands. They will be her successors. And as you see¡­ The responsibility for Illum is quickly turning into a heavy burden.¡±


    It¡¯s clear that Zane¡¯s mother isn¡¯t happy about the outcome, but being faced with the Sovereign and me she decides to back down. It isn¡¯t like she is in any position to negotiate.


    I clap my hands and address Janice, ¡°Now that we have it sorted out, what are the plans for our departure? The clock is ticking and you mentioned that you expect trouble from the other factions.¡±


    The Sovereign glares at me. ¡°And who might be the one who drew their attention to us by revealing her capabilities unnecessarily?¡±


    Oh, if she knew that the portals are just the tip of the iceberg. I decide that answering the question would only end up in a useless discussion about my plans, so I remain silent. As if I would tell them anything. At this point, the events are largely unfolding on their own. My minions have their orders and the stage is set.


    ¡°Okay.¡± She sighs. ¡°I don¡¯t think that they will start shooting once the event is over. The non-aggression treaty is in effect until everyone has left the island. They also won¡¯t follow us immediately, so we should use the time to get some distance between us and them.¡±


    She looks at the ceiling and then at the floor, contemplating her next words. ¡°Our biggest problem is Illum¡¯s speed. The island is slow, so we have to rely on your cloaking ability.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we fly at the highest possible altitude?¡± Zane asks. ¡°We already escaped one confrontation by doing so.¡±


    ¡°We can do that, but we would reveal one of our capabilities. You could argue that the Sociocrathy already saw us doing so, but my ships were too far away to identify us with certainty. I would rather have them doubt the fleet¡¯s identity. In their minds, we could¡¯ve been a fleet from the Consortium.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then I would like them to stay in the dark,¡± I add my own opinion. Better to have your enemies doubt each other than to give them certainty.


    ¡°Then do the obvious and split up,¡± Zane interrupts us. ¡°Nova already mentioned that Illum¡¯s offensive capabilities work best if there are no friendly units within reach. Send the Sovereign¡¯s fleet ahead of us and bring Illum to the highest possible altitude as soon as we leave. That will even fuel their doubts ¨C if they have any ¨C about Janice¡¯s fleet being the one which met us above the Sociocrathy''s territory. They will have to ask themselves why we split up.¡±


    I look at him and purse my lips.


    After a few moments, he starts shifting his weight from one foot to the other. ¡°What?¡±


    I shrug. ¡°It¡¯s just that I had already started doubting your qualifications as my fleet commander. You just eased my mind.¡±

 101. ~Bargain~

    ¡°Sometimes there is enough time to fulfill all your desires... and sometimes you don''t have enough of it.¡±


    ***Imperial Flagship ¨C The Emperor¡¯s Fist***


    ***Wisen***


    ¡°I still don¡¯t believe that Nova didn¡¯t have a hand in Hesh¡¯s disappearance.¡± I look around, trying to make eye contact with everyone at the table. To my left and to my right are the Alliance¡¯s ambassador, a beastkin, and Rufus who speaks for the Consortium. On the other side of the table is one of the Sociocrathy¡¯s priests.


    I clear my throat and continue, trying to put as much emotion as possible into my voice. ¡°Just imagine what might happen if Nova decides that she wants to get to you? She took Hesh from a heavily defended warship. Can you be sure that she can¡¯t do the same to you? Can you be sure that your families are safe? How long until she decides to get more hostages?¡±


    I am trying my best to play with their emotions, just as father taught me. They followed my invitation, but up until now, the negotiations went badly. They refused to act before the non-aggression treaty is over. ¡°You refused to act while the World Assembly was still ongoing. Now, with Illum¡¯s knowledge about portals revealed, can you really refuse my suggestion?¡±


    The Alliance¡¯s ambassador laughs and shakes his head, tilting his long ears backwards. ¡°We have no direct quarrel with Illum. We aren¡¯t their friends, but that doesn¡¯t mean that we have to help our mortal enemies against them. I don¡¯t even understand why you invited me to this meeting. The Alliance and your Empire are in a state of war.¡±


    I glare at the beastkin. The furry bastard is too sure of himself. Instead of seeing the opportunity to collect favour with the Empire he looks down on me. It¡¯s for a good reason why most of the demi-humans in the Empire are slaves. Only a few are brave enough to choose the path which doesn¡¯t end in their enslavement.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    To survive in the Empire, you have to be strong and ruthless.


    Looking away from the insolent idiot, I concentrate my attention on the others. ¡°The World Assembly is almost over and Illum has proven to be a danger to the balance of power in this world. Are you really sure that you don¡¯t want to join the pursuit? This may be our last chance to catch the flying island. They have split up with the Mirai fleet. There is no chance that they can face the combined power of our fleets.¡±


    The priest nods and reaches for the amulet around his neck. ¡°The Sociocrathy will lend you some of our warships. Though, I fail to see how we are supposed to catch them. Illum travels far too high to engage them with normal airships.¡±


    Rufus clears his throat. ¡°The Consortium won¡¯t break the ancient laws of the World Assembly. Following a recognized participant of the event with ill intent¡­ that¡¯s far too close to breaking the rules.¡± He raises a finger and smiles. ¡°But we see the wisdom in your argument. We might be able to help your magical engineers with a little guidance. Let¡¯s say, with some small adjustments to your barriers and environmental enchantments? It would allow you to travel at much higher altitudes.¡±


    Narrowing my eyes, I try to find asting in this offer. Why would the Consortium help me? Is their financial quarrel with Illum enough to cause such a reaction. Though, Illum is clearly attacking the Consortium¡¯s power base by trying to establish an academy for young mages.


    After considering the matter for a few seconds, I nod appreciatively. Every piece of knowledge which the Consortium gives for free should be taken without questions. I don¡¯t want to know what they would charge for such enhancements under normal circumstances. Usually, they trade in finished artefacts and enviously guard all their knowledge on how to create the item itself. When they leaked the information on portal technology, they bled most of the smaller nations dry. ¡°How quickly can these adjustments be made?¡±


    Rufus shrugs. He doesn¡¯t seem to be too concerned about the matter. ¡°Oh, it should be fairly simple. The infrastructure in your ships is sufficient to make the adjustments. The barrier enchantments of an airship are designed to be easily adjusted. Otherwise, it would be hard to react to new offensive spells. Of course, your ships will still be limited compared to ours. They simply weren¡¯t built for the purpose, but your new capability should come as a shock for Nova.¡±


    Finally, I return my attention to the beastkin who looks in disgust at Rufus. Noticing my attention, the beastkin sneers at me. ¡°No.¡± He shakes his head and crosses his arms in front of his chest. ¡°Fight your own battles. The Alliance will fly home.¡±


    ¡°So be it!¡± I seal the deal without remorse. The Alliance might be right that the Empire is weakened, but they will never defeat us. Their troops still haven¡¯t engaged our elite warriors. Once they do, they will learn the error of their ways.


    It¡¯s not as if we need their airships. The combined forces of the Sociocrathy and the Empire should be enough to deal with Illum. And once I have Hesh back, I will slap a slave collar onto that wench and use her however I desire. She will be an enticing addition to my pleasure house.

 102. ~Mission~

    ¡°Most battles are decided by the intelligence team.¡±


    ***Illum***


    ***Fae***


    ¡°The evacuation exercises aren''t well received by the civilians. There are a lot of complaints about lost time. Many don''t want to accept that waiting inside the living areas is safer than being outside. They argue that it doesn''t matter where they are if Illum gets destroyed.¡±


    I finish my report and rub my cheek tiredly. Somehow I ended up with the job to coordinate the civilians in case of a crisis. We should have done it sooner, but there are so many things to consider that it didn''t come up.


    This is the first real meeting we had since the destruction of Laos. For the sake of getting everyone up to date, everyone of importance met in the large conference room which is adjacent to Nova''s quarters. For that reason, we gathered around the large, round table.


    The others look solemn, but a lot better than me. My hooded eyes are proof of the hard work which I invested since we departed the World Assembly. I run a hand through my blonde hair and wince. A proper bath wouldn''t be half bad either.


    Our departure was three days ago and I''ve had three scheduled evacuation exercises since then. None of them went down as smoothly as I wished.There are always stupid stragglers or people who plainly refuse to take part in the exercise. I wonder what they would do if there is a real danger.


    Tristen gives me a reassuring smile. ¡°You are doing a good job, Fae. Everyone can see that you are giving your best, but some things simply don''t work with pretty words alone. Brian and I will try to get the guard involved in the exercise. There will always be some people who need a few good arguments and a little authority to follow orders.¡±


    Brian snorts. ¡°You want to say that they need the stick!¡±


    Nova sighs and pushes a stack of documents to the side, allowing them to disappear beneath the table. She always does that when a report is too detailed. Having disposed of the offending material, she turns her attention to me. ¡°Well, I suppose that it''s good for the people to get the experience. The whole enterprise isn''t a total failure. We already made several adjustments which make a panic less likely. Wider corridors and more access-points to the living areas for example. Though, it irks me that getting everyone under ground takes over an hour.¡±


    She smiles. ¡°It isn''t your fault. I can see that you didn''t get much sleep recently.¡±


    I nod. ¡°The worst problem are the market stall owners. They refuse to leave until their shops are closed down,¡± I grumble.


    Nova rubs her temples and grimaces. ¡°We will pass down a law that requires them to be able to close their shops within ten minutes. Or we forbid stalls and booths altogether. Illum isn''t an average city. Even if it weren''t for the danger of a military attack, there could be other problems which require safety evacuations.¡± She turns her attention to Zane. ¡°How are your forces doing?¡±


    Her consort plays with his control ring and calls up a hologram. A cube appears above the table. It slowly turns around itself, displaying several charts. The spreadsheets inform us of the status of Illum''s military units. There are several columns with numbers and explanations next to them. Strangely enough, the most important ones seem to refer to our available manpower. But before I can ask the obvious question, Zane starts explaining.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°I am reasonably happy, though not everything is as rosy as it seems. My people are getting used to the new ships and I''ve several new tactics in mind which make full use of their capabilities. We have about eight hundred fighters, two hundred bombers, and ninety of the larger attack cruisers. There is no reason to complain about our resources. Illum¡¯s average soldier is better equipped than most elite troops of other nations.¡±


    They better be. Nova poured more resources into our growing military than is healthy for a nation.


    Even though the mentioned numbers sound awesome, Zane shakes his head. ¡°Sadly, I have to inform you that there is a major problem. Our air-forces rely on large numbers and speed. The fighter jets and bombers are fast, but their defence is weak. Their very nature makes them perfect for swarm tactics. It''s a completely new strategy for this world. None of the other nations will expect it. Illum is a floating dockyard which doubles as a carrier and a dreadnought. Normally, it would be a strong and reliable strategy.


    ¡°The issue is that we simply lack the manpower to make full use of it. On paper, we have pilots for all the ships, but in reality, I wouldn''t trust even half of them with their vessels. Not everyone is a natural talent like Willow. I suspect that sending them into a real battle right now would cost us a lot of pilots due to human mistakes. The fighter jets are so fast that a single wrong reaction means the end.¡±


    He leans back in his chair. ¡°Oh, I am reasonably sure that they can lift off, land, and fly in a straight line. But any kind of real combat manoeuvres?¡± He shakes his head. ¡°Most of them will collide with an ally or fly their machines straight into the ground. And a machine that isn¡¯t piloted by a capable man won¡¯t last ten seconds against an airship.¡±


    Turning, he looks at Nova, a grave expression on his face. ¡°I am afraid that you underestimated the spell projectors which are installed on each and every airship. They are the most used weapons in aerial combat on this world, but I can¡¯t blame you for making this mistake. You never got to see the spell projectors used to their full capability. All you saw of them are a few oversized fireballs, which are admittedly the best way to fight other airships.


    ¡°The spell projectors are large prisms which can channel magic. If they are supplied with enough power, they can turn a simple fireball into a spell that¡¯s strong enough to destroy an airship. Do you already realize where this is going?¡±


    Nova tilts her head and looks at the table in front of her. It doesn''t appear as if she is offended by Zane''s critique. ¡°You want to say that they will simply use other spells against our fighters. Maybe we can take them by surprise and deal a few initial blows, but that won¡¯t last. Once they realize that their fireballs are too slow to hit a fighter jet, they will change to other spells which are more effective. The weak defence of our fighters will turn into a problem.¡±


    He nods. ¡°I can imagine that they will be surprised. Maybe they will even take a few unnessecary losses until they adapt, but I can think of several spells which would be effective against small objects with weak defences. As an example, something that¡¯s based on lightning magic would be hard to evade.¡±


    Tristen raises his hand to gain our attention. ¡°Would you please explain why that¡¯s a problem? We still have about four hundred ships. Isn¡¯t that enough?¡±


    Zane snorts. ¡°That¡¯s true, but our best tactic would be to overwhelm the enemy with numbers and firepower. I would say that ten fighters have a reasonably good chance to take down an airship with their first attack run. Fifteen to be sure. Four hundred divided by fifteen is twenty-seven, rounded up.¡±


    He crosses his arms in front of his chest. ¡°So I would say that I feel secure in taking on a force of thirty airships without unreasonable losses. Anything above that and we have to expect a lot of casualties among our pilots. That¡¯s something I want to avoid at all costs at this point in time. We are still training up our forces. Spending a week at the World Assembly didn¡¯t exactly help. We were building new ships, but our new pilots weren¡¯t able to train.¡±


    ¡°So we have to avoid a battle,¡± Nova murmurs. ¡°How long until all of our forces are ready? If they get out to train every day?¡±


    Zane furrows his forehead. ¡°One- maybe two months. Some of our pilots grasped the concept very quickly, but most are struggling with quick manoeuvres. The training schedule is already very demanding. I even put up with losses due to training accidents. It teaches the other pilots to be careful with the machines.¡±


    It¡¯s Kiara who speaks next. ¡°So we rely on our cloud to hide us while we travel to the Mirai State. Shouldn¡¯t we send out some of the fighters as scouts? It would be nice to have some warning ahead of time in case that we are being followed. Isn¡¯t that the reason why we have this meeting?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s actually a good idea. Didn¡¯t I add a cloaking function to the smallest vessels?¡± Nova turns, looking expectantly at Zane.


    He nods. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure that our scouts patrol the area around Illum.¡±

 103. ~Patience~

    ¡°Sometimes, those who have more tricks up their sleeves win the battle.¡±


    ***Illum***


    ***Zane***


    I don''t have to hear the scout''s whole report to know that this is bad news. Waving a hand, I order the man to sound the alarm. While doing so, I try to think of a way to escape this battle, I get out of my chair and leave my office. Ignoring the chaos around me, I head directly towards Nova''s office. If that annoying woman has a trick up her sleeve, then she should use it right now.


    All around me, men and women are running to their stations. Most of them are pilots who have to get to their ships. I don''t feel comfortable in sending them into battle, but it will be unavoidable.


    Leaving the hangar''s military area, I walk to the palace. Illum''s public alarm sounds. It''s an annoying hooting sound which swells and dims in regular intervals. But the civilians around me don''t act immediately. They look confused. It takes them several seconds to understand that this isn''t an exercise. Once they realize their situation, they start moving, slowly.


    I reach the palace and head directly into Nova''s office. She is standing on her balcony, looking at the sky. Though, there isn''t much to see. Illum is hidden within a cloud. Beyond the sphere-shaped barrier which is surrounding us, only dull, white fog paints the scenery.


    ¡°They found us,¡± I say loud enough for her to hear me.


    She doesn''t look at me. ¡°Hm. I wonder how they accomplished that? I thought that my protections against scrying spells were sufficient. On the other hand, who knows which methods of spying were smuggled onto Illum up until now. A small transmitter would be hard to detect.¡±


    ¡°I don''t think that they needed anything fancy. Their ships are fast and can cover a lot of distance. In addition, the weather is rather nice. We are the only cloud in an otherwise blue sky. It takes no genius to figure out that there is something strange about us,¡± I muse.


    Nova turns around and looks at me. ¡°How is the situation?¡±


    ¡°We counted fifty ship''s from the Empire. Their cuboid designs are easy to identify. They are approaching us in a single, large formation from the west, slightly above our altitude.¡± I clear my throat. ¡°There are also twenty-five weapon platforms from the Sociocrathy. They are quickly approaching from the east, trying to cut off our path.¡±


    Nova returns to her office. ¡°Those are a lot of ships and they are able to match our altitude. It seems like someone gave them a little technological help. And, aren''t we missing two ships? There were fifty-two of them at the World Assembly.¡± She gestures towards her office table and a three-dimensionalonal representation of our situation appears above it. ¡°I didn''t expect such a strong reaction.¡±


    ¡°It''s unlikely that our scout miscounted. Maybe the missing ships were sent back to the Empire, or they are hiding somewhere. We aren''t the only ones with a form of stealth-tec,¡± I muse. After a moment of consideration, I continue, ¡°I think that your portal spell might have been the deciding factor for the Sociocrathy to intervene. Hesh''s abduction alone would have caused a reaction from the Empire. The prince isn''t known to hold back.¡±


    She looks at me and raises an eyebrow. ¡°I never admitted that I did abduct Hesh.¡±


    ¡°We both know that you are the one who is behind his disappearance.¡± I sigh, studying her regal expression. ¡°But that''s beside the point. They will reach us in an hour, maybe less. We didn''t get accurate readings on their speed.¡±


    ¡°I really have to think of a working concept for long range sensors. Reinventing radar will be a pain in the ass. The calculation power isn''t a problem, but I will have to develop a completely new set of machinery.¡± Nova nods and reaches down to pet Lucifer. The ghost cat is lying on her office chair, curled up into a ball. The purring furball grew from a kitten into young cat. Just like a real cat, he ignores Nova''s attention stoically.


    The door opens and the Sovereign steps into the office. ¡°I''ve heard about the sighting. How much time do we have?¡±


    I turn to Janice, surprised. ¡°I thought that you went with your fleet.¡±


    She shakes her head. ¡°How could I leave my granddaughter behind? We still have an agreement.¡±


    Nova crosses her arms in front of her chest. ¡°It''s not like you can do anything against a whole fleet. And how did you manage to hide on Illum?¡± Pulling her eyebrows together, Nova''s eyes flick around, looking at something only she can see. ¡°I saw you leave on your flagship.¡±


    Janice waves her hand dismissingly. ¡°I came back to Illum after I gave my generals their orders, then I wandered Illum''s lower levels until the real alarm went off. The rest of the time I spent in my quarters. All of your surveillance techniques don''t help if you don''t use them. After all, you only have limited time and attention span. There is too much information for you alone to manage.¡±


    Nova grunts, but doesn''t reply. She clearly isn''t pleased.


    Janice continues. ¡°It''s true that I can''t help much. My fleet is about a day away, but I think that I can rescue a few people once the dying starts. I intend on getting at least Nova safely back to Mirai, even if Illum falls. And if I have to pull rank and drag her by one ear, then I''ll do it.¡±


    The Sovereign surely doesn''t lack confidence. On Illum Nova seems like a god, but I have heard stories about necromancers on battlefields. Each death boosts their power. Janice said that Nova has the upper hand while she is on Illum... but is that also true if the Sovereign''s power is boosted by a large scale battle? Would it even the playing field?


    Nova dismisses the Sovereign''s words. ¡°It won''t come to that. Illum still has a few hidden cards to play. I admit that the odds are worse than I expected, but I won''t roll over and give up.¡± She plays with her long hair, curling it around her finger. Her mind is clearly somewhere else.


    We remain silent.


    It takes a few minutes, but slowly the rest of the command staff arrives at Nova''s office. I use the time to fill everyone in on the situation. None of them are pleased to see such a large force assembled against us.


    Another messenger arrives, giving us more accurate information on the location and speed of the forces which are assembled against Illum. I decide to shake Nova out of her dreams. ¡°They are forty minutes out. Nova, we need a plan, but I can''t come up with one if I don''t know Illum''s exact capabilities. You kept your mouth shut about our weaponry. Now is a good time to come clean.¡±


    She tilts her head and looks at me. ¡°There are few viable options. Illum can''t rise fast enough to escape them and yesterday''s report was clear enough on the fighter''s capabilities.¡± Tapping her chin with one finger, she looks out of the window. ¡°Launch our air-force now, but send only the experienced pilots. They are to form up and attack the Sociocrathy''s weapon platforms in a pre-emptive strike. The less reliable pilots stay inside the hangar.¡±You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    I glance at the three dimensional map. ¡°If they fly to meet the weapon platforms, they won''t be able to be back in time. The Empire''s ships will catch up with us before they are back. Our fighters need twenty minutes to reach the weapon platforms. Even if they take them down instantly and turn around the same second, which I don''t believe, it will be a close call.¡±


    Nova nods and I feel my weight shifting. The sensation is gentle, but noticeable. Illum is changing course.


    ¡°We will meet the Empire''s fleet even sooner than that. I want the small vessels to be out of the way while Illum engages the Empire''s ships.¡± Nova turns her attention to the map. ¡°It should be doable.¡±


    I am not sure about her plan, but I use my ring to send out the required orders.


    The Sovereign squints her eyes and studies Nova. ¡°Illum can take fifty of the Empire''s finest ships head on?¡±


    Nova shrugs as the clouds beyond her window dissipate, revealing clear, blue sky. ¡°I hope so.¡± She walks around her office table and leaves the room, heading to the staircase which leads to the observation platform above the palace.


    I study the Sovereign''s taut expression. The others, Fae, Tristen, Kiara and Brian look agitated. It''s clear that none of them know any more than I about Illum''s power. Admittedly, the flying island already proved its ability to wipe out two airships with ease. But can it stand up to a whole fleet of fifty ships? ¡°We should have kept the Sovereign''s fleet closer. With the additional ships it would''ve been easy to repel the enemy.¡±


    The Sovereign shakes her head and follows Nova up a narrow stairway. ¡°Nobody anticipated that their ships can travel at this altitude. The intention behind our plan was to avoid a confrontation entirely. I am also surprised that it didn''t work out. The plan was sound, but we clearly lacked vital information. Rufus must have had his fingers in this. It would be just like him to leak critical technology at an inopportune moment.¡±


    I notice that Nova''s movements aren''t as fluent as usual. Normally, her movements flow in a sensual manner, but now she seems to be agitated and stiff.


    We reach the end of the stairway and step onto the observation platform. The cloud which covered us is behind us, but without the barriers which held it in place it quickly loses its form and density.


    A steady stream of various aircraft are flowing out from the hangar at Illum''s underside. I sigh in relief upon seeing that the hangar''s crew is doing an admirable job at organizing the starts of so many ships in quick succession. Getting all pilots queued up to enter their machines is a nightmare. It took us two weeks to work out a viable solution which doesn''t end in assured chaos.


    At the horizon, I can see a flock of little, dark objects. Those are surely the Empire''s ships. I walk over to the storage shelf which is positioned next to the staircase. Inside it are several telescopes. After handing them out, I walk up to the balustrade to take a good look. The Empire''s fleet is composed of airships of various sizes.


    The smallest ones are comparable to my old frigate. With a weak defence, they should be equipped with several spell projectors, making them dangerous for any slower ship or ground-based forces.


    Then there are some larger vessels, which make up most of the attack force. With a hundred metres in length, they are comparable to an Alliance destroyer. They are slow but are heavily shielded. With the ability to overlap their barriers, they should be taken seriously.


    Lastly, there are the Empire''s dreadnoughts. Large ships with over a hundred metres in length. Just as in the Alliance, none of the three dreadnoughts looks like the other. Such large ships require huge power stones which are really rare, so the ship is built for the power stone, instead of the other way around. This practice results in quite unique ship designs.


    ¡°I think that I know which ships are missing,¡± I inform the others. ¡°Two of their dreadnoughts aren''t with the fleet, maybe even the prince''s flagship.¡± I lower the telescope and notice that our swarm of aircraft is deployed. They form up and fly eastwards to meet the Sociocrathy''s weapon platforms.


    Nova doesn''t pay them any attention. Her entire concentration is focused on the Empire''s fleet. ¡°The missing ships are bugging me. I don''t like games with hidden pieces.¡± She looks around as if she is able to see something which we can''t. ¡°Does the Empire have cloaking technology?¡±


    Janice purses her lips. ¡°We keep track of all of their large ships. They shouldn''t have the knowledge, but the prince''s flagship and her sister-ship were newly deployed just over a year ago. It''s possible that they have a few tricks up their sleeves.¡±


    ¡°It''s not like I can change my set of cards at this point,¡± Nova mumbles.


    We wait and watch the Empire''s fleet coming closer. When they are ten kilometres away, Illum''s force cannons fire and settle into a steady staccato. It takes three entire seconds before the barriers of the Empire''s ships flare up. They are clearly struggling to hold off the sheer amount of projectiles, but then the Empire''s ships draw closer together.


    ¡°They are layering their barriers to protect each other,¡± I inform Nova. She must realize what''s going on, but I say it anyway to make sure that she understands the problem.


    The Empire''s fleet answers a few seconds later with a barrage of fireballs. Most of the spells are three metres in diameter, but the three dreadnoughts play in a wholly different league. Huge spheres of fire appear in front of each of the three ships and shoot towards us.


    Nova immediately redirects the fire of our force cannons. One of the large fireballs explodes before it reaches us, quickly followed by the second. The third sphere shoots across the remaining space between them and us. It strikes our barrier and spreads out like liquid fire, eating away at our barrier''s spell matrix. Illum vibrates like a bell, but our barrier holds.


    Some of the smaller fireballs also find their target, but they are far less effective.


    Grabbing the balustrade, I announce my displeasure. ¡°I don''t think that we should take a second one of those on purpose.¡±


    ¡°No, we shouldn''t,¡± Nova says and answers the Empire''s attack with a barrage of missiles, quickly followed by a second one. I already saw them in action, but these are smaller and quicker than the ones in my memory. And there are hundreds of them.


    Quickly realizing the danger, the Empire''s fleet answers with several beams of searing light. Sweeping the spells back and forth across the cloud of incoming objects, they take out several scores of missiles. Most blow up, taking out other missiles.


    Finally, the surviving missiles reach the fleet, converging on several ships. The overlapping barriers flare up, but the missiles punch unhindered through the first layer, exploding on the second or third. The explosions within the barriers weaken not just one barrier, but two.


    Entire sections of the fleet''s barrier network collapse. The remaining missiles find their targets. Seven ships are torn to shreds and one of the frigates simply disappears in a huge explosion. The force of the explosion makes me doubt that there is something left that''s bigger than my thumb.


    One of the dreadnoughts takes a heavy beating. The front section of the three hundred metre long cuboid is split apart, taking out several spell projectors and rendering the vessel pretty much useless. But the stubborn ship stays afloat.


    Illum''s force cannons keep pressuring the fleet. Having lost their shielding, four of the larger ships tilt as projectiles punch through the wood as if it isn''t there. Having lost some of the vital enchantments, they roll over and plummet out of the sky.


    The second barrage of missiles is about to hit when some of the Empire''s ships push out their barriers considerably, stacking several layers on top of each other. Covering such a large area, the barriers are weakened considerably, but that''s not the point.


    Illum''s missiles pass unhindered through the first and second layer, just to explode far away from the actual defences.


    Nova clicks her tongue in displeasure. ¡°They have figured it out. Someone taught them modern battle strategies!¡±


    ¡°Aren''t the missiles smart enough to recognize the issue?¡± I ask.


    She shakes her head in dismay. ¡°I went for cheap and quick to produce, hoping that nobody would figure out their weakness. The fairies are already enchanting the missiles on the assembly line. Otherwise I would have had just a few missiles.¡±


    The enemy fleet steadily hammers Illum''s barriers with fireballs, and then the two undamaged dreadnoughts fire again. Again, one of the liquid fireballs is taken out by the force cannons, but being even closer to the enemy, they can''t catch the second attack in time.


    Again, liquid fire splashes against our barriers. They flicker, and this time a hole opens inside the force fields. A jet of flames pushes through and hits the large sphere of glass at Illum''s side. The thick glass melts and cracks. The contained water evaporates and covers the entire area in mist.


    Nova presses her lips into a thin line. ¡°They destroyed the public pond... That wasn''t nice.¡±


    I want to complain about her aloofness, when the air to Illum''s left shimmers and two dreadnoughts appear out of nowhere. They collide with Illum''s weakened barriers and punch through. One collides with the outer ring, the other swivels and crashes against the inner island. The ground beneath my feet shakes as troops spill out of the huge ships.


    Brian and Tristen are instantly busy with their command rings, ordering our guards to the affected areas. Fae curses, and Kiara lets out a shriek, fearing what''s about to happen.


    Janice turns to her granddaughter. ¡°Are you still so sure that Illum will survive this?¡±


    Nova ignores the two dreadnoughts which are clinging to Illum''s side like predators to their prey. Coming even closer, the rest of the Empire''s fleet is now clearly visible. Just a little longer and they will try to board us with their own troops.


    ¡°So, they have showed us their hand.¡± Illum''s ruler draws in a deep breath and lets out a long sigh. ¡°I really didn''t want to use this.¡±

 104. ~Voice~

    ¡°It is said that merely facing a god is enough for mortals to perish.¡±


    ***Illum***


    ***Janice***


    ¡°I really didn''t want to use this.¡±


    ¡°We- we have to do something!¡± Kiara stutters. ¡°We can''t repel that many invaders. If more ships manage to breach the barriers...¡± Seeing the rest of the imperial fleet closing in, her voice fades away in silent desperation.


    ¡°Don''t worry.¡± Nova steps forward and raises her hands. ¡°Illum is more than a piece of rock. It''s form and function. My masterpiece, Illum is perfection. It won''t fall to anyone as long as I am alive. Anyone who saw me shape the island should know that. Within Illum, force and space bend to my will.¡±


    I can feel the ever present spacial enchantments around us. Normally, they are nothing more than background noise to my senses, but now they twist and bend like the muscles of a living being. Smiling, I realize that Nova''s connection to her creation is even deeper than I thought.


    The world around us bends out of shape like a deformed mirror. I feel like I am falling, then I am suddenly standing on my head and an invisible force pulls me forward. As suddenly as it begun, everything returns to normal. Though, our location is different. The entire observation platform is now hovering above Illum''s centre.


    Fae falls to her knees and barfs onto the floor, but nobody takes notice of it. Everyone who understood what just happened is too shocked. Nova didn''t merely teleport the observation platform. She used Illum''s spacial enchantments to rearrange Illum''s layout.


    As if teaching a bunch of students, she explains everything. ¡°Space is a function which can be described by constants like energy and mass.¡± Nova steps off the platform, floating forward as if she is weightless. ¡°If you describe space as a cube, for example, it takes only a small operation to turn the cube inside out.¡±


    She reaches out and the space around Nova twists, revealing gaping emptiness, white nothingness, and returns to normal, spilling out several man-sized crystals of various colours. Blue, green, red, black, white and violet. They pulse like a beating heart and sparks of white energy are connecting them.


    And then I realize that they are power cores. In a way, they are a heart. Illum''s heart.


    Nova spreads her hands as if she is receiving a blessing and six bolts of pure energy latch onto her body, curling around her and connecting her directly to the power cores. I raise a hand to shield myself from the blinding light. That''s why Nova devised the new control interface. Not to play a stupid game, but to control Illum''s power directly with her mind.


    The energies wrap around her body like coiling snakes. When she opens her mouth, it''s as if her voice is all around me. I don''t know the language. The words are strangely melodic, yet purposeful and clean. They have a musical beauty and are yet mathematically precise.


    Slowly, the song increases in speed. I have no other words for what she is doing. Her words are a song of... I don''t know what. It''s as if the words burrow into my mind, so I erect several shields. Their protection gains me at least some relief.


    The power flows off Nova in cascades of light and into Illum''s barriers, strengthening them. Runes of golden energy appear on Illum''s force fields. They spread and grow like the roots of a plant.


    The dreadnought which is attached to Illum''s ring didn''t swivel when it rammed us. Its hull is still within the barrier. When the growing runes reach it, the huge ship twists and is broken like a child''s toy. The remains plummet to the ground, taking most of the crew with them.


    Nova''s song is doing this. She is programming the power cores and shaping their magic with her voice at the same time. Where did she learn a language that can shape magic?


    I wince and cover my ears. There must be a telepathical aspect to her hymn. I can''t even hear the sound of the fireballs which are exploding against the barrier. Somehow, she separated Illum from the outside world. Studying the golden runes, I recognize them as the inscriptions which are necessary to create a spacial chest. Is that how Nova enhanced our defences?


    And then I realize that none of the ships around us are shooting. The Empire''s fleet already reached Illum. They are surrounding us like a swarm of vultures. Though, none of them is doing anything. They are simply floating there, waiting.


    Then I notice that one of the ships is close enough to the barrier to make out the crew. The ship is hovering right outside Illum''s barriers. The men on its deck are lying on the floor and holding their heads. Some aren''t moving at all, others are rolling around as if they are in great pain. I raise my telescope to find out what''s going on.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    It''s a scene right out of a horror movie. The Empire''s soldiers are bleeding from their eyes, noses, and ears. It seems like something ruptured all of the soft tissue in their bodies... And some of them are indeed coughing up their guts.


    As I watch, the glass in one of the ship''s portholes cracks and shatters, telling me exactly what''s going on. Nova turned Illum''s barrier into an oversized speaker system, a sound-based weapon.


    Remembering the others, I check Nova''s subordinates. Luckily, it seems like her song has only a stunning effect on the people inside Illum''s barrier. They are also covering their ears, but they don''t bleed out of every opening in their bodies.


    The song comes to a final crescendo and fades away, leaving me with a pang of regret. It''s like something beautiful ended forever. Illum''s barrier fades away and the light breeze of the sea picks up again, carrying the smell of salt water.


    In the wake of Nova''s song, only silence remains.


    Opening my senses, I feel the power rushing into me. The necromantic energies of thousands of deaths are fuelling my powers all at once. The sweet energy of death is intoxicating, causing green lightning to crackle between my fingertips.


    Nova twists her wrists and dismisses the power cores with a gesture. Space bends and twists, sucking up the artefacts of power. In the same moment, the world around us flows back to its proper state, returning the observation platform to the palace.


    For whatever reason, Nova had to perform her piece in the centre of Illum''s barriers.


    She turns around and croaks with a husky voice. ¡°Do you want... to join me... in the mop-up operation? There... are still some... invaders left.¡±


    Zane expression turn worried. ¡°Are you alright? That was an awful amount power to channel directly through your mind.¡±


    Nova makes a dismissive gesture. ¡°I didn''t... channel it. Manipulated it... from the outside... with my voice.¡± She shakes her head. ¡°But that language... isn''t meant... for human vocal cords.¡±


    I can only guess that, at one point or the other, she had a rather strange reincarnation in a very different dimension.


    The sound of battle draws our attention to the remaining dreadnought which is still anchored at Illum''s main body. I grin and draw my sword. ¡°Well, you just overcharged me with the power of thousands of deaths. It would be a shame not to use it.¡± Casting levitation magic, I jump into the air and fly towards the dreadnought.


    The ship crashed into Illum''s side, slightly towards the frontal section. Unfortunately for us, there are a lot of the public buildings there. Unfortunately for them, that''s also very close to Illum''s military facilities, so the local forces should have reacted quickly enough to contain the attackers.


    I reach the affected area first. It''s a battlefield. There must be over a hundred casualties on both sides. The Empire''s soldiers are holding a few buildings right next to the dreadnought, but that''s as far as they got. Illum''s guard barricaded themselves inside the buildings across the street. Their energy weapons give them vastly more firepower. Every attempt to break through the defenders is met with a barrage of white energy bolts.


    I summon an energy shield and land right between a group of corpses. Murmuring the incantations, I fill the air with my power allowing it to escape my grasp. The spell attaches to one corpse, then another.


    Twitching and moaning, the bodies of Illum''s former defenders rise for their last battle, joined by the corpses of the invaders. Someone shoots a lance of ice at me, but it glances off my shield without effect.


    The inflow of necromantic power turned into a slow irregular rivulet, but I am sure that my new servants will sacrifice a few more Imperials for me. Pointing my finger at the building from where the ice bolt came, I grin and whisper, ¡°Food.¡±


    Howling, the wild mob of zombies rushes forward. Some are still holding their weapons, but without the memories of their souls, they don''t have the wits to use them. Screams from inside the building inform me that my minions found the offender.


    From high up in the sky, I see Nova levitating above the battlefield. It doesn''t seem like she is doing anything, but her pointing hand is accompanied by the loud screams of several people. I shudder at the thought of being crushed like a bug. It would be hard to revive my body, even using necromancy.


    Strolling forward, I assemble my army and imprint them with the idea that the dreadnought is their home. Nova wouldn''t be happy if I start a zombie apocalypse on her island. My undead soldiers are stupid but relentless, so it doesn''t take long to travel the two hundred metres of buildings which are occupied by the Empire''s troops. I lose a few zombies for every building I clear out, but there are more than enough bodies to replace the losses.


    The entire business quickly turns into a slaughter.


    At last, I come face to face with the last remnants of the invaders. They are holding the ramp which leads into a huge hangar in the dreadnought''s side. Having gathered over sixty zombies, I point my sword at the ramp.


    Among the enemies, I recognize the Empire''s prince, Wisen. Reaching for my magic, I imagine invisible strings connecting me to the zombies. Pulling at their leashes, I redirect them like puppets.


    The prince wears a golden set of full plate armour. He raises a big war-hammer and swings it towards the zombies. With a flash of light, he fells several of my minions, turning them to ashes. ¡°By the Empire! Don''t waver!¡±


    Somehow, his subordinates gather their courage and form a line against the attacking horde.


    Wisen raises his hammer again and the ramp is covered in a dome of light. My zombies break through the shield but are visibly weakened. The Empire''s soldiers have an easy time killing them.


    Nova lands next to me, followed by Zane. Her consort spits on the ground in disgust. ¡°It''s sickening to see someone like him use holy magic.¡±


    ¡°Not for long.¡± Nova reaches out, closing her hand as if she is crushing something.


    The prince falters and shrieks as an invisible force picks him up. His armour flares up with energy and I coo in anticipation at seeing the end of yet another member of that wretched family.


    In a last act of desperation, Wisen reaches for the amulet around his neck and rips it off, crushing the green crystal. The distinct energy-ring of a portal rips a hole into reality and engulfs the prince. One moment later, he is gone.


    Nova screams like a child who was denied her toy. She forms a fist and brings it down on an invisible object. The Empire''s soldiers who are on the ramp, as well as a sizeable amount of my minions are crushed into a red paste. With them, the ramp breaks and a dent forms in the ground. That doesn''t hinder the rest of my zombies to jump over the gap between Illum and the dreadnought to attack the remaining soldiers.


    Zane pales and turns around. He retches and covers his mouth, shaken by the gruesome sight of the gory scene.


    Concerned, I turn to face Nova who glares at the mess she created. My granddaughter looks extremely unhappy. ¡°We will get him sooner or later.¡±


    After a long moment, she nods. Her eyes wander from the dreadnought to the fleet of ships which is floating around Illum. The surviving airships are just waiting for new crews. ¡°Well,¡± she rasps. ¡°At least... I got... a few new toys.¡±

 105. ~Worshipped~

    ¡°I would like to see anyone, prophet, king or God, convince a thousand cats to do the same thing at the same time.


    ***Illum***


    ***Nova***


    Noticing several civilians at the edge of the restricted zone around the captured dreadnought, I lean over to Zane and whisper, ¡°Why are they prostrating themselves? I didn''t tell them to do that!¡±


    Surveying the civilians, he coughs and covers his mouth. ¡°Many of them were still at the surface when you... performed your song. Those who were in the living areas also heard it, even if they didn¡¯t witness it personally. Also, those who were wavering in their beliefs now think that you are a living goddess. Maybe you should discourage such rumours.¡±


    He glances at a group of men and women who are helping us to remove the aftermath of the battle. From time to time, they look at me with worship in their eyes.


    ¡°Oh.¡± That''s a problem. Or is it? Religious belief is a mighty weapon for controlling the dumb masses. I could use that to create a better society. What if I create a religion which encourages science and education? ¡°Let them think what they want. As long as they don''t develop a tendency to sacrifice others on an altar it should be okay.¡±


    I turn back to watch the huge dreadnought, the newest of my toys. It needs a few upgrades, but that''s all. If nothing else, I can also use it as a platform for experimental technologies. The cloaking function is also a wonderful gimmick. Sadly, the technology isn¡¯t adaptable for Illum.


    After defeating the Invaders, I took a quick stroll through the dreadnought and inspected it. The cloaking effect is achieved by a complicated network of runes which run over the whole ship. That''s not practical for something of Illum''s size. I am even surprised that the Empire bothered to install the technology on the huge dreadnought. It would make much more sense to equip a smaller frigate with the necessary runes.


    Though, it was the prince''s personal ship. Maybe that was reason enough to give it the newest technologies.


    I had to cut my inspection short because of all the bodies. Janice¡¯s zombies made a mess when they cleared out the ship. Illum''s guards also stormed the ship after Wisen fled the battle. They took a lot of prisoners, mainly non-combatants like slaves and support staff. I turn and take a look at the large group of people who were herded out of the ship. They are lined up on the street and are being guarded by my soldiers.


    One of our men approaches us and kneels down in front of me. ¡°We count one hundred and seventeen slaves, forty-three soldiers of the Empire, thirteen magicians who were responsible for the ship''s functions. What should we do with them?¡±


    I purse my lips, considering it. It''s not like they have any use to me. I also don''t want to keep over a hundred prisoners inside closed off living quarters. Illum is doing fine with food, but feeding so many people who aren''t a part of the community is a pain in the ass. It would set an unwelcome precedent. Who knows how many prisoners I might have to take in the future?


    It also would be annoying to check their background stories to determine the level of their guilt.


    ¡°Take off the slave collars from the slaves and throw the cursed things overboard. I don''t want such artefacts on Illum. If a slave can''t deal with his or her freedom, release them from their misery. Give the remaining slaves weapons and allow them to do anything they want to the Empire''s soldiers.


    ¡°If any of the imperialists are alive afterwards, give them the opportunity to swear a magical oath on serving Illum loyally. If they don''t, throw them overboard after you interrogate them.¡±


    The soldier hesitates but bows his head. ¡°It will be done.¡± Having received his orders, he retreats quickly.


    As expected, Zane protests. ¡°You can''t give the slaves weapons to murder the Empire''s citizens!¡±


    Raising an eyebrow, I study him for a long moment. ¡°Why not? As I see it, if there is a truly deserving person among the imperialists, he or she will have earned the slaves¡¯ respect. I am simply taking a short-cut instead of interrogating everyone. Nobody is paying me to re-educate my enemies if such a thing is even possible.¡±If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°But-¡±


    I cut him off by raising my hand. ¡°I am the one who knows the Empire''s culture best. I lived among them for decades. Before you spout nonsense about changing their ways, or to check if they agree with slavery, allow me to tell you this. It''s not my responsibility.¡±


    Zane looks confused. ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    ¡°Their well-being isn''t my responsibility. It''s that simple. I have an obligation to the people of Illum. These men and women,¡± I gesture at the captives, ¡°followed their superiors, committing an act of war against me. They are not my responsibility. Whatever actions a person commits or assists, he or she has to be prepared to be on the receiving end. If I kill someone, I have to be prepared to be killed myself.¡±


    Zane nods. ¡°Then I''ll deal with them if that''s okay. I¡¯ll take over the responsibility.¡±


    Taken aback, I shrug. ¡°As long as I don''t end up with a prison camp.¡±


    He nods and walks away to follow the soldier from earlier.


    I sigh and look up to the drifting fleet of imperial ships. Three dreadnoughts and thirty-two smaller airships of various sizes survived the battle. Well, three and a half dreadnoughts. The one which was hit by my first wave of missiles is a wreck. I am surprised that it¡¯s still in the air. Also, the poor fellows who will have to clean up the bodies will have a bad time.


    Zane returns after half an hour. ¡°I sorted it out and I got a message from our fighters.¡±


    I don''t ask for his instructions regarding the prisoners, but I can see that our guards are taking the captives away. ¡°How did the fighters fare?¡±


    ¡°Not as good as we hoped, but also not as bad as it could have been. The Sociocrathy''s weapon platforms were equipped with the same defensive spells as the Empire''s ships. The energy rays proved very effective against small ships,¡± he reports.


    I wince. ¡°You didn''t know about those spells when you made your assumptions. How many did we lose?¡±


    Zane pulls down the corners of his mouth. ¡°One hundred and eighty-three fighters were shot down, but only forty-seven pilots died. The others managed to escape the wrecks with their levitation gear. They were picked up after the battle was over.¡±


    ¡°That''s almost half of our fighters!¡± I exclaim.


    He raises a finger. ¡°But only an eighth of our pilots. Most of them were taken down in the first few seconds of the battle. The ones who stayed in the air learned a lot after they spread out and used evasive manoeuvres. The weapon platforms are a hundred and fifty metres in length, with a crew of eighty. The loss of fighters seems dramatic, but if we put it in terms of materials and men, then it isn''t that much. Our fleet of fighters took on a force with thrice their weight in materials and far more manpower.


    ¡°Looking at it like that, the fighter''s concept proved to be a success. We lost far fewer people and material than we destroyed. Given how fast Illum can replenish the lost equipment, that''s hardly a concern for us. Though we need to devise a way for the jets to stay out of range of the air defences of larger ships. Maybe we can mount the rockets onto the fighters?


    ¡°The bigger ships, the corvettes, faired much better than the fighters and the bombers. Their mounted force cannons allowed them to strafe and evade while shooting at the enemy. Their better shields also allowed them to survive a glancing hit from those energy rays. The fighter''s weapons are fixed, so they have to align their nose with the target in order to shoot. That''s when most of them got taken down. The bombers have more range with their energy weapons, but ultimately they suffer the same problem.¡± He ends his explanation by crossing his arms behind himself.


    I scratch my chin. ¡°The size of the fighters and bombers makes it hard to mount weapons which can swivel and pivot. Whatever type of weapon we choose, it needs enough punch to break through the barriers. Without smarter rockets, it would be hard to re-equip the existing designs.¡±


    Rockets without friend-or-foe-recognition are too dangerous to use in large, messy battles. The very least we would need is some type of lock-in target recognition which can be controlled by the pilot.


    ¡°It would slow down rocket production considerably,¡± I muse.


    Zane shrugs. ¡°To be honest, I wasn''t too impressed by the cheap versions. Switch the ship production to corvettes and stockpile smarter rockets until we have enough to equip the fighters. As it is, we don''t need more fighters or bombers. The ones we have will do a fine job at hunting down lone targets or little groups. As it is, I am reluctant to deploy them against large amounts of airships.¡±


    Sighing, I turn and walk back towards the palace. ¡°I was supposed to have the technological and strategic advantage. How did Rufus even know what the Empire and the Sociocrathy have to look out for?¡±


    ¡°Rufus isn''t the type who likes to fight, but he is smart.¡± A voice from above us startles me.


    Janice lowers herself to the ground, landing next to us. ¡°And let''s be honest, he knows that you are a technology freak. He also knows that you are somewhat restricted by time and resources, so it was likely that you would choose a path that gets you as much as possible within the limited amount of time that''s available to you.¡±


    She tilts her head. ¡°He surely prepared them for a number of scenarios. Instructing them on tactics against many small enemies was just one of the obvious ones. I know for a fact that the energy rays and the huge liquid fireballs aren''t spells which are normally used by airship commanders. Their large fireball-spell is too wasteful and slow to use it on normal airships. The spell was specifically designed for a target like Illum. It even had a component which was aimed at taking down barriers.¡±


    Zane nods. ¡°I was also surprised by how fast they thought of countermeasures. The same spells were used by the Empire and the Sociocrathy, so it''s safe to assume that they were given to them.¡±


    We discuss the situation further, but there are no new insights. Janice excuses herself when we reach my office. Upon stepping inside, I find Lucifer on my office chair. The ghost-cat looks up and yawns upon noticing me.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that you slept during the whole fight!¡±

 106. ~Share~

    ¡°Some friends sit down and share stories with each other. That can be a good thing, but also a very bad one.¡±


    ***Illum***


    ***Zane***


    Something wet and cold touches my cheek. Annoyed, I press my closed eyelids together and grumble. Why can''t I have a good night''s sleep? Ever since I was forced to flee the Alliance there is always something that requires my attention.


    A furry thing touches my nose, so I try to shoo it away. My hand hits soft pelt, causing an irritated yelp from the offender. With the settling silence, I slowly drift back to sleep until the furry thing returns, softly tickling my lips and nose.


    ¡°Lucifer, leave me alone,¡± I moan. Yes, that''s right. It must be Lucifer.


    Which garners the question of why Nova''s familiar is in my quarters. The thought of the cat¡¯s presence slowly kick-starts my brain, causing me to wake up.


    Yesterday, I accompanied Nova to her quarters and she offered me something to drink in order to celebrate Illum''s first battle. The booze was highly alcoholic, so Nova and I almost drank ourselves into a stupor. So what happened next?


    Before my addled mind can recall more, Lucifer lies down on my face, purring. The vibrations send waves of pain through my brain, reminding me of the consequences which have to be paid for the rigorous consumption of alcohol.


    With my free hand, I push the cat away.


    Not minding the treatment, Lucifer lies down on my chest and rolls around playfully.


    The pain slowly brings everything back. The heated discussion with Nova, though I remember only parts of it, right up to the point when she tore her dress off and attempted seducing me. Please tell me that I didn''t do it again. Am I that weak of a man? Maybe being a woman is really my true calling?


    No. I think I didn''t. I refused her, noting that she was too drunk to make a rational decision.


    That''s... that''s... I think that she broke her office chair... and chased me with one of its broken legs. Then... everything went dark.


    Opening my eyes, I wince against the bright sunlight.


    Looking around, I find Nova next to me. We are sharing her bed, again. She is softly snoring with her mouth open and completely naked, as am I. Tired and not entirely awake, my eyes are drawn to her generous chest. I make aninstinctive decision of reaching out and squeezing it. Ah, that hard nipple feels so satisfying... and this is entirely wrong of me! A man shouldn''t take advantage of a defenceless woman!


    Moaning, Nova grabs my hand and pulls me in, wrapping her arms around my head and burying my face in the cleavage between her assets. Lucifer isn''t too happy about this turn of events and flees the bed. I try to push Nova away, but she is too strong. Remembering that she crushed her enemies with a gesture, I stop fighting her.


    ¡°Mh, I knew that you wouldn''t be able to resist. At least I am beginning to corrupt you to my wicked ways when it comes to your carnal desires.¡± She wriggles against me, enticing me to do more. Cursing, I pull her on top of me and give in to my desires.


    Afterwards, I return to my duties. That includes the organization of several teams who will clean up the Empire''s airships. We also have to search each vessel entirely, making sure that we don''t allow something nasty to infiltrate Illum.


    My day ends by paying a visit to my family. I find my parents and my little sister in their living quarters. When I enter the room they look at me but don''t say a word. The atmosphere between us has been quite awkward since I was declared Nova''s official consort.


    ¡°Hi,¡± I greet them and sit down on the sofa, then I try to break the ice. ¡°The battle caused us to be slightly delayed, but the clean-up operations will take just two or three days at the most. We will reach Mirai within the week. Hopefully, things will cool down once we are there. Their fleet has a strong presence on the island. None of the larger nations will dare to do something drastic.¡±


    Mom wrinkles her nose. ¡°I see. Let''s hope that you are right. It would be bad if the Mirai also turn into enemies.¡±


    My little sister, who is holding a book, looks up. ¡°How is it going between you and the wench? I noticed that you weren''t at your quarters yesterday evening.¡±


    ¡°Nadine!¡± Oswin reprimands her by calling out sharply, but the damage is done. I don''t know why Nadine was so fond of Carmen that she is still poking her finger into my emotional wound.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    Feeling my self-control slipping, I try to smile, but my expression is probably just cruel. ¡°Actually, it''s going well. Nova is quite the woman. I doubt that Carmen would''ve been such a good lay. Carmen is too conceited and preoccupied with herself to give others the freedom they need. Besides, I always would''ve asked myself how she really looks. That woman paid so many healers to turn her into a perfect beauty that her face was nothing but a mere mask.¡±


    It''s true. Compared to Nova, that blonde is like the sun and the moon. Carmen shines so radiantly that it''s impossible to look at her and see what''s beneath the surface. Nova is also beautiful, but it''s a natural beauty. She has all those little imperfections which make her human.


    When my sister is too dumbfounded to reply, I lash out a second time. It¡¯s a mistake, but my pounding head lowers my ability to cope with criticism. ¡°And it''s quite interesting that you asked. I spent the night with Nova and it was one hell of a ride. If we keep this up, you will have to call yourself an aunty by the end of the year.¡±


    Nadine''s jaw drops and it''s my mother''s turn to reprimand me. ¡°That''s enough, Zane! Your sister learned her lesson.¡±


    The silence stretches on. Neither of us knows how to proceed. In the end, it''s my father who tries to wave the peace-flag. ¡°Look. This isn''t easy on any of us and I know that my flamboyant comments aren''t helping. We should have annulled the engagement with Carmen as soon as our relationship with the Alliance went to hell. We weren''t thinking. It''s not like Carmen would have betrayed her family. Her people holding out their necks for us¡­ That was too good to be true.¡±


    He sighs heavily. Oswin seems much older in that moment. ¡°They just made those promises to get Carmen onto Illum. They aren''t our friends anymore. The political games of the families are going on without us. Maybe that''s even a good thing. For better or worse, our future lies with Illum. Nadine, I know that you liked Carmen. She taught you a lot during her visits. You should learn from that experience. Nobody can be trusted completely.¡±


    My sister says nothing and decides to glare at the wall.


    I exchange a few more shallow comments with my parents, but it feels like we are standing on opposite sides of a large barricade. I''ve never told them about the whole reincarnation business and my new memories. At first, I was afraid. Then I was too busy. Somehow, I missed the chance to do it without ill feelings. Telling them after such a long time could have undesirable effects. They could end up distrusting me even more than they do now.


    After informing them of our upcoming schedule, I leave their quarters in a hurry. While feeling bad about the slowly growing rift between me and them, I return to Nova''s office. I find her at her office table. Janice is also there.


    The Sovereign turns around upon noticing me. ¡°Zane, you look as if you bit into a sour lemon. Come and sit down.¡± She pats the chair next to her. ¡°Nova and I were sharing experiences to get to know each other better. As reincarnated people, we have a lot of stories to share. Better to use the time until we reach my island. Once we are there, we will have to play everything according to protocol.¡±


    Being reminded that I am now part of a very special group of people, I start feeling a little better. After a moment of hesitation, I join them. At least it takes my mind off my problems with my family.


    Janice returns her attention to Nova. ¡°Right, we were sharing stories and it''s my turn to choose the topic. Let''s talk about the absolute worst thing which happened throughout our reincarnations.¡± She hesitates, thinking for a moment. Then, she adds a condition, ¡°this life doesn''t count. I will start.¡±


    The Sovereign tilts her head, considering. ¡°There was that one time when I started my career in necromancy and soul-magic. I was researching the effects of soul resonances on necromantic effects when I found out that spells with the correct attunement can transfer from one body to the next. Before I knew it, I had started a zombie apocalypse which ended up turning most of the world''s population into zombies. Tehe~¡±


    Don''t tell us so nonchalantly that you wiped out an entire world! What''s wrong with you!


    She turns and looks at me. ¡°Your turn.¡±


    I gulp and try to sift through my memories. Many of them are blurry, but I can at least think of a few distinct lifetimes. ¡°Once, I was an evil and manipulative person. Everyone was a means to achieve my own goals and desires.¡± Actually, that''s pretty much the same thing I am doing right now. The difference is that, back then, I had the power to force others to do my bidding. ¡°I was a horrible person and in the end, I lost everything I held dear.¡± Damn, this gives me a whole new perspective on my actions.


    The silence stretches out. After a while, Janice clears her throat. ¡°Boring! Nova! It''s your turn.¡±


    Nova massages her chin as if she has a beard. ¡°Current lifetimes have to be excluded? That isn''t easy. I guess that I would choose that one time when I was a demon in a hellish dimension and overthrew the ruling overlord.¡±


    I tilt my head. ¡°I fail to see the problem.¡±


    She clears her throat and elaborates. ¡°Well, the problem was their culture. They had this thing going on that killing someone in single combat automatically turns over all of the loser''s possessions to the victor. It included the loser''s direct family members. That sucked.¡± Nova glares at her desk in a brooding manner.


    Janice clears her throat. ¡°Details, girl. We need details to understand what the issue was.¡±


    Nova nods. ¡°You see. The overlord and I had an argument at one of his feasts. The discussion grew a little violent and one thing led to another, fuelled by alcohol and the hormones of youth. In my drunken state, I killed him and took his position, together with his harem of eight wives and twenty-one daughters. All of them succubi.¡±


    I try to let that sink in. Being suddenly responsible for so many people after having killed their provider. They would also hate the person who killed their patriarch. ¡°That sucks! Did he have sons who decided to take revenge? They would surely want their father''s position.¡±


    Nova snorts and waves her hand, denying the issue. ¡°Nah, that wasn''t the problem. The guy was a bastard who had a habit of sacrificing his male offspring. Too much competition. But you don''t even know the worst of it! I was drunk and, at the time, a hot blooded demon male! So I thought that I should enjoy what''s mine. After properly defiling my enemy¡¯s corpse, which was custom, I had a go at the overlord''s harem, taking his wives and his daughters one after the other.¡± She sighs. ¡°Oh, how they screamed. I am sure that the whole town heard their screams of lust. That was the best night of my life!¡±


    With her expression turning clouded, she twirls her fingers, pressing her lips together. ¡°I myself only wondered after the deed about my boundless stamina. Turns out... it was succubus-breeding-season. They release a certain pheromone that turns males almost mad, so I ended up with twenty-nine pregnant wives.¡±


    I stay silent, trying to imagine myself in a similar situation.


    Janice sucks in a sharp breath and starts laughing. ¡°I don''t even want to know about the resulting family-dynamics. Though, I doubt that you ever again had to spend a lonely night until the end of that particular life. Did they fight for a place in your bed?¡±


    ¡°Actually, each one got her own day of the month. They played tombola for the ¡®special occasions¡¯.¡± Nova pauses.¡°Once the little ones came along, I vowed that one partner is enough.¡±

 107. ~Emperor~

    ¡°Some say that the Empire¡¯s nobility controls its population through oppression and slavery. They have no idea that the Empire itself is caught within the confines of its own culture.¡±


    ***Ogarth, The City of Glass, Empire***


    ***Jules, the Seventh Emperor***


    I am listening to my military advisers when a flash of light startles them and causes the guards to raise their weapons. The flickering light which appeared in the middle of my throne room grows and forms a small portal, spitting out Wisen.


    The fool of a son lands spread-eagled on the floor, planting his helmeted face on one of the smooth marble-tiles, breaking it in the process. His shiny armour is dented and wrinkled like a sheet of paper which was crumpled and unsuccessfully smoothed out again. Due to the impact, the helmet loosens and falls off, rolling loudly over the floor.


    Wisen¡¯s war-hammer, which he got from me for his coming of age ceremony, is bent in an awkward manner. Altogether, my son is a truly sorry sight to behold.


    A feat which should be almost impossible. In my younger years, I bought his armour from the Consortium. Countless battles proved that the legendary artefact is almost indestructible. Once, I was hit by the enhanced fireball of a spell projector and the breastplate barely had a dent.


    The portal allows me a short glance at a battle-scene. A horde of zombies is tearing into my soldiers. Foreigners in strangely modern armour are charging towards the portal. The green aura of a necromancer draws my attention and I recognize the Mirai Sovereign. Next to her is a woman who looks uncomfortably similar to her. Unfortunately, that¡¯s all I can glimpse before the portal winks out of existence.


    With a silent ''woosh'' and ''pop'', the planar bridge closes and disappears.


    Wisen rises to his hands and knees. ¡°Father!¡± he shrieks. ¡°They are all-¡±


    ¡°SILENCE!¡±


    My voice booms through the throne room, causing my advisers to jump in surprise. Along with it, I throw a stunning hex at my son, shutting him up. Wisen''s eyes widen as his muscles tense up. He opens and closes his mouth several times without producing a sound. It''s clear that he is in shock, but I still can''t allow him to show weakness in front of the court.


    Looking at my advisers, I move my chin towards the door. They get the hint and leave in a hurry, forgetting about the proper protocol of moving backwards until they are outside the throne room. After a quick glance, the guards also leave and close the door behind them.


    The large throne room is now empty. Its white marble is clear of any blemish and the silver runes which cover every tile should prevent any sort of spying. The tile which was damaged by Wisen has to be replaced, but its loss shouldn''t affect the overall function of the room. It was constructed with plenty of redundancies.


    Once I am sure that we won''t be overheard, I turn my attention to Wisen. Raising a finger, I cast out a single strand of energy, dispelling the hex I placed on him. ¡°Explain! You should be on your way back from the World Assembly. And where is Hesh?¡± I placed the advisor with my son to keep Wisen from causing trouble. So why did Wisen end up using his amulet, clearly fleeing from a battlefield?


    Wisen nods, shuddering. He starts telling his story. At first, the bits and pieces of his story don''t make much sense, but he is too shaken for a proper recount of the events. Knowing that reprimanding Wisen would only complicate things, I stay silent and allow him to gather his courage. Something shook him to his core. It''s only at the end of his story that he manages to tell me of the events in a manner which at least resembles a report.


    Some things sound a little too fantastic to be true, like Nova¡¯s godlike voice which slew my son¡¯s entire fleet. Given no choice, I am forced to take Wisen''s words as the truth. I only don''t dismiss Wisen''s testimony because I clearly recognized Janice at the other side of the portal.


    My son¡¯s description of the other stranger makes her identity clear, though, it should be impossible. Unless¡­ grinding my teeth, I come to my own conclusions about Nova¡¯s nature. It¡¯s indeed unfortunate that someone like her fell through my fingers. I assume that she even tricked her keeper for several decades until she broke free of her constraints.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    When Wisen is finished, I reach up and rub my temples. ¡°So, you managed to lose your whole fleet on a purely diplomatic mission?¡± The fleet which I gave to Wisen was only composed of experimental and old ships. They weren''t supposed to engage in a battle.


    Losing the ships won''t matter much in the short term since I wouldn''t have put them on the front lines anyway. Though, losing the power stones will affect the war with the Alliance in the long run. We will have to expand our mining efforts to replace the lost power stones. It won''t be popular if I tighten the thumbscrews on the population even further to press more people into slavery. Unfortunately, a steady supply of slaves for the mines is very important.


    And then we have the Resistance. I have to find a way to keep them from spreading their influence too much.


    Blinking, I return my attention to the matter at hand. Hesh was an intelligent man. Had he been there, he would have stopped my son. Did this Nova know that Hesh was the one who kept my son from doing something stupid? Anyway, Illum shall not be underestimated a second time.


    I start chuckling as I try to puzzle out the sequence of events. If this Nova isn''t an impostor, then Janice is indeed a lucky person. Who would have thought that, after all these years, she would gain another reincarnated person as an ally? And it''s her own flesh and blood to boot. Sometimes, I wish that I had that much luck. Let''s hope that the bond between the two of them isn''t too strong.


    After all, being reincarnated comes with a lot of mental baggage.


    It also throws a new light on Orwen''s destruction and the new spell which devastated several villages. It isn''t too hard to counter once you know the theory behind it. The spellware is surprisingly simple, but this world''s people simply weren''t prepared for the concept.


    I held back on introducing too many new things. It simply wasn''t needed to build an Empire and ¨C let''s be honest ¨C savages are easier to control.


    Wisen balls his hands into fists. ¡°We have to strike back! They challenged the might of the Empire!¡±


    I raise a hand to stop him. ¡°We have to do nothing, son. The Alliance takes all of my attention, so I am happy if the Mirai-scum stays on their island! They already rampaged across our northern coast and you losing so many power cores didn''t help.¡±


    Also, my breeding program spectacularily failed and had some undesirable side effects. Too bad that I didn''t realize Nova''s true nature in time.


    It''s unfortunate, but looking back, many things make a lot more sense now.


    I glare at Wisen. ¡°The Alliance and I are currently in a stalemate. They pushed through the pass and into Orwen''s former territory. Time will show if they have enough troops and resources to conquer the area. I am willing to let them be while we prepare our counter-attack. Then we will see what they think about our new slave troops.


    ¡°The Sociocrathy has its own problems with the orks and the Rebellion, so they at least shouldn''t be a problem. They don''t have the Alliance''s distinct aversion towards slavery, but I am sure that their ideology could become a problem. It''s not unlikely that they would take advantage of any weakness to spread their sphere of influence. The orks'' uprising might be a good thing. It makes it less likely that they try a scheme against me.¡±


    Wisen shakes his fists and rises to his feet. ¡°How can you say that? The Sociocrathy and even the Consortium admitted that Nova has to be dealt with!¡± Being in safety, Wisen''s shocked state quickly turned into anger.


    I place my hands in my lap and lean back against my throne. ¡°Stupid little fool! They used you to check out Illum''s capabilities! Compared to you, neither of them lost too much, though the Sociocrathy gambled a little high. Either way, you were the one who committed most to the effort. After learning about Illum, you should have asked yourself why the Alliance would allow an uncontrolled element to run rampant on their territory.


    ¡°It seems like their leaders were smarter in weighing the risk versus the possible gain. You should have deployed spies and assassins before you went all out in a military engagement. Know your opponent and know yourself before you charge into battle!¡±


    Sighing, I look at the ceiling. ¡°It was really unfortunate that they took out Hesh.¡± Maybe I should have sent more babysitters. Who would have thought that someone is brave enough to risk an attack at the World Assembly?


    After a few moments of brooding, I decide that I am wasting time. What happened can''t be changed. There is always a ''What if?'' ¡°I should have done this sooner. Given your character and the mistakes in your education, you should have never been given command over so many airships and men.¡±


    Wisen steps away from me. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Reaching into my pocket, I retrieve a golden amulet and study it. Rubbing the smooth surface of the flat disc with my thumb, I get to my feet. ¡°I mean that you have been a bad boy. Naughty children need ''special'' care, so you will get this amulet from me. It will make you stronger and wiser, just like the rest of the family.¡±


    He narrows his eyes. ¡°How should an amulet be able to do that?¡±


    ¡°Oh, it will simply force you to follow my instructions. If I tell you to go on a diplomatic mission and report to me, then you will go on a diplomatic mission and report to me. You won''t devise any foolish plans of your own and you won''t give in to your emotions. Don''t worry, your mother and your sisters are also quite fine with their amulets. You also have two brothers who can act as replacements while you get your new instructions and training.¡±


    Wisen''s eyes widen and he sucks in a sharp breath. ¡°Slave collar!¡±


    ¡°Oh, no. Don''t say such things aloud. It would be bad if the public realizes that the royal family is kept in line with the same tools as are used to control the lowest part of our society.¡± I look down at the amulet in my hand. ¡°It''s a pity. When you were small, I saw so much promise in you. You were smart and proud. Most importantly, you were loyal to the Empire¡¯s ideology. Maybe a little arrogant, but I hoped that you would settle down over the years. That''s why I didn''t collar you.¡±


    Remembering hammer in his hand, Wisen raises it defensively against me. The act is nothing more than funny and pathetic, given that the weapon is useless in its current state.


    I look at the hammer and then at his eyes. ¡°Really? Do you really think that you can oppose me in your state?¡± Calmly walking towards him, I narrow the distance. ¡°It wouldn''t matter, even if you were at the height of your power and had an army behind you. You know that as well as I do.¡±


    His face distorts in helpless terror and tears appear in his eyes. With his hammer shaking, he screams and charges towards me, ignoring all the odds. Puckering my lips, I marvel at his reaction. Does he really think of himself as being any better than the countless others who serve me?


    I really fathered a fool.

 108. ~Reunion~

    ¡°To help, or not to help. That¡¯s the question.¡±


    ***Illum***


    ***Nova***


    ¡°I am surprised. It''s not what I expected,¡± I admit, looking back and forth between the Sovereign''s dark fleet and the white city which stretches out beneath us. After a week, we finally arrived at the Mirai capital. Of course, the Sovereign''s fleet arrived here long before us.


    Janice, Zane and I are standing on my balcony, enjoying the view.


    And what a view it is. The Mirai used white quartz to build their city. Large, luxurious buildings take up most of the city. Occasionally, huge towers decorate the skyline, but they are placed far away from each other. The white stone even paves the streets and the harbour. It looks like a city of light, certainly not a place which is filled with necromancers.


    Compared to that, the Sovereign''s fleet looks outright evil. The black ships with their spiky protrusions are like a promise of pain and death for anyone who dares to cross their path.


    Janice smiles from ear to ear and gestures at the scene beneath us. ¡°Allow me to introduce you. The White City! Oh, I can''t wait to see my children''s faces when I tell them the news.¡±


    ¡°Wait. You haven''t told them about me?¡± I ask.


    Janice snorts, showing absolutely no dignity. ¡°Pfff! Of course not! What would I have done if you had died? My daughter would have thrown herself out of the next window.¡±


    ¡°Maybe it''s not a good idea to introduce Nova to someone who is that unstable,¡± Zane mumbles.


    Nodding, I admit that Zane has a point. Though, the Sovereign doesn''t seem to see it that way.


    Admittedly, from Janice''s point of view, we were surrounded by enemies. If my mother is as unstable as Janice says, then telling her in a message that I am alive could have pushed the woman over the edge. She most likely would have done something stupid, like rushing to meet me.


    I scratch my belly and look down at the city, feeling depravation. ¡°So, how are we going to do this? According to our agreement, I have to be on my best behaviour from now on.¡± Actually, I am not certain on how to feel about the situation. During the last weeks, I had more than enough time to think about everything.


    Going purely by experience, I know that being a part of a family is always nice. Going from reincarnation to reincarnation, I learned that having deep bonds with others is the only thing which allows me to stay sane... mostly sane... Let''s call it slightly unstable. The connection to others roots me in my existence like nothing else.


    Compared to that, living the life of a lone scientist always ends up in attempting risky experiments to learn more about the universe. Multiverse! That''s right. Damn! It''s hard to unlearn old stuff.


    I suddenly remember that one time, when I blew up the planet... maybe I should have taken that as my worst experience when we competed for the worst memory? Though, they don''t really have to know how easy it is to cause a mass-extinction-event, given the right equipment.


    Yeah, I better keep my mouth shut about that...


    And it was over in a flash. Nobody felt a thing, so I would say that it doesn''t count. There was no suffering, just ''pop'' and it was over. There are worse ways to die. I am talking from experience.


    Forcing myself, I return my thoughts to the current state of affairs. It would be nice to have deep bonds to others and a place to call home. The problem is... can I change myself that much? Janice is a reasonably acceptable person, but she doesn''t feel like a real grandmother. More like a manipulative tutor. I can''t get over the fact that we''ve only known each other for just a few weeks. I grew up without. How can I walk among them and pretend to be a part of their family?


    In this incarnation, I grew up without family. How can I walk among the Mirai and pretend to be a part of them?


    It seems far easier to spend this life in pursuit of revenge. I already created Illum as my new home and I can drag Zane along. His people are interesting enough to play with until I get bored and head on to the next life.


    Janice claps her hands together, stopping my wandering thoughts. ¡°Yes! About that! First, you will have a private meeting with your mother. If that goes well, we will officially introduce you to the rest of the lot as a member of the bloodline. The second appointment will be official, so try to behave like someone who knows what she is doing.¡±Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    I sigh. ¡°Let''s get it over with. I am really not sure if playing nice with my biological mother will help. Just don''t blame me if she freaks out, or falls into an even deeper depression.¡±


    Janice nods. ¡°I won''t blame you. It''s a gamble. Castella hasn''t left her mansion since we managed to rescue her. She is always in that stupid garden of hers and trying to deny reality. It''s sickening me. Everything is fine, as long as she comes out of her shell. After decades of recuperation, I am fairly sure that her condition will never change without outside intervention.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± I answer.


    Janice is at the point where worsening a loved one''s condition in hope of an improvement is acceptable. It''s like trying a new medicine on a fully disabled person. As Castella''s mother, Janice isn''t able to stand aside. To be fair, she did just that for over seventy years. If Castella was be able to get over her emotional loss, she would have done so by now.


    Maybe she really just needs an event that breaks her shell. Like a lost daughterreturning from the dead.


    ¡°Then let''s go.¡± Janice takes my hand and casts a levitation spell.


    ¡°Right now?¡± I ask, not feeling prepared. If I do this, then I want to do it right. I only had a few hours to train my expressions in the mirror. I thought that showing the right reactions would be very important. At first, I wasn''t sure if I should really try the emo-route, but anything else would probably weird Castella out and leave her blaming herself.


    ¡°The longer we wait, the harder it gets,¡± Janice answers and floats forward, pulling me with her.


    ¡°Wait for me!¡± Zane calls out and casts a levitation spell of his own.


    We slowly float down towards the city, homing in on one of the large towers. It reminds me of Orwen. The really influential mages tend to live in towers. What''s this thing with towers? I hate towers. So many stairs.


    The thought makes me wary of Janice''s intentions. Wouldn''t this be the perfect chance for an attack? For the first time, I am going to be on Janice''s turf. But when I try to come up with reasons for an attack, I come up with blanks. There would be far easier ways to manoeuvre me into a situation which is advantageous for the Sovereign. Most importantly, far less risky for her people. She saw what Illum can do.


    Feeling better, but not entirely safe, I access Illum''s controls to make sure that the place of my power is never out of reach.


    ¡°I thought that your daughter lives in a mansion. That''s a huge tower with at least a hundred floors,¡± Zane comments.


    Janice clears her throat. ¡°Tower, Mansion. Both are large buildings. That''s all. Do you really want to haggle over semantics?¡±


    We land on a balcony on one of the upper floors. From up close, the quartz is lined with a few dark veins, but they are so fine that they aren''t visible from far away.


    I also study the tower in more detail. The architect managed to create a perfectly smooth facade. In addition, the entire floor seems to be a large greenhouse. It''s clearly a recreational area.


    Without further ado, Janice steps inside and nods in greeting at two guards. The men recognize her and move their hands away from the hilts of their weapons. Both have the white skin of the undead, but otherwise, they look completely human. The one on the left has a greatsword, while the one on the right carries an oversized hammer.


    We are led deeper into the greenhouse, showing me how large the base of the tower truly is. This thing''s base must be at least a hundred metres in diameter. At aheight of twenty metres, this floor''s ceiling is also not too shabby. The entire place hums with magic, explaining how it''s possible to find such an architecture in a medieval world.


    The plants in here are from all over the world. There are trees, flowers, and herbs. I touch one of the old trees right next to the path, wondering why anyone would go through the trouble of creating this. Illum''s park-area isn''t even half as pretty. Walking along a softly curved path, we reach a small lemon grove.


    A woman is tending to the offshoots with a tranquil expression, trimming them with gardening scissors. She looks up upon noticing us. ¡°You are back.¡± Her expression softens a little when she recognizes Janice.


    Janice raises her hand while approaching her daughter. ¡°Castella, I have a surprise for you! Foremost, this will require a little bit of explaining, so don''t overreact.¡± Reaching out, the Sovereign squeezes her daughter''s shoulder and gestures towards me. ¡°We''ve finally brought her back! Nova is home.¡±


    Castella gaze wanders from her mother to me and back, uncomprehending. Then she starts shaking, dropping the scissors to the ground. Her chin trembles in suppressed rage. ¡°I am an emotional wreck, but that''s really a bad joke, mother!¡± she squeaks, her voice breaking. ¡°I am not so far gone that I don''t realize that this woman can''t be Nova!¡± She slaps Janice''s hand away.


    That could have gone better.


    With Castella''s fury directed towards Janice, I decide to try my luck. After all, I swore to do my best, so I step forward, smoothing my face into the expression I decided on beforehand. ¡°She isn''t lying. I am your daughter, at least biologically,¡± I explain with a benevolent voice, trying to project calmness.


    Yes, I am a very good actor, but only if Ireally want to. Though, most of the time I don''t bother. It''s far easier to bash in someone''s head to get what I want.


    ¡°I lived in the Empire until I managed to escape. This is a strange situation and it''s understandable for you to feel overwhelmed, but we can explain everything.¡± I smile. ¡°I always asked myself who my real parents are. Never would I have thought that I would be able to meet you.¡±


    Castella doesn''t stop shaking, so I fear that she might try to run away. Somehow she has to calm down. Stepping forward, I pull my mother into a tight embrace, giving her no chance of escaping the situation.


    After a few moments, I decide on going to stage two of my plan. Doing my best I guide a little energy to my tear-ducts, irritating them. Crying rivers of tears, I sob and press my cheek against Castella''s. Finally, she raises her hands and embraces me, crying and sniffling like a baby.


    Noticing Zane and Janice watching us, I wink at them.


    Zane turns his face away and leans over to Janice, whispering, ¡°She almost had me fooled. Now I am officially afraid of that woman.¡±


    Janice''s expression is tormented. ¡°Just imagine a little child with that level of skill. There wouldn''t be anyone who could refuse the little hellion. Now I feel bad for being glad that she didn''t grow up in my household.¡±


    Idiots! I place a finger on my lips. Castella is crying out her soul, but if they are any louder she is bound to notice something. Oh, geez. I''ll need a new outfit when she is done crying.


    And why does it feel so wrong to help this person? Maybe because my reasons aren''t pure?

 109. ~Together~

    ¡°The more worshippers, the better.¡±


    ***White City***


    ***Zane***


    Castella Mirai is a small, but beautiful woman. She is at least one head shorter than Nova. Seeing her sitting next to her daughter makes it almost seem like she is the child. Nova must have gotten her larger frame from her father. Nonetheless, they are clearly related. Nova was lucky to inherit her mother¡¯s generous, ahem, sizes in other areas.


    After three hours of sitting next to her mother on the park-bench, Nova seems to become a little uncomfortable. Her mother didn''t let go of Nova since they hugged for the first time. Even now, the smaller woman is holding Nova''s hand, their fingers intertwined.


    And the worst of all, that woman went on crying for over an hour. I know that I sound like an ass, but there is a limit to emotional outbursts. At least it seems like Castella''s tear-ducts finally dried up. Now she is just sniffling from time to time while Nova gives her a recount of her life.


    I have no doubts that Nova is editing and censoring large parts of the story. Like living a pretty decent life as the assistant of Orwen''s weather mage, aside from being a slave. She didn''t mention anything about rape and beatings to her mother, but I don¡¯t need much imagination to fill out the blanks in Nova''s story.


    As a part of my military training, I infiltrated the Empire and lived among them for over a year. Seeing how Nova skips over certain parts of her story makes me sure that she didn''t get lucky and had a ''good'' master.


    In fact, the higher up a slave''s master stands on the Empire''s social ladder, the worse he gets. The richer they are, the easier they can ''replace'' their ''inventory''.


    Castella''s hair is black, just like Nova''s. After seeing it against the sunlight, it seems to be more of a deep, dark blue. Her prominent cheekbones and slim frame are proof that she isn''t eating well. I wonder if she was simply wasting away because of her mental problems, or if she was passively trying to kill herself.


    ¡°You really have to believe me that I am doing fine.¡± Nova squeezes her mother''s hands. ¡°Why don''t you visit me on Illum? I could get you a room, so we can get to know each other. I would really love that.¡±


    Castella casts a frightened glance at her lemon trees. ¡°But I haven''t left my garden in decades.¡±


    Nova gestures at our surroundings. ¡°Oh, but after seeing your skills with plants, I would really love it if you helped me out. Illum''s greeneries aren''t much to look at. Kiara, who is in charge of Illum''s environment, is doing a fine job. Sadly, she is more the type who deals with animals instead of plants.¡±


    Her mother seems to be torn between the offer and staying in her familiar environment.


    ¡°If you really don''t want to leave your garden, I can uproot your tower and incorporate it into Illum,¡± Nova offers, absent-mindedly.


    Oh, there she goes. I can list a number of reasons why that isn¡¯t a good idea. For example, we have absolutely no idea of the Mirai¡¯s political circumstances. Which reactions would such a show of power cause?


    Castella gasps. ¡°Uproot my tower?¡±The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Janice raises her hand to stop the mad woman. ¡°Ah, I am proud of having such a powerful granddaughter, but wouldn''t that be... a little dangerous?¡±


    ¡°Illum still has a lot of safety capacity. There isn''t much difference between holding the ring around the main-island and a straight structure like this tower. In the process of repairing the pond, I would''ve done some remodelling anyway.¡± Nova shrugs. ¡°It''s just a matter of getting the people at the tower''s base out of the way.¡±


    Nova''s mother nods. ¡°If it''s really that easy for you, then I would love to visit. But you only have to take the tower''s upper half. The lower half belongs to my brother.¡± She leans closer to Nova and whispers, ¡°he is a jackass, so it would be just right if his house''s roof flies off.¡±


    Hahaha. That¡¯s actually quite funny. Castella is living in her brother¡¯s attic.


    ¡°We will find a way,¡± Nova answers with confidence in her voice.


    ¡°I still can''t believe that this is happening.¡± Castella shakes her head, studying Nova with puffy eyes. ¡°If only my husbandwasalive to see you. You have his earlobes. He would be glad that you are doing so well.¡±


    Now that was a picture I didn¡¯t need! Nova¡¯s earlobes are off limits for at least a month. Hopefully, I will have forgotten it by then.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Nova gestures towards me. ¡°Actually, I would like you to meet my consort. He is a goody-two-shoes, but that''s why it''s so much fun to play with him.¡±


    For the first time, Castella takes notice of me. Of course, I try my best to smile. ¡°It''s nice to meet you, Castella. You have no idea how much Nova talked about seeing you.¡± I lie with a straight face. Destroying Nova''s image by telling the truth wouldn''t do any good. Besides, I am sure that having such a clingy mother might be a good thing for that psychopath. The more of Nova''s attention is on Castella, the less she will play around with me.


    The small woman starts with asking a few strict questions about me and my family. I answer truthfully, not hiding the fact that my household is a little messed up at the moment. Castella''s demeanour towards me turns a little friendlier while she outright interrogates me.


    After a felt eternity, Nova interrupts us. ¡°Mom, I would love to talk more, but I really need some rest. Why don''t we see each other this afternoon?¡±


    Castella''s attention is immediately back on Nova. ¡°But it''s only early afternoon. Are you ill? If you are still weakened from your time as-¡±


    Nova smirks and raises her hand to stop Castella. ¡°It''s nothing like that. Just the natural consequence of having a male partner who demands nightly attention. If he stays that well-behaved and vigilant, it won''t take long for you to become a grandmother. In fact, I might already be...¡±


    ¡°Oh. I had no idea that your relationship is already that serious.¡± Castella''s gaze wanders to Nova''s belly and then to my reddening face. ¡°I suppose that you are really doing fine.¡±


    I knew that it would happen, but hearing it directly from that vixen''s mouth is an entirely different thing than the simple possibility that Nova might already be pregnant. ¡°Nova is a treasure. I am sure that my life would be boring and bleak without her.¡± Which wouldn''t be necessarily a bad thing?


    Castella''s grip on Nova''s hand tightens. ¡°Then I have to stay with you!¡±


    Nova realizes that her attempt to disengage from the meeting backfired. She tries to back-pedal. ¡°I am sure that-¡±


    The little woman next to her is having none of it. ¡°If it''s really true that you are pregnant, then you need someone who stays at your side. Not only are you just beginning to learn about your heritage, once your condition proceeds, you will have moments of weakness.¡± Her expression turns pleading. ¡°I wasn''t there for you when you were a child. Let me at least help you during this time of hardship. You will need someone you can trust.¡±


    ¡°I-¡± Nova quickly glances at the Sovereign.


    I quickly look at Janice but miss whatever went on between the two of them.


    ¡°I would be honoured to have your assistance, but I won''t be able to relocate your tower right away,¡± Nova answers, trying to avert the inevitable.


    The light in Castella eyes makes it clear that this isn''t a matter of discussion. She gets to her feet, letting go of Nova for the first time. ¡°It- It doesn''t matter.¡± She nods and gestures for Nova to stay seated. ¡°Just give me time to pack a few things! Don¡¯t go anywhere. I''ll be right back!¡±


    With that, she storms off, leaving us alone.


    Janice sighs in relief. ¡°Seriously, that went better than I expected. Good work, Nova.¡±


    Nova bites her lower lip, looking after her mother. ¡°Was she that clingy before the ''incident''?¡±


    The Sovereign follows Nova''s gaze. ¡°Not that I know, though she never dared to leave my side until she was seven. But you are her first and only child, so I can''t tell for certain.¡±


    I chuckle. ¡°She will surely even check up on you when you are in your bed.¡±


    Nova smiles and swings her left leg demonstratively over the other, causing my traitorous eyes to follow the movement. She chuckles evilly. ¡°Only until she finds you lying beneath me.¡±


    ¡°Or on top,¡± I mutter defyingly.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Nova tilts her head and looks at the ceiling, mumbling, ¡°maybe I should try the chains. That will shut him up.¡±


    Janice covers hermouth with one hand and clears her throat. ¡°Don¡¯t forget that we still have to meet the rest of the family. Tomorrow, I will introduce Nova to the public as a member of the bloodline.¡±

 110. ~Introduction~

    ¡°Fear and respect are sometimes hard to differentiate.¡±


    ***White City***


    ***Nova***


    After Castella returned with her personal stuff, Janice took us directly to her own tower. Apparently, she called forthe family meeting beforehand.


    ¡°There are so many people. I don''t like this.¡± I pull down the corners of my mouth, showing that the situation isn''t to my liking. I thought that meeting relatives should be something to look forward to, but in the end, the whole situation is just creepy.


    ¡°J-J- Just smile and b- b- be brave,¡± Castella stutters from behind me. If anything, her mental issues worsened since she left her garden. It¡¯s clear that the place gave her courage and peace. Without it, she seems like a frightened little kid. But still...


    Turning around, I study the petite woman who insisted on coming along. My ''mother'' is pale and there is a pearl of sweat on her forehead. If it''s true that she has left her garden for the first time in decades, then I am amazed that she isn''t on the floor and sucking on her thumb.


    She is holding her travelling bag like a protective shield in front of her. It would be hilarious if it wasn¡¯t for her tormented expression. Castella should have left it at home. I wonder what¡¯s inside it that¡¯s so important.


    Nonetheless, it''s amazing that she is trying that hard to be at my side and console me, despite not being happy with the situation. Why is the fact that she is trying so hard causing a fuzzy feeling inside me? I don''t like it. Hopefully, I won¡¯t develop any real emotions for her. That would be just another item on my list of problems.


    I return my attention to the crowd of at least two hundred people. There are so many of them! And according to Janice, all of them stand in a second to fourth-degree blood-relation to me. Uncles, cousins and so forth¡­


    At least she didn¡¯t invite the guys who are already six times removed from the core-family.


    The Sovereign is still holding her lengthy speech, recounting everything that''s happened so far. I quickly access Illum''s controls to check the time. If I am not wrong, then Janice has been talking for over an hour. I guess it can¡¯t be helped. There is a lot of explaining to do.


    ¡°... and so I want to introduce everyone to Nova Mirai, my granddaughter!¡± Janice gestures for me to join her on the podium.


    I turn to Castella and look at Zane who is standing behind her. ¡°I will be right back. There is no reason to follow me onto the stage.¡±


    Nodding, I climb the few stairs and smile at the assembled crowd. We are inside a circular hall in Janice¡¯s tower. It takes up an entire floor of the large building, so there is more than enough space for the crowd.


    I clear my throat and smile. ¡°It''s a pleasure to meet all of you. Rest assured that I, as the ruler of Illum, feel honoured to be so well received among the bloodline.¡± I bow slightly to show respect, but not enough to demean myself. Then I wave at the assembled observers who are holding back at the walls. According to Janice, they are something like news reporters for the public.


    Fuck me sideways. You can tell that a culture developed past any control when there are news reporters who can barge in on a private event!


    Most of the assembled people look indifferent. Others nod respectfully at me and raise their glasses. They cheer in greeting. Only a few of my relatives are clearly not pleased, showing it with their sour expressions.


    Leaning towards her, I whisper to Janice. ¡°That went better than I expected. Shouldn''t there be bad blood against the uppity newcomer who thinks that she can simply waltz in and change the balance of power?¡±Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    Janice keeps smiling, whispering from between her teeth. ¡°I officially recognized you. Additionally, they are all trained in soul-magic. Which means that they are able to read auras and judge a person''s power level. Your magical artefacts and your aura look like a blazing sun. Even the greatest idiot in this room has the ability to recognize that angering you will get them a powerful enemy.¡±


    That''s actually quite useful. It''s a society in which everyone knows instantly whether the other party is above or below the pecking order. ¡°So I won''t have to deal with idiotic challenges to prove my worthiness.¡±


    The Sovereign chuckles and guides me off the podium. ¡°No. Though I am not sure about Zane. Some of the young upstarts might see a chance in raising their status by courting you. Their attention will switch to your consort once they hear that you are already taken care of.¡±


    I purse my lips. ¡°Wouldn''t that be incest?¡±


    ¡°Depends on how strict you are on the definition. Every human is related to another in one way or the other. I would say that your cousin''s great-grandchild is already far enough removed from your own genes to avoid genetic defects,¡± Janice explains coolly.


    I stop myself before I say something stupid. The Sovereign has a point. I was a slave for eighty years. That''s almost a century. If my uncles, aunts and their offspring have been busy, then I am looking at five to six generations. Maybe even more, depending on how early they got to work.


    ¡°If there are so many prospects, then why were you so insistent on me hooking up with Zane? Wouldn''t it be better to get me into the sack with someone who is under your control?¡± Not that I care about that option, but once it popped into my head, the question has to be answered.


    Janice shrugs. ¡°Aside from the reasons which I already gave you, would you really go along with such a plan? I have no illusions about my ability to force you into something which you aren''t already inclined to do yourself. You already had a relationship with Zane and I am not enough of a fool to think that you would stay a loner forever. I wanted you to finalize your relationship with him so that none of my foolish descendants gets stupid ideas.


    ¡°Zane is a decent choice, unrelated to Mirai''s politics, and has enough magical ability. His combat abilities are sufficient to avoid being broken by you on accident. That can''t be said about ninety percent of the possible candidates who are present in this room. And the rest... let''s just say that I don''t want you to be caught up in their politics.¡±


    ¡°Wherever you go, there are always the games of the powerful,¡± I muse.


    ¡°True. There is no other choice than to play the game. Otherwise, others will play it for you,¡± Janice answers.


    I smile back, but don¡¯t answer. After all, she won¡¯t like my solution to the problem. Sometimes, one has to smash the board if she doesn¡¯t want to play.


    Janice waves in greeting as we rejoin Zane and Castella. A man and a woman are waiting with the two of them.


    The man is at least a whole head larger than me and has a broad frame. I can''t tell for sure because of his suit, but I bet that he is packed with muscles. The gray eyes and the black hair are a clear sign that we are related.


    The lean woman next to him is a rather plain brunette. Maybe even a little too plain. There are no distinct features which would make her stand out. Her round face is neither ugly nor pretty. If she wasn''t wearing such a nice blue dress, I wouldn''t think twice of her. Her plainness is so perfect that I suspect an illusion.


    Remembering my lessons on soul-magic, I try one of my new skills and focus energy into my pupils. Forming the necessary spell matrix takes a second, but I manage it without mistake. I should really train this basic skill until I can do it instinctively. It''s just too useful to pass up on.


    When I open my eyes, I can see their auras and the magic around them. Being able to recognize the ability level of others at a glance is priceless.


    The man has a bright and powerful aura surrounding him. The colour is a deep violet. If I remember correctly, then that''s very close to crossing over to the actual reincarnation stage. Either he is very old, or someone went through a lot of effort to groom this person into a powerful man.


    Surprisingly, the woman who I actually wanted to check on is a letdown. Her bleak aura is yellow but has a greenish taint. A normal who is on the verge between the two stages? That still makes her unbelievably weak.


    I quickly survey the room, which I should have done at the beginning. There are a few more violet auras, but no shades of blue which would indicate someone who has access to the memories of a previous life.


    Returning my attention to the people in front of me, I notice that my mother isn''t as weak as she seemed to me. Her aura, just like Zane''s, is a dirty mix of violet and blue. Knowing about the reasons behind the look of Zane''s aura, I turn my attention to Janice.


    Guess who played a little uplifting with her daughter?


    Did Janice do it before her daughter was abducted? Or afterwards? Knowing the reasons behind human experimentation could be quite important. I am certainly nobody who should judge such actions, but if Janice is morally capable of committing a dangerous experiment on her own flesh and blood, it would be good to be aware of it.


    There could be other reasons behind Castella''s aura, but I should still research the issue. Better to be safe than to be sorry.


    Janice gestures at the man and the surprisingly mundane woman next to him. ¡°Allow me to introduce you. Your Uncle, Samir, and his wife, Riona.¡±


    Ah, that explains a lot about his violet aura and why Castella is glareing at him as if he is a bug. She mentioned that she and her brother aren''t on good terms with each other.


    Samir smiles and bows to me. ¡°It''s an honour to meet you. And a surprise that you turned out to be my sister''s daughter. She already told me that she would leave her tower to join you on Illum. Hahaha. I must thank you. She was holed up in her garden and refused to take part in social life. I didn''t want to believe my eyes when I met her here.¡±


    What a surprisingly cheerful person. ¡°Oh, you must have misunderstood something. My mother wants to take her garden with her.¡±


    A slight smile steals itself onto Castella''s lips. ¡°J- J- just the part which belongs to me.¡±

 111. ~Castella~

    ¡°All stories have multiple points of view.¡±


    ***White City***


    ***Castella***


    ¡°J- J- just the part which belongs to me.¡±


    My brother''s jaw drops when he realizes what that would mean for ''his'' tower. He spins towards me, startling me, then back to face Nova. ¡°You can''t do that! A necromancer''s tower is his pride! It would take months to rebuild it!¡±


    My daughter''s face doesn''t show any reaction to his emotional outburst. ¡°I am very sorry. Do you propose another solution? My mother really wants to take the garden with her. It wouldn''t be that much of a drain on my powers, so I tend towards going along with her wish.¡±


    My brother''s wife, Riona, tugs on his sleeve and whispers, ¡°It''s just a tower. I know that you aren''t happy with your sister''s peculiarities, but you really should be the bigger person in this. She is still your sister. The people will recognize that your strong character doesn''t stop you from helping your family.¡± She smiles at me and winks.


    I really don''t understand what a woman like Riona sees in my idiotic brother. She is too nice of a person for him. Me hating him, while liking his wife causes real trouble for me.


    My brother glares at Nova for a few more seconds. Finally, he relents and nods. Samir rolls his eyes and throws up his hands. ¡°Fine! I guess we can always rebuild it bigger and better than before.¡±


    ¡°I could place a glass-peak on your tower to replace the lost floors,¡± Nova offers. ¡°I intend to do some restructuring to Illum and have to repair our pond. The Empire broke it when they attacked us.¡±


    I frown and ask, ¡°P-Pond?¡± Damn it! Why can''t I speak normally? This environment gives me the cold shivers and my heart constantly tries to leap out of my body. There are simply too many people and I am missing my grove.


    Nova nods and crosses her arms in front of her chest. ¡°Yeah. The big glass-bubble with the hole inside it. It isn''t supposed to look that way. I have to melt down the whole thing and reshape it again. Otherwise, I could never be sure that there are no leaks. Patching the hole would be fine, but if I do something, I want to do it right.¡±


    Unfortunately, I have yet to get a good view of Illum. Their arrival kind of surprised me.


    Samir laughs, unable to contain himself. ¡°You are something else! Are you still available? I could match you up with a few people who would surely be a great addition to your abilities.¡±


    Surprising myself by stepping forward, I place myself at Nova''s side. ¡°N- no! She a- already has Zane.¡± Damn it! That came out totally whiny!


    Nova smiles and touches my shoulder to stop me from fretting. Are my feelings that obvious?


    ¡°It''s okay. I am sure that uncle Samir meant no offense.¡± She turns her attention back to Samir. ¡°Such an arrangement would be out of the question anyway. The fertile grounds are already seeded, so to speak.¡±


    Fertile grounds? Oh¡­ oooh¡­ that¡¯s a good one. Despite my agitation, I have to snicker.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    My dimwit of a brother doesn''t get it. He keeps on smiling until Riona tugs on his earlobe to lower him to her level. Then she whispers into his ear. To his credit, he doesn''t change his expression until his wife lets go of him and he is standing straight again. ¡°My apologies. I wasn''t aware that you are already taken care of on that front.¡±


    Seriously! He doesn''t deserve that woman.


    It''s so infuriating that he is the one who gets to live a proper life, while I make a mess of myself and everyone around me. I can''t even stand up for my daughter without disgracing myself. Suddenly it seems like everything is becoming too much. All the people. My brother and his perfect life. My inabilities.


    The world starts spinning and the broken part of my personality threatens to take over. The part of me who I was after the abduction. My chin starts quivering and I press the bag with my personal items tighter to my chest. I can''t have a breakdown right here and now. Nova will worry. Somehow, I have to get over my fears. Maybe seeking to assist Nova was the wrong choice.


    Who am I kidding? What am I doing here? Nova doesn''t even know the real me and I don¡¯t really know her. I was grasping at straws! It must be a terrible pain in the ass to invite some stranger into your home. Why is she doing it? Gods! I even asked her to trust me when she is inconvenienced by her pregnancy.


    Janice notices my plight and takes my hand. ¡°I think that this event has gone on for long enough. Nova and I will escort you to Illum, but then I''ll return here. Being back in the capital after such a long time surely piled up a lot of paper work.¡±


    Nova smiles cheerfully and slides an arm around me. ¡°That''s an excellent excuse to escape. I still have to give Mom an introduction to Illum! Ah, and we have to find her a room until we start with Illum''s restructuring.¡±


    The physical contact calms me down. Clenching my jaw shut, I stop it from quivering. I have to be strong.


    My mother rebuffs all relatives who try to entangle us in a conversation with short remarks. She and Nova guide me out of the hall. We leave the tower¡¯s interior and step onto a small balcony from where we float up into the air and towards Illum. Zane follows us silently.


    They clearly noticed that I was about to have a mental breakdown. ¡°J- just g-great. I c- clearly messed up the show.¡±


    Janice pats my back. ¡°Don''t say that. You finally ventured out of that garden of yours. It wasn''t fair to throw you right into the middle of such a large event. I also should have cut down on that stupid speech.¡±


    Nova sighs and it''s suddenly as if a mask slips off her face. ¡°Mom, you are a life-saver. Honestly. I was about to lose it. And believe me, nobody likes it when I lose it. Now I totally understand why you think that uncle Samir is a fool. I wonder who paired him up with that intelligent wife of his.¡±


    She bends forward and squints past me at my mother. ¡°I really wonder.¡±


    Janice clears her throat. ¡°Ahem, he needs a controlling element in his life.¡±


    For a very long moment, I try to catch up with the conversation. Then I slowly turn my head to face Janice. ¡°Riona is on your payroll!?¡±


    ¡°That''s putting it too bluntly! Watch yourself, Castella Mirai. We don''t want any bad rumours about the bloodline.¡±


    The corners of Nova''s mouth curl down in disgust. Something got her really riled up. ¡°I also want to know why you uplifted Castella. Didn''t you say that the whole process is very dangerous? If you can do that to your own daughter-¡±


    Realizing what¡¯s going on, I grab Nova''s hand. ¡°T- that''s n-¡±


    Squinting my eyes shut, I try to get my stuttering under control. After a few deep breaths, I imagine myself being in my garden. We aren''t among so many people any longer and the night''s cool air brushes through my hair, which helps to soothe the turmoil of emotions.


    ¡°I am calm and controlled.¡±


    After chanting my mantra for a while, I feel calm enough to do this without stuttering. Having thought about my words, I speak, ¡°Right after the abduction I was a mess. The Castella from back then was nothing more than a child. Did you know that my brother is thirty years older than me? He already had his own family by the time I was born. That''s why we aren''t that close. I was always the distant baby-sister to him.


    ¡°In addition, I was a total greeny when I was abducted. And before you ask, a greeny is someone with a green aura. I was twenty-two, nothing more than a big child. When mother''s agents rescued me, I was a total mess. You can¡¯t imagine what the imperialists did to that version of Castella.¡±


    ¡°Version?¡± Nova asks, confused.


    I nod. ¡°Once rescued, they had to lock me in a cushioned cell to stop me from hurting myself. Janice performed the procedure to unlock the memories of a previous life. She hoped that it would help me to overcome the trauma which destroyed the old Castella. And you have to believe me when I tell you that I was past the point of any sanity at that time. Janice hoped that the memories would help some other personality to take over.¡±


    I smile and squeeze Nova''s hand. ¡°So don''t think badly of her. It didn''t work quite as well as Janice hoped it would. I am still me, but having a little more life experience helped to go on living. It certainly helped,¡± I reassure Nova and myself at the same time.


    ¡°Kind of...¡± I admit after a short silence. ¡°The stuttering and shivers when I am under stress are a bother.¡±

 112. ~Promises~

    ¡°The Rule of Three is a religious tenet. It states that whatever energy a person puts out into the world, be it positive or negative, will be returned to that person three times. Some subscribe to a variant of this law in which return is not necessarily threefold.¡±


    ***Elven Kingdom, Palace***


    ***Alias***


    I slowly approach the door and watch Fin, the elven king, as he raises his hands with his palms out. It seems like he doesn''t want to get involved in something. Levitating in front of him is a communication crystal. For once he isn¡¯t with his newest concubine.


    ¡°Rufus, I understand that we worked together in the past, but I really can''t help you in this. My hands are bound in this case.¡±


    I raise an eyebrow and study Fin on his throne. It''s rare that I catch Fin alone and unaware of my presence. At least I think that the elven king didn''t notice me when I leaped onto the balcony which leads directly into the throne room. Giving in to my curiosity, I decide not to announce myself.


    The name Rufus sounds a lot of alarm bells. Why does the elven king have a communication crystal which connects him directly to one of the leading figures behind the Consortium? I know nothing of this. Normally, all interactions with other nations are supervised by the Alliance¡¯s observers. If anyone finds out about this relationship the elven kingdom will find itself in a lot of trouble.


    ¡°I don''t understand. We and the Sociocrathy have an agreement on that front. You even told us about your suspicions regarding Nova and Illum. I always knew you as an honourable man who keeps his word. Why would you suddenly step back and do nothing?¡±


    I try to make sense of the information. Is the person on the other end of the connection talking about the bargain against the Mirai?


    The voice doesn¡¯t seem pleased, but Fin is unimpressed. ¡°You are right. However, I firmly believe in the Rule of Three. Whatever you do to others is one day returned back to you three times. That''s why I can''t help you. I have an agreement with Illum''s ruler. We won''t interfere with each other¡¯s business. Sending spies and gathering information is one thing. Actively plotting attacks and assassinations are completely different things.¡±Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    Rufus doesn¡¯t give up. ¡°Whatever bargain you have with Nova should be void. Our bargain is older. You shouldn''t have offered her a hands-off deal in the first place!¡±


    Fin closes his eyes and shakes his head while he crosses his arms in front of his chest. ¡°You are right yet again. I shouldn¡¯t have offered her the deal, but I didn¡¯t know her true identity at the time. Be that as it may, the deal was made and I won¡¯t be the one who breaks it. At least not in an obvious manner. My agent already interfered with Nova¡¯s operatives, but only because we didn¡¯t know that they are hers. Informing you and the others about the situation, that¡¯s as far as I¡¯ll go.¡±


    ¡°You do realize that this conflict won¡¯t stay localized, don''t you? Our only chance is to stop her before everything spirals out of hand. She controls the resistance. She is the point of origin.¡±


    ¡°Do you even have a guarantee that killing Nova will stop the events she set in motion? You already tried that and the assassination failed.¡± Fin shrugs, looking relatively unconcerned. ¡°If there are times of peace, there also must be times of war. I am relatively sure that my kingdom is prepared to ride out the waves of unrest. Is there anything else you need?¡±


    ¡°So you intend to lean back and hope that you aren¡¯t a part of her plans? And who says that we will go after her? Her protections are clearly too good. But there are other ways. We will strike at her surroundings to destabilize her rule.¡±


    The king tilts his head and sighs. ¡°I know what you are trying to do, but I think that it¡¯s a waste of your time.¡± He leans forward. ¡°I only want to understand one thing. What¡¯s your problem with this Nova? As I see it, I am not even on her list of targets. Neither are you. But you will be if you keep making trouble. Everything I¡¯ve heard about her hints that her grudge should be directed mainly at the Empire. The Sociocrathy also didn¡¯t exactly welcome her.¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t met her in person. She is dangerous and clearly has the ability to turn this world upside down.¡±


    Fin isn¡¯t impressed. ¡°Let¡¯s be honest. All of us have the ability to turn this world upside down. It¡¯s just a matter of whether we want to or not. I think that I could live with it if that woman destroys Jules¡¯s Empire. I don¡¯t like that man.¡±


    ¡°The question is what she is going to do once she accomplishes that. She is clearly one of those reincarnated who have to shape the world around them according to their wishes.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha. Maybe the Sociocrathy? Or you? I heard that you didn¡¯t exactly make friends with her.¡± Fin shakes his head. ¡°Accept it, Rufus. I won¡¯t do anything that causes my name to rise on her list of targets.¡±


    ¡°List of targets?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious? That woman has a goal, and people who stand in her way...¡± Fin doesn¡¯t finish the sentence.


    Not being comfortable with what I heard, I shift my weight around. Inadvertently, I listened in on something I shouldn¡¯t know. And what are reincarnated?


    Suddenly, Fin¡¯s head whips in my direction. He is looking directly at me. ¡°We can resume this discussion later, Rufus. I have a visitor.¡±


    Fin deactivates the communication crystal and gestures for me to step into the throne room.


    I hastily follow the invitation and kneel down in front of the throne, focusing my attention on the floor.


    ¡°I see that you survived.¡±


    Raising a hand, I cover the eye patch which is now covering the now empty eye-socket. ¡°The healers had to remove the affected tissue. They couldn¡¯t restore the eye, but my life is no longer in danger.¡±


    ¡°You will be recompensed for your loss. Are you ready for another mission?¡±


    I nod. ¡°Anytime, my king.¡±

 113. ~Renovation~

    ¡°One should always be prepared for the end... though... some decide to lengthen the contract.¡±


    ***Illum***


    ***Castella***


    I gawk at the huge ball of molten glass which is levitating right next to Illum. It concerns me that Nova is handling it right above the White City. According to her, there is absolutely no risk of an accident. Maybe she is doing it to stop the Mirai from getting stupid ideas. I don¡¯t want to think about what could happen if the molten glass falls down into one of the residential areas.


    Not even necromancy can help if the body is burned to a black crisp!


    Right next to the molten glass is the orb of water which it held before Nova melted it down. My daughter announced that she intends to reform the cracked water tank into a segmented ring which encloses Illum¡¯s central island. It will make it much harder to destroy all of Illum¡¯s water reserves in a single strike.


    There are some emergency tanks inside Illum, but apparently, the huge glass bubble held most of Illum¡¯s water. If I understood Nova correctly, she also intends to use it as some sort sewage treatment plant by placing several spells on the glass. Illum will clean and recycle its population¡¯s waste automatically.


    As I watch, the force fields reform the glass into the segments of a large ring. They simply separate from the main mass and are pressed into shape. A smaller sphere of molten metal supplies the material for an intriguing web of runes which are embedded into the glass.


    Shaking my head, I turn away from the wondrous display of Nova¡¯s power. She created her very own fairy land without regard for the rest of the world. I wonder how she plans to incorporate my tower into her city.


    When I turn away from the window, I realize that I am not alone in Nova¡¯s living room and stiffen.


    The maid looks like she is equally startled by my presence, but she recovers quickly and bows to me. The broom in her hand is firmly pressed to her chest. ¡°I am sorry for surprising you. Usually, there is nobody around at this time of the day.¡±


    ¡°I- It¡¯s okay.¡± I take a deep breath and resolve myself not to stutter. This is a good chance to learn more about Nova. ¡°I was wondering why my daughter doesn¡¯t have any servants in her quarters.¡±


    The maid¡¯s facial muscles twitch and she throws herself to the ground. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that you are the goddess¡¯s mother! Please forgive this unworthy one for not paying you the proper respect.¡±


    Surprised, I clear my throat. ¡°Goddess? Please get to your feet and answer my question. Why are you so afraid of Nova?¡±


    The red haired maid is some kind of foxkin with red hair. Wagging her bushy tail, she looks up at me with worship in her eyes. ¡°I am not afraid of the goddess. She is just and benevolent to those who don¡¯t question her authority.¡± She looks around, seemingly wary to be overheard. ¡°She also dislikes strangers in her quarters, so we servants only swoop in once a day and get everything cleaned up while she is busy with other stuff.¡±Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    Why does she make it sound like cleaning Nova¡¯s quarters is some stealthy commando operation with high risks. I nod and wait for the servant to proceed on her own. There is clearly more to the story.


    Fidgeting around, the maid focuses her eyes on my feet. ¡°It¡¯s common knowledge that the goddess doesn¡¯t have qualms with squishing those who speak against her.¡±


    ¡°Squish?¡± I ask.


    The fox-girl nods and wrings her arms around an imaginary object. ¡°Yes. With the force which holds Illum in the air. Imagine what would happen if you use just a small part of it on a person.¡± Her fingers intertwine, crushing whatever is in her mind. ¡°Squish!¡± She releases her hands as if she is dropping the sorry remains of the victim onto the floor. ¡°And splatter!¡±


    I open my mouth to say something, but then I quickly close it again. The haunted expression in the maid¡¯s eyes is enough to tell that she personally witnessed such an event. Besides Nova¡¯s behaviour towards me, she doesn¡¯t seem to be a person who has qualms about killing offenders.


    Personally, I don¡¯t like being treated like a god. My experiences showed me that I am far from being such an entity. The Castella from before my abduction would have revelled in such attention, but not anymore.


    Nonetheless, it¡¯s probably a bad idea to change the maid¡¯s opinion. The people of Illum seem to idolize Nova even more than the Mirai worship the bloodline. We are just priests to our people. Unlike the Mirai, the people of Illum treat Nova like a god. At least this maid does.


    Seeing an opportunity, I grill her for more information about Illum until I allow her to do her work. I step onto the balcony in front of Nova¡¯s living room to think about what I have learned.


    The maid¡¯s point of view allows me to see Illum in a new light. It isn¡¯t just a fairy land. There are definitely dark undercurrents to Nova¡¯s rule.


    When I got to see Illum for the first time I didn¡¯t believe that it¡¯s real. Rubbing my temples, I try to dismiss any ill thoughts about my daughter. Nova must have her reasons for not discouraging her civilians from worshipping her. The bloodline isn¡¯t any better.


    My thoughts are interrupted by loud voices. Someone is having a heated argument in Nova¡¯s office. The office¡¯s windows must be open. It¡¯s located right beneath this balcony. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t be able to hear them so clearly.


    Driven by curiosity, I return to the living room and walk past the maid who is trying her best to dust one of the shelves.


    Upon entering Nova¡¯s office, I find my daughter, Zane, and an elf in a heated discussion.


    Before I can ask what¡¯s going on, they storm out of the room. Something important must have happened. I clench my teeth and hurry to follow them into another office which is located two floors below Nova¡¯s part of the palace. The office is small and orderly.


    Behind the office table at the other end of the room is a large man in a chair. The body is slumped against the backrest and his head is lolling sideways at an awkward angle. Someone slit his throat from ear to ear and left him to bleed out. The front of his shirt is soaked in glistening blood.


    Nova checks on the man but shakes her head. From their discussion, I can pick out that the man¡¯s name is Brian and that he is the captain of the palace¡¯s guard. Apparently, he is an important person. They still ignore me, shocked about their friend''s unexpected death.


    While they discuss how this could have happened, without anyone noticing, I walk around them and touch the man¡¯s cheek. It¡¯s still warm, so I clear my throat.


    None of them pays me any attention, so I clear my throat again and try to be loud enough to drown them out. ¡°I- I think th- that I can bring him back. Should I do it?¡±


    They look at me, startled. Apparently, they forgot that here in Mirai death doesn¡¯t mean the end.


    ¡°Yes!¡± the elf answers immediately.


    Zane raises his hand. ¡°Wait. Isn¡¯t he some sort of paladin? Won¡¯t he be pissed to be returned without his permission?¡±


    Nova gestures for me to go on. ¡°Who cares? I don¡¯t want to find someone else for the job. And I really have to find out how they got past my security measures.¡±

 114. ~Resurrected~

    ¡°Sometimes it¡¯s better to simply stay dead.¡±


    ***Illum***


    ***Zane***


    Fae and I return to Brian''s office with wary expressions. Castella threw us out, allowing only Nova to stay with her while she returns Brian¡¯s soul to his body. Apparently, the first steps of the resurrection ritual are a very sensitive process. Having a lot of people in the vicinity makes it hard to find the right soul and to coax it back into its body.


    So we went outside to guard the door and to prevent any unforeseen interruptions.


    It took them a little more than ten minutes until Nova opened the door and allowed us back inside. I used the time to interview Fae on how she found the body. Sadly, there wasn¡¯t much to her story. She found Brian and ran directly to Nova¡¯s office after confirming his death.


    Castella is still chanting in a language which I don''t know. With her index finger, she is drawing glowing runes onto Brian''s face. A green glow is surrounding his body and the gaping wound in his throat is slowly closing.


    A quick glance at Fae tells me that she is emotionally riled up. The elf is wringing her hands and her eyes look like she is on the verge of tears. I suppose that it''s understandable. From what I was told, Fae and Brian were adventuring comrades for a long time.


    The bright, white runes start spreading all over Brian''s body.


    Anticipating something grand like a flash of light, I hold my breath and prepare for something magnificent to happen. Only to be disappointed when the glow slowly fades away, leaving us with a pale and bloody corpse.


    ¡°Did you fail?¡± Fae asks, horrified.


    ¡°At least the wound is closed. It will be less messy when we bury him.¡± Shit. The words slipped out before I managed to stop myself. I open my mouth to apologize, but Fae kicks me in the shin before I can do so.


    ¡°Ow!¡±


    ¡°N- No violence!¡± Castella calls out. ¡°It just takes a little longer for the soul to reconnect with the body. He was lucky that we found him in time. A few more minutes and it would have been too late.¡±


    Nova nods. ¡°That was an impressive ritual, Mom. Janice promised to teach me, but we didn''t get far enough for me to be able to perform it on my own.¡±


    Castella blushes and smiles. ¡°I could teach you. I- I may have deficits in other areas, but I am proud of my skills as a priestess of the bloodline.¡± She turns her gaze at Brian''s body. ¡°There is something else we have to talk about. When I resurrected your friend, I sensed the traces of a metamorph''s magic.¡±


    ¡°Shit!¡± I exclaim. That''s the last thing we need on Illum.


    ¡°Metamorph?¡± Nova asks, changing her attention from Castella towards me.


    I scratch the stubbles on my chin. ¡°It''s a creature or construct which is able to change its shape. Nobody is really sure how they are created or where they live. At least I didn''t have the security level to have access to such information during my time in the Alliance''s military.¡±If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Nova bites her lower lip. ¡°Okay. That could be problematic. As much as I dislike to admit it, my spying capabilities on Illum aren''t perfect. While Castella revived Brian, I searched through my recordings. That¡¯s what I found.¡± Nova gestures towards a wall.


    An illusion turns it into a screen, showing Brian¡¯s office. The captain of the guard enters the room and sits down on his chair. Suddenly, the wall behind him transforms into a formless mass. A metallic tentacle slides around our friend¡¯s throat, slicing it open.


    ¡°I have no idea how it got there, nor where it went after leaving the room through the window. If that thing can change its shape on a whim it¡¯s really hard to track. What are its limitations and how do I kill it?¡±


    ¡°There are no limitations as far as I know,¡± I answer. ¡°The Alliance is always on the lookout for them. From time to time we catch one when they make a mistake. Luckily for us, their numbers must be very small. As far as killing them-¡±


    Fae takes over. ¡°Extermination with extreme measures and prejudice. Torch anything and anyone who you suspect. They can''t withstand fire without losing their shape. I''ve heard rumours that the Empire torched entire villages and military camps on the sole suspicion that they have a metamorph among them. They can imitate people perfectly, but they need a long time to study the person they want to imitate. It¡¯s not like they can read a person¡¯s mind.¡±


    Castella covers her mouth with one hand. ¡°Oh, you poor children. Having to fight these things without any knowledge about them must be awful.¡±


    I glare at the woman. Did she just sound smug?


    Nova turns her attention to me. ¡°Please tell me that you know more, Castella.¡±


    ¡°The metamorphs are being deployed by the Consortium. Mostly as spies, sometimes as assassins. We caught several and studied them,¡± Castella explains.


    ¡°You know how to identify them?¡± I ask.


    ¡°Not when they are an object,¡± she admits. ¡°But it''s highly suspicious when a person without a soul walks past you.¡±


    ¡°Illum''s observation system can''t identify souls,¡± Nova grumbles. ¡°But I suppose that it''s a relief that I can identify the thing when it walks up to me.¡±


    ¡°Don''t get cocky,¡± I warn her. ¡°It could lie in hiding as an object and surprise you as soon as you walk within reach. That¡¯s how it got Brian.¡±


    Castella nods with a grim expression on her face. ¡°They like to do that. We should deactivate the palace''s climate enchantments and raise the temperature to drive it out of hiding. Forty degrees should suffice.¡±


    Nova nods appreciatively. ¡°You know a lot about these things.¡±


    Her mother shrugs, looking rueful. ¡°Everyone from the bloodline gets this information. We are priority targets for assassination attempts.¡±


    Suddenly, Brian''s whole body shudders and he draws in a deep breath, reaching for his throat. He looks around, trying to find out what''s going on. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°That''s what we want to know! Who killed you? Did you notice anything strange before you were taken out?¡± Fae shouts.


    ¡°Killed me?¡± Brian asks. Then he looks at his bloody shirt and up at Castella. Upon taking in the distinct outfit of a Mirai, realisation dawns in his eyes. ¡°Oh, gosh! No! Nononono. I can''t be undead. I am a fucking paladin! I follow the light!¡±


    Castella steps back to hide behind Nova. ¡°Nobody told me that he isn''t a believer.¡±


    ¡°I believe in the light!¡± Brian slams his fist onto the table, causing Castella to jump. Her confident demeanour is gone from one moment to the next.


    Nova glares at him. ¡°Calm down, Brian. You are frightening my mother. She only did what we told her to do. As for your changed circumstances... is it really so bad that you are a little paler than before?¡±


    Brian runs a hand through his hair. It''s clear that he has problems adapting to the situation. ¡°Right. I am sorry for screaming, but it wasn''t supposed to be like this. I still had a whole life in front of me! I wanted a family and kids. And did I mention that I am a paladin!¡± He is screaming by the end of his tirade.


    Nova clears her throat and retrieves a small jar from her pocket. ¡°I thought of that.¡± She places the jar with some white goo inside it on the table in front of Brian. ¡°I squeezed out some of your essence before we reanimated you. Needed to do something while Castella brought you back. The jar has several preservation spells on it, so you have all the time in the world.¡±


    Brian was already pale since he returned from the dead, but now he goes as white as a sheet of paper. ¡°How did you? How am I supposed to? What?¡± He reaches down between his legs, then he fumbles around, rearranging his bloody clothes.


    I glare at Nova. ¡°Don''t tell me...¡± She didn¡¯t do that!


    ¡°What?¡± Nova spreads her hands. ¡°It''s not like I haven''t already seen all shapes and sizes. I just squeezed the important stuff into the jar. It''s not like he felt anything. And Castella restored his body just fine. Quit being squeamish about nothing.¡±


    She turns her attention to Brian. ¡°Once you find the right woman who is into necrophilia, you just have to cover a finger and dip it into her honey pot. Done! Works like a charm. You ungrateful bastard should be thankful that I paid any heed to your feelings. I wouldn''t do that for just any employee!¡±


    Brian clears his throat and takes the jar, quickly hiding it away. ¡°Thanks.¡± He looks at each of us in turn. ¡°I would like to have half an hour for myself. You know¡­ getting cleaned up¡­ trying to cope with this.¡± He looks down at himself. ¡°Actually, give me an hour¡­ or two¡­¡±

 115. ~Roles~

    ¡°Since ancient times, men are the ones who have to risk their...¡±


    ***Illum***


    ***Nova***


    ¡°It will take forever to do that for the whole city. Our wards aren¡¯t designed for quick temperature changes.¡±


    I return to my office. It took an hour to raise the temperature in my quarters to over sixty degrees, hoping to drive the metamorph out of hiding. Then I had to cool everything down. Sadly, my quarters turned out to be clean. ¡°I don''t understand. Why did it attack Brian? It gave up on any chance at a surprise attack on me. Now we know that it is here.¡±


    Castella and Zane follow me into the room. My consort sits down at the sofa and huffs. ¡°Maybe it didn¡¯t expect Castella to identify its signature. I have no idea. It¡¯s possible that it gave in to some sort of instinct and used the opportunity. Or it isn''t smart enough to realize that it gave up on an advantage.¡±


    My mother raises a warning finger. ¡°Or it simply wants to spread chaos. The population could panic if it becomes known that someone is assassinating people in high positions. We were lucky that Fae went directly to us. If Brian doesn''t give away his changed circumstances, nobody will ever know that he was almost killed.¡±


    ¡°He was killed!¡± Zane corrects her. ¡°And what about the pale skin. Someone is bound to ask questions.¡±


    ¡°His medical circumstances are changed,¡± Castella admits. ¡°But there are spells to take care of appearances. Our undead only look like undead because it''s a cultural thing. In our society, it isn''t a shame to be a revived person. It only means that someone decided to stay around to take care of his descendants and the state. It''s an honour.¡±


    ¡°You forgot about the obvious reason for killing Brian,¡± a voice chimes and Willow pokes her head out of the ventilation shaft.


    I huff. ¡°And how would you happen to know about what happened, Willow?¡±


    The little fairy cups both hands at her ears. ¡°The wise goddess forgot to install sound cancellation on the ventilation grid. So if there is an elf running along the corridor, screaming with a high pitched voice, the hive is bound to notice.¡±


    Great. Another thing to worry about. I don¡¯t want over two hundred fairies to listen in on everything I do. They will set up some sort of reality TV-show with me as the main character! ¡°It appears that you listened in on the important bits and you are cocky enough to assume that you know the attacker''s reasoning. Do you have an idea how to find the metamorph?¡±


    Willow flies into the room, buzzing around like an oversized fly. ¡°They already tried to assassinate you, Nova. You also demonstrated several times, in public, that your personal defences are very impressive. Simply getting past your guards is by no means a guarantee for success. So, your enemies do the only thing that''s left. They pick off the people close to you. Like family, staff... They want you to split your resources, giving them an opportunity to get you.¡±


    She hums and lands on top of a shelf. ¡°Apart from that, I don''t know much about metamorphs. We fairies don''t tend to have problems with them. Whoa! It''s dusty up here. You should use Lucifer as a dust-catcher to get this cleaned up.¡±


    I close my eyes and rub the bridge of my nose. ¡°I have other things to do than to hunt an intruder who can take any shape.¡± I walk over to my office table and pet Lucifer who is sleeping on the documents. He has grown into a full sized cat. ¡°The restructuring project takes a lot of my attention. Once I lift Castella¡¯s tower I have to be extra careful.¡±


    ¡°Doesn''t that mean that my family is also in danger?¡± Zane concludes. He looks at me. ¡°We have to find the creature and stop it!¡±


    Rolling my eyes, I stalk over to where Zane is sitting, then I take his hand and place it on my belly. It''s almost three weeks since I stopped using preventive measures. Almost a month. It''s impossible to see from a distance, but if you touch it, it''s clear that my belly is a little taut and bigger than it should be. ¡°Do you feel that? I am not going to hunt and wrestle with a strange creature. That''s the man''s duty. Your ring gives you access to everything you should need for the job.¡±


    Zane''s jaw drops.


    Castella''s snickering returns him to his senses. He shoots upright, realizing how whiny his complaints sounded. ¡°That''s right! I am your consort and one of Illum''s military commanders. This is obviously my job.¡±Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    Striding over to the door, he grabs the handle and turns back to us. ¡°Stay here until the creature is dealt with. Don''t go anywhere that isn''t secured until I come back.¡± He leaves the room and locks the door behind him.


    ¡°That worked surprisingly well on him. Must have flipped some switch,¡± I mumble. ¡°Oh, I really hope that it doesn¡¯t backfire on me.¡± It seems like me trusting him with an important task gave him confidence.


    Castella smiles. ¡°It''s okay. I was wondering about the relationship between the two of you. Don''t be angry, but he seems to be awkward around you. Maybe it''s that he feels like he doesn''t deserve his position at your side.¡±


    To be honest, the only position I am really interested in is him being in my bed. I suck in my lips and gnaw on them. ¡°Maybe. Why don''t we eat something while the others take care of this morphy-thing? It can''t be that impossible to find if it reacts to heat.¡±


    ¡°That''s a good idea. Why don''t you lie down on the sofa while I make something? I already got to take a good look at the kitchen.¡± She forces me down onto the sofa and sashays away with a happy spring in her step.


    I contemplate resisting, but then I figure that I can use the downtime to take care of a few things. Stretching my legs, I lie down and concentrate on my virtual interface. It takes only a mental command to activate the connection between my tattoo and my agents.


    Scrolling through the list, I choose a student from the Sociocrathy who is getting his education abroad in the Consortium. In the past, I already took him over a few times to prepare some things. Seems like I proved good foresight in doing so.


    He is the son of one of the wealthy slave merchants who had dealings with the Empire through the Sociocrathy¡¯s black market. After establishing the connection, I close my eyes...


    ***


    And open them again. I roll my shoulders and tilt my head from one side to the other. Michael''s hand is shaking a little. It looks like the host is trying to regain control of his body, so check on the tattoo on the inside of his arm.


    It isn''t well drawn. Sloppy work, probably because the instructions weren''t followed correctly. That''s what I get for outsourcing work. Sigh. It should hold for long enough.


    ¡°Michael, what are you doing at your desk? I am all hot and bothered. You promised to show me how it''s done, instead, you get straight back to work because of a stupid message.¡±


    Turning, I find a naked chic on Michael¡¯s bed. Seems like he was busy while I didn¡¯t remote control him.


    I purse my lips and survey the room. Somehow I have to get her out of the room to access the hidden stash.


    The needy girl on the bed is slim and isn''t as well endowed as I am. She is more of the athletic variety.


    Well, not that my current body is endowed at all. I look down at myself and clear my throat. Definitively a man. Who would deny a needy woman a little fun?


    She huffs and lies down onto her back, fingering herself. ¡°I''ll make sure to tell everyone in class that you are just a voyeur.¡±


    ¡°Now, that shouldn''t be allowed. Women in need have to be rescued.¡± I get up and walk over to her, getting onto the bed and slipping between her legs. Point one for remote control slave magic. Too bad that I am about to end this sort of slavery.


    After having done my duty, I am on my way through the Consortium''s capital city, Jade. Seeing the difference in technology is mind blowing. Most of the rest of the world is locked in some pseudo-magical-medieval age, while the Consortium is already at some sort of steam-punk level.


    Their magic isn¡¯t necessarily overly superior to the rest of the world, but they definitely are ahead in the scientific department. After all, the really big achievements are made by combining magical and scientific knowledge. Science gets you only so far, but magic allows to circumvent some of the annoying rules which get pure scientific progress stuck.


    How do the people of this world get used to the Consortium? Don¡¯t they want it for their home country after studying here? There must be some sort of cultural exchange. I really have to take a close look at the White City to compare the two cultures.


    At least there are plenty of resources available at the university. Who in the world allows a student access to a magical laboratory with all the elements to build an energy disruptor? Sloppy. My campaign would have been very different had I started it in the Consortium.


    I spin the present box between my hands and stop myself just in time from crossing the street. A large vehicle speeds past me, hooting loudly. The driver didn''t show any remorse at almost turning this body into road-kill.


    I hiss out between closed teeth. ¡°That''s what I get for skipping the industrial age. I''ll certainly not allow such a hazard on Illum. The civilians can take the public transportation system.¡± Of course, that means that I first have to install a public transportation system.


    After properly checking the street to my left and to my right, I cross the street. Looking up, I check the sign of the large building.


    ¡°Zitech Corporation¡±


    Nodding, I enter through the front door and walk up to the reception. Smiling, I wait until the female receptionist takes notice of me. She reaches up and rearranges the glasses on her nose with a delicate finger. ¡°How can I help you, boy.¡±


    I clear my throat and try to sound insecure. ¡°Yes, my name is Michael Vantage. My father is a friend of Mina Wensen, the niece of Rufus Peregrin? Am I at the right place?¡±


    The secretary looks at me, annoyed, and sighs. ¡°You look like a student. Am I right? No matter how important your dad is, the C.O. is in a meeting. She doesn''t have time to deal with you. We aren''t in the habit of taking bribes for work experience.¡±


    I shake my head. ¡°Oh, no. You misunderstood. I am just a messenger. You see, my father borrowed this from Mina and just wants me to give it back. I have more than enough to do at the university. If you tell me when I can give it to her, I can come back. Or I can leave it here, so she can take it once the meeting is over.¡±


    The woman looks at the ceiling and then at a document beneath the counter, mumbling, ¡°She is in ''Studio 3'', so that will probably take a while. You can leave it at the security over there, or return tomorrow.¡± She points at a door to the side.


    I smile and nod. ¡°So that means that she is inside this building.¡±


    The secretary presses her lips together. ¡°Well, yes. But-¡±


    I open the lid of my present box.


    ***


    And I open my eyes, looking at the ceiling of my office. The connection simply broke. If everything worked, then the detonation must have taken out the entire building and at least damaged the neighbouring ones. Rufus and I can call it a tie now.


    I stretch and check on the time. Just a little over half an hour. That''s a new record for having a quickie and killing one of Rufus''s flunkies.


    At that moment, Castella enters the room with a tray in her hands. The plate is filled with food, causing me to smile. I could get used to this.

 116. ~Clean Up~

    ¡°Have you ever noticed?A cat doesn''t simply sit down. It takes a seat on a throne.¡±


    ***Illum***


    ***Zane***


    I yawn and follow the guards down the corridor. They are sweeping the area with heat-lamps, checking for signs of the metamorph. At the same time, the fairies are taking care of the ventilation system. Squinting my eyes, I check the holographic map which is hovering in front of me. It would be annoying if we had a hole in our search pattern. Having to do everything again wouldn¡¯t be fun.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand how it manages to evade our attempts at pinning it down,¡± Tristen murmurs while he sucks on his pipe. He has his sword drawn, which glows in an eerie, yellow light. As the leader of this operation, I included Willow and him. Tristen is the captain of our ground troops, while Willow has the connection to the fairies who are living in the palace''s ventilation system.


    Tristen tilts his head to take a look at the holographic map in front of me. ¡°It¡¯s been three days and it killed three more people. That means that it kills one person per day.¡± He shakes his head. ¡°Twenty-four hours between each hit. That¡¯s not much time to find a target and hide.¡±


    I clench my jaws in renewed frustration. Moping about our failure doesn¡¯t help. After a few moments, I realize that I am being unreasonable. Three days of hunting the metamorphwithout success got me tired and edgy.


    In an attempt to cool my frustration, I humour Tristen by replying, ¡°It also didn¡¯t exactly choose meaningful targets. Two soldiers and one of the accountants. This thing simply lashes at a target of opportunity and retreats after the deed is done. It also attacked in entirely different locations within the palace, so it doesn''t seem like it has found a safe hiding spot somewhere.¡± Glaring down the corridor, I see the soldiers leave yet another room and seal it.


    ¡°What if it isn¡¯t hiding inside the palace? What if it leaves every time and hides outside among the population?¡± Tristen asks, chewing on his pipe.


    That would be bad. There are simply too many people on Illum. I shake my head. ¡°It must have found a way to hide inside the palace. We used force fields to shut down every possible entrance and are checking on everything that goes in or out. Nonetheless, we had several attacks. All of them within our restricted area. If it has a way to get past Illum¡¯s force fields, we are well and truly fucked. There must be something we aren¡¯t thinking of.¡±


    Although, I know that Lucifer can walk through Nova¡¯s force fields. I don''t mention it in front of Tristen. The possibility that the metamorph can do it too exists. I bite down on my lower lip and cross my arms in front of my chest while I study the map. If the force fields don''t work, we don''t have anything to pin the creature down.


    Tristen furrows his forehead. ¡°What would I do if I can take any shape? How to move around unseen? Maybe it¡¯s riding piggyback as a garment?¡±


    I scowl. ¡°We already checked on that possibility. Besides, we are testing everyone by using heat-lamps on them. That also affects their clothes. It must be something else.¡± Sighing, I decide to give up on the map and turn to face Tristen. ¡°How are Brian and the others doing?¡±


    Brian was the first victim of the metamorph, but Castella managed to revive him as an undead. Aside from that, she managed to save two others by turning them. For one man, a guard, all help came too late. He was found hours after the attack. By that point, his soul had already departed and was out of reach.


    According to Castella, after death, there is a time window of about half an hour to reconnect a soul to its old body. Sometimes a revival succeeds after a longer time-frame, but the person in question would be unstable, unable to regain some of his or her memories. That would be a problem if the memories are important ones, resulting in an unpredictable change of character.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Such resurrections are therefore to be avoided, so Castella outright refused to perform the ceremony on the guard.


    Tristen shifts his weight around. ¡°The two who got revived are employees of the palace. They are older men who already have a family. I had them talk to Castella in order to learn about their new¡­ condition. They are taking it reasonably well, given the circumstances. Brian isn¡¯t doing so well.¡±


    I wince. ¡°What¡¯s the problem? Yesterday, I went past the training hall and he was screaming like a madman. I saw you were with him, so I fled the scene.¡±


    Tristen clears his throat. ¡°Yeah, well. That¡¯s the issue. Brian can¡¯t use his light-magic without damaging himself. Most of his favourite spells are aimed at fighting the undead and now he is one himself. Calling on a power which is bound to harm yourself isn¡¯t a good idea. Though, he tries to find ways to overcome the issue. Stubbornness is one of his most distinctive character traits.¡±


    Ouch! It must be horrible to wake up and find out that all of your magical abilities became useless. ¡°Does he even have a hope of making it work?¡±


    Tristen shrugs. ¡°Maybe. Brian is an idiot, but he has a talent for light-magic. If anyone can find a way, then it¡¯s him.¡±


    Nodding, I return my attention to the map. Giving in to a sudden inspiration, I mark the locations of the attacks. Then I ignore the first attack on Brian, assuming that the metamorph changed its pattern after the first strike. Brian was the first target and the metamorph had all the time in the world to get close to the victim. Now, the thing is operating under the assumption that it is being hunted.


    ¡°Fuck me sideways with a stick. I am an idiot!¡± I call out and kick the corridor¡¯s wall, causing Tristen to jump in surprise.


    ¡°What?¡± Tristen asks.


    ¡°All three attacks happened near public restrooms.¡± I point at the map and highlight the locations.


    Tristen¡¯s eyes widen slightly as he makes the connection. ¡°Yuck! You want to say that it¡¯s using the palace¡¯s plumbing system to escape the heat treatments!?¡±


    ¡°The metamorph can take any shape and according to Castella, it isn¡¯t even alive. Surely it can survive for a few minutes in cool water,¡± I explain.


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then we have it now. Nova can surely heat the pipes if we ask her.¡± Tristen retrieves a communication crystal from his pockets. ¡°To all search teams. Head to the nearest restroom and make sure that you have at least one person with a flamethrower. We assume that the metamorph is hiding in the palace¡¯s plumbing system.¡±


    I use my ring to contact Nova and explain my theory to her.


    Half an hour later, we are ready to begin. It took Nova surprisingly long to reprogram Illum¡¯s spellwork, but she explained that she never intended to heat up all of the palace¡¯s plumbing system at the same time.


    I press the button which is supposed to heat up the pipes and wait. A minute passes without any report from the search parties. Then, a scream from down the corridor draws our attention.


    Snarling, I sprint down the corridor towards the security offices. ¡°This will end today!¡± I prophesy and turn around the corner, finding myself close to the guard¡¯s break room. Two men are firing their weapons into the room, while a third tries to torch the entire space with his flamethrower.


    A charred, silvery mass lunges out of the room and barrels into the guards. It tries to form a humanoid shape, but the attempt fails and the thing ends up looking like a cancerous monstrosity. The flamethrower did a lot of damage to it, but clearly not enough to kill the creature.


    ¡°Step aside!¡± Tristen jumps past me, raising his sword, which ignites with yellow flames. He exchanges two quick blows with the thing before he jumps backwards to get out of its reach. His aggressive attack didn¡¯t do much damage and the charred cuts on the creature close quickly, but it allowed the three guards to retreat to the other side of the corridor. The creature is now boxed in between the guards on one end and Tristen and me on the other.


    ¡°Step back!¡± I order Tristen and raise the hand with the ring. Pointing at the creature, I activate the arrest-command. The area around the thing is immediately closed off by force fields.


    Realizing what happened, the metamorph tries to flee back into the restroom but runs into a wall. Turning desperate, it hits the force field and jumps around, flowing along the surrounding force fields with surprising agility, searching for a hole in its prison. Luckily, there doesn¡¯t seem to be one.


    A ventilation shaft above my head pops open and spills out Willow with two more fairies. ¡°Whee! Where is it?¡± She buzzes around, swinging the miniature flamethrower in her hands. Then she notices the imprisoned creature. ¡°Aw! I really wanted to use this thing.¡± She looks down at her weapon, disappointed.


    I clear my throat and focus power on my fingertip, drawing a directed ignition rune. ¡°You still can. We are using the flamethrowers because flames aren''t stopped by force fields. They are directed against physical objects.¡± My spell activates and shoots a torrent of fire at the creature.


    From the other side of the corridor, the guard with the flamethrower joins in and the monster starts wailing with a high-pitched scream.


    Willow aims her weapon at the creature and unleashes a jet of flames which is much larger than herself, laughing crazily. She is using her magic to amplify the attack.


    ¡°Mad fairies,¡± I mumble. Though, I admit that finally roasting this thing feels very satisfying.

 117. ~Living~

    ¡°In tragedy, it''s hard to find a good resolution; it''s not black and white: it''s a big fog of gray.¡±


    ***Illum***


    ***Nova***


    Reaching out, I take another piece of popcorn and nibble on it while I read the latest reports. Popcorn alone has made this visit worth my time. Real popcorn! Who would have thought that this godforsaken island has real popcorn?


    I hum, silently contemplating that thought. Actually, godforsaken isn''t so far from the truth.


    It has been three months since Illum arrived at the Mirai island. Three months which were filled with a lot of work and annoying human interactions. Okay, I admit it. Maybe I should invest a little more time in Castella. The poor woman is trying so hard to connect with me.


    I grimace and think of all my other plans and obligations.


    As if on cue, Castella''s voice draws my attention. ¡°Illum is wonderful. When I arrived here, I didn''t imagine in my wildest dreams that it could be so interesting to live here.¡± My mother sashays into the room, followed by Janice. The Sovereign ignored me for most of the time up until now. Apparently, she took the time to take care of her own problems. After all, she left her country unattended for weeks to play escort for me.


    I smile and lean back in my office''s couch. ¡°Thank you and hello. How may I help you?¡±


    As much as I would like it if this was a simple family visit, somehow I can''t think of Janice doing anything without reason.


    Janice smiles and sits down in one of the chairs. She surveys the room as if to make sure that we are the only ones who participate in this conversation. ¡°I want to talk to about the events in the Consortium and on the main continent.¡±


    ¡°Oh. That...¡± I throw the popcorn into my mouth and chew noisily to gain some time to think. Is it about something I did?


    It was relatively silent since Rufus sent the metamorph after us. I retaliated with a series of attacks which didn''t lack in ruthlessness. That''s the only way I know to deal with people who try to get at you from the shadows. Hunkering down only encourages them to launch more vicious attacks. They have to realize that their actions cause a reaction, preferably even more brutal than their own.


    Rufus didn''t show any honour when he went after my employees, so I had to show him that I am also willing to sacrifice innocent bystanders, just to harm his operations. I think that he got the message after I spread a magical plague in Jade, the Consortium''s capital. The plague wasn''t targeted at humans since my agents already found out that the Consortium''s protections against attacks of that sort are very good.


    An inferno spell like the one I used in Orwen would have never worked in Jade.


    However, my plague avoided that by being aimed at metals, accelerating the oxidation process. It took me over a week to puzzle the spell together and how to get it past Jade''s magical defences. In the end, I had to settle for something that forced most of the metal in the city to rust. It didn''t affect any of the properly protected buildings, but in a city like Jade there are tons of valuable metals which are very important.Stolen story; please report.


    And let''s be honest, who in his right mind would put heavy magical protections on his railways? Let''s just say that Rufus got the message that I am perfectly capable of destroying his toys. And since most of his businesses are located in Jade, I thought that damaging the city''s economy will hurt him the most.


    In the end, they found a way to stop my little ''rust''-spell, though it was far too late for most of Jade''s flourishing industry by that point.


    Apart from that, I didn''t do anything, aside from observing what''s happening around the world.


    The conflict between the Alliance and the Empire is now a full-blown war, with both sides committing all their resources to the effort. I think that the Alliance got my last message when I allowed their agent to steal the fighter jet. At least they didn''t try anything I am aware of.


    The Empire also doesn''t see me as a target of priority, since they have their hands full with the Alliance. Then there is the Resistance, which continues to free slaves and enslave the slavers, steadily spreading my network of agents. I wonder why the Emperor doesn''t go with the simplest solution to the problem.


    I don''t think that his underlings are completely incompetent. Their efforts to hold the Resistance in check are effective. If they would free their slaves, they could eradicate my agents in a matter of weeks. Instead, they only pour oil into the fire by tightening their laws to press more people into slavery.


    While those two powerful nations are busy with each other, the Sociocrathy also isn''t exactly fit to deal with Illum. They have their own problems with the Resistance, but far less than the Empire. Their biggest issueare the orks who continue to run rampant along the coast.


    The ork''s ambassador took me up on my offer and contacted my corporation¡¯s satellite stations within the Alliance. He requested specialized equipment and know-how, which I happily provided with my corporation as the middleman.


    Okay. I see what Janice''s visit could be about. Maybe I added a little to the rampaging fires of war on the main continent, but all the various countries already had animosities for each other. I just provided the spark and a little fuel. They are perfectly capable of digging their own graves.


    ¡°I am sure that you realized that the war on the continent is spreading rapidly. We''ve arrived at a point at which I think that I can''t ignore the situation any longer.¡± Janice crosses her arms in front of her chest and tilts her head as if she expects a proper answer from me.


    ¡°Mhmh...¡± I nod to show that I am listening and continue chewing.


    The Sovereign sighs, apparently giving up on dancing around the issue. ¡°I had plenty of time to allow my own intelligence service to gather information. By now, I am very sure that your fingers are all over what''s happening on the main continent. In addition, although I have no proof, I think that the calamity which befell Jade had your fingerprints on it.¡±


    I raise both eyebrows and gulp down the popcorn, fishing for more in the bowl next to me. How did she get her information? More importantly, why is she so sure of her source? I am fairly certain to have identified agents from all the major powers in this world. Though, Janice''s agents have eluded me so far.


    ¡°I am doing nothing more than defending myself. Admittedly, most people would consider my policies as an overreaction, but that¡¯s their problem. All my actions are aimed at keeping Illum and its allies safe. Rest assured that Mirai has a decent chance at staying out of the conflict. Given that you want to stay out of it.¡± That''s it. I am not willing to give her anything more.


    Castella pouts, looking down at me as if she is hurt. ¡°Nova...¡±


    Why does she look at me like that? That''s unfair! It seems like she is disappointed. My personal comforter can''t be disappointed!


    I avoid her eyes and concentrate on Janice. ¡°I won''t talk about it. Haven¡¯t I shown you that I am a reasonable person? I won¡¯t involve Illum or the Mirai in an immediate conflict.¡± I look down at my belly, feeling like a whale. ¡°At least not in this state. Have a little consideration for a pregnant woman.¡± They tried to send me onto a guilt-trip, so I am allowed to use the same weapon.


    That seems to pacify them at least a little. Janice actually seems to be a little guilty.


    Before they have a chance to pressure me more, the door opens and Zane enters my office. His searching gaze finds me just as I shove more popcorn into my mouth. He raises his hand and averts his eyes. ¡°Yuck! I told you not do that! It¡¯s hideous!¡±


    ¡°Whad?¡± I mumble with a full mouth, chewing.


    ¡°Your fingernails!¡± He points down at my hand, which is digging for more popcorn.


    I raise it and regard my elongated fingernails, furrowing my forehead. ¡°I really don¡¯t get why you have a problem with it. It¡¯s like eating with chopsticks, so my skin doesn¡¯t get oily.¡± I look questioningly at Janice and Castella. ¡°Right?¡±


    My mother presses her lips together. ¡°I admit that it looks a little creepy. Especially when you use them to chop the vegetables to make salad.¡±


    Oh, come on. Why should I use a knife when I have five of them in my hand? Ten in total!


    Janice clears her throat. ¡°We have known each other for long enough¡­ At this point, your antics aren¡¯t exactly a surprise to me.¡±

 118. ~Hide~

    ¡°Sometimes it¡¯s better to simply walk away.¡±


    ***Illum***


    ***Zane***


    I turn the page of the newspaper in my hands and pretend that it has all of my attention. While that''s not entirely true, Illum''s new news-service is truly interesting. Their manager brought up the courage to ask Nova to be included in her political decisions. Sure, Nova doesn''t give a shit about his opinion, but at least she decided to inform him about her immediate plans for Illum


    This allows the news-service to inform the population a lot more accurately about what''s going on.


    My attention wanders away from the newspaper and lands on my sister. We are in my family''s living room and she is still ignoring me. Well, at least she allowed me to enter their quarters. Nadine''s whole concentration is on the spellbook in her hands.


    The relationship to my family didn''t deteriorate any further since the fiasco with Nova''s pregnancy. Sadly, it also didn''t get any better, which is also my fault. I largely avoided them and tried to drown myself in work. The only one I get to see on a regular basis is my father, and that''s also only because we share a workplace.


    My mother, Esmeralda, enters the room and stops when she notices me. ¡°Zane, you didn''t mention anything about a visit.¡±


    Nadine answers before I have a chance to reply. ¡°He is hiding from his ''other'' half.¡±


    ¡°That''s not true,¡± I reply. Damn it! How does she know that I am avoiding Nova?


    Somehow Mom knows that I am lying. ¡°Is there a problem I should be aware of? Like... more love affairs? If that''s the case, I don''t want to have any part in it. Nova isn''t a person who should be treated lightly.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I grumble. ¡°I am just trying to avoid her for a few hours. She is very unreasonable at the moment,¡± I admit after a moment of consideration.


    Esmeralda raises an eyebrow. ¡°Bad news?¡±


    ¡°She is just cranky because of the pregnancy. That''s all,¡± I explain.


    Nadine looks at me and snorts. ¡°A man should try to comfort a pregnant woman. Especially when she carries ''his'' child.¡±


    ¡°Why are you now on Nova''s side? I thought that you hate her.¡± Besides, other pregnant women can''t crush me with a thought when they get angry. I prefer to be alive.


    Esmeralda shakes her head. ¡°It has been a few months. Nova must have been feeling the side effects of her pregnancy fora long time. Yet, you only decided to avoid her now? Was there a special event which got her riled up? A problem?¡±


    I let out a deep sigh. ¡°Nova thought that her pregnancy was strange, so she got a healer to examine her. She wasn''t too pleased with the result.¡±


    My mother''s expression turns anxious. ¡°Is there a danger that she could lose the child?¡±


    ¡°What? No!¡± I shake my head, realizing how I must have sounded. ¡°The healer said that we will get twins. A boy and a girl. Nova didn''t plan for two children, so she wasn''t too pleased about the turn of events.¡±Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    I look at the ceiling. ¡°And, apparently, I am a convenient target to vent her frustrations.¡±


    ¡°Poor brother,¡± Nadine comments with a mocking voice. She looks at Mom. ¡°See, I told you that he is hiding.¡±


    Smiling, I decide to throw my little sister a curveball. ¡°How are your studies going?¡±


    Nadine blushes and grips the spellbook in her hands tighter. ¡°They are going well.¡±


    I glance at the title of the book and read aloud. ¡°Intermediate Spell-Matrix Construction. Shouldn''t that be something you already know?¡±


    My sister turns as red as a tomato. ¡°I am just refreshing my skills. Besides, I am perfectly fine with casting spells which require a much higher level of skill.¡±


    Esmeralda rolls her eyes. ¡°That''s not the point of the subject. Everyone can take an existing spell and cast it as long as she is able to memorize it! You have to learn the theory behind it! Otherwise, you will never be able to understand what you are doing. You will be unable to create your own spells. That turns you into a fool who has to rely on the work of others.¡±


    Nadine has the decency to look chagrined. ¡°I know, but these books aren''t explaining it properly. The writer just makes all these references towards other books.¡±


    Just admit that you are too lazy to research the subject properly. ¡°If you want to learn something, you should consult different sources.¡±


    My mother shakes her head in frustration. ¡°I will get you a tutor.¡±


    Nadine gasps, clearly appalled. ¡°What!? No! I don''t need a tutor. I am perfectly fine on my own!¡±


    ¡°Who needs a tutor?¡±


    I grip the newspaper tighter, recognizing Nova''s voice. The wall next to me splits open as reality seems to redefine itself, turning the wall into a twisting mirror-like doorway. I have already seen the effect. Illum is a gigantic spacial chest which obeys Nova''s wishes. She can rearrange space as she pleases.


    Looking down a short corridor, I find Nova''s office on the other side and shudder.


    Nova herself strolls through the doorway, somehow managing to do it in an elegant way, despite her large belly. She turns around and waves her hand. ¡°Come on, Mom. You have to be brave. It''s just like walking into another room.¡±


    Castella appears around the corner of the corridor. ¡°But those aren''t your quarters...¡±


    ¡°You are the one who said that you want to meet Zane''s family. Here is your chance.¡± Nova crosses her arms in front of her chest and taps a foot onto the floor to make a point.


    Her mother slowly meanders down the corridor and into our living room. She looks anxious but smiles when she notices my mother and my little sister. ¡°H- Hi! I am Castella, Nova''s mother.¡±


    I quickly glance at my mother, fearing the worst reaction, but she simply eyes Castella while biting onto her lower lip. I know my mother well enough to tell that she is trying to judge Castella by her appearance. With a decision made, Esmeralda strolls forward to greet Nova¡¯s mother. ¡°Hi. I am Zane¡¯s mother. Nova never mentioned that she has a mother.¡±


    Esmeralda looks pointedly at Nova, then at me. ¡°It has been months since we arrived in the White City. And nobody had the idea to introduce us?¡±


    She clearly expected to be told things such as this. I avoid her eyes when she looks at me.


    Castella forces herself to smile. ¡°I am Castella, glad to meet you.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we go into the kitchen to get acquainted with each other. We can use the chance to prepare something for the others.¡± Without waiting for a reply, she takes Castella by the hand and guides her out of the living room.


    Nova follows them with her gaze until they leave the room, then she turns her attention towards my sister and me. Nadine is still watching the gateway with big, round eyes. When Nova¡¯s attention settles on me, she opens her mouth.


    She surely has a few harsh words regarding my sudden disappearance from her quarters.


    Sensing that nothing good may come from the impending conversation, I blurt out, ¡°My sister! I was trying to help her with her studies! She has problems with understanding advanced spell-matrix theory, but I am simply no good at teaching.¡± I point at my sister, hoping that the ruse works.


    Nova raises an eyebrow and looks down at me, while my sister gasps and looks at me with an open mouth, not believing that I lied so blatantly right next to her. It goes against everything our mother taught us, violating the knight¡¯s code of chivalry in every possible way.


    My better half looks at the title of the book in Nadine''s hands. She strolls over to my little sister and snatches the book out of her hands, tossing it into a corner. ¡°That¡¯s one of this world¡¯s books! They are full of mistakes! Who brought this filth onto Illum!?¡±


    ¡°Wha- Wha- What?¡± Nadine chokes out.


    ¡°You have to relearn everything! Better to start now, before your basics are completely compromised by following the wrong procedures. It¡¯s much harder to unlearn something than to learn correctly from the start.¡± Nova grabs Nadine¡¯s upper arm, digging her fingernails into the cloth of my sister¡¯s shirt.


    Nadine yells and slaps at Nova, but the older woman ignores her and pulls her back through the gateway like an adult would do to a toddler. One moment later, Nadine¡¯s screams are cut off when the gateway snaps shut.


    My mother peeks into the room. ¡°Did something happen?¡±


    I shake my head. ¡°Nothing! Nova took Nadine to her office. She will help her with her problem.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see... At least one problem solved itself.¡± My mother returns back to the kitchen and I find myself alone inside the living room.


    I stare at Nadine¡¯s book, which is now lying lonely in the corner of the room. Feeling a little guilty, I don¡¯t move for several long moments.


    Then I remember Nova¡¯s mood-swings.


    Shrugging, I raise the newspaper to continue reading. ¡°Survival comes first.¡±

 119. ~Magic~

    ¡°It would seem that you have no useful skill or talent whatsoever," he said. "Have you thought of becoming a teacher?¡±


    ***Illum***


    ***Nadine***


    Magic gathers between my hands and I reach out with my mind, willing it into a distinct shape. Concentrating, I watch as the energy forms a complicated pattern of runes. The runes are about to create a spell-matrix, an energy pattern which is able to reshape reality by influencing the laws of nature. I correct the variables and aim the spell at the clay golem in front of me.


    At least I tried to do so.


    Something slashes across the back of my hand, opening a bloody gash. I yell out in pain and lose control of the spell. The gathered energy runs wild and creates a gust of wind which pushes me back. Stumbling, I fall flat on my back, cradling my hand against my chest. I sniffle and try to hold back the tears, but the pain is too intense.


    The issue isn¡¯t even the wound. I was hit hard enough to strike the bone. It feels as if my whole hand is on fire.


    ¡°Oh, stop it and get up!¡± Nova scowls and looks down at me. She weighs the thin reed stick which she used to hit me in her hand.


    ¡°Why did you hit me like that!? I am going to tell my mother!¡± I complain, knowing that Nova won''t be impressed by such a threat. Ever since she brought me into this large hall, she wasn''t exactly nice in her attempts to ''teach'' me.


    ¡°I told you twice not to form the spell-matrix before you gathered all the necessary energy. Magic is a dangerous business and I won''t take responsibility if you blow yourself up.¡± She taps her foot onto the ground.


    I glare at Lucifer, who is sitting next to Nova. Her familiar is looking at me through sleepy eyes.


    ¡°I don''t understand. All my teachers are proud of me for being able to gather energy and form the spell-matrix at the same time,¡± I pout and cast a simple regeneration spell on the back of my hand, watching the wound close up. Two weeks of training and whatever I do, it seems impossible to please Nova.


    None of my skills are up to her standards.


    Nova points the reed at me. ¡°That''s why they are teachers. Stupid scum. They will be forever stuck at their level.¡±


    I blink. ¡°Huh?¡±


    She shakes her head. ¡°Take this to heart: Teachers are seldom people who are the best at what they are teaching. Just because they praise you for something, it doesn''t mean that it''s good practice. If you keep casting spells in such a manner it will be just a question of time until you get yourself killed.¡±


    I open my mouth to protest, but Nova cuts me off. She has a knack for doing that. Altogether, I got to know her better since she began tutoring me¡­ which didn¡¯t change my bad opinion of her. If anything, I only got to realize that she is a little crazy.


    ¡°Right now you aren''t strong enough to gather enough energy to kill yourself. When I interrupted you, it only resulted in a little air pressure, but a randomly disintegrating spell matrix can create any number of effects. Most of the time it results in a random discharge of energy, that''s why none of the mundane magicians bother mentioning it. The chance is extremely small, but there are certain combinations of runes which can kill you with little effort.¡±


    She walks up to the clay golem and steps behind it. Reaching around it, she raises her hand, gathering energy above it. She forms a spell-matrix while doing so, just like me. ¡°Let''s say that you have the bright idea to combine a targeting hex with a ¡®gaeus¡¯ rune to buff several allies at once. And then you get interrupted just at the worst possible moment.¡±If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Nova kneels down but keeps her hand in position in front of the clay golem, just as if it is the one who is casting the spell. She pulls her hand away, allowing the half-finished spell-matrix to dissolve on its own.


    The magic spins out of control and three thin, crescent-shaped bursts of power lash out of the spell. One goes wild, rushing towards the ceiling where it fizzles out. A second onesplits the golem''s head like a knife would do to a fruit. The third burst of power cuts a deep wound intoits chest.


    I gulp. If that had been a person, he or she would be dead.


    ¡°There. Never form the spell matrix while you are still gathering energy for it. It''s a short-cut to cast spells faster, but it also widens the window of opportunity for an opponent to interrupt you. This is just one example. As you add complexity to your spell, all sorts of shit might happen. Blowing your hand off is a best-case scenario.¡±


    As Nova explains, she balances awkwardly on her heels. Having problems with staying upright, she keels over and falls awkwardly onto her butt, holding her pregnant belly and winces. ¡°I hate this life. It feels like I am a turtle.¡±


    Shocked, I rush over to her side. I may not like her, but she is still a pregnant woman. And those are my brother¡¯s children in her belly. ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    Nova glares at me. ¡°Of course I am alright. Help me up!¡±


    Ittakes a lot of strength, but I manage to pull her to her feet. Then I sense a chance to end the tutoring lesson a little early. ¡°You probably shouldn''t-¡±


    ¡°I am pregnant, not sick!¡± She reaches out and the punishing-reed floats back into her hand.


    Wincing, I step away and eye the tool of evil with dismay. ¡°You could just tell me if I make a mistake.¡±


    ¡°Pain is the best teacher in the world. Most sane people do everything they can to avoid it. And you have to learn fast if you want to avoid an ugly death.¡± She uses the reed to pat her palm with it. ¡°So, how do you cast a spell properly?¡±


    I pull down the corners of my mouth. ¡°I gather all the energy I need, then I form the spell-matrix in one go as quickly as I can. But I still don''t understand. If I get interrupted, a lump of pure mana can also kill me once I lose control over it. And what about spells which need to be channelled?¡±


    Nova points her reed at the golem. ¡°Did my hex have enough energy to do that much damage if it had been a simple undirected explosion?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I admit. It had even less power than the wind lance which I attempted to cast earlier. ¡°I don''t understand why it did so much damage.¡±


    She nods. ¡°That''s why you need the ability to understand a spell-matrix. When the matrix of my hex dissolved, the disrupted runes formed, for a tiny moment, air compression and mana condensing effects. The magic was shaped into thin blades of energy, and when the compression effect ended, they were flung outwards by the compressed air.


    ¡°A finished spell-matrix, even if it requires constant channelling of power, always has a built-in abort sequence which allows it to dissolve without unleashing random effects into its surroundings. If you don''t understand the spell-matrix which you are using, you will never be able to tell if it''s safe to use in the first place. What happens if someone dislikes you?¡±


    I lick my lips, trying to understand what she wants to tell me.


    She pokes me with her reed. ¡°They could give you a faulty spell which isn''t safe. Or they could leave out safety precautions! It could be a curse which is directed at the caster.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± I raise my hands. ¡°I get your point. I have to be able to read and design a spell-matrix, or I''ll always be a second-class magician. And the less time I need to form it, the better.¡±


    ¡°Good. So let''s go through the basic rune system again. I want you to be able to recite all one hundred and eighty basic runes from memory. Form them with your magic and explain their effect at the same time. I''ll also ask you about possible combinations between the runes.¡±


    ¡°Aren''t there just ninety-six basic runes,¡± I ask, perplexed. Nova is so strange. From where comes all that knowledge? I am very sure that I was taught only ninety-six runes in school.


    Nova''s face distorts in obvious disgust. ¡°Stupid backwater worlds...¡± She continues to mumble something unintelligible. ¡°Just tell me about all the runes you know about and we will go from there.¡±


    I nod and cup my hands to gather energy between them, careful to have all of the necessary energy available before I create the first basic rune. Then I continue to explain about its effects and possible combinations with other runes.


    After several hours of being tutored by Nova, I have mixed feelings about Zane. I still hate him for getting me involved with this crazy bitch. Lying bastard. Additionally, the shared time with Nova didn''t exactly raise my opinion of her, but I start understanding why Zane behaves the way he does.


    Nova can be totally sweet in one moment, and a total ass the next.


    On the other hand, being taught by her feels like I am learning the really important stuff. Things which will help me to become a better magician. I may even have to thank Zane for bringing me into this position. Hey, I am being tutored by someone who must be among the most amazing mages in this world. Maybe even ¡®the¡¯ most amazing mage. Who else has a flying island as a home? I can''t help it and smile at the thought.


    Suddenly, a thin line of fire runs across my cheek and I yelp, returning my attention to my surroundings.


    Nova raises her reed again. ¡°Don''t slack off. My time is valuable.¡±


    I hurry to explain the basic regeneration rune while applying it to my cheek. Maybe being taught by Nova herself isn''t that desirable after all.

 120. ~Human Nature~

    ¡°Be careful what you wish for. It might be granted.¡±


    ***Abasin Valley***


    ***Damien***


    ¡°Damien, we really shouldn''t be doing this!¡± Amanda wrings her hands and looks frightfully down into the pit where the second group of heavily armed adventurers disappears. ¡°People died down there. Wasn''t Edmund''s failure enough?¡±


    I turn and glare at her. ¡°Edmund was a fool who wasn''t worthy of his status. Unlike him, I will succeed in exploring the ruins of this ancient civilisation!¡± There has to be something important down there. Something that''s worth protecting. Something powerful. And I will take it for myself!


    Amanda doesn''t look convinced. She glares gloomily at me and then back at the pit. ¡°I didn''t want it to turn out like this.¡±


    ¡°Didn''t you want to be my second?¡± I ask her and step closer, looking down at her.


    She seemingly shrinks beneath me, giving me the satisfaction of exerting power over her. It feels good when others give the respect I deserve.


    I continue, ¡°Didn''t you support my testimony on Edmund''s carelessness, which got him kicked out of the conclave? If we hadn''t gotten rid of him, it would have taken us years to get to our current positions. Your assistance was the reason why I made you my Second.¡±


    Amanda withers a little under my gaze, plagued by her doubts and her bad conscience. ¡°But I only said the truth during the hearing. If Edmund hadn''t gotten so absorbed in exploring the ruins, a lot of people would still be alive today.¡±


    I snort. ¡°But you painted his behaviour worse than it was. And it didn''t stop you from taking the position which I offered you as payment. Just think of the prestige. Uncovering these ruins in his stead can get us set for life. Even if there is nothing else to get besides what we found down there the last time, we will still make a name for ourselves. Do you really think that we will get so lucky with our investors a second time?¡±


    Expeditions like this one aren''t cheap. And even less so are the adventurers who are clearing the crypt for us. If it hadn''t been for a mysterious investor who dumped a lot of funds into my project, I wouldn''t have been able to gather the money for another decade.


    It is quite strange for someone to assist a research project without giving his name, but I take what I can get.


    Amanda averts her eyes, saying nothing while she pretends to study the big pyramid next to us and the thick, green jungle which swallowed the remnants of this old civilisation.


    Turning, I return my attention to the pit with the teleportation circle. It took a lot of funds to hire adventurers who are strong enough to clear out the old crypt. They are going every day on a ''dungeon dive'', as they call it. After a lot of preparations, they enter the ruins and fight the guardians until they are exhausted. Then they return to the surface.


    We started out with three groups, though one of them disappeared down in the tunnels without a trace. I assume that they got caught in some kind of trap, though it doesn''t matter. The other two groups are reasonably effective at clearing out the crypt''s guardians.


    My reminiscence is interrupted by an adventurer appearing down in the pit. He gestures at us. ¡°We have found something. It looks like something important. A large room with coffins and a big door.¡±


    ¡°What about the guardians?¡± I ask, excited.


    ¡°We thinned them out over the last week. There were a lot of them in the main chamber, but it seems like we got all of them. We explored the whole complex, but couldn''t find more of them,¡± the adventurer answers and shoulders his heavy axe.


    ¡°Good!¡± I gesture at Amanda and the other three scholars who are busy with investigating another digging site. We follow the adventurer down into the pit and assemble on top of the teleportation circle.


    Moments later, there is a flash of light and we find ourselves inside the crypt''s first chamber. My foolish colleagues rush forward to study the runes and glyphs on the walls, while the adventurer observes them with a bored expression.


    I step forward. ¡°Guide us to the main chamber.¡±


    He nods and Amanda and I follow him down a network of corridors with our three colleagues in tow. One of them is drawn down another corridor by a faint light, but the adventurer stops him. ¡°Don''t stray from the group. We haven''t cleared these catacombs of all the traps. There are still some magical ones which reset a short time after triggering them.¡±


    The man follows us in dismay, looking longingly down the corridor, but he doesn''t protest. I wonder what he saw.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Finally, we arrive in a large room with many coffins. On the ground are the hacked up remains of several crypt guardians. Apparently, the adventurers hadn''t any other choice than to chop the guardians into tiny pieces.


    The rest of the adventurers, nine in total, are waiting in front of a large door.


    ¡°It seems like these ''things'' were able to create more of their own by putting them into the coffins. We had to fight two of your former comrades.¡± Our guide gestures at a hacked up figure who is lying on the ground.


    Amanda cries out in pain and dismay, ¡°Marscha!¡± She rushes towards the corpse and falls to her knees in front of it. Her shoulders start shivering and I realize that she is crying. One of the younger scholars, I think his name was Meind, follows her and starts rubbing her back in an attempt to soothe her.


    I ignore the noisy woman and head over to the other adventurers. The door is interesting. ¡°It seems to be yet another magical protection,¡± I muse, studying the glyphs on it.


    One of the adventurers raises his hand. ¡°I should be able to open it if you give me some time. This door is clearly enchanted, so I would suggest being careful.¡±


    The man carries a staff and wears only cloth, unlike the other men who are heavily armoured. He must be one of those self-important mages.


    Turning my back to him, I study the dusty door and try to remember the translated rune-set which my colleagues put together. ¡°I think that won''t be necessary.¡± We copied enough of the texts on the walls to decipher most of it. Reaching out, I touch the rune which most likely means ''open''.


    Nobody knows how to pronounce the forgotten language, but we are quite sure that this is the burial site of an important matriarch of an advanced culture. My historical studies showed me that this world has forgotten a lot of its history. If I am right, then there may be more to find than just simple treasure.


    A tiny spark of green magic shocks my hand I quickly pull it away. The adventurers gasp as the door shudders and slowly opens, retreating up into the ceiling. They ready their weapons and I step back, should anything unpleasant be caught behind the door. After all, we are paying them to deal with nasty surprises.


    But there is nothing. Just another room.


    Shoving one of the gawking adventurers aside, I step into the crypt and feel my face widen into a grin. The room is filled to the brim with ancient artefacts and treasures.


    My eyes get caught on the altar, which takes a central place in the room. Settled on top of it is what looks like a power stone, but it is one unlike any I have ever seen. It pulses slowly, almost as if it¡¯s dormant.


    I approach it and reach out with my hand. If this is really what I think it is, then I am truly a well-off man. Oh, of course, the Alliance''s military will confiscate it, but it''s well known that the finder''s reward for even small power stones is enough to sway the hearts of nobility. And this is a large one which is already refined, possibly with lost magic.


    My skin brushes over the hard crystal''s surface and a voice surprises me.


    ''What do you wish for?''


    Shaking my head, I turn and glare at the adventurers, but they are still at the crypt''s entrance, their eyes glued to various treasures. They weren''t the ones who spoke and it seems like they didn''t hear anything.


    ''What do you wish for? Knowledge? Power? Riches? I can give it to you. It''s my purpose.''


    The voice urges and I realize that the sound comes from the crystal. Its alluring tone intrigues me. ¡°Well, of course, I want power. Is there anything else one could want?¡± When I was evaluated as a small boy, I was tested positive for magical ability. Sadly, I was just a meager student of the magical arts. I didn''t do well in my education and was kicked out soon after my apprenticeship, denying me the chance to further my powers.


    With my path to power and influence closed off by fate, I had no other choice than to pursue the profession of a scholar, or to return to a life of peasantry.


    The voice chuckles evilly, causing some doubt in my decision to answer its question so eagerly. Is it a demon?


    ''Not a wise choice, but a good one.''


    A surge of energy jolts out of the power stone, through my arm and into my body. Someone screams at the top of his lungs and I realize that I am the one who is screaming. The power rearranges something within me, widening my horizon and my perception. Suddenly, I am painfully aware of my surroundings and the adventurers who are hurrying forward to pull me away from ¡®my¡¯ power stone.


    ¡°No!¡±


    I strike out at the closest one and he is flung away like a doll. His upper body twists and impacts the door frame of the room. It doesn''t stop his flight and just sends his body into a spinning motion. At last, his broken remains impact the wall at the far end of the large room which holds the coffins.


    The adventurers just stand there for a moment, too shocked to do anything. Then they raise their weapons, but I don''t find the gesture threatening.


    Raising my hand I send a wave of pure force at them, crushing the closest ones and sending the rest flying. I laugh maniacally and bask in the feeling of power. There is so much of it. Is that how it feels to be a real mage? ¡°I can conquer the world with this power! Nobody can stand against me!¡± Raising my hand, I notice sparks of energy dancing over my skin, branding a complicated network of runes into my flesh. It hurts, but if that''s the price for power, then so be it.


    Something at the back of my mind tells me that I shouldn¡¯t be able to ignore such pain, but the thought is drowned in the euphoric rush. This artefact is better than I hoped for!


    I could lift a mountain with this power. Is that how the bitch with the flying island did it? I haven''t forgotten the whore who kicked me between the legs, almost turning me infertile. Back then I wondered how someone like her can be so powerful, but now I know. She must have found a similar artefact.


    ¡°He totally lost it!¡± The adventurer with the staff crawls back to his feet, a frightened expression on his face. His eyes survey the room, assessing the situation. His face pales when he realizes that his comrades are down, maybe even dead. ¡°The crystal did something to him. It must be a weapon of some kind.¡±


    ¡°You are right,¡± I answer him, reaching out for one of the adventurers at my feet. A gesture is enough to toss his body into one of the coffins. Something tells me that the stone on the altar didn''t just give me power, but control over these ruins.


    If the coffins can create more guardians, then they can supply me with an endless army that''s worthy of a Mirai necromancer. A second and a third body quickly disappears inside the coffins. I am so enraptured by the thought of my own legions that I don''t react in time.


    Before I can stop him, the adventurer with the staff turns and hurls himself at the person closest to him. Incidentally, it isn''t one of his own comrades, but Amanda. My Second was still kneeling next to Marsha''s remains.


    My display of force carried the mage further away than the men in heavy armour, so he chose the scholar over his comrades.


    The last thing I see of Amanda and the mage is a flash of light as they are teleported away. He decided to run. Amanda''s horrified expression lingers in my mind but quickly fades as I turn my attention to the remaining survivors within the catacombs. The unconscious adventurers and the three apprentice scholars. There are also the people back in the camp.


    They will not escape.

 121. ~Blame~

    ¡°What would we do if we couldn¡¯t blame others.¡±


    ***Illum***


    ***Janice***


    I find Nova in her living room, lying on the sofa and with her legs propped up on several pillows. She is wearing a loosely fitting nightgown and her flushed cheeks show that she is very agitated. Knocking on the doorframe, I enter the room and smile at her. Her pregnancy is in its final stage and it''s clear that she overshot our goal with getting twins.


    My daughter¡¯s bloodline seems to be secured. At least that''s a little relief to all my worries.


    Noticing me, Nova turns her head and glares at me. ¡°What do you want? Just that you know... I will never do this again!¡±


    I smile and wave the large tome in my hands at her. ¡°Don''t make a promise you can''t keep. Eternity is too long a time to make such exclamations.¡±


    Nova huffs and turns her attention towards the ceiling. ¡°What''s with that tome? It''s unlike you to bring me presents.¡±


    Turning the tome in my hands, I show her the title. ¡°The first Priestess of Nemnarch.¡± I take one of the chairs and pull it closer to Nova. ¡°It''s a collection of historical texts about the roots of the Mirai bloodline.¡± I sit down and point at the tiara on Nova''s head. ¡°I promised you that I would search through our library. It took a while, but I found something about your trinket.¡±


    Furrowing her forehead, Nova takes off the tiara and regards it with interest. ¡°I totally forgot about the thing. The enchantments on it are deteriorated, so it''s nothing more than an accessory.¡± She runs a finger along one of the spikes, regarding it. ¡°Why did it take you so long to find answers?¡±


    I nod and clear my throat, embarrassed. ¡°We took most of our cultural heritage with us when we fled the main continent. It wasn''t like we had to flee overnight. There was time to pack our things, switch off the light and shut the doors behind us. Sadly, our oldest texts don''t exactly come with an index, so my librarians had to go through every book by hand. Let''s just say that we have a lot of books.¡±


    Opening the tome, I turn the pages until I find the important section, then I show it to Nova. ¡°This one seems to be about right.¡±


    The page shows a large illustration of a tiara, just like the one in Nova''s hands. The proportions are a little off, but it''s clear that the author of the section wasn''t exactly an engineering draftsman, so slight discrepancies are to be expected. Next to the illustration is a long text in finely written runes. The book¡¯s paper is yellow and old, feeling leathery to the touch.


    Nova squints her eyes at the text. ¡°I don''t know that language.¡±


    ¡°It says that the tiara belonged to the High Priestess of Aberline, a cultural centre of the Mir, who later joined hands with the Arai, renaming their combined people the Mirai. Apparently, the tiara was worn in a ceremony to summon the lost souls of the departed,¡± I explain.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    ¡°So it is a lost heirloom after all!¡± Nova smiles and uses a finger to twirl the artefact around.


    ¡°Indeed, which begs the question how it ended up in your possession,¡± I muse and lean back, crossing my legs to show that I won''t leave without an answer. ¡°I got reports about a flying pyramid which is laying waste to the Alliance''s northern territories and the Sociocrathy''s border. The area isn''t very populous, but it''s still drawing attention. There are similarities between the pyramid and Illum.


    ¡°The pyramid is now heading towards the war-zone between the Alliance and the Empire, generating an undead army in its wake. Correct me if I am wrong, but this happens exactly when it seems like the hotheads within the Alliance are about to cool down, realizing that they won''t simply wipe the Empire off the map. Now, everyone who is invested in the war will try to get their hands on the pyramid.¡±


    Nova manages to look surprised. ¡°Really? Why do you connect the pyramid to Illum?¡±


    ¡°Both fly,¡± I answer dryly. ¡°Be glad that there are two surviving witnesses who ruled out your involvement. They were a part of the research group which activated the pyramid, though I suppose that their survival was intentional?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? Intentional? Research group?¡± She plays with the tiara in her hands.


    ¡°I am sure that the pyramid is your work. Aside from the tiara, this tome contains a detailed description of an old Mir temple. It''s basically a pyramid. And you, my dear friend, are holding an old Mir artefact in your hands.¡± I point at the tiara. ¡°You shouldn''t have sticky fingers if you are really trying to keep your machinations hidden. So? What''s this new peril about?¡±


    Nova looks at me like a child who was caught with both her hands inside the cookie jar. After realizing that there is no way to deny her involvement this time, she glares down at the tiara. ¡°Damn it! I only took it because it''s exactly my style. Normally, I don¡¯t care for treasure! I probably should have made my own one, instead of being lazy.¡±


    I wouldn¡¯t care either if I was a craftsman of her level. Who needs to search for magical artefacts if she can make them herself?


    ¡°At least it''s unlikely that anyone else recognizes it,¡± I admit. ¡°I only found out because I was right in front of you and it''s unlikely that anyone else has texts about the old Mir. Or would research your crown...¡±


    She places the tiara tentatively on her head. ¡°Okay. I installed a little gadget inside the tombs beneath the pyramid. The whole thing is meant as a large distraction to give me time. As you can see, I am not exactly at the height of my capabilities.¡± Nova gestures at herself.


    ¡°How long is this distraction supposed to last?¡± I look at her belly and think of the ancient necropolis which Nova must have taken over. ¡°The ancient Mir weren''t like the Mirai. They worshipped death for death''s sake. It would be very inconvenient if your intervention woke up something dangerous.¡±


    ¡°I have a feeling that it won''t have to last that long. Aside from the metamorph, the other nations kept surprisingly silent.¡± Nova tries to sit up and I help her. ¡°I wondered about that, but seems like their wars take most of their attention.¡±


    ¡°They simply don''t have the resources to send a large expedition to this island,¡± I explain. ¡°They would have to send enough to destroy Illum and my fleets. That still doesn''t take into account that the whole Mirai island is riddled with ground-based defence systems. No. Sending an occupational force to this location would take more resources and time than anyone is able to afford.


    ¡°Though I am surprised that they didn''t launch more attacks which are aimed at weakening us. After what you did to Rufus''s little trade empire, I expected him to go on a rampage. That he didn''t do so doesn''t bode well for us. I assume that he is trying his best to unite the other reincarnated against us. He is the type who gathers his forces until he is absolutely sure that he can win. A storm is brewing, and it won''t be easy to survive it.¡±


    Suddenly, Nova gasps and reaches for her belly. ¡°It happened!¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡± I ask, looking down at her legs, which are tightly pressed together.


    ¡°It''s time! Get everyone! The healers, Castella, most importantly, get Zane!¡± Nova waves urgently towards the door.


    Realizing what''s going on, I ask. ¡°Why do you need Zane? Do you want him to hold your hand? I thought that the two of you don''t have that kind of flowery relationship. Besides, I bet that he will just pass out.¡±


    ¡°That''s why you have to get him! The guy is supposed to see the bloody mess he is responsible for! Why else do I keep him around in the first place?¡± Nova starts hyperventilating, causing me quite a bit of stress.


    Shouldn¡¯t she complain about me? I was the one who talked her into this. ¡°Okay, I''ll get them. Though, I think that Zane can¡¯t be held responsible for this¡­¡± Why does this happen exactly when I am about to get some information from Nova?


    ¡°Who cares! He is the ¡®guy¡¯ and I need someone to curse and scream at!¡±

 122. ~As many~

    ¡°Some things you only get as a package!¡±


    ***Illum***


    ***Zane***


    ¡°I am a father!¡± I raise the little baby boy in my arms, still not believing it. It took two hours of pain and screams, which transformed the healer''s chamber into a living nightmare. ¡°It''s almost worth it to be yelled and screamed at for over two hours.¡±


    My eyes wander sheepishly to Nova, who is holding the girl. She is lying on the bed in our bedroom, tired from giving birth and totally exhausted. At least we managed to herd everyone out of the room so that Nova gets some rest. ¡°I am glad that you are alright,¡± I admit grudgingly. Our relationship isn''t like it should be for people who have children together, but I wouldn''t be pleased if something bad had happened to her. There are too many horror stories of women who die while giving birth.


    ¡°At least you are trying to be nice.¡± Nova huffs and pets the sleeping baby in her arms. Lucifer is lying curled up next to her head, sleeping.


    Realizing that Nova might want some praise for her efforts, I smile. It''s really not asking too much if she wants a few nice words. ¡°I''ve never met someone with such a rich vocabulary. When you let loose that last string of curses, I actually thought that you were trying to hex me for real.¡±


    Suddenly, a guilty expression steals itself onto Nova''s face. She draws her lips into a thin line and looks away.


    ¡°You didn''t!?¡± I want to be sure. Normally, she doesn''t show her true feelings to anyone, but it seems like her mask slipped just now. No wonder with her current state. ¡°Why do you look so guilty?¡±


    She steels herself again and smiles. ¡°Nothing. It''s not like my plan worked. I had to endure all of it. Casting a hex while being in so much pain goes past my skills. And it isn''t like the hex would have killed you.¡± Nova tries to justify whatever she attempted to do.


    I squint my eyes at her. ¡°What would the hex have done?¡±


    ¡°Just switching bodies. Applied soul-magic is more complicated than it looks, though, there seem to be a lot of useful applications,¡± she admits. When she notices my horrified expression, she quickly adds, ¡°It wouldn''t have lasted for long. Our bodies aren''t attuned to another soul. I am sure that I would''ve been able to switch us back, maybe...¡±


    ¡°Maybe!?¡± I squeak, not sure if I should be horrified or angry.


    She tries to reason with me as if her attempt at doing something so horrifying would be a gentleman''s mistake.


    ¡°Look, there is no need to be so appalled. What''s wrong with sharing the pain? I only tried it after the first baby was already out. It''s not like I would''ve let you do all the work. It would have been unfair if we had switched from the start.¡±


    Shaking my head, I hand the baby boy to her. ¡°Gods! We didn¡¯t even speak about names for them and you try to pull such a stunt! Those two are on your plate. Don''t try to deny it!¡± I am glad that her spell was too complicated to activate it in the heat of the moment.


    ¡°Oh, fine. It didn''t work anyway, so don''t fret over milk which wasn''t spilled,¡± she says, trying to calm me. ¡°Go and get Castella. I am sure that she will be glad to look after the babies while we get some sleep.


    Shaking my head, I wander off to search for Nova''s mother. ¡°It''s the thought that counts! This discussion isn''t over.¡±


    She pouts. ¡°Are you sure that you don''t want to do something else? Now that it wouldn''t be a foursome anymore?¡±


    I redden and flee the room. Why doesn¡¯t she understand that I am rightfully angry about this?


    ***Elven Kingdom***This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    ***Alias***


    I watch the elven king through the spyhole in the throne room''s ceiling. Normally, I would never try to spy on my powerful patron, but the last conversation I walked in on added fire to my curiosity. I probably should have expected Fin to have hidden connections to people in powerful positions.


    Hells, I always thought that might be the case. How else would he be able to rule over an entire race? I am not naive enough to believe that people with power have it because of the goodness of their hearts, or because they are pacifists. Fin is certainly neither an idealist, nor a pacifist.


    Ever since his house came into a position of power, he solidified his reign through whichever means seemed the most effective at the moment. I just have to take a close look at his current concubine. Of course, it looks like he genuinely fell for her, and that might even be true. But in the end, he is the one who could order her whole family executed at any moment.


    Connections and plays for power within the elven race are one thing. Maybe even connections to other races, as long as they belong to the Alliance. But Rufus doesn''t just belong to another race, he is also the agent of another nation. The Consortium isn''t exactly an enemy of the Alliance, but they aren''t our friends either. They have their own agenda.


    As our king, Fin should know better than to negotiate without his nation''s advisers. He may be our nation''s leader, but that doesn''t exempt him from the law. Even the king himself can be sentenced if he collaborates with the enemy against his people.


    What happens if the Alliance hears about his connections? They could evict us from the treaty which protected our people for centuries. At worst it could spark a civil war within the Alliance. Okay, maybe not a civil war. None of the other races would risk that while we are at war with the Empire.


    Which doesn''t mean that they won''t do anything at all? And who says that they won''t come after us once the war with the Empire is over? Holding my breath, I try not make a sound, focusing all my senses on listening to the strange conversation beneath me in the throne room.


    Fin is standing in front of his throne, facing the holograms of several people. I can''t see all of them, but there have to be at least five. A large communication crystal in the centre of the room is projecting their three-dimensional representations.


    The man who I know as Rufus nods and speaks up. ¡°It took me long enough to convince everyone to enter this discussion.¡±


    A deep voice grumbles, ¡°Though, I don''t see what''s there to discuss. The people whoare takingpart in this conversationhavesteered this world''s fate for centuries. We know what to expect from each other, or the people who aren''t present.¡±


    Fin clears his throat. ¡°Yes, that''s right. I can''t help but notice that a certain person who should be here is missing. Of course, if this is truly a meeting of all the influential reincarnated on this world?¡±


    Rufus raises his hand. ¡°That''s because this meeting is about her and her new prodigy.¡±


    A female voice laughs. ¡°We already joined forces against her once. Isn''t it enough that we forced her into exile? None of us wants to risk a direct confrontation with a necromancer of her power. Fighting her through proxies is a lot safer.¡±


    ¡°We did.¡± Rufus looks around, apparently making eye-contact with everyone. ¡°But things have changed. She found new and powerful allies. There is a new player on the board and all of you are too busy with each other to see it.¡±


    The deep voice again, ¡°Oh, stop it. I know about this Joyce, or Nova, whatever her name is. She has a flying island, so what? She won''t use it to conquer the world anytime soon. I won''t work with Fin. Ever! The lines in the sand were drawn decades ago, and we are standing on different sides.¡±


    ¡°You are right.¡± The female voice hums. ¡°Rufus, are you sure that this isn''t just another one of your obsessions? I heard that ¨C recently ¨C your projects didn''t go so well. I am actually glad that there is another proficient artificer on this world. Competition is good for business and having to suck up to you became a little boring.¡±


    ¡°That''s not the issue!¡± Rufus''s avatar hits something that isn''t shown by the projection. ¡°Haven''t you read the documents which I''ve provided? Nova has her own agenda and she has no problem with causing trouble for all of us to achieve her goals.¡±


    ¡°Then get Fin to draw his troops out of my territory!¡± The deep voice grumbles. ¡°I have my hands full with the Alliance.¡±


    Fin laughs. ¡°It''s not like I have complete control over the Alliance''s actions. Besides, I wouldn''t do it anyway.¡±


    The female voice yawns. ¡°I admit that Nova caused me trouble, but all of this was brewing within my territory since a long time. I was the one who allowed the wound to fester, so I shouldn''t complain because it popped, for whatever reason. The Sociocrathy also hasn''t the resources to go after Nova. We are busy with the orks. As long as she stays on the Mirai island, I have no issues with her.¡±


    ¡°What about the flying Necropolis which is laying waste to the borderlands between the Sociocrathy and the Alliance?¡± Rufus asks.


    Fin snorts. ¡°Rufus, you are way too much of an accountant. The numbers of destroyed villages and casualties sound horrifying, but very little mat¨¦riel was actually destroyed. The area held no military outposts or important infrastructure.¡±


    ¡°Then what about the direction? The pyramid is approaching the war zone.¡±


    ¡°When it becomes more than a nuisance, we will deal with it. You proposed an Alliance with the sole purpose of dealing with Janice and Nova. As things stand, that''s out of the question. You just want to use us as shields against Janice. You are afraid of her soul-magic.¡±


    Fin clears his throat. ¡°It¡¯s only reasonable to fear permanent death. My people and agents went through the Alliance''s libraries. We cited a lot of texts and gathered knowledge in order to understand Nova''s technology. We even acquired a sample of her fighter jets. It''s possible that Nova''s source of power isn''t something of her own making.¡±


    ¡°So there were survivors who escaped the pyramid.¡±


    The elven king nods and raises a book. ¡°My researchers brought me this book. It''s nothing more than a theoretic study, but it allows some interesting conclusions. If they are right, then cancelling Illum''s force magic might be easier than one might believe. We could bring down the whole island in the blink of an eye. It''s a comprehensive study from a certain ''Fiora'', who gifted her research to the national library.¡±


    The deep voice growls. ¡°Maybe you should try to find this ''Fiora''.¡±


    Fin shrugs. ¡°The scholar who wrote the books will be hard to find by this point. She isn¡¯t a registered citizen. But like I said, the theory is all here, we just need the people who can put it to practice. Then the issue with interfering flying islands won''t be a problem much longer.¡±

 123. ~Hello World~

    ¡°I always asked myself... is it possible to herd cats?¡±


    ***Illum***


    ***Nova***


    ¡°You are a surprisingly good mother. I think that this is the first genuine smile I saw coming from you.¡±


    I steel my expression and glare at Zane, who was watching me playing with the babies. Okay, maybe I made a few faces for them, but that¡¯s no reason to imply that I am a cold stone. We are in the living room and Castella is busy with acquiring some things, so it fell on me to watch after the kids. My mother made a lot of progress since she joined me on Illum. From getting more control over her stuttering to going outside on shopping trips.


    Placing my hands on my hips, I stand up to confront Zane. ¡°And why shouldn¡¯t I be? I¡¯ve more experience in taking care of kids than most adults will ever have.¡± Though, I really don¡¯t like wasting my time with them. Nonetheless, it isn¡¯t their fault that they are stupid, helpless, or cuddly.


    He raises his hands to appease me and enters the room, instead of standing in the doorway. ¡°No offence, I just didn¡¯t think of you as the caring type. I suspected that you would hand the babies over to Castella and Janice, but you seem to be taking a lot of your time to be there for them.¡±


    ¡°I have principles. I brought them into this world, so I am responsible for them. And besides, I want them to be loyal to me. All this hassle would be pointless if they just turn into two additional vassals,¡± I explain and tuck in the blanket around the girl. I am so glad to have remembered some magical cleaning spells to take care of the ugly side of being a parent.


    ¡°So, we still have no names for them.¡±


    ¡°Give me a breather,¡± I complain. ¡°It¡¯s been just a day since their birth. There is so much to do. Picking names is the least of my worries.¡± I point at the girl. ¡°That¡¯s Casey, and the boy is Ashok.¡± I actually looked the names up. They are commonly used among the Mirai.


    ¡°W- wait! Just like that? You aren¡¯t even asking me?¡± Zane asks, flustered.


    ¡°Just like that and without asking you.¡± I nod. ¡°I like the names. I am the mother, the one who had to endure all the misery to bring them into this world, so I get to name them. It¡¯s final!¡±


    To my surprise, he looks down at the babies and smiles. ¡°They are good names. I like them. Much better than what I came up with.¡±


    Raising an eyebrow, I squint my eyes at him. ¡°That¡¯s surprising. I thought that you would complain. Is there a reason for this change of mind?¡±


    Zane sits down next to Ashok and places a hand on the baby¡¯s belly. The sleepy boy immediately wraps his hands around Zane¡¯s index finger and gurgles happily, recognizing his father. Zane sighs. ¡°I don¡¯t get you. Why don¡¯t you just tell us what your end-goal is? You won¡¯t even talk to Janice.¡± He looks at me. ¡°Do you trust anyone, aside from yourself?¡±This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    That¡¯s actually a good question. I look up at the ceiling, pondering the matter for several moments. ¡°No. It¡¯s not that I trust nobody, it¡¯s that you guys have no need to know. I am doing this on my own. For better or worse, the results of my actions will be on my head. It¡¯s not like sharing the information with you will change the outcome. Completely aside from trusting you, it only adds unknown components to my plan. I took on this task, willing to put my own well-being on the line. Anyone who can¡¯t accept that may leave at any time.¡±


    He looks up to me. ¡°You are too strong for your own good. How long will it be until the other reincarnated are willing to take matters into their own hands? Up until now they only acted through their agents and societies. It will change, especially with that pyramid, which you unleashed.¡±


    So he talked to Janice. ¡°I spent a lot of time studying this world¡¯s history. The reincarnated who are steering this world are cowards. They won¡¯t attack us so easily. That¡¯s why I need to lure them out.¡±


    ¡°Cowards?¡± Zane sounds surprised.


    ¡°Yes. They are. Just look at the Mirai. Their presence on this island is the result of Janice being an outsider among the rest of the reincarnated on this world. They united to force her into exile. Why is that?¡± I tilt my head and sit down next to Zane.


    ¡°She is a strong and independent woman. She also has a certain degree of ruthlessness to her. I suppose that getting along with her isn¡¯t easy. Had I met her under different circumstances, I am sure that we would be enemies,¡± Zane answers, cautiously.


    So they aren¡¯t enemies, which means that they are allies. What he said is as good as admitting that they are sharing information about me. I dismiss his analysis with a gesture of my hand. ¡°Since Janice helped you to recover some memories of a previous life, you got a glimpse at what it is like to be a reincarnated. How many lifetimes can you remember? Ten? Fifteen?¡±


    He purses his lips, searching his memories. ¡°I am often trying to sort the memories, but some are too jumbled up to assign them to a certain lifetime. Only the memories of one lifetime are very clear, but there are more. It must be something between at least five and at most fifteen. It¡¯s not easy to be sure.¡±


    I nod, showing that I understand him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It won¡¯t get easier, assuming that what Janice did to you will carry over to your next life. The shorter a life, the harder it¡¯s to remember. That¡¯s why we seek to live as long as possible. The longest lives are those which shape us and stay with us. I can remember hundreds, maybe thousands of lifetimes. Much of it I don¡¯t even want to bother remembering.¡±


    Tapping my temple with a finger, I continue. ¡°Honestly, I wouldn¡¯t really care if I died right this moment. It¡¯s just another life in an endless string of lives. Certainly, I¡¯ll lose people I care about, but that¡¯s how it goes. If you can¡¯t deal with the realities of being a reincarnated soul, you will turn mad sooner or later. The only real solution is to treat your surroundings with a certain detachment. Never get too hooked to your life.¡±


    He looks uncertain, but he nods. ¡°Okay. I can only imagine what you went through, but I¡¯ll bite. So, people like you, and maybe me after a few hundred reincarnations, are either emotionally detached cripples, or psychos. Though, I think that Janice is dealing with it a lot better than you.¡±


    I smile, not failing to recognize the little jab, labelling me an emotional cripple. ¡°You are quite right. But let me assure you, people like the reincarnated are only afraid of one thing.¡± Raising I finger, I underline my point. ¡°The end.¡±


    It takes a while for Zane to understand. ¡°Janice¡¯s soul magic.¡±


    ¡°Yes. She already told us about it, but I think that the point didn¡¯t really sink in. If Janice gets her hands on one of her enemy¡¯s souls, it could mean the end for them. That¡¯s also why I am so eager to learn from her. Soul magic is a powerful deterrent for all of our kind. The others are afraid of facing Janice. They are afraid that their journey could end. That¡¯s why they fight her only through proxies.¡± I get to my feet and dust off my skirt. ¡°That¡¯s why I don¡¯t think that they will come after us in person. Not unless we force them to.¡±


    I clap my hands and smile at Zane. ¡°And now that you are here, you can take care of the babies, Daddy! I am off. Illum still needs a lot of restructuring and Janice invited me to dinner with the rest of her family. I need to prepare myself for that.¡±

 124. ~Dinner~

    ¡°Sometimes, you simply have to get your hands dirty.¡±


    ***The White City***


    ***Nova***


    ¡°It looks glorious!¡± Riona raises her glass of wine towards Illum. My city is hovering above us in the night-sky, well illuminated by its many lights and security beacons. Her husband, Samir, nods. Somehow my uncle managed to behave himself up until now. After getting cleaned up, I grabbed Zane and headed out in order to meet up with Castella and Janice.


    ¡°You are quite right, my Dear.¡± His eyes wander to the top of his tower, which was cleanly cut off where I separated Castella''s floors from the rest of the structure. His expression is mournful, but he doesn¡¯t look quite as mad as he did when I told him what I was about to do.


    We are sitting at a large, round table on a spacious balcony in the upper floors of Samir''s tower, now, near to the top of his home. Which is now considerably shorter than before. The group is completed by Castella, Zane, Janice and myself.


    For the sake of this meeting, I left the babies in Willow''s care. If I trust anyone with the babies, then it''s the fairies. Not only because they swore several binding oaths to me, but also because they have no reason to plot against me. Particularly in Willow''s case, I am sure that she would give her life to protect the children.


    ¡°I am proud of my creation.¡± Looking up, I admire the spectacle of light and dancing force fields. When it''s dark, it''s possible to see some interesting interferences between the multitude of spells and wards which are holding the entire structure in place. Once they are illuminated by nearby light sources, they create a ghostly, shimmering effect which makes it possible to see some of the stronger force fields as they play with Illum¡¯s mass.


    I lean back and allow one of the servants to place a plate with food in front of me. It seems like fish and some sort of vegetable is on today''s menu.


    ¡°I really wished that we could''ve met like this more often, but Janice always repelled me, saying that you guys are too busy. And the few times you deigned to visit us earthbound folk, the meeting was always a little too public.¡± Samir nods at another servant, who placed another plate in front of him.


    Zane answers for me. ¡°As you can see, we did a lot of work in the recent months.¡±


    I raise the corner of my mouth, smiling at the thought. Illum underwent a complete restructuring process, even if it isn''t quite as obvious from the outside. The oval main structure and the ring around it are mostly the same, but I cut quite a lot of mass from the oval''s underbelly. Additionally, I acquired a lot of metal from a nearby mine to strengthen the new creation.


    Castella''s tower-peak is now a permanent part of the palace, crowning it with a piece of perfectly white marble.


    As for the rest of the mass, I formed it into a group of interlocking rings which are slowly rotating around a spherical central mass. Sticking to Illum¡¯s theme, I thought of yet another strange object to carry out my newest objectives. The new absurdity is armed to the teeth and contains most of my power cores. ¡°I moved most of Illum''s military capabilities over to the new separate structure.¡±This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°Won''t that leave the rest of Illum defenceless? And how did you move your military facilities?¡± Riona asks. ¡°From what I was told, they aren''t exactly small.¡± The petite woman studies the impossibility above us with interest, proving that there is a lot more inside her head than the mind of a normal wife of high status.


    ¡°The defences won''t really be affected. I intend to leave the most of the captured warships with Illum''s civilian part. The normal defence system is also still in place, so it will have abundant protections. Moving the facilities was more of a logistical problem from the beginning. Most of them are contained within Illum''s spacial pockets. Rearranging them was just a matter of moving building blocks around,¡± I explain.


    Admittedly, it was a little harder than I made it sound. The reason for not doing so earlier was that my power cores didn''t have the computing capacity to make it work. That changed when Janice showed me her own laboratories here in the White City. Her assistants have a very sophisticated prototype of a real computer, not the slow slide rulers of binary logic which I built into the power cores.


    Their prototype is a real computer and I managed to purchase some of the important parts from Janice. Like a working CPU and the surrounding hardware. The technology is crude, compared to some modern civilisations, but it''s a quantum leap compared to what I managed to pull together in a hurry.


    I don''t feel bad about it. They had several decades for their project, while I created my first cores in a medieval workshop, realising the needed logical circuitry with actual mechanics, powered by magic. Admittedly, magic allowed me to downsize the process to the microscopic level, but such a method has limits.


    Janice''s devices are working with actual transistors on silicon basis, the cornerstone for all electric circuitry. I snort at the thought that Janice intended to use such abundant computing power for nothing more than to manage her state more efficiently.


    She is brilliant with her soul magic, even driven by uncovering its secrets, but in most other matters she lacks the imagination on how to use a device''s full potential.


    ¡°Is there a particular reason for splitting Illum?¡± Riona asks.


    I shrug. ¡°I am just planning for the future. If Illum goes to war, I don''t want to take all those civilians with me. A dedicated war machine is much easier to handle.¡± After noticing that the others are already eating, I take my own fork and knife and start dissecting the fish. If it wasn''t for the fear of fish-bones, I would even like eating fish.


    Unfortunately, I remember a tragic event from a previous life when I managed to die from swallowing one accidentally. I am a hasty eater, and since I trusted the cook to have done a good job, I happily laid into the meal without much care. The damn thing got caught in my throat, causing me to suffocate. Phew, that was the most embarrassing way to bite the dirt ever!


    Zane coughs. ¡°I still don''t like it. The whole thing is so confusing since both structures are still connected. You can walk through a door on the civilian part and emerge in the military docks. The two are one, yet they clearly aren''t. You don''t even feel like you took a portal. It''s just like walking into another room.¡±


    I smile. ¡°You will get used to it. The portals are based on the same principle but aren''t as energy efficient as the way I am doing it. Portals just punch a hole from one location to another, while I simply twist and stretch space. The weakness of the stretching method is that I can''t open doorways wherever I want. I have to create a connection point between two spaces and then move them slowly apart.¡±


    I jab through the skin of my fish. ¡°A portal just makes a hole from here to there. That¡¯s something nature really doesn¡¯t want to happen, so we have to feed the portal huge amounts of energy to keep the hole open. I can¡¯t claim that my method needs less energy while I am in the process of stretching the connection point, but once my version stays in place the energy consumption is much lower. It¡¯s like bending a piece of metal.¡±


    ¡°What worries me is why you even think about sending a part of Illum to war,¡± Castella mumbles dejectedly.


    Crap. Well, I guess that I have to confront her with the facts at some point. And it¡¯s pretty obvious what I intend to do. Only a fool would mistake the changes which I made to Illum. ¡°That¡¯s because I will end the war on the continent.¡±


    ¡°End the war!?¡± Samir calls out. ¡°I hope that you realize what you are saying! All of Mirai couldn¡¯t end the war! How can you? With a single ship? I admit that it¡¯s big, but still!¡±


    Smiling, I play with the vegetables. ¡°It isn¡¯t just a single ship. It¡¯s a giant who will step on the naughty children and bring them to heel.¡±

 125. ~Aside~

    ¡°Whenever you find yourself stuck, open just one eye to new possibilities. It may be enough to go forward.¡±


    ***Alliance Forces***


    ***Alias***


    I doggedly follow Fin onto the Pariah''s bridge, our fleet''s flagship. With over a kilometre in length, the Pariah is one of the biggest ships which were ever built in this world. Or grown, in the Pariah''s case. It took eleven power stones and over a hundred nature mages to coax a forest of living trees into the desired shape, a slim longboat with huge leaves as sails.


    Not that we need the leaves for actual flying. Wind alone would never be enough to steer such a behemoth through the sky. The leaves are the ship''s spell projectors, strong enough to channel the energy of all eleven power stones.


    The Pariah never saw actual combat, but I was present when the crew test-fired the spell projectors with a simple arcane missile. It resulted in destruction on a massive scale, obliterating several forests in the blink of an eye.


    And that was just a simple spell. I haven''t even seen what the new spell does. Rufus gave it to us, and according to him, it''s aimed at destroying barriers such as the ones on Illum. The Sociocrathy and the Consortium lost their engagement with the flying island, but they proved that Illum isn''t as untouchable as it might seem.


    When we enter the bridge. I quickly look around, searching for threats. But there are none. Only the king''s advisers and the bridge crew are present, and I personally cleared those as loyal subjects. The military advisers are loyal without a doubt, so I focus my attention on the faces of the officers and lower personnel.


    Only after I am sure that there are no unknown faces, I relax a little. The king might be involved in a sketchy conspiracy, but I am still his spy-master. As long as I don''t have proof that he is plotting against all of elven-kind, I have no grounds to legally remove him from his position.


    ¡°What''s wrong, Alias? You look like you suspect us to be attacked by assassins at any moment.¡±


    The king''s annoyed voice forces me to pay him my full attention, but he only glances at me sideways. Most of his attention is occupied by the large map in the middle of the room. It shows the whole continent with incredible detail.


    ¡°I am sorry, my king, but you seem to forget that we are in a war zone!¡± And he made a secret pact with people who aren''t trustworthy. Does he really expect me to feel safe? So much can go wrong. But then again, I didn''t exactly tell him that I spied on him. If I confront him on the matter, I will also have to reveal that I am spying on him. He won''t be pleased about such a revelation.


    Fin snorts and turns his full attention to the large map in the middle of the room. He gestures for his advisers and requests a report on the situation. Then he listens, taking in what his head advisor has to say.


    I don''t join him. Not yet. I am far more concerned with the reasons for Fin''s actions, thinking furiously. The plan which he proposed to the other ''reincarnated'' sounded perfect, if it wasn''t for a little detail. Fiora''s research notes were gifted to the Great Library at the same time as Nova, or Joyce, appeared on the scene.


    Fin somehow failed to mention that little detail to the other conspirators. He even checked with me afterwards, making certain that there are no hints at Nova''s involvement.


    He must know, and that''s somehow the reason why he suddenly decided to command from the front lines. His concubine was there when the books were gifted to the library. She must''ve told him.


    My lord is far from stupid, so it must be some sort of plan, fooling the others for our benefit. I am used to political intrigue, but Fin is playing this game on a level which even I am uncomfortable with. If his plan fails and the others realize that Fin held back information, they might turn on us.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    My eye-patch itches, so I use my palm to rub at the leather. Damn Nova and her cursed weapons! The curse is gone, but the whole area remains a mass of scarred flesh. The healers said that it will continue to itch for quite some time, a prophecy which I rather wouldn''t want to see fulfilled.


    Noticing that my thoughts are derailing, I try to concentrate, but it seems like my attention span is exhausted by the scar''s unpleasantness.


    I just have a bad feeling that I am overlooking some part of Nova''s plan. At least Fin seems to respect her. Feeling tired, I turn my attention to the map and can''t help myself, a sinking feeling befalls me.


    The Eternal Battlefield and the zone beyond seem to be in utter chaos. Blue lines indicate a steady stream of reinforcements from all over the continent.


    The Alliance''s forces are stretched thin. We hold a far too wide front-line against the Empire. It''s a vain attempt to solidify our claim on the conquered ground. It''s surely the idea of a stupid politician who already anticipates the time when the peace negotiations are due.


    They will point out that the area in question was tightly under our control for several months. Grabbing land based on such a claim isn''t unheard of, though I don''t think that the Empire will see it that way. That''s the problem with such a logic. The Empire will never see it our way.


    The Empire has its forces positioned around ours, hindering our troops. There is no further advancing at this point. The imperial forces aren''t even trying to create something like a dug-in battlefront. Instead, their fighting commandos are concentrated in several camps and fortresses, ready to intercept any attempt to win more ground.


    A sickening, green blob in the mountains above the Eternal Battlefield marks the approximate position of the strange pyramid. According to our reports, the pyramid is cutting into our support lines and lays waste to every village it comes across. That will eventually create problems with supplies, a logistic-officer''s nightmare.


    But according to Fin, it won''t come to that. He even convinced the rest of the Alliance of his plan.


    Maybe I should have never brought him the concubine or mentioned the research notes. Then we wouldn''t be out here in the middle of a war. I am a spy, not a front-line scout! Though, the research papers would have found their way into Fin''s hands sooner or later. I wasn''t the one who dug up the papers, but some of my lower ranked colleagues. It was just my doubtful duty to bring them to the king''s attention.


    I sigh and concentrate on the other players who joined this game.


    Following the incursion of the undead, are the forces of two more factions. A large contingent of the Sociocrathy''s warships is holding respectful distance to the necropolis. If it''s anything like Illum, then they may be able to take it down, but they will surely get a bloody nose in the attempt.


    Close on their heels is a puny battle-group of eight orkish warships. I didn''t even know that they had that many left. All they should have, are ground troops. Maybe they are captured prizes from the Sociocrathy?


    Then again, isn''t it strange that the Sociocrathy seems to ignore those ships? Maybe they just don''t want to play cat and mouse with the orks. I am sure that the orks would try to avoid contact with the Sociocrathy''s armada. They are a battle-hungry race, but they aren''t suicidal.


    Coming in from the north, are several warships from the Consortium, just as Rufus promised. When I listened in on Fin''s meeting, I didn''t understand much, but that part of the plan was clear enough.


    I shake my head in disbelief. The war between the Alliance and the Empire doesn''t seem to be enough. No, we have to involve three more factions in the mess. Four, if I count the necropolis as an independently acting force. It''s still not certain that the pyramid isn''t under Nova''s control.


    It could be that Nova just found an artefact similar to it. Please, let that be it. It would explain so much. The mere thought of this war going on any longer than it must,it sickens me.


    Time passes slowly, and I watch with dread as the various forces perform their manoeuvres. From time to time, Fin gives an order, overruling or confirming his advisers'' suggestions. Having seen enough, I retreat for the day in order to rest. It''s clear that this whole operation needs time to come to fruition. Most of the troops are moving on foot. It''s a slow and tedious process.


    In fact, most of our soldiers will die because of sickness and the deadly fauna and flora. Less than half of them will fall in actual battle. That''s the brutal nature of war in these lands. Before an army encounters the enemy, they have to fight a path through goblins and monsters. Only the heartlands of the respective nations are safe to travel.


    Like it or not, I doubt that this war-zone will shift away from the borderlands anytime soon.


    The same game repeats itself day after day, with Fin overseeing the war. Whenever one of our allies tries to step out of line, Fin simply pulls back our forces, leaving them to fend on their own. In other cases, he orders our troops to stand and fight until the last man. His game is a dreadful and cruel one. Without mercy, he orders our men into battle, like others would throw wood onto a fire. As the days go by, I start to think of Fin''s map as a real game board. It''s a cruel joke which he plays on us.


    Yet, there is no real encounter between our troops and the enemy. No decisive clash of forces, like I heard it happen often in the early days of the war.


    After the eighth day, I suddenly realize what''s going on. The insight hits me like a sledgehammer. We are fighting a war, yet we are not. Fin and the others only want it to look like they are fighting each other. That''s what I didn''t understand when I listened to their plan. They agreed to fight shadows until the matter comes to fruition.


    They meant to avoid decisive confrontation until their tools are ready. The troops are performing a complicated dance which is supposed to look like war. A dance which is performed for the sole reason of distracting Nova''s agents!


    I watch the map with concern, realizing that the core troops of all involved parties are slowly taking their positions around the strange pyramid.

 126. ~Rise~

    ¡°Mom? There is someone in my class. He is a bully and always teases me. Yesterday, he even hit me! The teachers say that fighting is bad. What should I do?¡±


    ¡°Damn pacifists! The teachers are idiots. The next time you see the bully, strike first and strike hard. Hit him where it hurts, or use a chair as a club if he is stronger than you. Then, you keep hitting him until he doesn''t get up. Don''t worry if there is blood. It''s actually very hard to beat someone to death. Then kick him some more for good measure and to make sure that he won''t forget. I''ll deal with the teachers afterwards.¡±


    ***Necropolis***


    ***Damien***


    ¡°Do you see that!? All these puny armies will soon be mine to control! And then, nothing can stop me!¡±, I laugh and spread my scarred hands, standing on the top of the pyramid, where my willing servants created a small platform.


    The zombie next to me slobbers and moans, looking at me with the empty eyes of a doll. A long string of spittle leaks out of a hole in its lips and dangles from its chin. It understands direct commands, but it doesn''t have the intellect to act of its own accord unless I allow it to follow its instincts.


    Snarling, I stop posing. There is no point in putting up a show if there is nobody who can appreciate watching it. I sigh and rub my face, feeling just a little sorry for myself. Being a real necromancer is a lonely fate, but I have chosen my path. There is no turning back now.


    After taking over the pyramid, my body underwent some drastic changes. My skin became paler and the power stone carved a complicated set of runes into my body, allowing me to channel its powers directly. Now I wield more power than any mage I know of. Maybe that woman with the flying island can challenge me, but I''ll deal with her once I am done here.


    There is so much I can do now. As a normal man, I would have never dreamt about wielding such power. It feels like the stone''s energy is limitless.


    ¡°Release another one of the Necrophages!¡± I order, and watch as a group of zombies trundles over to a long, metallic pillar. Ten of my strongest zombies are needed to lift a single Necrophage, a weapon which I found in a secret room next to the tomb.


    We have dozens of them, all neatly stacked on the platform. It was a nightmare to teach the zombies to bring them up here. They kept bumping into walls. Luckily, my skill at handling them got better with time.


    The longer I stayed inside the ancient Necropolis, the more of its mysteries became clear to me. I began to understand its functions and suddenly knew how to read the runes on the walls. Whatever the power stone did to me, it also allowed me to understand my surroundings far better than any historian before me.


    My followers reach the edge of the platform and drop the Necrophage. The huge piece of metal clinks when it impacts the pyramid''s stone and a loud, metallic scrape accompanies it on its way down the pyramid''s side. I wince, dreading the noise, but I also know that it makes no sense to lash out at the zombies. They don''t know any better.


    The Necrophage falls off the pyramid''s side and disappears from my sight. I can imagine it well, tumbling through the air until it plants itself firmly in the ground below us with a ''thud''. Then it will start spreading its corrupting miasma, slowly cursing the area around it with necromantic spells. Soon afterwards, the magic will give rise to all sorts of undead creatures who follow my will.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    I chose the Eternal Battlefield as the starting area for my campaign. The borderlands between the Empire and the Alliance were the playing field of countless battles over the centuries. The unique geographic circumstances always made this area into a choke point between large nations. Even before the Alliance and the Empire, battles were fought and countless lives were lost in this region.


    As it goes in war, some of the dead were never retrieved.


    The bones and corpses of countless warriors are hidden beneath these grounds, as well as the bodies of great beasts, which were used in war.


    My mind tingles when I feel the Necrophage getting to work. Deep down in the earth, something old and powerful begins to stir. I grin, realizing that I made the right choice. ¡°Drop more of the Necrophages, we need more.¡±


    The zombies get to work, dropping more of the pillars from each side of the platform. This causes them to be spread out a little further. Being too close together would cause interferences.


    Surveying the area, I snort when I realize that the Necropolis seems to be surrounded by the fleets and armies of various nations. I already know that a lot of different parties have their hands in this war, but I would never have imagined that they would try to gang up on me like that.


    Then again, a huge pyramid with an army of undead in its wake surely draws attention. They must think of me as a big enough threat to warrant a temporary truce. I don''t think that the Alliance and the Empire can be convinced to work together. Their ideologies are too different for that.


    I curl down the corners of my lips. But they might stop their hostilities until I am dealt with.


    It won''t happen. This power is far beyond their worst nightmares.


    My spine tingles as the ground beneath the hovering pyramid comes to life. It feels as if I am right among my subservient creatures. Wyrm, the flying cousins of dragons, dig themselves out of the earth. Within their hollow eye-sockets glows a green, deadly light. With them, their riders rise, warriors of a long forgotten nation.


    I read about them in some historical texts but never believed that they were real. There must be hundreds of them.


    Wyrm are by definition untameable. The ten to fifteen metres long creatures are reported to be hostile against even their own kind. By today''s standards, taming one of them, let alone several, is impossible. Additionally, they are highly resistant to magic, so controlling them with a spell is also a dangerous venture.


    So, it''s only understandable that I was doubtful when I read about a nation which used large numbers of these creatures for aerial combat. It''s an unthinkable feat, though, it surely didn''t save them in the end. Their nation, like all the others, vanished long ago in the fog of time.


    ¡°Now, I finally have my aerial force.¡± I flex my hands in pleasure, anticipating the impending subjugation of the world.


    I have to remember not to kill everyone this time. Having no one to talk to is annoying. That''s why I took some prisoners in the last village. Sadly, I ended up killing all of them. They were mere peasants and weren''t entertaining, so I ended up feeding them to my zombies or turning them. Their screams were more entertaining than their conversational skills.


    All they did was pleading for their lives.


    Maybe some of those soldiers have a little more spine in them?


    I feel my dead, milky eyes roll upwards when another big catch enters my awareness. I have no clear picture of what it is, but it''s huge. Maybe it''s even one of the rumoured beasts which were unleashed against enemy nations as a means of last resort.


    A little hill of dirt rises beneath my pyramid and a huge hand with four claws breaks through, exposing rotten flesh to the surface. The entire creature seems to be permeated with mana, oozing green sludge. The drain on my power stone is enormous, and for the first time, I have a presentiment of its limits.


    I linked the Necrophages to the pyramid''s power stone. They gain their energy through it, so the more they have to revive, the more resources it will take.


    Reviving such a huge creature is close to my limits.


    Finally, the chimera breaks the surface. It''s only a husk of its former glory, but still formidable. The head looks like it belongs to a reptile, but there are also two straight horns, one of them broken in the middle. And half of its face is melted away. Whatever killed it, it was powerful. I think that my pyramid might be able to unleash a magical attack on such a scale.


    The rest of the body rises from its grave, leaving a big chasm behind. The lower body seems to belong to some kind of four-legged creature. It''s impossible to tell which one, as most of it is just bones, dried up flesh and skin. Dragging behind it is a long tail, also rotten beyond recognition.


    Sadly, it doesn''t seem to be capable of flight, but an idea strikes me. I concentrate, ordering the creature, and it obeys! The monster is at least a hundred metres in height, so it has to bend down to pick up one of the Necrophages... and swallow the artefact.


    When it opens its mouth, a green mist of spores and miasma seeps out, poisoning its surroundings. Laughing merrily, I raise my hands in happiness. This strong creature will be a great addition to my army.


    That''s when the surrounding forces start moving, closing in. It seems like they have seen enough and won''t permit me to play around any longer.

 127. ~Joined~

    ¡°Together, yet alone. Alone, yet together.¡±


    ***Hierarchy, Empire''s Flagship***


    ***Jules, the Seventh Emperor***


    The zombified creature steps forward, shaking the earth with its weight. Without magic, such a monstrosity would crumble under its own weight. Even while it was alive, it had to be ¡®fed¡¯ with the energy of a power stone, just to keep it functioning. The old Empire used them to break entire armies. And now, this mad necromancer had brought one of those things back to life.


    It was a good thing that the reincarnated agreed a long time ago not to employ such weapons.


    ¡°It has been a long time since I saw one of those things. Send a signal to the whole fleet. We''ll advance immediately. This thing has to be taken care of before it gets out of control,¡± I mumble, watching the huge monstrosity. As if they are frightened by the creature, a whole flight of Wyrms takes to the sky, flocking around the pyramid like a dark cloud of doom.


    I watch everything from the bridge''s front window, which allows me a good view of the scene.


    Wisen shudders. He is standing next to me, like a proper heir. ¡°How do you know what that is? It must have lain there for centuries.¡± His voice betrays that he is awed and impressed by the spectacle.


    To me, it¡¯s nothing impressive. Back in those days, we, the reincarnated, unleashed hell on this world. The earth screamed beneath the might of our magical creations and mountains shook when our armies battled for supremacy. It took a long time until even I got tired of it and agreed not to use weapons of mass destruction. Which doesn¡¯t mean that I don¡¯t have them.


    I point my finger at the pyramid and activate the zoom-function of the spell which was embedded in the window. A moment later, I can see the necromancer who seems to control the undead. It looks like he was corrupted by¡­ something. I have been around for a long time, but even I can¡¯t claim that I know all the secrets which are buried in the soil of this world.


    ¡°A millennium would be more accurate.¡± I pat Wisen''s lower arm. ¡°Don''t worry about that, boy. I''ve been around for a long time. People like me were steering the fate of this world since time immemorial. That necromancer is nothing special. Just a man who found something which he can¡¯t control properly.¡±


    I suppose that the power went to his head. As I watch, the man gestures wildly at our engaging forces and the huge creature slowly turns to face us. I have no doubt that it will be hard to take down, but at least it seems to be very slow.


    Wisen studies the creature, fear showing in his face. He reaches up and touches the amulet around his neck as if he wants to take it off. Unfortunately, that''s impossible. He has firm orders to keep it on at all times.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    I gesture at the communication officer. ¡°I want a secure connection to the other forces. Use the communication crystal which I gave to you.¡±


    The man nods and turns to his instruments, manipulating them with trained ease.


    The bridge of the Hierarchy is a large, circular room, allowing a grand view on everything beneath the cigar-shaped airship. The disc-shaped bridge is mounted at the bottom of the ship and heavily reinforced with magical protections. The intention is to grant me the best possible view on a ground-based battle.


    At only five hundred metres in length, the Hierarchy isn''t one of the largest ships, but it''s a formidable ship nonetheless. I always preferred speed to size. The hull is a single piece of perfectly polished metal. Every surface is covered with sparkling runes, channelling the energy of ten power stones. As far as I know, the Hierarchy is one of the few airships on this world which are made completely out of metal. Only the Consortium has comparable ships.


    My thoughts are interrupted when the communication officer manages to activate the private connection with my associates. The privacy field flickers into existence and the area around my command chair blurs beyond recognition. I find myself inside an empty, grey space which is completely disconnected from the outside world. Even the noises of the bridge-crew fade out and are gone.


    Wisen stays next to me, keeping his mouth shut, so I enjoy the silence for a few moments.


    Five familiar faces appear in front of me and I immediately turn my whole attention to Fin. ¡°Do you have it?¡±


    The elf scowls as if the mere act of talking to me is disgusting. ¡°I have it. The bigger question is, do you have it?¡±


    I nod and retrieve the enchanted capsule with radioactive material from my pocket. ¡°I hope that this machine of yours works. It''s hard to refine the ore to such a fine degree with this world''s technology. Making it almost pure is hard.


    ¡°Over a thousand slaves died of radioactive poisoning to gather just a few small slivers of the rare material. Or should I say abundant? I guess calling it rare is accurate, since you can¡¯t find it in its elemental form.¡±


    Turning the little capsule in my hands, I regard it critically. It would be ironic if its magical containments fail, resulting in me dying of radiation sickness. ¡°To be honest, your device sounds more like a nuclear bomb.¡±


    ¡°That little capsule is nowhere near enough to cause a critical reaction. You know that as well as I do. The radioactive material is just needed as a non-magical radiation source to gauge the spell¡¯s energy field, nothing more, nothing less.¡± Fin shakes his head.


    Rufus draws my attention away from Fin. ¡°All of us have seen the blueprints. I even had my subordinates make a few prototypes. The devices worked as advertised.¡±


    I raise an inquisitive eyebrow. ¡°I thought that your country doesn''t have access to radioactive materials? Isn¡¯t that why you even involved me in this plan? Why do I have to bring you this, if you already have a prototype?¡±


    The man clears his throat. ¡°We have some radioactive material, but nothing of such a high quality. The prototypes didn''t work quite right without a reliable radiation source. Not everyone can afford to sacrifice hundreds of slaves for a fingernail of uranium. Neither do we have the largest mines in the known world.¡±


    I smile. The Empire¡¯s mines are known for being the largest, and most lethal, in the known world. The possibility to use slaves allows us to ignore even the smallest of safety measures. ¡°Or has the foresight to gather materials like that in the first place?¡±


    Sirra, Holy Mother of the Sociocrathy¡¯s Church, snorts. ¡°We aren¡¯t willing to pollute hundreds of kilometres for centuries to come.¡± She closes her eyes and shakes her head. ¡°As much as I dislike working together with you, the necromantic threat has to be stopped.¡±


    She reaches between the folds of her white robe and retrieves a blue crystal. My eyes widen at the sight of a mana-crystal of such magnificence, a rare, nearly mythical substance. It¡¯s one of the largest I¡¯ve ever seen and will work perfectly with the mechanism. Some say that the mana crystals are pure, condensed mana. Energy which is somehow locked in a solid state and nearly indestructible. They can only be found on worlds with magic.


    On every non-magical world on which I¡¯ve reincarnated so far, these crystals were completely unknown.


    Sirra smiles and plays with the treasure in her hands. ¡°We have the other rare element which is required for this project. Where do we meet in order to put an end to this abomination? My people still have a war to fight with the orks.¡±


    The shadowy face of Artemis, Leader of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, narrows his eyes. ¡°I am sure that you can put your animosities for each other aside until we are sure that we have dealt with outside intervention.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± The fifth face, Marigold the Wise, nods solemnly. He is the only reincarnated who doesn¡¯t bother himself with managing his nation. Nonetheless, we never were stupid enough to ignore his power.


    I force myself to smile. ¡°We can all meet on my ship, while our forces hold off this necromantic nuisance.¡±

 128. ~Request~

    ¡°Only relax once the last move has been made.¡±


    ***The White City***


    ***Nova***


    ¡°Oh, they are so cute and huggable! Especially with your cat right next to them! It''s almost worth to have you as an extended family member.¡± Nadine bends over the cradle, watching the babies with sparkling eyes. Despite her age, the girl totally fell for the siblings'' combined charm. ¡°I want my own.¡±


    Then she quickly adds, ¡°Once I am older.¡±


    ¡°Careful,¡± I warn her. ¡°You are still taking lessons from me. While I admit that your skill and knowledge improved a lot, it''s smart not to offend your tutor. And I wouldn''t put too much value in having children. The process and the after-effects aren''t pleasant.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± She asks and looks up. ¡°The worst is over once they are out, isn''t it.¡±


    I wince and touch my chest. ¡°Yes, yes. Sureee... There is the screaming, the pooping... And worst of all, the tits!¡±


    ¡°Tits?¡± Her eyes wander to my womanly assets.


    I glare at her. ¡°They leak.¡±


    Her eyes widen and she covers her mouth, giggling.


    Looking around, I search for something to hit her with. ¡°What did I tell you about respecting your elders? Where is my reed?¡±


    She straightens abruptly and bows to me, remembering the early time of my tutoring. ¡°Thank you! The rod isn''t necessary! Never again! You don''t need a new one!¡±


    Ah, yeah. I broke the last one when I punished her for trying to combine two spells in a way which bordered on an attempt to commit suicide. ¡°Just don''t try it again. The next rod won''t be made out of wood. There are sturdier materials! I really don''t care that much if you off yourself at this point. Your mistakes are your own responsibility, but don''t take half the palace with you.¡±


    Nadine shudders. ¡°I''ll never again try to weaken the cohesive bonds of a material without having proper safety precautions in place. I have learned my lesson.¡±


    I nod. ¡°Good. Then you can take care of the babies for the evening. I''ll visit Janice. There is something we have to talk about.¡±


    The girl nods. ¡°Of course, Master!¡±


    Rolling my eyes, I leave the living room and step onto the balcony. Allowing Nadine to call me Master was a mistake. Initially, she was reluctant to allow me to teach her. Then, her resistance slowly turned to admiration... though she is still taking every opportunity to insult me. Before I knew it, I wasn''t just her mentor, but her benefactor and magical instructor in every sense of the word.


    She is just lucky that her talent made me hesitate to discard her. Keeping her around and indebted to me might serve me in the long run. After all, I am a future-oriented person. Unlike most other people, I like to play the long game. My plans and desires reach far into the future.


    I step onto the balcony and jump, floating freely above the White City. A thought is enough to send me off towards Janice''s tower. She must be already waiting since I made an appointment earlier this morning.


    The city''s streets pass beneath me. They are very orderly, clearly planned and regulated. Most cities are a disorganized web of roads, as they grow and change over time. Such unregulated growth gives them an organic feeling. That''s not the case in the White City. The streets are neatly arranged in a chequer.


    Passing over the buildings, which are beautifully made out of white stone, and the people who are populating the city like ants, I reach Janice''s tower. Instead of bothering with the Sovereign''s reception, I head directly for the balcony of her office.


    There are several battle mages who are guarding the tower''s airspace. Some of them, who are also capable of levitation, close in when they notice me. One of the guards approaches close enough to recognize me. He casts a detection charm to make sure that he isn''t mistaken. The white light of the spell envelops me and I allow his magic to do its work. A second later, he waves the others off and they return to their posts.


    I continue on my way while the guard uses a communication crystal to inform Janice of my immediate arrival.


    When I land on the balcony the door is already open, so I allow myself inside.


    The Sovereign''s office is huge. It''s as if she is hoarding all the documents which are necessary to govern the Mirai in this single room. The high walls are stacked up to the ceiling with shelves, which are loaded with books. Half of the room to my right is taken up by bookshelves. Janice is sitting to my left, almost hidden behind a large desk, which is shaped like a ''U''. Not wasting the area, Janice has set up three different working stations.


    She looks up and smiles when she notices me. ¡°It seems like you found me without a problem. The directions were adequate?¡±Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Indeed. Your office is very luxurious if you allow me to praise you for it. Are those table and chairs made out of dragonbone?¡± I point at the white furniture, wondering where she got so much of the expensive material. I stole everything I have from my accursed master, may his soul safely rest in eternal damnation.


    Ever since that time, I never got a hold of more. The material is enviously hoarded by strong mages and magical families. If something hits the market, it''s immediately sold to the highest bidder. Most of the time, the items go directly to the inheritors. I could buy what I want from the black market. But to be honest, the benefit isn''t worth the cost and I don''t need more than I already have.


    Nonetheless, that table must be priceless.


    Janice smiles and runs a hand over the smooth material. ¡°Indeed, and I didn''t pay a single coin of copper for it.¡±


    There is no point in asking what she meant by that. The Mirai have a long history of raiding the main continent and intercepting their enemies'' shipping routes. That''s what caused them to be labelled as pirates by every known race. Though, I learned that this isn''t historically correct. The Mirai simply never stopped fighting a war which began almost a century ago.


    Their enemies could have tried to negotiate for peace, but it seems like they found it easier to label the Mirai as pirates and ignore them. As far as that is possible. I would say that the captain of a trading ship which is taken by zombie pirates would argue otherwise.


    Even so, with all their people in exile, the Mirai had to accept their demonization by the mainlanders.


    I step closer and sit down on the guest-chair, finding it extremely uncomfortable. There are no cushions, and it seems like the item was shaped for someone who is far larger than me.


    Noticing my attempt at finding a comfortable position, Janice grins. ¡°You are supposed to shape it.¡±


    Getting the idea, I channel my mana into the piece of furniture. I already have experience with shaping dragonbone, though I never tried to do it on the fly. Slowly, the chair changes shape, conforming itself to my figure and forming a footrest which allows me to relax. I sigh, seeing Janice''s point in showing off her wealth in this ridiculous manner. ¡°I could get used to this. Maybe I can do something similar in my office, using force fields.¡±


    The Sovereign snorts. ¡°I noticed that you aren''t a big fan of comfort in your office. Having the right chair makes work so much easier to endure.¡± Leaning back, she regards me with a raised eyebrow. ¡°So, what earns me this visit? You lowered yourself to visit my office for the first time. And you have already been on this island for several months.¡±


    ¡°Now that you mention it, I also find it strange,¡± I admit. ¡°There was so much to do, and when I visited the city, my time was always taken up by some ball, or meeting.¡±


    Janice looks at me apologetically. ¡°We had to show you off. The public and the family need to know that the bloodline is uninterrupted.¡±


    To be honest, my one and only visit to the city was short and embarrassing. I honestly underestimated how the necromancers are worshipped by the Mirai civilians, especially those civilians who were brought back.


    After half an hour of walking through the streets, I noticed that everyone was looking strangely at me. When I went into shops, the people held open the doors. When I tried to buy toys and other necessities for the babies, the resurrected shopkeeper gifted me the toys and blankets for free! And then the look in his eyes. It gave me the creeps. If I imagine that Illum is on its way to becoming just like that, I just want to burn the place and start over.


    It''s my own fault for not stopping the civilians'' delusions. I even encouraged their misguided belief, because I thought that I would benefit from their loyalty in the long run. But it turns out that I simply can''t deal with the attention. I am the last person who cares about what others think of me, but religious worship is clearly different. The fanaticism in their eyes is almost worse than slavery.


    I shrug, trying to shake off the thought, and attempt to get back on track. ¡°You are right. I am here because I need your fleet or at least a part of it.¡±


    Janice looks surprised. ¡°My fleet? Is anyone coming for us?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I answer. ¡°I am coming for them. Illum will soon depart for the continent. At least the part of Illum which is dedicated to warfare. The civilian section will stay here.¡±


    The Sovereign blinks and massages the pen in her hands. ¡°Why do you want to go there? Just let them fight each other until all of them are dead.¡±


    I shake my head. ¡°That''s not what I swore to do. I have my goals and I will see them through.¡±


    Getting nervous, she takes up a pen and plays with it. ¡°Are you-¡±


    Raising a hand, I stop her. ¡°This isn''t debatable. You knew from the very beginning that I have my own agenda. I held my side of the deal, and now I am calling on yours. When you got me into this mess with my mother and playing family, I demanded that I would be able to call for your assistance. Now, I call on you. Are you going to violate our deal?¡±


    She slowly lets out the air between her lips and sets down the pen. ¡°Okay. I kind of hoped that you would forget about the deal. You didn''t.¡± Her eyes narrow. ¡°Can I remind you that I also set the condition that I wouldn''t throw away my people''s lives without a good reason.¡±


    I nod. ¡°I won''t lie to you. I need a sizeable part of the Mirai''s military and it''s very likely that a lot of them won''t come back. Nonetheless, I can promise you that their lives won''t be wasted and, should we succeed, it will change the balance of power in this world. I go as far as to say that it will be changed forever. Both of us know that few things are forever, but I can offer you the real chance that some of your worst enemies might have perished when this is over.¡±


    Janice circles her index fingers around each other, thinking. ¡°What exactly do you need?¡±


    ¡°Ships,¡± I answer. ¡°The more, the better. I need everything you can spare that isn''t needed to protect the Mirai State. We are going to the continent, right into the middle of it.¡±


    ¡°The pyramid,¡± she concludes. ¡°I thought that the thing is under your control. We got reports that it is heading for the Eternal Battlefield, where it will most likely be boxed in by the forces of several nations. Why do we need to assist it now? If it''s important, why didn''t you secure it from the beginning? Or do you lack control over it?¡±


    I smile evilly and chuckle. ¡°Oh, I have complete control over it. The important point is that our enemies don''t know that. Or at least, they can''t be sure that the pyramid is my handiwork. They suspect it, but they have no proof. When we appear with all our forces and demand the pyramid, they will be convinced.¡±


    ¡°Convinced that the pyramid isn''t under your control,¡± Janice mumbles. ¡°You want me to perform a massive fleet parade, just to convince them that the pyramid isn''t your doing.¡±


    I spread my hands. ¡°Yes. When they think that we want it, they will want it. Even if they don''t know why, they will want it just so that we don''t get it. The pyramid is an important piece of my plan.¡±


    ¡°You should listen to yourself. According to my spies, the various nations are flocking around the pyramid like carrion feeders. If I didn''t know better, I would think that you filled it up to the top with dragonbone. Even the orks joined the party, as pitiable as their forces might be.¡± She tilts her head, considering it. ¡°I would really feel better if you told me exactly what you intend to do.¡±


    ¡°That''s top secret,¡± I reply, utterly earnest. ¡°Not even I am sure how exactly this will play out. I have a clear idea of what will happen, but a plan seldom unfolds exactly like the creator wishes it. That''s why I have several contingency plans in place.¡±


    Janice nods. ¡°Plans within plans, heh. That''s how our kind likes to play it. If we have the time to set up the playing field. I hope that you didn''t underestimate the others. They are also old and devious, just like you.¡±


    I smile, not overlooking that she didn''t include herself. ¡°Don''t compliment me so much! Let''s just hope that they underestimated me, simply because I joined the party late.¡±


    She chuckles, showing a little relief. ¡°For some of those old fools, that might even be the case.¡±

 129. ~Assembled~

    ¡°Some things can''t be bought.¡±


    ***Eternal Battlefield***


    ***Alias***


    I growl, hating my inability to change the course of events. All I could do, was to watch as the events unfolded and led us to this point. In my function as the king''s spymaster, I should have been able to give my king other options than to enter a war, but I failed. Many of our people will perish in what''s to come.


    Keeping my mouth shut, I follow Fin to the teleportation room on our flagship. ¡°I hope that you know what you are doing, my king. Teleporting onto an imperial ship seems like the perfect way to get yourself taken prisoner. I can¡¯t support your decision to act so rashly.¡±


    I already know about Fin''s deal, but I have to pretend that I don''t know anything about his affiliations. Otherwise, he might realize that I was spying on him. Nonetheless, for some unknown reason Fin decided to take me with him to this ominous meeting.


    The king shakes his head. ¡°Don''t worry. This won''t go wrong. Even if the Emperor tries something, the others won''t allow him to live another day if he breaks the agreement. Don''t forget that these undead have to be dealt with. All parties agreed to put the hostilities aside until the pyramid is neutralized. Can¡¯t have a good war if a third party keeps butting in. Can we?¡±


    ¡°And what happens after the undead are no longer a threat?¡± I ask. ¡°Will we draw daggers on each other and start stabbing? My blunt words are disrespectful towards my king, but they have to be said.¡±


    Fin laughs. ¡°That''s exactly why I am keeping you around, Alias. You aren''t nearly as much afraid of me as most of the other grovellers. Yes, the ''afterwards'' is what we should be worried about.¡± He reaches into his pocket and retrieves a small amulet from it. ¡°Take this. It''s a safety precaution. The amulet has a teleportation spell embedded inside it. If you break the seal, you will be transported back to our flagship''s bridge.¡±


    I take the precious item gingerly and put it around my neck. Artefacts like this one are almost priceless. There aren''t many enchanters who can embed something large and complex like a teleportation spell inside a small piece of jewellery. It must mean that Fin earnestly values my services. ¡°Thank you, my king.¡±


    ¡°Don''t thank me. I am only taking you with me because I trust nobody else not to backstab me. And I need someone trustworthy to cover my back. That''s all.¡± He makes a dismissive gesture and enters the teleportation room. ¡°Is everything set up?¡±


    I follow and notice an old mage getting back to his feet. He was checking the teleportation circle on the floor for possible mistakes. ¡°The circle is adjusted to the new location. You just have to activate it.¡± He bows and hurries out of the room.


    Fin checks the runes to make sure. After a few seconds he nods, then he steps onto the teleportation platform and gestures for me to follow.


    Doing as ordered, I spare the runes not a single glance. As skilled and knowledgeable as I may be, I don''t dare to touch anything that''s related to spacial magic. Magicians need a specialized education to work with portals, teleportation, or barriers. I may know a thing or two about the latter, but I can''t decipher a teleportation spell even if my life depended on it.


    A short flash of light and a sudden jolt is enough. We find ourselves beneath open sky on something like an observation platform. Surveying our surroundings, I notice several other parties.


    In the distance, I can see the pyramid and its forces, surrounded by the airships and armies of various nations. There are the battle platforms of the Sociocrathy, the huge metal behemoths of the Consortium, and finally the rather traditional airships of the Alliance and the Empire. As of yet, nobody has made a move, but it can¡¯t be much longer until the dying starts.


    Another flash of light next to us signals the arrival of an additional member of this elusive group which Fin seems to be a part of. No, that''s not entirely correct. As I found out, they are clearly not a group, but rather a gathering of people who found themselves facing a common enemy. And to my understanding, each group has a different reason.


    The Sociocrathy can¡¯t accept another religion within their sphere of influence. All their power is based on their unerring theology.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    The Consortium clearly has economical motives.


    The Empire turned the Mirai into an eternal enemy when they abducted a princess, a member of the necromantic bloodline.


    The Alliance has the least reason for joining in on this operation, but even we can¡¯t accept the interference of this pyramid.


    In short order, everyone arrives and I find my king and myself staring at five other parties. Luckily, it seems like the Emperor cleared the area of all of his minions, except for his son. Otherwise, this meeting would have even more potential for diplomatic chaos than it already has.


    There is, Sirra, the Holy Mother of the Sociocrathy, together with someone who I don''t know. Her follower looks like nothing more than a normal clerk.


    Rufus is already a well-known factor, so I am not surprised about his presence.


    What takes me off-guard, is the arrival of Artemis, the Leader of the Adventurer''s Guild. There are some adventurers who are fighting for one or the other side in this war, but they act as contracted mercenaries. The guild itself should be completely neutral. Their interest in this affair doesn''t bode well for the future.


    Lastly, there is someone who I don''t recognize. To my knowledge, he isn''t part of a political faction or a powerful group. The large, muscular man looks like he is bored and not really interested in being here. His expression belongs to a man who was forced into an unwanted job. I notice a slightly greenish tint to his skin, but otherwise, his features are completely human. His fine clothes and his stance also indicate nothing of the orkish blood which presumably runs through his veins. A half-blood?


    His presence, as well as his origins, are a total mystery to me. The Alliance is a conglomerate of races and cultures, but the various factions stay separated. Offspring of mixed blood is tolerated but frowned upon. If there was any half-blood of decent political power I should know about it. This man is standing right next to the leaders of nations, looking like he just wandered into a bad neighbourhood.


    Rufus draws my attention by stepping forward. He is holding a rather strange device in his arms. It looks like a metal barrel with handlebars. It¡¯s open at the sides, and the insides of the strange device are an impossibly complicated arrangement of gears, which are inscribed with runes. I have heard and read about the principal layout of a spell-projector, and this looks very much like the core-element of one.


    The gears allow the device to arrange runes automatically in almost any configuration, allowing the operator to cast any spell through an external power source.


    ¡°If we may begin? It seems like our troops are in the process of engaging the enemy.¡± Rufus turns to look at the pyramid, on which we have a grand view. I realize that this platform must be on top of the imperial flagship.


    As if Rufus''s words were a command, the ominous cloud of wyverns surges upwards to engage our forces. They fan out, splitting into several groups. The huge chimera takes a step forward, poisoning the ground around it with its breath.


    I clench my teeth when I notice that most of our armies are marching towards the monster. I don''t see any value in engaging that thing with simple infantry, but then I notice the moving bodies around the creature''s house-sized legs. Undead, and there must be thousands of them. They are dropping from the pyramid like ripe fruits and more are rising from the ground.


    Sirra steps forward in slow measured steps, clearly not bothered by the fact that her time-consuming demeanour may cost hundreds of good soldiers their lives. If this weapon can easily take out the pyramid, shouldn''t every person here be eager to assemble this device.


    ¡°I want it back, once this is over.¡± She hands Rufus a blue crystal. The material looks like it''s a mana crystal, but that''s impossible. To my knowledge, there aren''t any of such size.


    The Consortium''s representative nods and kneels down, placing the barrel on the ground. He disassembles the complicated machinery and starts fiddling with its innards in a professional manner. The crystal wanders into a prepared slot, seemingly intended to power the device.


    Fin pulls a sheet of paper from his pocket. ¡°This is the proper rune-sequence for the negation spell.¡±


    The Emperor snorts and reveals a small capsule. ¡°It feels like we are assembling a puzzle of extremely rare ingredients. I doubt that any single nation would be able to provide the ingredients for such a device.¡±


    Rufus accepts the capsule from the Emperor, treating it like a dangerous snake. ¡°That''s certainly the case. I suspect that our mutual enemy didn''t anticipate us being able to gather all the necessary ingredients.¡±


    ¡°A magical catalyst, just as we agreed.¡± The leader of the adventurer''s guild steps forward, providing yet another piece of the puzzle, a shimmering pearl. It''s the core of a magical beast of immense power. Once in a century, strong magical beasts appear in the wild, uninhabited lands of this world. They are born from large amounts of wild magic, just as weak concentrations cause the emergence of lesser pests like monsters or mutated beasts. If found, large numbers of strong adventurers gather to slay the beast, almost always paying a high price for their greed. The results of such hunts are greedily hoarded by the guild, as cores are key elements for many large-scale rituals.


    The half-orc furrows his eyebrows and crosses his arms in front of his chest, indicating that he is just here to observe the spectacle.


    ¡°I will finally be able to strike back.¡± Rufus chuckles as he assembles the last components. Then he adjusts the gears, following the instructions on Fin''s sheet of paper.


    I force my eyes away from the process, realizing that I was so occupied with what was going on that I didn''t pay any attention to the pyramid.


    Our forces closed in on the pyramid and are almost within firing range. The flock of resurrected wyverns swarms out, trying to reach the closest airships. I wince, realizing that Rufus won''t be done before our forces clash.


    That''s when a green light emerges from the pyramid''s tip. At first, it''s just a ball of blinding energy, but then a thin finger of power shoots out of it, obliterating one of the Sociocrathy''s floating battle platforms by cutting straight through it!


    ¡°Ouch.¡± The half-blood smiles. ¡°Seems like you have a tough fight ahead of you.¡±


    ¡°Shut up, Marigold!¡± The Emperor grinds his teeth. ¡°This thing is dangerous, even for you.¡±


    Marigold shrugs. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen anything impressive.¡± He tilts his head and looks upwards, against the blinding sunlight. ¡°Say, do those ships belong to you? They are so black and spiky, isn¡¯t that Janice¡¯s style.¡±


    Casting a sight enhancing spell, I suck in a sharp breath when I follow the half-blood¡¯s line of sight. ¡°Mirai! Hundreds! That must be most of their fleet!¡± The sky above us is filled with the black fleet of the Mirai.


    Fin shakes his head. ¡°Impossible! They don¡¯t have that many warships. Look at the hulls. Most of those must be old designs, used to patrol the area around their island.¡±


    I swallow, and Sirra voices what goes through my mind.


    ¡°Repurposed troop transports. They were building their forces for decades. They must have countless of their unholy ilk on those ships.¡± The Holy Mother performs a gesture of prayer, wishing for her god¡¯s help.

 130. ~Decisions~

    ¡°Hesitation of any kind is a sign of mental decay in the young, of physical weakness in the old.¡±


    ***The Eternal Battlefield***


    ***Jules, the Seventh Emperor***


    ¡°It looks like they are holding their position,¡± Marigold observes, smirking at the sight of the new arrivals. His raised lips reveal a set of unnaturally pointed canines which betray the heritage of his ancestors. ¡°Are they staying intentionally out of reach?¡±


    I hum, trying to make sense of the situation. ¡°Shouldn''t they be charging right in if they want the pyramid?¡±


    Fin''s spy gives us the answer. ¡°That would be surely the case if the necropolis was on their side. If I were in their position, I would force us into a battle at two fronts right away. But...¡± He bites his lower lip, thinking. ¡°If the pyramid isn''t on their side, then it would be better to wait until our forces are tightly engaged with the necropolis. It would be much easier to sweep in to achieve their objective, whatever it is.¡±


    ¡°Isn''t it obvious!? They want our destruction,¡± Sirra complains, her voice shivering. It''s hard to tell if it''s caused by fear or rage. I don''t pay it any heed. The woman was always a little unhinged. It''s a problem which most reincarnated have to struggle with.


    I draw in a deep breath and let it out. Once I am done with the Alliance and the Mirai, I will set my sights on the Sociocrathy. Sirra is a maniac who suffers from a serious persecution complex. Sooner or later, she will start something with the Empire if I don''t do it first. Turning my attention to Rufus, I look over his shoulder. ¡°How long?¡±


    ¡°Just a minute,¡± he comments.


    ¡°That minute will cost us dearly.¡± Fin''s spy points towards the pyramid, where our forces are engaging the necropolis.


    Just as I look up, the pyramid shoots another lance of green light from its tip, slicing apart another ship. This time it''s one of mine, a huge destroyer. There must be a tremendous amount of power behind this attack. At least it doesn''t last for long and needs a certain amount of time to recharge. There are so many ships in the vicinity that it would take the pyramid hours to take down all of them.


    It''s like shooting sparrows with a cannon.


    The wyverns are now swarming around some of our ships. Our forces are fighting back with all they have, causing a blinding storm of magic and spells. The wyverns aren''t especially fast, but they are magical beasts and highly resistant to magic. It seems like they didn''t lose that nasty trait when they were resurrected as undead minions.


    One Alliance ship is literally torn apart. It advanced too fast, losing the covering fire of its neighbouring ships.


    On the ground, the chimera runs rampant unchecked, sowing death among the infantry. Only the Alliance and my own forces are represented with ground troops, so we are the ones who have to occupy the creature.


    That thought is squashed when the chimera lifts its head towards the sky. The creature''s throat bulges, and a moment later it spits a ball of green sludge at one of the Sociocrathy''s battle platforms. It was hammering the monster with fireballs, blowing huge chunks of flesh out of it and gaining its ire.


    The green slime engulfs the ship, sticking to it. A few moments later, the acidic properties of the slime become apparent, dissolving a large part of the structure. It must have gotten something vital, because a few seconds later the light of spells and protective magic around the platform vanishes. It falls like a stone, shattering to a thousand pieces on the rocky mountains below.


    The battle only gains in intensity as all factions join in, adding to the chaos. There is no quick end in sight and each moment must cost hundreds their lives.


    ¡°This is madness,¡± Marigold mumbles. ¡°I must compliment you guys for the ability to create situations of utter horror and destruction. That''s why I prefer my hut in the mountains.¡±


    ¡°It''s done!¡± Rufus calls out. He gets to his feet, cackling like a madman. ¡°Everyone, step closer to me. Now we will end this. I hope that all of you remember the plan. Slay the necromancer, and take control of the necropolis. Then we will use it to take care of the Mirai.¡±


    ¡°Right you are!¡± I answer and gesture for my son to follow me. Wisen does as he was told without questioning me. His left cheek twitches, showing that his amulet forced him into action. I smirk. Maybe the amulet will teach him to follow my orders.


    The others also step closer when Rufus activates the spell projector, aiming it at the pyramid. There is no visible effect, but the necropolis shudders as a whole, losing height.


    ¡°It works! The shielding barriers are down! With this device, we can negate most of the force field''s effect.¡± Rufus adjusts the spell projector and a blue light envelops us, teleporting us right into the pyramid''s centre of power. Ten people in total.


    I gag when the putrid stench of death and decay enters my nose. It smells as if I stepped into a mass grave. The room is dark, but there is more than enough light to recognize that we are inside a large catacomb. On the far end of the room is an altar with a glowing power stone on top of it. No, not a power stone, it''s a genuine power core!


    Artemis and his aide materialize spears from the thin air. The leader of the Adventurer''s Guild swings his weapon, beheading a nearby zombie. The creature was climbing out of one of the many coffins inside the room. ¡°We will clear out the room!¡±


    In front of the altar is a man in a black cloak. He whips around upon noticing us. ¡°Guards!¡± His shrill voice echoes loud and long, returning from a long tunnel behind us. It''s answered by a chorus of pained screams.


    ¡°Hold them off! I''ll take over the pyramid,¡± Rufus commands and charges towards the figure in black.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    Fin grabs his spy by the arm, turning them away from the power core. ¡°We will hold the entrance.¡± They head towards a large corridor, the only clear entrance to the room. From the darkness, I can hear the howls of the undead.


    Frowning, I wonder why Fin would take up such a task. I expected some sort of betrayal from the elf, so I was surprised when he volunteered for a part of the plan which would take him away from the controlling element of the pyramid.


    Marigold joins him without a word, while Sirra follows Rufus to take care of the necromancer.


    Still trying to figure out Fin''s scheme, I look around to find other threats. When I am sure that there is nothing of interest, aside from a few empty coffins, I turn and follow the others towards the power core.


    ¡°No! This is mine! You can''t have it!¡± The necromancer steps in front of his power core and raises a hand threateningly. ¡°Begone!¡± He thrusts his hand at Sirra, but nothing happens. The man tries again, not realizing that Rufus is aiming the spell projector at him.


    ¡°This area is safe. The device can cancel out the force fields.¡± Rufus nods and makes some adjustments to his spell projector.


    ¡°Holy Father, hear my call and send me aid!¡± After performing a complicated set of gestures, the Holy Mother aims her left index finger at the man. A flash of pure power blasts the necromancer backwards, causing him to squeal.


    But the man isn''t done. He crawls back to his feet and snarls. Then he charges and throws himself at us like an animal.


    ¡°He is all yours.¡± Stepping sideways, I shove my son forwards.


    The fool stumbles, but draws his battle-hammer from his belt. Wisen takes a stance, gripping the hammer with both hands like a baseball bat. Unmoving, he waits until the creature is just within reach. A moment before it''s too late, he brings the hammer down in a sideways arc, crushing the necromancer''s skull with a single strike.


    Seemingly unimpressed by the ugly wound, the creature''s scream takes on a higher pitch as it crushes into Wisen, throwing both of them to the ground. They wrestle with each other. Wisen doesn''t let go of his hammer, which is still lodged inside the necromancer''s head.


    It seems like all humanity fled the man. Just before, he was talking, but now he is a snarling mess. Using all his power, my son keeps away the gnashing teeth of the creature. Sighing, I draw my own sword and bring it down, slicing the necromancer''s head from his shoulders.


    Even that was too much aid. Wisen should have been able to deal with this thing on his own. Especially when Rufus already disabled most of the necromancer''s abilities.


    The Consortium member is already at the power core, connecting the spell projector to it. The man is mumbling, producing several other devices from a set of tools on his belt. ¡°Very interesting. She circumvented the control problem by dumping most of the generated power into containment fields. Not very effective, but certainly a good solution if I have to work with limited resources. The equations for these force fields are fascinating...¡±


    I look back to see how Fin and Marigold are doing with their part of the job, but there seems to be no problem. I would be disappointed if two reincarnated can''t hold a narrow corridor against a few undead.


    Fin is holding the creatures off, while Marigold is working hard to seal the entrance by bringing down the ceiling. Two seconds later, they succeed and the entrance is blocked by several tons of rock and debris. When the rumbling of the collapse subsides, I become aware of the ensuing silence. Only the distant moans of the creatures on the other side of the cave-in remind me that there are still a lot of them outside this chamber.


    ¡°That was far too easy.¡± Artemis, the leader of the adventurers, weighs a heavy spear in his hands. He pulled the weapon from seemingly nowhere when the battle started. They were very effective at slaying the few lone zombies which crawled out of the coffins. Although he didn''t do much, I don''t blame him for it. He and his aide were holding back, waiting to assist in case of unexpected problems.


    Fin, his spy, and Marigold return from their battle. They are covered in blood and gore. The elven king looks disgustedly at the adventurer. ¡°Sure! Why don''t you fight the rotting corpses the next time?¡±


    Artemis eyes Fin with curiosity, taking in the mess, and wrinkles his nose. ¡°Maybe next time.¡±


    ¡°I have it! There are a lot of traps embedded in this control system. I wouldn''t dare to use it without a proxy.¡± Rufus adjusts the spell projector and a projection of the battle appears above him.


    It seems like a large strike group of the Mirai closed in on us, engaging our troops who are still occupied with fighting the zombies.


    I close my eyes for a moment, realizing that the battle dissolved into utter chaos. Some of the Alliance''s forces and mine even started fighting each other. I gave my generals strict orders to adhere to the cease-fire with Fin until the necropolis is taken care of.


    It seems like some of our soldiers have too much hatred for the other side to follow simple commands. Maybe that shouldn''t surprise me. The war with the Alliance went on for too long, but it was a simple way to keep our populations in check.


    ¡°There it is! It looks different, but that must be Nova''s flagship.¡± Rufus points at a sphere with several rotating rings circling around it. ¡°Give me just a few seconds, then I can use the pyramid''s main attack against her! It''s a simple energy spell. I can use our secret weapon to enhance the attack with a negation effect. It will be as if Nova''s ship doesn''t have any shields!¡±


    ¡°Do it!¡± I order.


    ¡°Finally!¡± Sirra calls out.


    Fin and Marigold nod, giving their agreement.


    Someone claps three times, slowly and deliberately. ¡°The mice finally unite against the cat.¡±


    I look around, searching for the unknown voice. Then, the power core shimmers and projects the ghostly image of a beautiful woman into the room. Sitting next to her ankle is a white cat, looking content. The woman is in a black and white armour, which looks more like a formal wardrobe than a functional item. A shiver runs down my spine when I realize that she is almost a copy of Janice. The relationship is unmistakable.


    ¡°What''s this!?¡± I look at Fin and then at Rufus.


    Wisen points at the woman and shrieks, ¡°That''s her! That''s the bitch, Nova!¡± He managed to get back to his feet after I helped him with the necromancer.


    ¡°It seems like she somehow connected to the core''s communication system. Not surprising, since she seems to have a similar technology on Illum. There is nothing to worry about. I am sure that she has no access to the pyramid''s control functions. She never had. I checked!¡± Rufus shakes his head, then he snarls at the woman. ¡°Finally, now you are showing your true colours!¡±


    The projection tilts her head, pursing her beautiful lips. ¡°I am just ensuring that my interests aren''t meddled with. This pyramid is an old Mirai artefact. You have no right to it. The Sovereign and I will take it back.¡±


    I look around, finally remembering the architecture. ¡°She is right.¡± Though, I can''t remember the Mirai ever having such a sophisticated force field technology. The inconsistency tickles the back of my mind, but I find no proper explanation for what''s going on.


    She slowly turns in a circle, looking at all of us. ¡°Retreat and give me the pyramid. Then I might consider sparing you.¡±


    I feel my face redden with rage. ¡°Who do you think you are? You are just some newcomer! A child! You should be glad that we ignored you until now! Without Janice''s protection-¡±


    Sirra''s expression also turns doubtful and she raises a hand to interrupt me. ¡°Something is wrong. Why is she so sure of herself. Is this a trap?¡±


    For the first time, I start considering the wisdom of this whole situation. Somehow, the most powerful people on this world ended up in a single place. ¡°It''s almost as if she wanted us here.¡±


    ¡°Hahahaha!¡±


    Fin''s mocking laughter blows away the spreading feeling of depredation. ¡°She is just playing with you! If this pyramid is indeed a trap, then why didn''t it activate already? She could have sprung it the moment we entered this place. That woman is just trying to bluff you. Only an utter maniac would risk others getting a tool like this one.¡±


    Nova sighs. ¡°So that''s your decision.¡±


    ¡°You can''t fool me! That''s for my granddaughter.¡± Rufus flips a switch on his spell projector. The tactical overlay connects the pyramid and the sphere with a white line and marks the target with a red cross.


    One moment later, the green lance of energy burns through an unlucky Mirai destroyer and stabs into the strange sphere.

 131. ~Failsafe~

    ¡°Things rarely happen according to your expectations.¡±


    ***The Eternal Battlefield***


    ***Zane***


    ¡°This is the perfect opportunity! We have to attack now!¡± Janice yells at Nova, losing her composure. I helplessly watch the confrontation, wondering how the argument started.


    When we arrived at the battlefield, the uncontrollability of the situation was obvious. Nonetheless, Nova kept refusing to share her plans with us. Her determination to keep her plans a secret, it borders on paranoia.


    It doesn''t help that Janice went berserk as soon as she saw the Imperial Flagship, demanding that we throw everything we have into the battle.


    ¡°No.¡± Nova shakes her head, looking tired. ¡°Just do as you were told. We hold position and don''t join the battle. Why are you suddenly so eager to join this fight?¡±


    Janice crosses her arms in front of her chest. ¡°Jules, that bastard Emperor is down there. I can feel his presence. I will probably never again get this close to him. I want revenge! Not only for you, or my daughter. I want it for my husband.¡±


    ¡°You said that he was killed in a duel,¡± I interject, not sure if it''s my place to interrupt her. It could end up making the argument worse than it already is.


    I just happened to be on the bridge of Illum''s war-section, when Janice stormed into the room. Aside from me, most of the other adventurers in Nova''s service are also present.


    Tristen and Brian are here to represent our infantry. Fae is coordinating the civilian crewmen who are in charge of maintaining this part of Illum.


    The bridge itself is a small, round room without any controls, aside from a few fixed chairs and communication equipment. All of Illum''s controls are in Nova''s hands. Inside her huge command chair, she looks like an empress on her throne.


    ¡°My husband was the leader of a nation. Who else would he duel than the leader of another nation?¡± Janice glares at me with hatred in her eyes. Her eyes are glowing in an eerie, green light. If she wasn''t talking to us, I would think that she had lost it. The necromantic energies which are being released by the battle must be overwhelming.


    Maybe that¡¯s why she is suddenly so emotional.


    I glance at the large screen which is facing Nova, where several ships are battering the huge chimera with spells. For some reason, the pyramid stopped shooting after taking out some airships. Now it''s just hovering above the hordes of undead.


    ¡°It doesn''t change anything. Illum won''t launch its fighters, just because you are seeing red,¡± Nova answers calmly.


    The Sovereign crosses her arms in front of her chest. The muscles of her jaw are working relentlessly, showing that she is trying to keep her emotions in check. ¡°They will notice that something is wrong if we don''t attack. At least a part of our forces should engage in battle. Whatever you want to achieve with this show, your words will be empty if we just hover outside their reach.¡±


    Nova furrows her forehead and looks down at her knees. For a small moment, I see something like sadness in her expression. But it could have been just my imagination. She seems to deflate. ¡°You are right. You may take a battlegroup of your ships into the fray.¡±


    Janice turns to storm out of the room, but Nova holds her back. ¡°Don''t forget that those who seek glory in battle often end up as legends.¡±


    I glare at Nova and quickly follow Janice out of the room. I am well aware that I am leaving my post, but it seems like Nova doesn''t have any intention of using the stockpile of corvettes in our hangar.


    Luckily, I manage to catch Janice on the corridor. ¡°Janice, stop! Where do you think you are going?¡±


    She whirls around. ¡°Who do you think you are talking to!? I am the Sovereign! Don''t forget that! Just because I allowed you a little more leniency than others, doesn''t mean that you can look down on me.¡±


    Realizing how my voice and my words must have sounded, I raise both hands. ¡°Sorry! I didn''t intend to sound condescending. I just want you to reconsider your actions. We both know that we wouldn''t be here if Nova hadn''t asked for it. If she wanted you to go, she would have said so.¡±


    The green light in the Sovereign''s eyes lessens a bit. ¡°She told me to go.¡±


    I snort. ¡°She did, but you seem very determined. You and I have known Nova for long enough to tell that something is taking a lot of her attention. The last month, she mostly sat around, presumably playing with Illum''s functions, but there must be more behind that. Nova''s plans must have reached a critical point. Right now she doesn''t want - doesn''t allow - any distractions. Whatever or whoever it may be!¡±


    Janice tilts her head but doesn''t say anything.


    So I decide to press the point. ¡°She called you a legend! My bet is that whoever enters that battlefield is unlikely to leave alive.¡±


    Janice straightens herself, trying to look every bit of the Sovereign she is supposed to be. ¡°I still have to go. If there is the tiniest chance that my presence ensures the Emperor''s death, then I am willing to take the risk.¡± She turns and walks away, leaving me alone in the hallway.


    I stay there for several long minutes, trying to make sense of the situation. Janice is my only real ally. Why is she suddenly so eager to risk her life? A few moments before our fleet arrived at the Eternal Battlefield, everything looked to be fine. I should have paid more attention to her back at the World Assembly. The duel bothered Janice, but it didn''t look like it would flip a switch inside her.


    I should have had a word with her earlier.


    Sighing, I return to the room which functions as Illum''s bridge. Damn, this gets confusing. If Nova splits Illum into even more pieces, we really need distinct names for all of them.


    A quick glance at the tactical display shows me that a part of our fleet has split off to close in on the pyramid. Janice is acting very quickly. ¡°Did I miss something?¡±


    Nova shrugs and gestures at the screen. ¡°They refused my peace offering and now they are charging the pyramid''s main-weapon.¡±


    The heads of everyone inside the room whip around to look at Nova. ¡°What!?¡± ¡°How did they get into the pyramid?¡± ¡°You negotiated with them!?¡±


    I don''t get the chance to complain about Nova''s hidden games. I knew that she can manipulate Illum''s controls with her mind, but it seems like that ability has more facets than I believed.


    The green light on the pyramid gains intensity and a lance of energy shoots at us, wiping out a Mirai airship which happened to be in the way. Then, the ray of energy hits us and the whole room shakes. The screen in front of Nova turns white.


    ***The Eternal Battlefield***


    ***Imperial Soldier***


    The undead flood over our position. My comrades are simply overrun as I scream and hack wildly at everything that comes too close. This is it then. This is how I die.


    An undead barrels into me and I am thrown onto my back, bodies piling onto me. Raising my armoured arm, I shove it into the monster''s mouth to stop it from finding the soft flesh of my face.


    Above us, the battle between the airships doesn''t look any better. It long since devolved into a fight without clear lines. The Sociocrathy''s battle platforms are fighting undead wyverns. The Alliance and the Empire are fighting each other and the undead.


    Something bites into my thigh and I scream as dozens of hands attempt to rip me apart.


    My gaze is fixed on the sky and falling airships when the pyramid shoots its energy weapon at the huge, leading ship in the Mirai formation far above the battle. The green light burns my retina, but I can see a pulse of power leaping back and forth between the two vessels, a strange interaction taking place.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    ***The Eternal Battlefield***


    ***Alias***


    The pyramid is shaking as if it''s building up power. ¡°What''s happening!? A feedback loop? No!¡± Rufus feverishly manipulates the spell projector. ¡°No! The spell matrix is collapsing! I can''t...¡±


    ¡°A trap!¡± Sirra jumps towards Rufus, reaching for the device. ¡°Give me the crystal!¡±


    ¡°Time to go!¡± Fin reaches for the amulet around my neck and crushes it, doing the same with his own. The spell activates and both of us are pulled into a portal, leaving behind the rest of the group.


    ¡°Fin!¡±


    The Emperor''s enraged scream follows us as we land on the bridge of our flagship, the Pariah. Fin is back on his feet before I can even make sense of the situation.


    ¡°All energy to the barriers! Now!¡± he bellows.


    When the man at the controls just stares at us with wide eyes, the king shoves him aside, sliding down all controls to their minimum, while powering the defence systems to their maximum.


    I look up at the screen which shows the pyramid. The energy barriers around it flicker, as the pulse of energy, hits it a final time. Finally, the complicated spell structure around the pyramid collapses and crushes the pyramid, forming a new, complex system, the fragments of the original spells falling into a new place. A moment later, all the energy bursts outwards in a flash of brilliant white.


    The chimera and most of the combatants simply disappear.


    Without warning, the bridge''s ceiling suddenly jumps into my face and the roar of an angry god batters me as the room seems to stretch. As quickly as it happened, I am thrown back to the floor and my world blacks out.


    ***The Eternal Battlefield***


    ***Nova***


    Pain. My world consists of pain, but I force my eyes open. Relying on the power of my will, I blink, trying to focus my vision. The room is tilted sideways, not a good sign. Concentrating, I call up the tactical screen. When Illum''s observation systems don''t respond, I switch to the data feed of one of the observation platforms; re-purposed corvettes which are permanently stationed around Illum to provide additional data.


    Some of the platforms which were stationed further out are still intact. A few moments later, I finally get to see what happened.


    My calculations must have been a little off. Despite the safety grid, some of Illum¡¯s energy sinks blew up, which caused us to lose most of our energy fields. The sphere with its surrounding rings fell out of the sky and tore a new valley into the mountain range north of the Eternal Battlefield. Luckily, the dampening fields didn''t give out entirely and kept us alive, though not unharmed.


    The nice rings which I used to control the rebound effect are in pieces. One is sticking out of the mountain like a chakram. The sphere itself is battered and dented, which is probably the reason why I don''t have any external sensors.


    Someone touches my shoulder and shakes me. Looking to the side, I find Zane and Fae looking at me. Their mouths are moving, but I hear nothing. Tristen and Brian are also alive. The undead paladin is tending to his friend.


    Fae closes her eyes and touches my temples. A few moments later, I feel the prickling sensation of a healing spell. I shudder in relief when the mind-numbing pain fades away.


    ¡°... hear me!?¡± The elf screams at me. ¡°One of the communication panels broke off and hit you on the head.¡±


    ¡°Not so loud!¡± I reach up and wipe a drop of blood from my eyebrow. ¡°The resonance effect must have built up, or there was an unknown factor which I didn''t anticipate.¡±


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Zane touches my shoulder, sounding genuinely worried. Then he tries to control his expression. ¡°What the fuck did you do?¡±


    ¡°Hah.¡± I gesture at the tactical screen and it zooms out, giving us a nice view of the carnage. The centre of the Enternal Battlefield, where the pyramid was, is a glowing crater. Gathered around it, are the wrecks of countless airships, laid out like corpses.


    The Mirai fleet also didn''t get off unscathed. Several of the weaker ships are gone, but most of those who kept their distance with us are still afloat. I pull down the corners of my mouth when I realize that Janice''s battlegroup is gone.


    Stupid bitch! Why did she have to get so emotional at the last second? The plan might have worked without sending her and the others to their doom. I bite into the flesh of my cheek. But seeing the Mirai advance might have been exactly what caused Rufus to press the switch.


    Janice will hate me for this.


    ¡°I ended the war,¡± I explain. ¡°This explosion took out most of the trained armies in this world. When the pyramid''s barriers collapsed, combined with Rufus''s device, the whole spell matrix collapsed, forming into a new one. Each component seen by itself was utterly harmless. Combined under the right circumstances, they formed a new whole.¡±


    Before Zane can complain about nuking a battlefield, I continue. ¡°The explosion sent out an energy wave, carrying the instructions to reprogram most of the slave collars on this world.¡± I smile at their gaping faces. ¡°Right now, everyone with a slave-collar is rebelling against his masters, killing them indiscriminately. Even if the Empire still had most of their troops, they would have trouble regaining control.¡±


    Zane shakes his head, looking away from me. ¡°You just killed millions. How can you look so happy?¡±


    I nod. ¡°And I ended the Empire, hopefully together with the leaders of the nations which stand against Illum.¡± They are done for. ¡°At least it will take them a lot of time to rebuild. Time which I can use to make sure that their idea of how things should be doesn''t come to fruition.¡±


    ¡°I think not.¡± Brian points at the screen, where a huge longship rises from behind a large hill. The wooden frame is battered and one of the leaf-like sails is charred, but it seems to be functioning.


    A signal in the corner of the screen indicates that someone is aiming the signal of a communication crystal at us, so I open the connection. The doomed landscape is replaced by a bridge which looks very much like it belongs to an old Star Trek movie.


    Three battered crewmen are at the controls and Fin is standing in the centre of the room. Next to him is Alias, whose face looks like a smith mistook it for an anvil and gave it a work-over with his hammer.


    Fin isn''t in his best state either, but he looks indefinitely better than me. Clapping his hands together, the king of the elves smiles. ¡°You must be Nova. Alias told me so much about you. We finally meet in person. Well, not exactly in person, but you get the idea.¡±


    I smile. ¡°You are alive. How unfortunate. I really hoped that your plan of using me to get rid of your competitors wouldn''t work out. But, there you are! That sucks. Especially since we promised not to interfere with each other.¡±


    After a short pause, I add, ¡°At least not intentionally.¡±


    The elf nods. ¡°Yes! It seems like that worked especially well. You see, I tampered a little with the spell matrix I got from you. Did you really think that I wouldn''t realize that the papers were coming from you? I hid a few small instructions among the spellware. They should have made it impossible to teleport in and out of the vicinity of the device. I only left a single frequency open, the one for my own amulets.¡±


    So that¡¯s why Illum¡¯s energy sinks blew up. He meddled with the spell. The fool didn¡¯t intend it, but he did something that turned out to his benefit. Nodding, I acknowledge the bravery of his plan. ¡°I didn''t think of you as a man who would get his own hands dirty to achieve his goals.¡±


    Fin stops smiling. ¡°Now that we are talking about goals... I am afraid that ours no longer align. With so many reincarnated dead, the world is ripe for a major restructuring. I know that we have an arrangement, but the chance is simply too good! My ship''s main-weapon array is still working and you are lying there like a sitting duck with your barriers down. Not even your ship''s size will matter. It''s just too bad that Fae is with you...¡± He shrugs. ¡°Just a distant relative.¡±


    Zane reaches for my shoulder, pressing it. Not looking at me, he whispers, ¡°You are mad. A crazy mass murderer, but it was a good attempt at doing something good.¡±


    Fae straightens, expecting the end.


    I shrug and look at Fin. ¡°I guess that this ends our bargain.¡± Then I close my eyes.


    And open them, standing next to Fin. I pull the dagger from my belt and ram it into Fin''s back. The thin blade blooms from his chest, the metal glistening red with blood. The king of the elves arches his back in shock, trying to breathe.


    I turn my attention to the crewman at one of the control panels, concentrating on this body''s ability. ¡°The main weapon array is damaged. You have to shut it down and deplete the ship''s energy reserves.¡± As the man''s eyes glisten over, he turns to manipulate his controls.


    Pulling the blade out of Fin''s back, I launch myself at the other two crewmen. They didn''t even realize what happened, concentrating on their controls and damage reports. The dagger slips neatly into the spine of the first man.


    Grabbing the head of the second elf, I hammer it into his console. Once, twice, thrice, and something cracks, giving me the satisfaction I sought. Oh, it feels good to do something with my own hands... borrowed hands. I let go of the body, allowing him to slide to the floor.


    Turning, I find Fin looking at me with wide, unbelieving eyes. He stumbles backwards and falls heavily into the command chair behind him. His hand raises feebly in an attempt to cast a spell, but drops. Black lines spread like blood vessels beneath the king''s skin. The hex on the dagger is disassembling him cell by cell.


    I walk over to the crewman at the weapon station and reach up. He is still in my ability''s thrall, staring dreamily at his controls. Placing one hand on his chin, the other on his head, I snap his neck in a single, smooth motion.


    The body slackens and drops to the ground. Turning to the controls, I hammer my fist into the console until I am sure that it''s useless. They won¡¯t fire their weapon any time soon.


    When I look at the screen, I see my battered body on my throne and frown. I really don''t look so well. The others are staring in utter shock out of the screen. Sighing, I close my eyes.


    And open them, once again in my own body. On the screen, Alias looks around, utterly horrified. ¡°What did I do? What did I do!?¡± He screams and starts rambling like a madman.


    Fin forces his eyes away from his subordinate and coughs up blood. The curse inside him is working fast. He has a handful of minutes at most. The king of the elves looks at me. ¡°How? When?¡±


    ¡°Alias?¡± I smile with a smug expression, gloating in my victory. ¡°Since his eye got wounded by the dagger. It seems like you forgot about my specialty. Crafting cursed blades is one of my passions, but I had my ears at your court for far longer. Ever since you took a certain lover to your bed. Women are your weakness, Fin. Gwiaha Finguld, your newest consort. She was mine all along.


    ¡°Did you really think that the stupid little girl had the brains to petition for your protection? If I hadn''t influenced her thoughts, she would have run straight back to her family and gotten herself killed. It''s called reverse psychology. Now I still have one of my agents at your court. One who happens to be carrying your descendant. She can do whatever she pleases, including taking care of other possible successors to your throne.


    ¡°It was so easy to gain your attention. Upturned, hopeful eyes. A little ¡®ahing¡¯ and ¡®ohing¡¯ at your magnificence. Then slipping at the wrong moment and landing in your arms. Seriously, Fin, I played out a textbook romance story for you and you fell for it.¡±


    Fin grins and coughs up more blood. ¡°I wondered about her mood swings.¡± His skin is now paling and taking on a necrotic sheen, but he grins. ¡°I won¡¯t forget that lap-dance¡­ those hip movements¡­ Well played. Well...¡± His head slumps backwards and his body shudders one last time, then the king of the elves is no more.


    Several guards burst onto the bridge, alarmed by Alias''s mad ranting. They look at their dead king and the corpses, one of them with the spymaster''s blade in his neck. There is no doubt who will get the blame for this.


    I switch off the connection and look at Fae, who is gaping at me, just like the others. ¡°Do you want to be queen? We can kill off the others and you will be first in line. Maybe I don''t even have to interfere. I doubt the elves will accept a baby on their throne. They will be busy with intrigue and hire assassins until most of the possible successors are killed. That always happens when such a powerful man leaves a vacuum of power behind.¡±

 132. ~Foe~

    ¡°They always come back.¡±


    ***The Eternal Battlefield***


    ***Nova***


    ¡°What did he mean by lap-dance?¡± Zane crosses his arms in front of his chest and glares at me as if I had just jumped another man directly in front of him. He taps his foot onto the ground and narrows his eyes, obviously displeased at something.


    For a moment, I don''t get what''s wrong, but then I understand. ¡°Are you jealous?¡± After watching his facial reactions, I am sure. ¡°You really are jealous!¡±


    ¡°Don''t I have the right to be!?¡± he snaps back.


    ¡°No,¡± Fae answers without hesitation. ¡°Fin was talking about this Gwiaha, not about Nova.¡±


    She turns her attention back to me. ¡°And we are not going to kill my other relatives! I don¡¯t have an emotional connection to them, but we are not going to randomly kill off strangers! Especially not if they belong to the royal line of the elven kingdom! Killing Fin is bad enough, but he tried to kill us, so I can forgive that.¡±


    Brian covers his mouth with one hand, trying to hide his expression. ¡°I don''t think that it''s that easy. Nova obviously has the ability to take over another''s mind. Now I am actually afraid of her.¡±


    Great. It wouldn''t be so bad to play a little with Zane''s emotions, but I if I don¡¯t nip this developing argument in the bud, I might get a problem. Momentarily I don¡¯t feel so well. My head still hurts and my body feels like I have bruises all over. It''s enough that I had a public argument with Janice right before she presumably went on a suicide mission. My heart squeezes a little at the thought of losing her. Damn emotions.


    ¡°You don''t have to worry, Zane. You will always stay my one and only, absolute best, boytoy. I never actually controlled Gwiaha when she had a tumble with Fin. It doesn''t work like that with sleeper agents.¡± Seeing their confused faces, I continue to explain, ¡°The cursed daggers create a connection to Illum''s control network. It''s kind of bad and evil, but I promise that everyone who suffered that fate tried to kill me, or did something that was deserving of a serious punishment.


    ¡°I can sense what the sleeper agents experience, but they stay in control over their bodies. I can see through their eyes and hear through their ears. They also kind of make their own decisions, though I can slip thoughts into their minds to nudge their decisions in one direction or the other. The transferred hex is limited in that regard. If I do take full control, they know that something is wrong. You saw how Alias flipped out when I released him.¡±The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    I look at Zane. ¡°I can promise you that I was never with another man, since my time as a slave that is. What Fin was talking about was Gwiaha, not me.¡± There he has it, a perfectly white lie. Just for him.


    Though I have to admit that I gave her the idea to seduce Fin. Maybe I also told her what certain men are into.


    And I watched, enjoying it. Passively taking a ride on her sensations is at least as pleasurable as doing it myself.


    Oh, and I humped that kinky girl, using that student¡¯s body. She was cute and it was nice to be on the other side of the fence again. Too bad that I killed that body. I should have preserved it for future misadventures.


    Now that I think about it, my deeds are all kinds of fucked up. Am I that much of a cheat? I better don''t mention those slip-ups to Zane. Yeah... none of that happened with my natural body, so I didn''t really do it. It¡¯s like watching a good porn. That¡¯s all.


    I can live with that.


    Zane narrows his eyes. ¡°There is something you aren''t telling us.¡±


    Damn! He is getting better at reading me.


    ¡°Nah. I was just thinking about how I used Gwiaha and Alias to drop some hints for Fin, which ultimately resulted in his betrayal of the other reincarnated in his group. I just didn''t anticipate that he would meddle with the spell. It almost got all of us killed.¡± I wave my hand, bringing Illum''s secondary systems online.¡±


    If I build a warship, I do it right. That means secondary and tertiary backup systems for every vital component.


    ¡°When Gwiaha''s gathered intelligence showed me the scope of the political web and intrigues in this world, I decided that fighting everyone head on wouldn''t change anything, or it would take decades, maybe centuries of lurking through the shadows. It wouldn''t work out to simply assist one power in conquering all the others, so I decided to help things along. They already had their differences before I poked a finger into their festering wound of hatred. As long as they were fighting each other, they wouldn''t realize that they were slowly nudged into a position where I could do them in all at once.¡±


    The room tilts back into a horizontal position and the external view shows how the sphere lifts back into the air. Some dirt and rocks fall off the battered surface of the structure, but the hull kept its shape. It was worth the time to strengthen the entire structure with metal. Illum¡¯s civilian part would have been busted into a thousand pieces from such a crash.


    ¡°The necropolis was a final piece to gain their attention, but I knew that it wouldn''t be enough for all of them to gather in one place. That''s why I infiltrated the elves and gave them all the pieces to easily deal with the pyramid. Though, I couldn''t make it too easy, since I had to make them work together. The suggestion to take over the pyramid had to come from one of their own. Additionally, the plan had to be hard to achieve alone. It needed the cooperation of several countries so that it would ensure that at least some of my opponents are within the blast radius of the weapon.¡±


    Tristen shakes his head, fighting with his conflicting emotions. ¡°Aside from the fact that we have to search for Janice¡­ why are you suddenly so carefree with sharing information. Things could have gone a lot smoother if you had just involved us in your plans.¡±


    I close my eyes and sigh. ¡°I had to be careful. You got a glimpse of my own spy-network. I can¡¯t even imagine what possibilities the others might have. That¡¯s why I never mentioned the vital details of my plan. Everyone knew that I was up to something, but they had no clear idea of my goals. I couldn¡¯t trust anyone. Just imagine what would have happened if just one reincarnated found out about my plan? They would have joined their forces and crushed me.¡±


    ¡°You should have kept your mouth shut a little longer.¡±


    A familiar voice vibrates through the room and I feel myself stiffen. Without warning, the whole room shakes and reality seems to twist around me. The walls fall apart and we land roughly in the desolate landscape of the recently nuked battlefield.


    Brian draws his sword and turns, searching for enemies. ¡°What happened?¡±


    I slowly get to my feet and try to ignore my aching body. Several warnings are blinking in my field of vision, reporting the status of Illum¡¯s control system. ¡°Somebody hacked Illum¡¯s controls and activated one of the safety features. The whole room was teleported outside.¡±


    Out of nowhere, a mirror-like portal opens and Rufus steps through it, followed by Sirra and Jules. The technician is holding the spell projector in his hands and has a smug expression on his face. ¡°I told you. Hopefully, you will believe me now that Nova has to be dealt with.¡±

 133. ~Priorities!~

    ¡°The perfect deception isn''t achieved by hiding information. You have to paint the information in colours which suit you.¡±


    ***The Eternal Battlefield***


    ***Nova***


    ¡°As long as we have the spell projector, she should be mostly powerless.¡± Rufus smiles and strokes the device in his hands like a precious pet.


    I chuckle, then I start laughing heartily. ¡°I was right, though I am not sure exactly how you managed to spy on me.¡± Though, I always suspected it. Revealing all my plans was meant to draw out the rats, should there be any.


    Rufus narrows his eyes. For a short moment, I hope that he might start one of those typical villain speeches, or to complain about everything I have cost him. He surprises me by doing neither. Rufus simply points at me. ¡°She is mine. You can play with the other two.¡±


    Jules, the Emperor, turns and glares at Rufus. ¡°Who says that you can have her? We three barely got out of there alive; and only because of your ability. Marigold didn¡¯t make it and because of that bitch I lost Wisen.¡±


    Rufus hisses like an animal, barely keeping his rage in check. ¡°I will leave her alive for you, just so. But before that... I''ll teach her not to mess with me.¡±


    I turn to Tristen, Fae, and Brian. ¡°I suggest you three run as far and as fast as you can. This is the endgame. No place for mere mortals.¡± Then I look at Zane. ¡°You take care of the lady, Sirra. She doesn''t seem to be that strong.¡±


    ¡°What about the other two!?¡± Zane asks. His voice is stressed, but he didn''t freak out.


    ¡°They will have their hands full with me,¡± I reply and stretch, popping my knuckles. ¡°Training time seems to be over. Now I¡¯ll show you my true colours.¡±


    Our three opponents look at me with wide eyes, not believing that I don''t take them seriously.


    Fae and the others take off running, trying gain as much distance as possible between them and us. They have been with me for long enough to know that ignoring my advice isn''t healthy. When they are a little farther away, they will be able to use their limited access to Illum¡¯s control system to fly back to safety.


    Sirra, the leader of the Sociocrathy, raises her hand, aiming it at the three retreating figures. Zane reacts immediately and positions himself so that he can block her attack. Smoothly moving his finger, he draws a rune into the air, summoning first a shield, then more and more buffs.


    The Emperor attempts to take off to follow my retreating friends, but I cast teleport, appearing in his path. Smiling, I unleash the full power of the barrette in my hair. Pure power painfully floods through my nervous system, but I endure, channelling most of it into the barrier which is surrounding me.


    Being fuelled by the excess energy, the tattoo on my shoulder also lights up, showing through my black and white armour.


    Jules doesn''t stop and our personal barriers collide, flaring up as orbs of translucent energy. Holding my ground, I stubbornly push back until the Emperor decides to take a step back. I have no exact idea of his abilities, but he seems to be a straightforward magic user.


    The big wild card in this battle is Rufus, whose mysterious ability seems to be a lot more than a simple spacial pocket at his beck and call. Keeping my attention on the ability user, I raise my hand to taunt them. Jules is clearly willing to go after Fae and the others, while Rufus''s full attention is on me. If I seem like a danger that can''t be ignored, the Emperor might shift his priorities.


    ¡°Are you sure that you can take me alone?¡± My fingernails lengthen as I cast my newest spell. Something I came up with after Janice taught me about a soul''s connection to its body. Violet claws superimpose themselves over my fingers and a green mist seeps off of their tips, a slight inefficiency of the spell''s energy usage.


    ¡°What the fuck are you?¡± Jules looks at me, horrified.


    By now I am drawing so much power that my eyes must glow like light-bulbs. He would be more horrified if he knew what my spell does. I beckon them again. ¡°Your end.¡±


    Jules and Rufus look at each other. Their eyes confirm for me that I achieved my goal. Their earlier bet is off and now they will go after me together.


    Off to my side, Zane and Sirra are already fighting, blasting each other with spells. I have no idea how Zane is doing, but I don''t dare to take my attention off of my own opponents. At least not until help arrives.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    For the moment, Zane is on his own. I hope that he can at least play for more time until we can help him.


    Jules starts the fight by firing off an orb of energy and I evade by channelling mana through my body, increasing my physical abilities. Dancing sideways, my feet dig up the ground which isn¡¯t able to withstand the force of my body.


    The Emperor takes off to my left side, while Rufus tries to get me from the right. He does something, and the spell projector vanishes from his hands.


    Of course, I immediately try to access Illum''s force fields, but the spell projector''s effect is still active. Jules and Rufus should''ve been crushed like insects, but nothing happens. Clicking my tongue, I aim my hands to both sides to cast my favourite fire-spell, channelling as much mana as I can.


    Two oversized jets of superheated plasma roar away from me to both sides, scorching the tortured earth. It¡¯s not like I can cause any more damage to the environment than the nuke.


    While the Emperor is pushed back, Rufus''s image simply fades, turning incorporeal. He slips past my spell and flicks his hand towards me. A sword appears out of nowhere. Hadn''t I twitched to the side, he would have gutted me like an animal. Instead, he only achieves a glancing cut in my side. The painful wound burns, but it''s just skin and tissue.


    ¡°Fuck! A phase ability?¡± I cast teleport again, away from Rufus and next to the Emperor. Our barriers surround us and collide with a screech of discharged energy. Using the chance, I reach out and rake my claws over Jules''s barrier. The hex on my hands is transferred to the Emperor''s barriers, eating away at his energy.


    I smile, smelling victory. It''s much easier to fight a traditional mage.


    The Emperor curses and retreats again, pushing his barrier away from his body. Together with it goes the hex which I slipped into his defences. It was the right reaction, but it will cost him time to rebuild his protections. This gives me a few precious moments to deal with the other annoyance.


    With Rufus closing in, I teleport again to gain some distance. Fighting him hand to hand doesn¡¯t seem healthy. The Emperor is a straightforward opponent, but I have problems to get the hang of Rufus''s ability.


    Janice had several speculations about it, but she wasn''t sure herself. She only was sure that Rufus doesn''t have a magical gift and that his strange ability is somehow limited in range and energy. I used my free time to read up on ability users.


    My best guess is that Rufus lucked out with a strange hybrid-ability of spacial control and transmutation. A true game breaker, if it didn''t have limits. So far, I am fairly certain that the ability has limited range. He somehow changed himself to avoid my attack and to close the distance. I also didn''t fail to notice that he completely ignored my barrier.


    So he can''t protect himself and do something big at the same time. Otherwise, Rufus would have attacked differently. If his ability was limitless, he could have simply transmuted my body and it would be over. So his second weakness is limited energy conversion.


    I reach to my belly and cast a regenerative spell while Rufus plays catch up.


    ¡°I have studied all the records about you. That fire-spell was your signature spell. You like to use it as an immediate answer to attacks. So very predictable.¡± He smiles victoriously and summons a spear. ¡°In most of your encounters, you relied on elemental attacks. Without your force fields, you have no hope of harming me.¡±


    Bugger. Maybe I shouldn¡¯t have given him the knowledge about disruption fields. On the other hand¡­ who would have thought that he has an annoying phase-ability and can take others with him?


    I shrug and run my tongue over the edge of my teeth, showing him that he can''t rattle me so easily. ¡°Every good mage has a signature spell as a quick response to unknown spells. Fireblast is easy to activate, scales with the amount of used mana and covers a large area. Although it''s a simple energy-based spell, it covers areas like heat, radiation and even a little physical energy.¡±


    I raise my hand, showing off the violet claws. ¡°If your ability allows you to evade such attacks, I simply have to turn to more metaphysical forms of attack.¡± Smacking my lips, I give the signal. ¡°Lovely little pussycat, come here little kitty.¡±


    Rufus looks at me as if I turned nuts, not realizing that I didn''t mean to tease him.


    My call is answered when Lucifer fades through the ground, appearing from below and behind Rufus. He is always nearby, even when he is out of sight. My familiar quickly grows, fed by the bond between it and me. Concentrating on the connection, I push more power to the ethereal energy construct.


    Once the size of a house cat, Lucifer is now a proud tiger. Growling, he opens his jaw and heartily bites down on Rufus''s left ass-cheek. The ability user yells in pain and tries to get away from Lucifer, but the cat closes its paws around the man''s thigh. The claws rake into Rufus''s flesh and the man screams.


    The moment of satisfaction is taken away from me when Jules slams a spell into my shields. I frantically try to counter the rapidly unfolding spell matrix which is eating my energy. Realizing that I am not fast enough, I let go of my barriers. The barrier eating spell drills into my shields, shattering them, causing me to suffer the same fate as Jules.


    Released energy from my own barrier slams into me and I am thrown onto my back, stunned.


    Jules steps above me, victory in his eyes. He smiles and raises his hand to summon a spear of crackling energy in his hand, ready to end me in my unprotected state.


    Looking over his shoulder, I smile.


    Just in the nick of time, he sees the brightly glowing figure reflected in my eyes. His own shadow which is cast by the source of green light directly behind him is also a good indication for the appearance of a new player. His head whips around and a hand covered in green flames closes around his throat, not burning him ¨C but clearly painful, since he starts screaming and battering the arm which is holding him in a vice-like grip.


    Janice smiles, satisfied that the plan worked so well. I can feel the power radiating off of her and begin to understand why nobody should fight a necromancer on a battlefield. She is so supercharged by all the death around her that her soul¡¯s aura started to become visible to the naked eye. ¡°Took you long enough. How long was I supposed to keep their attention?¡±


    She smiles rather cruelly. ¡°I am sorry. Your plan to charge me with such a bountiful sacrifice was rather¡­ overwhelming! I needed some time to get accustomed to all this power. Thousands¡­ all in a single moment. Hopefully, I don¡¯t get used to it.¡±


    Jules¡¯s breath rattles as he tries to suck in air. He raises his hand, aiming a spell directly at Janice¡¯s face, but the gathered energy fizzles and is dispersed by the mere pressure of the Sovereign¡¯s overwhelming aura. ¡°Mo...hn...ster!¡±


    Still smiling, Janice raises her sword and places the tip at the Emperor¡¯s chest. Then, she slowly and very deliberately pushes it inside, and through his body, enjoying every sacred moment.

 134. ~Final~

    ¡°The infinite existence of an immortal soul. To experience life after life, unending, till eternity. Is it truly that desirable?¡±


    ***The Eternal Battlefield***


    ***Janice***


    I drop the Emperor''s body to the ground and watch his soul dissipate, being literally fried by the enchantments on my sword. The mouth of the ghostly afterimage opens, screaming in pain. There is no sound. If he ever reincarnates, he will be nothing more than a mere mortal, forced to start from zero.


    Nova gets back to her feet, but as she does so, she cries out and reaches for her head, shuddering.


    Not finding anything wrong with her, I turn my attention to Sirra and Rufus. Zane is doing a pretty good job in holding the Holy Mother at bay. They are having a very unimaginative magical duel, blasting each other with spells and counter-spells, searching for a weakness in their opponent''s protections.


    The real problem, and the reason why Nova cried out is that Rufus managed to free himself from her familiar. The secret leader of the Consortium looks a little chewed up, but he managed to stab Lucifer in the shoulder. The ghost-cat hisses at Rufus and circles him warily. It¡¯s much larger than my own, presumably because Nova fed it her energy. And since he is Nova''s familiar, she got a good taste of the cat''s pain when it got wounded.


    ¡°Call him back,¡± I order and raise my hand to cast a spell.


    The cat shrinks and disappears into the ground, returning to hiding. One moment later, I unleash my spell, throwing a spectral lump of energy at Rufus. He notices the attack just in time and uses his ability to fade out of sight.


    ¡°Damn him!¡± Nova stretches out her hands. ¡°He is using some kind of spacial ability, but no more!¡± Shaping all the energy at her disposal, she casts a complex spell and aims it above our heads. An orb of energy shoots upwards. It radiates pure power, giving me the feeling that Nova channelled a lot of her mana into that spell. The orb looks like a wildly fluctuating fractal of light. It hangs above us for several long moments, then I feel its effect.


    My magic, my power reserves, seem to shake and vibrate wildly and I have to pay my full attention not to lose control of my power. The magical battle between Zane and Sirra is interrupted, as both of them are having trouble to cast spells. With renewed effort, they resume their duel.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    In the meantime, I try to keep my attention everywhere at once, trying to anticipate where Rufus might appear next. I don''t want Nova or Zane to die at the Eve of our victory.


    Nova and I both knew that no plan is perfect. Even if Nova''s secret trap succeeded, it was likely that some of our foes would escape, so we needed a way to secure our supremacy.


    To use me as a hidden ace was obvious, so we had to make it look like I was out of the picture to draw in our enemies. Rufus, Sirra and Jules would have never risked an attack if I had been at Nova''s side. The answer was to fake an argument between me and Nova, hoping that whoever was spying on us wouldn''t know us well enough to smell the trap.


    Then I sent off a battle-group of my ships, while I stayed hidden on Illum, waiting for an opportunity.


    Rufus reappears, holding his head. He retches, strongly affected by Nova''s spell. It seems like she created some sort of spacial effect which acts like a sound-based attack. The leader of the Consortium drops to his knees while Nova sashays forward to meet him.


    She grabs his hair and pulls his head back, then she slams the claws of her left hand into his chest. Bones break and cartilage crunches as her fingers dig through his chest cavity, removing his heart in an almost surgical process. My granddaughter smiles as Rufus''s aura, together with his heart, is ripped out of his body and transferred to her.


    I watch the impossibility in awe and can''t help but feel a little proud and envious at my disciple''s achievement. She managed something I didn''t expect was possible. To displace a soul''s metaphysical connection to the real world is unheard of. She literally took his soul.


    But it seems like Rufus isn''t completely done for. As he topples forward, his eyes glazing over, he flicks out his hand towards Sirra. Fading into existence, the spell projector appears in front of the woman.


    Crying out in joy and with a prayer on her lips, she throws herself forward and smashes the device with a single strike. Her hand comes free, holding the largest mana crystal I have ever seen. Raising the item towards the heavens, she incites ancient words, waves of power coming off of her.


    Zane, Nova and I are already moving by that point.


    I don''t know about Zane, but Nova and I at least know about mana crystals. They are the holy grail of magic. Many tried to make use of the unimaginable power within them. If they are carefully used to power an artefact, even a small crystal can last indefinitely.


    More than once I foolishly tried to use a mana crystal''s energy directly, tapping into that seemingly unending well of godlike power. I always ended those particular lifetimes in a very flashy and painful manner. Like... world-ending flashy and painful! There is no way to tell what will happen if Sirra taps into such a large crystal.


    The woman is mad! There is no way that she can control the power.


    We desperately try to approach her, but the sheer power she is tapping into makes it impossible. She ends her incantation with a plea, rather than an actual spell. ¡°I beg ye, oh, Glorious One! I summon you! Smite these heretics! And invite the worthy to your paradise!¡±


    The mana crystal pulses and a pillar of blinding light stabs down from the skies! Sirra doesn''t even have time to scream before her body is completely obliterated, turned to ash within an instant!


    Then, Nova is there. She enters the pillar of light, touching the crystal. ¡°Nova!¡± I call out to her, wishing for the mad woman to retreat. I try to go and get her, advancing with all the gathered might at my disposal, but a surge of power comes down from the heavens and pushes me back. The sheer force takes me off my feet and I scream in frustration. To have all this power, yet be powerless in the face of such a cataclysmic item.


    As suddenly as everything went south, it is over.


    The light and the pressure are gone and I find myself lying on my back. The environment is completely silent, only the slight howl of the wind can be heard.


    Sitting up, I find the mana crystal hovering in the air. Its glow has dimmed considerably. The power inside it is almost gone and as I watch, it dissolves into light as if it never existed. Desperate, I look for Nova, but just like the crystal and Sirra, there is no trace of her.

 135. ~Ascension~

    ¡°Let''s better not talk about the guys ''up-there''.¡±


    ***At the Centre of all Things!***


    ***Nova***


    Coughing, I sit up and pat myself rather energetically in order to put out the little flames on my clothes. When I am done, some pieces of my armour are still smouldering, but that''s less of a concern at the moment. I can''t believe that I committed suicide in order to save the world. Who would have thought that this nut-case of a religious fanatic would try to wield a mana crystal of that size! A small one would have been more than enough to end the world.


    I shudder, remembering the ocean of power which threatened to drown my consciousness. When I jumped into that pillar of pure energy, I didn''t expect to survive. The power threatened to turn me into dust, but somehow I managed to pull through.


    At first, I tried to contain the power, then to banish it through the fragmented summoning spell which Sirra tried to cast. It was so hard to keep going. In the end, I simply accepted my failure and tried to channel the unleashed energy like I did with Illum.


    All of that power flowed into me. It felt like my mind was expanding and changing... There is so much more knowledge inside my head! Memories which I wasn''t aware of before. My head spins as I try to make sense of everything. I always suspected that I had forgotten a lot. It also seems like there''s a lot more secrets to uncover about my past and the nature of the multiverse.


    Noticing the tears which are running down my cheeks, I grunt in displeasure. Blinking, I try to get the stinging charcoal out of my eyes. Oh, gawd! How icky! That must be Sirra''s remains! It''s okay for me if I am starving and have to eat someone, getting their remains into my eyes is not! Did I inhale her?


    When my vision is restored to adequate levels, I inspect myself and realize that I look like someone tried to fry me... a fried chicken comes to mind. But I am most definitely alive, which is most surprising after handling the power of a mana crystal. Two legs, two arms, fingers, and toes! All there. I am not even glowing like a mutated, nuclear monster.


    ¡°Stop fondling yourself! We don''t have the time for you to show off.¡±


    The harsh words force me to pay attention to my surroundings. I am inside a hall, sitting on a huge and elaborate summoning circle. And... now I am relatively sure that I am dreaming... it looks like everything is built out of mana crystals! The whole fucking room! Everything seems to radiate power and the runes on the floor are softly pulsing with energy.


    I envision all my future experiments with the rare material ¨C of course completely safe experiments. It''s not like I intend to blow up a few worlds, just for the fun of it. If that happens, it will be an unfortunate, unavoidable accident. As I gawk at the treasure of unlimited power and potential, I notice that I am not alone.


    There are two people in white robes. A dark-skinned man in his thirties who looks like he is very annoyed, and a busty blonde who glares at me as if I just killed her kittens. I can feel the power radiating off of them. Those two are strong!


    ¡°Get up! I don''t have all day. We aren''t a charity!¡± The man gestures for me to get to my feet.


    Since I have no clue what''s going on and am not eager for a fight, I oblige him and get up. Doing so, I notice that I feel rather well, despite the circumstances. I feel powerful and energetic! ¡°What happened?¡±


    The B.B. scowls at me. ¡°You managed to get yourself killed and died. Congratulations!¡±


    ¡°I died?¡± I gasp. ¡°Why am I not being reborn!?¡± What the fuck is going on? ¡°B.B., why am I here?¡±


    She furrows her forehead. ¡°B.B.?¡±


    ¡°Busty Blonde,¡± I explain the obvious.


    ¡°Busty Badass... ah... Benevolent Being!¡± I quickly correct myself when her expression darkens further with each uttered word. Calling her by an imaginary nickname might not be the smartest move.


    Glaring at me, she whispers, ¡°It seems like your brain was fried when you ascended. Say that again, and I will demote you down to mortal! Believe me, there is no place in this multiverse where I won''t find you.¡±


    ¡°Be nice, Seria. You two are going to work together in the future.¡± The dark skinned man sighs and forces himself to smile. I can tell that he doesn''t want to, but apparently, his duties obligate him to greet me.


    He scratches his temple, allowing the displeasure to show on his lean face. ¡°You died, but as you did so, you showed up on our radar. We are always searching the multiverse for individuals with the potential for godhood. You fulfilled the criteria, so the summoning circle deemed you worthy to ascend.¡±


    Waiting for a moment, he allows the information to sink in. ¡°Don''t waste the chance.¡± His tone turns dark and warning. ¡°Godhood can be as easily taken away as it is given. You have a lot to learn.¡±


    He gestures at Busty... and she looks at me as if she knows what I am thinking. Okay then! Let''s go with Benevolent Being.


    ¡°That''s Seria, the goddess of life and death in your previous world. She is doing her best, but it''s clear that she lacks a few helping hands. Otherwise, your world wouldn''t have gotten so far down the drain. You really did a number on it. There are too many souls departing that place, clogging up the river of souls, so I decided that we need more godly intervention.¡±This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    ¡°You know what I did? And you aren''t angry?¡± I ask, not knowing if I should trust them.


    Tjenemit shrugs. ¡°They are just mortals. I am busy with the multiverse, not a few puny souls. What I am concerned about is that with so many souls departing at once, it means that they are interfering with the pathways. That, I will take notice of! Don''t do it again.¡±


    Busty, Seria, clicks her tongue and looks away.


    ¡°Ah,¡± I answer rather unintelligently. ¡°Gods are real, huh!? Does that mean that I can go back?¡± I study the summoning circle to my feet. It''s rather complicated but in a useless kind of way. There are some parts which could be meant to unlock hidden magical potential, but I doubt it. It looks like someone tried to hide the fact that this is just an elaborate way to teleport.


    So why did he say that they gave me these new powers? A number of possibilities come to mind. Either way, it''s probably best to fake ignorance and to gather information. If they are lying to a new recruit right from the start, it seems like not everything is well in the land of the gods.


    Tjenemit nods. He shakes his wrist and a notebook appears in his hand. He writes something down. ¡°Yes, you can go back. In fact, rebuilding your world is your new job. Seria will teach you the ropes. Follow her lead and everything will work out. Hopefully, you two have eternity ahead of you. Gods are supposed to be eternal.¡±


    Those last words send a chill down my spine. I touch my chest, cupping the heavy assets which rival Seria''s. When B.B. crosses her arms beneath her chest, pushing it up, I realize that I have lost.


    No, that''s not the problem! ¡°You are joking!? Does that mean that I am trapped in this body forever!?¡± I shriek, my voice bordering on hysteria.


    ¡°You look good enough. There is no reason to freak out about it.¡± Tjenemit raises an eyebrow and looks at my tits, allowing his eyes to wander down to my hips. Despite this obvious inspection, I can see the gears turning in his head. Finally, he laughs. ¡°Reincarnated with the wrong gender? Sucks to be you!¡±


    For a while, his laughing voice fills the hall and I feel the blood draining from my face.


    Finally, he clears his throat. ¡°I was just joking. Gods are immortal and even if we die, we come back with almost all of our memories intact. There is no memory loss or large gaps, like at the reincarnated stage. I must warn you though. It works much like normal reincarnation, so if you off yourself, you have to be prepared for two or three decades of growing up until your powers return.¡±


    I let out a sigh of relief. ¡°I have no immediate wish to kill myself, but being a woman forever isn''t something I would like.¡± Maybe I''ll give it a few decades, or centuries before I pass on. Maybe I''ll go by Ascathon next. It doesn''t feel like being around Zane, Janice and the others will get boring anytime soon. And just maybe, I feel a little obligated to the little ones and my mother.


    Tjenemit nods. ¡°Whatever. Take your time to play around with your mortal friends. Every young god has a little growing up to do before he or she realizes that meddling with mortals isn''t worth our time. Give it a few centuries, and you will know what I am talking about.¡±


    He hesitates, checking me out. ¡°Too bad for those boobs, though. Make sure to join me in my bed for a tumble before you switch bodies. Seria, you can take over from here.¡± He turns and walks away, paying me no more attention.


    My face distorts in disgust. I am not against doing it with a stranger for the fun of it. Though, doing any person as a woman and then meeting them again as a man... that feels... wrong! ¡°Surely-¡±


    Seria punches my shoulder before I can call Tjenemit things. ¡°Don''t make an enemy of him! He is the supervisor for this region of the multiverse. And besides, in a few decades, he will have completely forgotten who you are.¡±


    Rubbing my shoulder, I step away from her. That woman packs a punch, but strangely enough, it feels like she just tried to protect me from making a huge mistake. ¡°Fine. Just why are you so mad at me?¡±


    ¡°Because I manage the river of souls in your world. Or the pathways, as some call it. They allow us gods to go wherever we want to. I was just starting a vacation when you decided to murder half the continent, clogging up the entire system!¡± she fumes. ¡°I had to leave my mortal body and shove in a random soul as a place-holder.¡±


    Oh, so you were on vacation while your world went to hell? Somehow, that doesn''t raise my confidence in her credentials. I smile, trying to build up some trust. ¡°I am sure that you can go back... back into your vacation-body?¡±


    After some thought, I add, ¡°After giving me a crash course in being a god?¡±


    Her expression sours. ¡°That won''t be an option. Up until now, I had free reign on my world, but because of the disaster ¨C which you caused ¨C Tjenemit will stick a whole group of real deities up my ass. And they won''t be the imaginative kind which the mortals like to worship. The damned Council will breathe down our necks! I will be decked out with supervising everyone for a few decades! By then, my mortal body will be grown up and it will be immoral to rip out its placeholder-soul!¡±


    I never had a problem with taking over a body, though that woman clearly sees a moral issue with such a practice. Are gods required to hold the moral high ground? If so, is there something like a demon-faction which I can join?


    ¡°I understand,¡± I answer, thoughts whirling through my head as I try to cope with the new situation. I am good with adjusting to new circumstances. The whole reincarnation business thickened me in that regard.


    Though, that woman has a few screws loose. Apparently, she entered a child''s body! I have no idea why growing up is supposed to be a vacation for gods. Growing up and teenage hormones are the worst part of living.


    Pulling down the corners of my mouth, I look at Seria. ¡°Can I go home now?¡±


    ***The Eternal Battlefield***


    ***Marigold***


    Coughing up dust, I slowly regain my consciousness. After opening my eyes, it takes me over a minute to understand what happened. There is a huge, glowing crater where the Eternal Battlefield is supposed to be. I myself am stuck inside a steep mountain cliff.


    The others are nowhere within sight and I can''t feel their presence anywhere in this world.


    Seems like they simply went on and left me all alone. How disrespectful. They could have at least said goodbye. That''s only good manners. Only Janice is left. I can feel her... but I doubt that she wants to see me. She is also kind of supercharged right now. Better not mess with her when her emotions are boiling over.


    I free myself from the rock, where I caused a human-shaped dent. Stretching, several of my vertebrae pop back into their original position. ¡°Ah, getting nuked is so unpleasant...¡±


    Turning, I look over the battlefield. I must have been out for quite some time. Here, I can find only death and destruction. The few living auras clearly belong to clean-up crews. It''s kind of hard to summon any sort of emotion for the situation, though I am surprised that it turned out this way. The reincarnated really fucked up heavenly.


    ¡°I guess I will simply go home to my mountain and pretend that this never happened.¡±


    Then I realize that this isn''t an option. After all this turbulence, the Council will turn their attention to this world. They will send a few upstarts and it will be much harder to stay hidden. Yeah, better to go if I don''t want to get involved with those guys.


    ¡°Ah, and maybe I should change my body and my name after all this. Being a half-orc only got me the evil eye. Maybe I should try to be a green kobold next? Yeah, Nazareth, god of mountains and travellers! That sounds nice!¡±


    Having made up my mind, I look up at the sky. There is always the little problem of dying. Being a god doesn''t make that easy. The web of pathways lights up in my vision. They are a crackling web of energy which runs through the whole multiverse.


    I am still pondering the possibilities when I notice one of them leading directly into the sun.


    I smile. ¡°Never tried that before.¡±

 136. ~Fin~

    ¡°Stories have no real endings or beginnings. They are just moments in time, chosen by the author.¡±


    ***Illum***


    ***Janice***


    ¡°I am telling you that there is absolutely no reason for crying. Nova is just temporarily lost. I am sure that she will find a way to come back,¡± I try to reassure Castella who is weeping bitter tears. It''s heartbreaking to watch her like that after all the progress she made. ¡°If you don''t stop, the babies will start crying too.¡±


    I know that I probably shouldn''t send her on yet another guilt-trip, but I know no other way to force her to get a grip on herself. At some point, she simply has to learn to deal with loss. It''s okay to grieve, but not for decades!


    After the events at the Eternal Battlefield, we returned through the damaged part of Illum to Nova''s private quarters. Our enemies had been crushed, even if we paid a high price for it. Only the coming years will show if Nova truly managed to change the course of this world.


    If nothing else, this day will go down in history as the end of several great nations. At least the Empire is done for. My agents gave me several reports which spoke of burning cities and villages. Slaves who were massacring their masters. Half of the continent was turned into hell.


    The Sociocrathy had fewer slaves, but several of the nation''s high and mighty fell victim to their illegally owned pet. The whole nation is in a state of chaos.


    All the reports caused me to not pay enough attention when I encountered my daughter. Castella was in the living room and I filled her in on everything that had happened. The decision was made in the spur of the moment and without thinking. It was my mistake. My daughter got so much better since Nova''s arrival that I thought she could handle the facts.


    I honestly didn''t expect her to have a breakdown.


    ¡°But how can you know that she will find a way back!?¡± my daughter cries out, smearing tears and snot into a handkerchief. She is sitting on the living room''s sofa and looks simply miserable.


    Zane leans over and whispers, ¡°What makes you so sure that you are right?¡± He is clearly shaken by Nova''s apparent death and the reports. I allowed him to listen in on everything, but unlike my daughter, he is holding it together.


    I hold out Lucifer to him. When the ghost cat snuggled up to me after my granddaughter''s disappearance, I was relieved.


    Nova''s familiar returned to normal cat-size after Nova stopped overfeeding him through their bond. ¡°Lucifer is still here. If Nova had died, he would have withered away within a few hours. A familiar like him can''t survive without the bond to a magician after it is bonded. We would have had to find him a new mage from the bloodline, but he is still receiving energy from somewhere.¡±


    Point made, I set Lucifer down in Castella''s lap ¨C partly to give her something to do ¨C and raise my hand to show them the ring on my finger. ¡°And this is my second clue. The rings which give us partial control over Illum. Wouldn''t you expect that a paranoid person like Nova would make her heritage do something upon her death? Like locking others out of the system, or giving a person of her trust administration rights?¡±


    He pulls down the corners of his mouth. ¡°Blowing up is much more likely.¡± His expression turns a little guilty. ¡°I am still waiting for the hammer to fall.¡±Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    I ignore him and cross my arms in front of my chest. ¡°Then there is my final point. I felt nothing when Nova ''died''.¡±


    ¡°During the first few moments after her disappearance, I was too shocked to realize it. Without a body, I wouldn''t have been able to revive her, but I knew the exact location of her death. I should have been able to sense her departing soul. There was nothing. That''s why I am saying that she was teleported away, rather than killed outright. The religious maniac tried to perform a summoning ritual. It''s likely that Nova was taken somewhere.¡±


    My daughter sniffs, clinging to this hope and looking up at me with red eyes. ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°I have no definitive proof, but three different clues are enough to assume that I am right,¡± I answer without hesitation. ¡°Nova has only been missing for less than a day and she isn''t a person who leaves things unfinished. She will return as soon as she finds a way back.¡±


    As if to mark my words, a flash of lightning sparks through the room.


    When I can see again, I find Nova in the middle of the room. She is grinning from ear to ear and holding a bag in her hands. Next to her is a blonde goddess with a figure even I am envious of. The both of them are wearing white robes of a completely unknown style. The wardrobes are simple, yet elegant. ¡°Nova!¡± I call out in relief before I can stop my emotions from overtaking me.


    The stupid bitch somehow grew on me during the past year, even if we had less time with each other than I liked.


    ¡°You are alive!¡± Going against his normal behaviour, Zane rushes to Nova''s side and hugs her, only to be joined by Castella moments later. The one who is left out is Lucifer, who is clearly unhappy not being the centre of attention, his tail swishing back and forth. To him, it was always clear that Nova would come back.


    I let out a sigh of relief, but don''t let my guard down. After seeing that Nova is completely fine, I turn my attention to the newcomer and squint my eyes at the woman. Her face looks so strangely familiar. Tilting my head, I try to remember and then I recognize her. ¡°I know you. I saw you in front of the palace a few months back! You were checking out the building!¡±


    Normally I wouldn''t remember a stranger after such a long time, but that woman has a distinct presence around her. She also behaved strangely. When I take a closer look at her aura, it feels like she is suppressing it somehow. The aura doesn''t look any different from a very strong person at the reincarnation stage, but it''s far denser than I am used to. Strangely enough, it seems like Nova is doing the same.


    The blonde shrugs. ¡°Aren''t I allowed to walk around in a public area? I was just making sure that everything is in order and that there is no outside interference. I have at least some interest in what''s going on in this world.¡±


    Nova turns her attention to the unknown woman. ¡°I thought that you were on vacation, Seria.¡±


    Seria scowls. ¡°I have no obligation to explain myself to you. Back then, I wasn''t on my vacation, yet.¡±


    Castella purses her lips and lets go of Nova. ¡°Your name is Seria? What a strange name. Like that ancient goddess of death, which the Mir worshipped? I think that I''ve read something about it.¡±


    The blonde smiles smugly. ¡°Exactly like that Seria.¡±


    They are interrupted by the crying twins who instinctively recognized the voice of their mother. Nova untangles herself from Zane and Castella to rush over to the babes. A few moments later, she has one in each arm and is smiling. ¡°Yes, yes, I missed you too, my future investments.¡±


    Seria is watching the scene with a strange, conflicted expression on her face. It''s a combination of envy and frustration. Before I can ask, she whirls around and walks towards the wall. Just before reaching it, she turns around, looking over her shoulder at Nova. ¡°Don''t forget to visit me after you got your things in order. There is a lot to discuss!¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Nova answers, paying the blonde only the barest minimum of her attention.


    Seria doesn''t wait. There is another flash of sizzling lighting and she is gone. This time I am able to get the barest glimpse of what had happened. It seemed like reality itself warped and gobbled up the blonde, giving me a short view of what might have been another plane of existence. It looked like she stepped into an endless, white plane of nothingness.


    I turn to Nova. ¡°Where have you been?¡±


    ¡°I am afraid that the details are a secret, but rest assured, it doesn''t have any immediate consequences for this world. Ah, before I forget!¡± Nova hands the children to her mother and rushes over to the bag. ¡°I was in a wondrous place! They had all sorts of stuff there, and I realized that there is yet so much more to learn!¡±


    She picks up the bag and spills the contents onto the floor. I gape at the items. ¡°Mana crystals!¡± In all shapes and sizes, more than I have ever seen! Some are even bigger than the one Sirra had!


    Nova picks up one of them and waves it through the air. ¡°They have a lot of this stuff where Seria is from! Imagine all the experiments and the possible research! With this, I will uncover so much knowledge about soul magic and the nature of mana that nobody will be able to oppose me!¡±


    Turning, she looks at us. ¡°Oh, and there is that little point about rebuilding this world. We will turn it into an advanced and educated culture.¡±


    Zane slaps his own forehead. ¡°Someone, take away those crystals. I have a bad feeling about this! And who says that an advanced and educated culture won''t repeat the mistakes of the past!? We should first make sure that law and order are firmly in place before we do anything else.¡±


    I just chuckle as they start arguing. It''s the first time that I have seen Nova so excited. How could anyone try to take away her new toys? Though, I think Zane has a point. Hopefully, they will be able to put their different opinions aside when they see how colossal the task of rebuilding will be.

 New Project

    New Project started.


    It''s pure SciFi and a little comedy this time. Cyberpunk and VR are also a theme.


    https://royalroadl.com/fiction/14687


    Tale of G.O.D. (And how Humanity never reached the Stars)This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    Antioch is a sheltered being and knows little about the world. Although he harbours his own secrets, he doesn''t comprehend the scale of the adventure he is about to embark on. Being locked up in a research station, he is content with his fate, but when he starts receiving strange messages, he suspects that not everything is well in his little world.


    When it''s abruptly decided that the project has to be ended, Antioch is faced with the large world outside his prison.


    He won''t like what he finds... and there are powers at play who would love to put the escaped subject back into the box.


    But as in so many tales, it''s hard to close Pandora''s Box once it was opened.