Almost every eye was on Elinor as she proceeded through the knee-high yellow grass, much of which had been folded over by the number of people that trampled the field. Without a word, she stopped before the first weeping woman in the Delthax prison camp, cool gaze lifting to scan the crushed humans.

  Her focus drifted between the dark bruises, light cuts, or badly dressed gashes marring many of the prisoners’ bodies; none of those that had already been selected from the middle bartering ground had been in the group she’d convinced to follow her.

  The black-haired woman’s tear-stained cheeks glistened in the fading orange light overhead as droplets of rain dripped through the canopy to sprinkle around them; luckily, Adoncia returned with a newly found umbrella she’d discovered in the colossal pile of goods the ri’bot had amassed.

  “What do they want from us—what are we supposed to do—why did they take my children away from me?”

  Telsar watched her closely as Elinor’s attention returned to the woman, and she lowered herself a tad to talk to the grieving mother, with those nearby collecting themselves to listen.

  “What is your name?”

  “M-Mariana…”

  Elinor showed her a soft smile. “Mariana, I will try to return your kids to you… Even if they are dead, I can bring them back if you’ll trust me. Our path forward is not going to be easy, but I will give those that join me a better life. Do you want to see your kids again?”

  “More than anything!” she cried, breath catching as Elinor sparked new life into her. “What do I need to do?”

  “Be patient and trust me,” she returned, rising back to her feet after squeezing the woman’s quaking shoulder to provide a little more comfort. “There are too many people for me to speak to all at once, so I need messengers that can relay my words. Will you be one of those people to deliver the answers and security everyone here is looking for?”

  Her head bobbed in acceptance, shakily trying to get to her feet and holding up her bound wrists. “W-What am I supposed to do about t-these?”

  “Be patient,” Elinor repeated, already seeing her words being passed along by those listening behind the woman.

  Elinor’s lime-green irises shifted to Telsar as he shifted uncomfortably at the sudden restlessness that gripped the prisoners, glancing toward the many warriors in the trees and standing guard, all looking to him for guidance on what to do.

  “What are they doing, Empress?” he mumbled, hand tightening around the hilt of his knife and snatching many nervous looks from the humans nearby, not that he understood their facial expressions.

  She giggled to illustrate her point, giving each of the agitated warriors a smirking leer. “No need to be so jumpy or frightened, Telsar; these humans won’t fight you or cause trouble. You’ve already terrified them enough with your shows of cruelty and savage executions. Release them.”

  He blinked. “What?”

  Elinor’s face fell with mild irritation. “I didn’t stutter, Telsar. Your leader told you to follow my lead, did he not? Don’t make me repeat myself.”

  Likely fueled by his strict military training in command, Telsar only hesitated for a moment before motioning for a more senior ri’bot holding a staff like Valdar; her strong tone and demand instilled an image into those watching exactly who she was and what she expected when she spoke—it was a power play—and, while Valdar hadn’t given her total reign, she had to see how far she could push the boundaries.

  “High Warrior?” the senior asked with his weary gaze on her.

  “Begin freeing the prisoners… The Empress assures us they will be compliant, correct?”

  “Start with this one, named Mariana.” She pointed to the stunned woman, feverish eyes shifting between them. “She will be your translator and help with immediate support that others may need. Do you have a good memory,” Elinor asked the senior with the staff.

  “Hmm… I do?”

  She held up her fingers to illustrate, drawing many of the humans and ri’bot gazes. “Mariana, are you listening?”

  “Yes! Yes, I am! What do you need?”

  “I am going to give you each simple instructions to communicate to one another, and I will not repeat myself:

  “First, if a human holds up one finger, they must pee or defecate. It is a basic human—and ri’bot, I’m sure—need that must be dealt with, and your former elder chief does not want them to contaminate the whole field, as many probably have over the extended period here.

  “An area must be provided that has privacy from the other humans—it is a matter of decency to them—Mariana will gather men that are capable of helping her set up an appropriate area for both genders. I and they understand that this will not be unsupervised, and everyone will remain under watch by ri’bot warriors, and that is non-negotiable at this point.

  “Respect human decency; do you understand those orders and its signal to be transported to the area?”

  Elinor saw a few people cry at her words, and she saw more hope fill Mariana’s dark eyes at her insistence to treat them better. Telsar worked around his jaw, big eyes shifting to the woman as she held her breath, waiting for confirmation.

  “That is something the former elder chief assigned us to do… It is simple enough. You are saying she will spread these symbols and instructions when freed?”

  “You do understand,” Elinor nodded, turning to see the woman fervently mirror her, trying to manage her muddy and messy hair, which provided a new concern with the coming storm, but that could wait for a moment as she continued to the next signals:

  They were to hold up two fingers for food and three for water—purified water—that Adoncia confirmed was already in some of the clan’s spoils. Four fingers were for basic medical supplies for when Elinor organized that branch.

  Five fingers were for further clarification from Mika and Adoncia to work together to answer any further questions, though it was only supposed to be used for important needs. If abused, a group would be stripped of their privileges, and these were privileges.

  Elinor had made it perfectly clear to Mariana that failing to abide by these instructions or any show of resistance would be met with severe punishment from the aliens, making her swallow and nod.

  After both parties confirmed they’d memorized the instructions, Elinor had the Plant Caller remove Mariana’s vine shackles to spread the instructions and set things up so she could focus on other things. Her fame would continue to spread, which should unlock some kind of Empress Feat once a certain number of people saw her as a leader.

  Just before she left, Mariana told her that most of the children had been taken by the discolored green toads; the information was a veiled plea to return her kids.

  Audrey replaced Adoncia, holding the umbrella as the hardworking girl went to support the woman in erecting a suitable area for waste. Carlos was directing the horde of people that had just come through the Crystal and providing basic information to lay the foundation for when she spoke to them.

  Elinor turned back to the silent throng, holding their breaths at how she spoke to these aliens and drawing their own conclusions from the responses they could understand.

  Now, it was time to move to phase two as Butter joined her, lazily floating low to the ground before filling her up on Death Energy again so she could find more from the wildlife nearby; some of the clans had captured creatures she could stealthily drain from, as well.

  The time-critical moment she’d need was only a matter of time, which could happen at any second; Mika was prepared for action at her command, remaining somewhat close to the Roxim’s area.

  If there was one thing she could do to firmly solidify her position as a power, it was to initiate a confrontation with the brutal, honor-obsessed tribe that she could twist to her advantage, and Mika gave her golden-haired twin all the knowledge she needed to initiate it. It seemed that the butterfly had cooked up this plot while waiting for Elinor to come through the gate, and it impressed her.

  Butter fluttered between grass patches with two of her lackeys as the third stayed with Elinor after delivering the care package. They needed all the Death Energy they could get, and soon she’d be getting a huge EXP dump, or so they theorized.

  Moving slowly around the Delthax prison camp, she retained everyone’s attention as word of their freedom, conditions, and accommodations spread. Stopping near the middle, Elinor pointed out five individuals that gave her the vibe of being the least emotional—excluding her anxious mother, who she made sure to choose.

  “You five will facilitate my next order; don’t speak until I command it.”

  Telsar took it appropriately as a sign that she needed them released. He had another one of the junior Plant Callers in Valdar’s clan single the three men and two women out. Once freed, all the humans rubbed their wrists and gave one another nervous glances while approaching her. Well, everyone but her mother, who looked more concerned about Elinor than anything else.

  Naturally, her mom was the first to reach the spot, hands knotted at her front and looking over every inch of her body. There were no doubt a million questions racing through her brain and anxiety eating at her heart, yet Elinor remained utterly neutral as she waited for the rest to be freed and join them.

  In the meantime, she ignored her fidgeting mother to address a growing concern. Directing Telsar’s attention to the prisoners, their already selected spoils, and the host of goods they’d collected, she made sure everyone knew what she was focusing on.

  There were now four full-length diesel rigs that hadn’t been moved from where the Crystal had transported them, some likely full of the dead that she’d been explicit for them to bring if they wanted their loved ones to be raised.

  “The rain and coming storm will likely ruin many of the goods, including weapons—weapons that the Roxim desperately want—and I don’t want that to happen. Is there a way for you to shelter us from the weather, or should we start preparing because humans are very fragile creatures when it comes to changes in their environment? Many items may already be unsalvageable.”

  Telsar’s two sharp teeth on either side of his mouth pressed against his lips as he followed her gesture. “That… is troubling. I must bring it up to the former elder chief; such an effort can only be done with a Greater Plant Caller as a catalyst.”

  “Hmm.” Elinor saw Valdar and Krava still in a discussion that seemed both weren’t enjoying, and she wanted to buy as much time as possible to give the cult member the least amount of access to the orange toad leader until she could solidify her foundation in this world. “How soon until the storm arrives?”

  The high warrior’s waist shifted toward what Butter identified as the north, having heard the directions from the chatty ri’bot. “The Dreaded White Mountain will draw the storm around it first before dispersing it across the valley. While it is the rainy season, a storm like this is uncommon even for this period of the year…”

  He rubbed his shoulder while stepping to the side to allow a steady stream of liquid, falling from the canopy to splash across his skin, likely hydrating himself.

  “Ri’bot do not have a problem with such storms—outside of our homes and supplies being damaged—which is why I can see your concern for these goods… I suspect it will be another hour before the wind and downpour truly begin.”

  Elinor’s mouth tightened as she looked up, unable to truly see what the sky was like due to the canopy; by the sounds of it, they were going to get hit by a hurricane, and, while the huge trees and dense canopy would shelter them, flooding would be a massive issue. Storms like this could also last days, much less this supernatural process the warrior was describing regarding this Dreaded White Mountain.

  “Perhaps it would be best if you had the former elder chief understand the coming trouble. After all, everything you looted could be destroyed and rendered useless. We must build a shelter around the clearing and drainage areas. The sooner, the better.”

  This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Telsar growled, scratching his side and glancing at the tight-lipped humans that had been called, waiting to be spoken to. “So much trouble for these humans… Suu-shhh,” he breathed out in a deep exhale while turning to his subordinate. “Delraln, keep an eye on The Empress’ actions while I inform the former elder chief of the potential danger to the spoils.”

  “Yes, High Warrior!” the man saluted, shifting to take his position.

  In a way, this was perhaps preferable since the further down the line her guards got, the more wiggle room she could exploit. Ignoring him, Elinor finally looked straight into her mother’s face and smiled, showing her that she was still her daughter.

  “I’m sure most people are anxious after seeing me communicate with the aliens and seeing me with skeletons. Yes, just like many others you have possibly seen, I have powers as well, and I can bring back your loved ones as they were.”

  She pointed to her OCD maid as the scattered rain and building streams fell from their gathering places in the canopy.

  “This is Audrey Guerra—a worker at the banana factory—as some of you may have known her in the community. She has all of her memories and, in time, she will regain her human appearance with a bonus… All those resurrected by me will return to the prime of their youth.”

  One of the middle-aged women’s eyes widened at the information. “That… sounds too incredible to be true—oh, sorry,” she hissed, mouth tightening and eyes falling to the floor, hoping not to be punished.

  Elinor wanted to laugh and tell her it was alright, but she also needed to set a firm example for the ri’bot and others watching.

  “As I said, only speak when you are told… I am Empress Elinor, and you should address me as such. This is what I told these aliens—I am your ruler—and I am in the position to obtain many of you for bartering information about the goods they have taken from our world.

  “You five will listen very carefully to what I have to say, and go back to the prisoners to inform them on how they need to behave in order to live and have a far better life than those that are not bartered for by me… You do not want to be taken as prisoners by the Roxim clan,” she stated, pulling their attention to the camp of brutal ri’bot.

  One of the men crossed his arms, expression becoming strained and worried as she stared at the camp; likely one of his family had been taken by the clan.

  “The good news is that I have convinced the Roxim to trade the humans they’ve captured for information on the weapons I can give them. These aliens are called ri’bot,” she said with a straight face.

  She knew, given a lighter situation, some might laugh at the name because it was so similar to the sound the creatures made on their planet; of course, the treatment they got was no joking matter. “They cannot understand you, so you must go through me or one of my undead.”

  Now that she had made it clear that they could ask anything they wanted without them catching on while letting them know she had to be careful with her words, she let them ask their questions; her mother being the first to speak.

  “Elinor—it really is you, right? Please… It’s you?”

  “Yes. For now, be careful about who you identify as being close to you,” she cooly responded, holding her hands behind her back.

  “There are those that seek to use everything in their power to gain an advantage over us. One of those is a cult called the Scarlet Hand, who is responsible for pulling us into this mess… I have found documents proving they have had some of those that arrived by bus under surveillance for decades, and one is a blonde woman that was on the one you came on, Tiffany.”

  Her mother was speechless at the sudden revelation, but the tight-mouthed man jumped in to ask his own question as she processed it. “The Roxim—those toads over there… You’re going to buy the, umm, prisoners, right—it’s like a slave auction?”

  “What about the other prisoners with the other aliens?” the middle-aged woman asked. “My husband is with the orange ones. What about them?”

  Elinor’s eyes tightened while shifting to direct their attention to the two arguing leaders, Teslar now unwillingly being pulled into the discussion.

  “The one that is trying to convince the others to turn against me is the orange toads, and they are entertaining the cult that could destroy everyone… I have a plan, but I can only do so much at this moment. As of now, know that these blue toads are called the Delthax, and their leader is heading this conquest. Through our discussions, he sympathizes with your position, and I have convinced him that you can be useful to his clan.”

  Her mother puffed out a long stream of air, arms folding to stop her shakes. “You’ve separated yourself from us to gain their trust? Umm, we… aren’t going back home… are we?”

  Elinor shook her head, making each one tear up and suck in a sharp breath.

  “I’m learning more about the Crystal from the former elder chief, and I will tell you all what I’ve learned when you have gone back and selected a leader for every fifty people. I can’t speak to everyone, so representatives must be brought to me so I can lay down the ground rules; pencils and paper will be provided.”

  “The storm,” another man mumbled, shivering and looking up; most people were still drenched, and, despite the hot jungle atmosphere, the temperature was falling due to the storm. “Won’t it ruin the paper?”

  “That’s why I had Teslar go talk to the former elder chief,” she stated. “Now, go back and have everyone select a leader that must represent fifty people each. Further divisions will be made as time goes on, but for now, this is how I will disseminate news. Understood?”

  They swiftly nodded, and her mother’s bottom lip quivered, fingers white as they pressed against her breast; Elinor knew she wanted nothing more than to bring her in and never let her go.

  “It’s okay,” she repeated, showing her an encouraging smile. “This is not the end, and I will do what I can to free your husband… Sadly, it may be more of a challenge than I thought when it comes to the green toads.”

  Her mother tried to control her emotions, unable to speak without the fire in her throat rising, no doubt, so she nodded. She got a few thank yous from the others before they returned to try to organize the groups.

  “Priss,” Butter warned through the Nexus. “It looks like what I feared is coming to pass. Is it time?”

  Describe it to me and have Mika ready to stop it just before it goes too far.

  “This poor girl is being singled out due to having a similar build and general appearance as us.”

  Elinor turned to the warrior that was now overlooking her actions. “As you heard, they will be organized into groups of fifty. Unfortunately, I need to clarify some conditions as to my deal with the Roxim. I will return shortly.”

  Illuminated emerald eyes darkening, the atmosphere hushed as she went on the move again, drawing her mother’s nervous gaze, yet Elinor was focused on the Roxim camp some distance away, given the size of the field. She had to let things progress to a certain degree.

  As Butter reasoned through the insight Mika fed her about her clan, the more senior warriors under Fennel were eager to make a name for themselves, and the best way to do that in this developing situation wasn’t in the conquest, but in challenging her; of course, they had to get a better grasp on human biology.

  A crying, dark-haired teenage girl was in the middle of five ri’bot senior warriors, forced to stand perfectly still and stripped of her clothes as the toads used a knife to slide across her slick skin, showing where they’d discovered weak points in the humans.

  Butter and Mika suspected they would prepare to face her as some kind of badge of honor, and she’d already heard the name some of the clansmen were using to describe her: the Chief of Flaming Bones. It put an amused smirk on her lips because it gave her more power in their culture, already being described as a chief.

  She saw a woman sobbing from Valdar’s camp as she helplessly watched them torment her daughter, and Elinor knew this demonstration would end bloody unless she stepped in. Out of the ri’bot, the Roxim were the most undisciplined of the clans, ruling more by strength, which was why Fennel lead this expedition, but that could change to any one of his subordinates.

  The senior warrior drew his arm back to demonstrate how he’d learned to bypass their ribs, yet before he had a chance to strike, Mika threw a dagger that one of those standing around the ring leader caught out of the air. Fortunately for the girl, the skeletal ri’bot had taken their attention.

  “What was…” he trailed off as they and many more of the Roxim locked onto her approach, hands clasped behind her back with Audrey holding an umbrella over her head; Fennel’s face creased as he moved to intercept. “Was that a challenge from the skeleton, Piko?”

  Valdar and Krava ceased their argument as the orange toad pointed out the possible confrontation with a smirk, likely feeling justified, but Elinor didn’t hesitate, slow her pace, or look away from her intended target. Her progress across the damp field drew more and more eyes, giving her the audience she needed as Butter got in position.

  An ominous silence brought the falling streams of water and rain droplets into the foreground, the distant thunder quivering the air; the apprehension that gripped the warriors stemmed from her surviving two of their leader’s assaults, and there had been too many witnesses to deny it, in addition to the control, poise, and command her presence demanded.

  Fennel met her just as she entered the Roxim’s space, causing Elinor’s passive eyes to shift up to appraise him. “What is your business, Empress? Are you trying to challenge Piko for this human?”

  Elinor’s tone held a gentle chill and firmness. “I expressed to you that I wanted the humans to remain in a functional condition. Your cowardly warriors using them as test subjects to try and practice before challenging me was not a part of our deal. If he wanted to practice against the Chief of Flaming Bones, all he had to do was ask…”

  Piko and his warriors glared at her accusation, clearly issued throughout the still camp. Fennel didn’t back up as many other warriors as lime-green fire licked down her unclasped hand, raising it into the air as her butterfly hovered nearby.

  “How many skeletons do he and his friends wish to practice against before they curb their fear of me? Surely, it would best be suited to use the most powerful clan as his test dummies?”

  Freeing the locks to allow her twin to do her part, the laid-out dead warriors of the Roxim nearby brightened with emerald light as she counted, flesh burning off the twitching dead as she animated their bones.

  “One? Two? Perhaps some of those I raised before?”

  “Empress!” Fennel snarled, stepping up to tower over her, yet Elinor simply lifted her head to stare right back at the Head Warrior. “I didn’t say you could do that to my comrades! I will cut your arm off!”

  “And I didn’t say I wanted broken goods,” she coldly returned, Valdar now hobbling over to probably act as mediator. “Also, we’ve already been down this road, Fennel. How do your warriors fair, though? Surely your warriors aren’t afraid of their weak, bony, dead comrades?”

  He twisted with displeasure as he saw six unintelligent undead picking up the weapons besides the bodies to lumber menacingly toward the warriors that surrounded the naked teenage girl.

  “We do not fear you, Mystic!” Piko growled, jumping forward without a moment’s hesitation to crush her undead with brutal swings that fractured their limbs and skulls. “Every kill we release our brothers and sisters from your Pit-sired enslavement, Chief of the Dead!”

  Fennel seemed conflicted; on one hand, he needed to show he was in control, and yet he would be stepping on the warrior's pride if he didn’t let him show his courage against her undead. He probably didn’t understand the grin on Elinor’s face at his hesitation.

  It was proving to be easier than she thought to use their culture against them, and Butter raised five more before retreating to get the remaining Death Energy they needed.

  [Minion Pool - Advanced to D-tier]

  Perfect.

  “Empress!” Valdar growled, breathing a little heavily as he stopped beside her with Krava keeping some distance. From a distance, Nadraca had taken up an observation point by the center goods, away from the conflict; it wasn’t as if she liked the other clans. “What is going on?”

  “If I understand things correctly, Valdar, Fennel can’t keep his people in check to honor our deal, or does that not count for those warriors that have laid claim to a human based on their performance?”

  Piko finished the last of her unintelligent undead that had moved to attack, dropping her original twenty soldiers down to ten; she had to get rid of them anyway to raise more, and what better way than to put on a bit of a show before showing her real cards.

  “Weak! High Warrior Fennel, she does not understand our ways—she said as much—I lay claim over this human, as is given my right! If she wishes to take it from me, she must best me at a challenge.”

  “Yes! I lay my own claim!”

  “As do I! Challenge me, I dare you before the Supreme Chiefs, Chief of the Dead!”

  Dozens of voices called out and weapons were raised, making Fennel snarl, magical ax tapping against his leg. She had to pull their attention to keep Butter from being noticed.

  Valdar hissed while seeing Krava’s camp now laugh and join in on the goading. “What have you done, Empress Elinor… Empress?”

  “Hehe… Hahaha!” Her laughter increased, and a dangerous gleam sparked in her bright eyes and tone, causing the riotous noise to settle down at her bewildering action.

  Elinor’s hand lifted higher, flames rising and holding everyone’s gaze. Green fire flared as Butter entered the mud, calling upon the souls that had long rested below the soil.

  “Have all of you forgotten? I am the Empress of the Dead! If you wish to challenge me, you are challenging the dead. Very well, Piko, you want to showcase your bravery by combat to the death? Meet your opponent!”

  An eruption of dirt revealed massive fingers, the falling rain meeting thick silver fur as the giant creature forced its way out of its slumber; cries rang out, ri’bot fell to the grass or jumped into the trees, and Fennel backed away as the goliath-like figure rose from its grave.

  “It’s… not possible,” Krava mumbled, backing away with Valdar and every other ri’bot or human.

  Four, thick arms pulled her Uncommon-B Lieutenant up, a low rumble reverberating in her muscular, fully-skinned chest.

  The six-limbed, five-meter-tall gorilla straightened to her full height, long tail whipping out to leave a dent in the side of a diesel crate. Her two heads shifted to examine the scene, glowing golden irises appraising the quivering ri’bot far below her.

  “You raised… a quen’talrat Elite Hunter?” Valdar cautiously whispered.

  The ground beneath Elinor shook from the weight of the nearly completely intact undead as she opened both of her savage mouths to release a roar that silenced the jungle.

  Straightening beside the bestial giant was a far less intimidating white-skinned ri’bot with blue tear-drop spots that worked around his arms and scanned the field with his narrowed red eyes, making mumbles sweep the shocked soldiers around them. The rain that touched the second Uncommon-D undead dispersed into mist, quickly gathering around the ri’bot.

  “White skin… The Mist!”

  “The Ethereal Clan?!”

  “She rose one of the Ethereal Clan and an Elite Hunter?!”

  Elinor’s gaze remained on the wide-eyed senior warriors, attention fixated on the colossal monster behind her that their ancestors had fought during the Fire Wars. “Do you still lay claim to what I want, Piko?”