The little twelve-year-old German girl held Elinor’s hand, looking up at the confused blue-skinned elder toad beside them, observing their interaction with interest.
Elinor was now scanning the soaked jungle environment as the falling rain gradually grew stronger. Her study was interrupted by Butter’s excited voice, informing her about a rather shocking development that no doubt came with her recent Achievement Feat.
“Priss, your Death Energy cap has increased! I can give you more when I’ve already restored your limit!”
I suppose we will find out by how much when I read the details. We’re making progress.
“Is she frightened of me?” Valdar questioned, taking a step back to give them space while his warriors watched nearby. “I have tried to be gentle with her—it is a her, correct?”
Elinor nodded, making a habit out of it to further illustrate how humans responded through body signals; Valdar appeared to be sharp in picking them up by his responses thus far.
“She is what humanity calls a pre-teen girl; depending on culture, humans become adults at different ages. This girl has lived for twelve years and is still considered a child on the cusp of her teenage years, which begins on her thirteenth birthday, and adulthood is reached on her eighteenth year.”
“Fascinating,” he mumbled, focus drifting between her and the other humans as he compared them, no doubt further identifying the disparity in age between camps. “How old would you be, Empress, or are such questions inappropriate in this culture? Hehe. I have never considered these things before, and it sparks my curiosity.”
He gestured to the northeast. “The Yalmáth Democracy, which lies a great distance in that direction, has many customs revolving around age. I have the desire to learn that has come through my many years guiding my clan, and interacting with so many creatures during the Fire Wars expanded my view of the world.”
Valdar then drew her attention to the south. “For instance, the Clavex bask in the protection of the powerful Nalvean Empire and the abundance that is provided by the Great Ruby Lakes. They are fantastic navigators of the sea with a colossal army of Mystics that command the red waters.
“One unusual custom I learned during my two visits to the land was the venom the females of the race have toward those of the Golariex Holy Empire, which this child reminds me of,” he hummed, eyes returning to the trembling dryad holding Elinor’s hand.
“All golariex are female, and they can only reproduce with other races by gathering their seed, which is why they make pilgrimages to some of the other races during the fall season and return in the spring.
“My connection to the jungle is dwarfed by the strong tree-like creatures, but something that always amused me during the Fire Wars was how careful the males had to tip-toe around the females of their race when the golariex camps were near.
“Are there such strange customs amongst your people? Perhaps our custom of keeping clan blood strong by not exchanging seed among others is unusual?” he laughed, showing his thirst for knowledge.
Elinor chuckled, filing away all the juicy pieces of information. “I will be happy to educate you on humanity further as we travel and stabilize their condition. For now, I have much to accomplish in organizing this small empire we are building. I know we can do great things together, Valdar, but we must be patient.”
“Of course,” he smiled, turning to sigh while seeing the orange toads leave. “Krava may be a stubborn fool in some areas… but he does have his people’s best interests at heart. Most of the Valley Clans have diminished in power by a significant amount over the last century due to many tragedies that followed the Fire Wars, yet Krava has pushed his people hard to maintain a certain standard.”
She looked up at Quin, towering overhead as she kept one pair of eyes on her and another on gauging the encampment; Garu and Butter had been in communication with the giant ape while continuing to bring them up to speed on the current state of their budding empire.
“I can’t say I’m not impressed by your friend, Valdar. He swallowed his pride instead of meeting my challenge, which could have seen Quin destroyed. There’s no way to tell how an actual fight between her and Krava would go, and I will not make the mistake of underestimating him. I had to assert myself not to be pushed around, and he had to do the same; Krava made the decision of a leader. I am dangerous, and he has every right to act how he did.”
She sighed, frowning as Adoncia communicated she wasn’t having luck finding someone who spoke German.
“It’s unfortunate things turned out like this, but we can only move forward. If you’ll excuse me, Former Elder Chief, I’ll have Audrey bring this child to you for further instruction when I find a translator. Our priority is the protection of the goods, including the humans.”
Valdar twisted his wrist in a gesture Elinor committed to memory. “Very well, Empress. I will prepare the union.”
Not understanding exactly what ‘the union’ meant, Elinor nodded and told Quin to go oversee the orange toad’s exit from beside the goods near the center; her presence would leave an imprint in all the ri’bot that returned the items and humans.
A deep grunt she took as acceptance made those nearby jump away in fright; thumps reverberated through the mud, spraying muck as she moved to follow her command. It would be interesting to learn her story when she had time.
Now somewhat free to go about her business as Telsar returned to her side to oversee her actions, Elinor went to the bartering area to meet with her mother and those that were being chosen to represent the human groups. It would still be some time before they fully organized, but they could multitask.
Naturally, Virgil and Gloria were chosen to speak on behalf of the men and women that had gathered around them; it made sense since they’d provided a small measure of security to those that had survived the initial attack and braved the storm to get supplies.
She could see the misgivings in the slightly chubby woman’s face as she slapped her childhood friend on the arm to warn him of her approach. Of course, it wasn’t hard to spot her when she had a dress-wearing skeleton that burned with emerald flames beside her.
They were silent when she stopped before the small group of eight, including her mother, that had been selected and moved to see what she wanted. Five others were still spreading the message she’d given them.
Elinor addressed Gloria and Virgil first, knowing they represented a decent chunk of the humans, more than just fifty.
“As you’ve no doubt heard, I will answer your questions when the situation allows. I’ve made wonderful strides in negotiating with the ri’bot, as you can see with the Lethix’s retreat,” she explained, giving them something to chew on in the meantime before redirecting their attention to the wrinkled blue elder organizing his small group of Plant Callers.
“I’ve convinced the former elder chief of the Delthax—the leader of this conquest and a very respected figure in this valley—to invoke some kind of magic to provide us shelter through what I assume is an incoming hurricane.
“However, he’s sensed the Plant Caller Mysticism, as they call it, in this little German girl, and is curious to see if she can help them. Gloria, Virgil, I need someone who can translate. This child could further support our place among the ri’bot and gain much better living conditions provided for her, given her potential status.”
Gloria swallowed, face softening while looking down at the terrified girl, who was holding Elinor’s hand in a death grip; she spoke some Spanish, which the girl didn’t seem to understand.
“What about her parents? If they’re among the tourists, it shouldn’t be hard to identify them.”
Elinor shook her head. “By her reaction, something happened to them,” she mumbled as the girl choked up again and moved to cling to her side, burying her face in her shirt. “Find someone who can translate, and we will get answers…” she trailed off as her mother stepped forward to speak to the child.
“Hey… you can understand English a little? Right, little one? Understand… English?”
Peeking over at the slow-speaking woman, she sniffed and nodded.
“Good. Let’s find someone that can help you talk to us… Can you take my hand?”
The tree-like girl looked up at Elinor, who smiled and nodded, slowly transferring her hands to her mother. “It will be okay.”
Letting them handle the rest, she saw Gwen—the redhead that informed Elinor of her mother’s imprisonment—joining the group to represent a cluster of women.
In addition, the black-skinned man that didn’t trust her was selected and likely spoke for those that had a negative view of her. It wasn’t hard to tell why, given how close they were to victory, only to be told to stand down and become prisoners.
Turning away from them, Elinor let them continue to talk amongst themselves and gossip. Now that she’d handled the majority of the issues, she could set her sights on her levels, new soldiers, and the last obstacle: Nadraca.
She returned to the chair she’d used to converse with Valdar, crossing her legs and closing her eyes to enter her diamond space. Butter, keep an eye on everything and warn me if there is trouble.
Vision clearing to the gothic-themed room and blue-flamed fireplace of her spiritual space, Elinor breathed a sigh of relief as she released the pent-up stress she’d held inside; the impressive organ and choir music she’d listened to over the last few months in California bloomed around Elinor while opening her status sheet.
A devilish twist came to her lips upon seeing her new [Rising Empire: Budding] Achievement Feat and the buffs it provided.
“Butter… can you sense the faith of those that believe in me?”
“Hmm?” her twin considered her question. “I can feel those that have a better opinion of you, I suppose. I believed it was a function of my station and title as the Celestial High Monarch of the Evening Star within your Empire. Can you not?”
“The undead within the Nexus, yes… Not the humans, though. I’m guessing it is a function of your Seed and not my own. We can use this to our advantage.”
“Oh? How ominous, Priss,” she whispered. “What are you thinking in that devious mind of yours? I’m still curious about this new Feat.”
Elinor’s eyes were centered on it, watching the numbers increase.
[Rising Empire: Budding]
[Citizen Count: 143]
[Grade II Advancement: Obtain 1,000 citizens]
[New Monarch Slot Added; 1 Available]
For every 10 citizens that recognized her as their ruler, her [Minion Pool] was increased: Unintelligent +3 and Intelligent +1. She’d also gain another Death Orb for every 50 citizens that recognized her as their ruler.
It jumped to 145 as she studied the Feat; her influence was spreading with the realization that she was their only hope for survival. There were plenty of citizens to bolster her numbers to over a thousand.
If that wasn’t enough, she had a monarch title slot opened to her, which would instantly raise a unit to the maximum rank of what was currently available to her—the only way to transfer the title was through the destruction of the previous monarch, however.
“Hehe… Hehehe. Butter, things have changed,” she mused, spotting her current number of units that could be raised; her Empire route had been the right decision.
“Quit teasing me and give me the juicy details! What’s changed?”
“Everything… The more citizens I gain, the more soldiers I can raise. We’ve come from six Intelligent and twenty-five Unintelligent undead… to twenty and sixty-seven. We’ll use it to bring others under our flag and build their faith in the Empire I’m raising.
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
“If I can get a thousand living to follow me… that’s one hundred extra Intelligent and three hundred Unintelligent souls I can raise, meeting the conditions to advance other Feats to Grade II. Heh. I can already push [Raise Undead] to the next level as it is, which may unlock the Rare Grade… Let’s get to work.”
Beginning, she swapped [Prose of the Potentate] to Garu instead of Mika. It would take a day for it to take effect, but it wouldn’t void the current user after Elinor inquired further. The condition for the Feat to reach Grade II also caught her eye—she had to perform five languages—it was well within her grasp since she spoke English, Spanish, and French, due to her parents’ influence; with Garu’s grasp of both ri’bot and quen’talrat, she’d earn it tomorrow.
Exiting her meditative state, Elinor’s eyes opened, and something fantastic snatched her attention: a grand piano from the town’s local church had been dragged through the Crystal, which could provide entertainment that could lighten or, perhaps, set the mood. She had the open slots now to splurge a little; it was an investment for the future.
Elinor noted many ri’bot and humans watching her as she slowly studied their surroundings; the orange toads were, surprisingly, mostly packed up by this point.
Rising to her feet, she went to Fennel just as her messengers finished gathering in front of Valdar’s camp, hugging themselves in the light rain as she approached the discolored, green toad; the high warrior seemed to be responding to many of his warriors’ concerns or thoughts on her.
“Hmm… Did you need something, Empress? Obviously, you want something.”
She saw Piko’s friends giving her unsure stares; it must have been confusing to them due to the warrior’s last moments, and the toad had likely had a family they’d need to speak to.
Elinor’s gaze shifted to Valdar’s camp, spotting the sobbing mother had been given a chance to hug her stunned daughter, now clothed again. Butter told her the teenage girl was one of those that had the most faith in her after she’d made a concentrated effort to save her from being gutted.
“I feel like it is a shame that the Roxim torlim that died would go to waste. What would you say if we split them?”
Fennel’s brow furrowed, darting to his clansmen, who returned the look. “Split… them? You can’t mean bring them back from the dead… How would we split them?”
She motioned toward the giant pile of goods they’d mostly dragged through the Crystal with the support of the giant crocodile-toads they used as pets. It was a wonder how the other clans ever thought they’d get the larger items back to their people, but perhaps it was meant to be done in several trips.
“As you can see, I’ve already raised one, and I could give you direct control over half of the undead I raise. They will only obey simple commands, and these are simply reanimated, without spirit, so they will never disobey or resist. Wouldn’t it benefit us both to use them as beasts of burden to transport our goods? The weapons you will get are quite heavy.”
He hummed, rubbing his chin as the liquid dripped down his skin in the dying light of the overhead sun. “You will simply call them back when their task is done, gaining while we lose.”
Elinor shook her head with a small smile. “No, Fennel. I told you you could use them however you see fit. Will they eventually be destroyed due to use? Perhaps, time will tell. It would ease the burden of your warriors on their tireless journey, though. Would it not?”
Mumbles swept the toads while eyeing her tarped, skeletal coach and the host of items to be transported; it didn’t take Fennel long to decide.
“They will only follow my commands?” he pressed, making Elinor giggle; the man would take any power she offered.
“Yes. You can revoke and give others stewardship, but they will not respond to more than one other person; there is a limit to their intelligence, after all, since they are moving from my Mysticism.”
“Interesting,” he whispered, focus drifting to Quin. “It isn’t the same with your other… Undead is what you call them?”
“Indeed. I can raise bones as mere puppets or the actual person back to their corpse. Is it a deal?”
It only took seconds for him to make the same gesture Valdar did earlier. “Yes—hmm?!”
All the Roxim warriors stiffened as Elinor realized she didn’t have to wait until the next day to advance her skill—Mika knew the secret warrior language of the Roxim Popping her tongue a few times in a way that came naturally to her with Mika’s influence, she spoke her fifth language.
“I will start.”
One of the younger warriors slapped the shoulder of a veteran ri’bot next to him. “Did… she just speak the Roxim Pop?”
“She did…”
Nodding at the dozens of warriors in goodbye, she turned and left without explanation. Things were proceeding just as planned, and flames erupted from her hands, clasped behind her back, while Butter raised their reptilian mules.
[Grade Advancement - Prose of the Potentate II Unlocked]
Her twin snickered as the warriors watched their bulky pets ignite with the emerald flames, ignoring the downpour as thunder rumbled in the distance.
“It seemed you didn’t need to swap off Mika from the Feat.”
Not so, Elinor countered, meeting the gathered throng of humans awaiting her words; out of the corner of her eye, she saw Nadraca had several of her people keeping track of her movements. The Roxim have served their purpose, and I have shown them they can’t speak privately without my knowledge of their second language. Now, Garu and Quin will offer me far more.”
“Fair assessment. I do hope I can properly introduce myself at some point… I am the second highest authority in this empire, after all, so people should be able to see me.”
Hehe. Ever the vain one. In time, Butter. Believe it or not, your presence would help me micromanage things better. I could shove the tedious chores on you.
“Yay… I would gladly accept the burden if I could just dance again, or taste food. I hadn’t believed such things could leave a hole in my chest.”
I’ll take your word for it.
Elinor came to a halt before the quiet throng, each person having some kind of item to shield them from the downpour, and her mother came forward with Gwen and Gloria, presenting the dryad girl and a brown-haired man.
“We found a translator, Empress,” her mother said in French with a somber tone. “From what Nicole told us, her parents were driving toward town when the lights fractured the sky. She freaked out, and vines spread from her, making her parents swerve off the road. They survived but unfortunately ran away from her in terror at the living plants, and then the dome separated them.”
She squeezed the girl’s hand, and she sniffled, not looking up. “She blames herself and is afraid she’ll never see them again… I told her the gateway was destroyed, but we’ll look after her. She’s terrified of the toads since they found her walking along the road and kidnapped her.”
Elinor sighed as the distant rumbles came closer, and she saw Valdar’s group whispering to one another with their eyes closed, fingers buried into the mud. “Gwen, take her to Valdar—the wrinkled blue toad—where Adoncia will meet you to help in the translation. Let Nicole know that she is going to help save everyone… She is a hero.”
The women smiled at her words, and the nervous German man translated; Nicole had a skeptical frown but didn’t resist as Gwen took her to proceed with the mysticism.
Her focus returned to the five dozen faces that each represented fifty people. It told her there were roughly three thousand living humans spaced around the camps in the giant clearing, a great opportunity to grow her Empire. She caught her father just now jogging over to join them. Packed together, sopping wet, confused, and terrified, these were the people they were now looking to for answers.
“I will speak up so you all can hear me. You’ve each been given writing tools… Use them. Your lives depend on how well you listen and absorb. I will be clear, I am your leader, and through me, your needs will be met.
“First… can you go home? No. I have written details that Carlos will be handing out to you shortly on what I have come to understand about the Crystal we traveled through.”
She saw more than a few drawn-in lips at her cold words, likely not wanting to believe the rumors that were likely spreading regarding their stay.
“There are no questions to be asked about this, and the sooner you realize this is our life now, the sooner we can rebuild and grow.
“Second… What many of you have been hearing is true: I can and will return your loved ones. What have you heard regarding my powers?”
She calmly listened, allowing them the chance to talk as she saw Nicole tentatively speaking to Valdar; he was being gentle with her, and she could see him falling in love with the timid dryad once the language barrier had been abolished—it was only a matter of time with her developing empire.
“I heard… I heard they would no longer feel the pain of age,” a woman in her sixties called out. “Is it true that you can make them return to the prime of their youth? If you raise my husband, will he be in his twenties or thirties?”
“That’s insane—they’ll have all their muscle and flesh—what about the ones you’ve brought back already?”
“You promised those of us who fought would have priority—our families!”
“Yeah! They’re just skeletons… with a bit of muscle, I guess.”
“No, did you see the white toad and t-that giant gorilla? They have their bodies back!”
Elinor held up her flaming hand, quieting their cries just when Valdar held out his palm for the tentative girl to take while closing her eyes. “Yes. I will be keeping my word shortly in that regard. Virgil, you have the list?”
“Yes, Empress,” he said, clearing his hoarse throat. “We made sure to put those who were first at the back of the big rig. We gathered everything we could to survive in this world, as Carlos told us your orders… Are you really going to build us a place to live here? Is there any way we can get powers besides becoming undead?”
“Hehe,” she smiled at his questions. “I will not say it is impossible. My powers are very potent, and evolving rapidly. If you do follow me, I can promise you all a better life. I know it is hard to see right now but look at what I have already accomplished. It will not be easy, but I will carry the bulk of your burden,” she stated without hesitation, staring each human in the eye.
“All I ask is for you to follow me… believe in my power to keep you safe, and I will bring you to new heights you could never dream of. Magic exists. Observe…” She directed them toward Valdar, Nicole, and the twenty or so lesser Plant Callers that surrounded the pair as her father scooted around the edge, pausing when everything started to change.
The rain and thunder filtered into the foreground, everyone around the camps—human and ri’bot—waiting for something to happen. In unison, all of the Mystics placed their fingers in the mud, Nicole following their example.
Elinor’s illuminated jade eyes drifted to the upturned earth as a tremor reverberated through the dirt, causing many humans and even ri’bot, likely also experiencing the Mysticism of a Plant Caller for the first time, much less this more advanced stage that required someone on Valdar’s level to coordinate.
Curiously, she saw a small smile lift Nicole’s dark brown lips, eyes closed while experiencing whatever Valdar was channeling. Sharp gusts howled through the canopy and thick, redwood-like black trees came to almost a standstill as a whirlwind pulled the twelve-year-old’s mossy hair up, branching out in a gentle sway that brought a hot pulse to the humming air.
Green light illuminated the greenery, and many spun in a slow circle to watch the shimmering, falling liquid tint with the shades. All at once, trees bent, branches shifted, and thick, colossal vines twined, weaving above them in the canopy to create a semi-sealed cocoon to shelter them.
An umbrella of flora bloomed to radiate dull, orange rays, and canals of linked vines grew to collect the falling liquid for drinking and general use; shapes of fantasy-like creatures, bed-time stories, and other earth images took form from the dryad’s influence, making the children gasp.
Much of the area was enclosed by the dark wood that fused together at the Plant Callers’ unified vision, creating places to rest and store goods off of the ground; they’d truly fashioned an entire base of operations in under five minutes.
Valdar breathed out a heavy sigh upon opening his eyes and smiling down at the stunned girl, stepping away in wonder while spinning in a circle to see the magical place she’d had a significant hand in fashioning; it appeared the elder had given her quite the liberty in adding her own touch to the magic they wove together.
Thunder could be heard outside, and the rush of the small riverway the Plant Callers made provided a current that cycled the air in from the outside to escape near a downward slope; the girl had even made a private area to shower.
Truly, it seemed the High Plant Caller had unlocked something mystical in the dryad because, certainly, this could not have been done by her alone. It was as if he’d provided the means for her to paint the canvas of a safe place she’d envisioned into reality.
The floor had even given way to a semi-rough, bark-like layer that they had hardly felt. Massive doors that could even accommodate Quin had been placed in each direction that could be opened via a lever system.
Nicole couldn’t have directed the details of this miracle; it must have been Valdar supplementing the girl’s ideas with his vast knowledge, showing he was far more intelligent in engineering than Elinor could have guessed.
Butter finished raising the rest of the torlim to act as their horses, landing on Elinor’s shoulder while silence took the transforming area; soon, the entire place would be sheltered.
“This will do nicely. Isn’t this a wonderful temporary base of operations, Priss?”
It makes for a good middle ground and fortified location that we can use in the future, Elinor agreed. Now, It’s time we fill out the Serving Court and increase our— Her words died in her mind as Garu’s young voice flooded the Nexus.
Enemies are gathering outside—clanless by their many colors—an attack!
Elinor’s numb mind was centered on her mother’s weaving raven hair as she fell to the side, a spay of crimson expelling behind her head—Elinor hadn’t even seen the projectile—and a loud whistle sound cut past the silent area.
Ri’bot jumped into action as battle cries were heard overhead that soon swapped to cries of surprise and fright upon seeing the giant ape that turned to them; Quin literally jumped over the diesel to her side as Butter took command of her defense.
Elinor dropped to her knees beside her mother, briefly aware of her father fighting to get near them as Garu leaped to her side from the trees. Her mother wasn’t moving. It’s… not possible. How could they have—out of everyone… thousands of people…
“Priss, you can raise her again! Don’t freak out on me! Garu, her father!”
“He’s a target… Another supersonic shot from the canopy—Empress!”
Elinor’s world went black as her head was destroyed, sending her into the comfortable armchair inside her diamond space.
“I deflected the shot toward her father. They’re skilled, whoever they are! I’m going after the sniper! No, they’re retreating…”
“Keep close to us,” Butter hissed. “It’s a targeted assassination; this was no accident.”
Elinor was still seeing the dead look in her mother’s unblinking eyes, her soaked and muddied locks partially obscuring her face.
Everything was going so smoothly… Ice flooding her veins, Elinor reformed her body, fingers balling into a fist when she saw her unmoving mother at her feet. The Scarlet Hand!
