Day 69, Late Morning
16th of Hematite
City State of Thafnoris

The head of Matriarch Nivnal rolled across the floor, everyone looked at it as the elven woman’s expression of hatred was frozen; no one saw Elissa unsheath her sword and behead her, just her hand slowly reach her sword’s grip. The horrified looks of the royal guards and vassals of the new ruler who had put their hands on their necks was priceless.

“As I said, you will kneel or you will die.”

Elanre Nivnal had become rather rude when Reinatiel had taken her out of the Stasis sphere, she saw Elissa sitting on her throne with Royal Matriarch Sharan and was demanding and threatening; as if she didn’t understand her situation at all.

Shaking her head, Elissa made a disgusted expression, then looked emotionlessly at the Royal Matriarch.

“Alais, make someone bring a table and three silver platters.” The young woman commanded.

The Matriarch guessed where this was going already, she didn’t have the stomach for it but she decided that she needed to learn from Elissa. Sharan clapped her hands twice and a shaken and terrorized servant materialized from behind one of the white marble columns near the throne. The servant bowed and left to look for what was asked for.

“Lady Dragonfang.” The Royal Matriarch called Elissa to get her attention.

Alais had to calm herself down as the unfeeling eyes of the sun-elf were directed at her. The Royal Matriarch now knew fear and how a ruler with a ruthless streak should be; none of the royal clan heads in the neighboring cities could hold a candle to her new lady. Yet, Elissa Dragonfang wasn’t unjust she felt, as she was surrounded by people loyal to her; the dwarven warband following her was the perfect example of her opinion.

Elissa turned herself to her vassal. “Yes, Alais?”

Alais gulped. “Do you intend to present this head on… a platter?”

As she directed her serious gaze at Alais, Elissa decided to be more open about what she wanted to happen. “You catch on fast Alais, yes it saddens me to say that I won’t be able to consolidate my hold on Thafnoris for the moment as an ally of mine is in distress, however given your oath I can count on you to keep a lid on the city until I get back. First thing you should do is deny the clans more than a token military force and pass laws to curtail their influence. You have been too lax.”

Alais leaned in her throne, looked at the head of Matriarch Nivnal and said, “I see that now.”

“It pains me to do this, I am not used to taking such decisions. But I want to cut out the bad weeds before leaving and through this you’ll get enough control to run things.” Elissa said as her eyes were attracted by the servant who was finally back.

The Matriarch for once noticed how weary the sun-elf looked, her hands on the armrests of her ice throne created tiny cracks by how tightly she held them. Alais realized that this young lady was toughening herself.

*So she isn’t made of ice.* Alais thought, it changed her opinion of her new Lady tremendously.

The servant came before them and took a table from her spatial ring that she placed laterally from the side of the thrones. She installed three silver ornate platters on the table and then turned to Elissa and the Royal Matriarch and bowed.

“Place the head on the middle platter.” Elissa ordered.

The servant stiffened, sighed heavily and went to gather the head with an expression of disgust on her face. No one had the stomach to mock her, this was gruesome work. Finally, the head was atop the table on the silver platter that began to fill with blood.

“Good, don’t wash your hands yet, there might be others you’ll have to place there.” Elissa said coldly.

The servant lowered her eyes, the blood on her hand made her feel terrible; however, she said nothing and simply nodded and went back to hide behind the marble column.

“Reinatiel bring out all of the Matriarchs you captured.” Elissa commanded as she leaned in her comfortable ice throne, her emotionlessness even more apparent.

“As you wish my Queen.” Reinatiel bowed.

With a flash of green light every matriarch was freed from the stasis sphere. They were all kneeling on the ground as they appeared, making Elissa cross her legs at the spectacle of their pitiful expressions. But she was in no way feeling ‘merciful’ and made it known. “Finally, the rot presents itself before me.”

“W-who?” Matriarch Mervic began to say as she tried to open her eyes, but the light seemed to irritate them.

“Sun-elf!” Phenalle Iedre was the quickest to recover.

“Ah, some of them are cognisant, yet we are still waiting for their little brains to gain higher function.” Elissa mocked.

“Royal Matriarch who is this?” Matriarch Elzia asked.

The old Matriarch was loath to admit it to herself but she was intimidated by the aura of power of this interloper. And then she realized who it was and lowered her eyes as the sun-elf looked at her with unfeeling eyes, and she realized that to this she-elf she meant nothing, just something dirty she might have to sanitize.

“Why is she sitting at your side?!” Phenalle Iedre demanded.

This Matriarch stood up, however, she still looked shaken by the attack on her clan hold by a dwarf band that shattered her defenses and captured her.

“They really can’t see the writing on the wall.” Alais shook her head.

Even in their position they still demanded and thought that their own position protected them, another proof of the rot that Alais had let fester. *Never Again.*

Elissa uncrossed her legs, stood up and said, “I am Elissa Dragonfang, Storm Queen of Aryther, First of her name, The Storm Mage and Dragon Slayer. This very night I have annexed Thafnoris and made Royal Matriarch Sharan my vassal. You were brought before me to swear your fealty.”

With a mean gaze, Matriarch Iedre almost opened her mouth, but was interrupted by her eyes being attracted by the blonde head of someone she knew. Matriarch Elanre Nivnal.

Elissa noticed where Iedre’s gaze went and said, “Oh, yes poor little Elanre choose defiance. She didn’t know how to kneel, I had to chop her head off to get her to. Though her body only kneeled for two seconds as it fell lifeless onto the ground.”

Matriarch Iedre backstepped. “You monster!”

“Matriarch Sharan do something!” With her yellow eyes full of panic, Matriarch Mervic pleaded to Alais.

She was horrified by what happened to one she had considered a friend, her head now literally on a silver platter. Alais just smiled at their reactions, doing nothing. General Grejeon couldn’t believe what was happening and stood agape at the behavior at those noble matriarchs that she had pledged her life to defend.

“Unfortunately, dear Alais won’t help you, scum. I know that secretly she had dreams of the day she’d have an excuse to put you all down like the conniving hyenas you all are and finally excise the festering tumors that you are from our city. But, I am afraid she was too soft of heart for it.” The platinum blonde had had enough, and she had to go save her future wife. 

“Now you’ve got a choice, kneel or die.” Elissa highlighted her point by unsheathing her sword, planting it in the marble, Gram’s blade glowed blue as Elissa had her hands on her pommel, waiting.

Gevas Elzia was the smartest of the bunch and knelt right away, giving an oath of obedience and support to the Storm Queen, then Oheri Druldred emulated her; those two wanted to live for different reasons, one wanted to see her daughter grow up and the other wanted her clan to survive their new Queen. Matriarch Mervic looked downright defiant, but when she saw Elissa Dragonfang smile her courage left her and she knelt in turn and gave her oath.

“You three are a disgrace! This little girl doesn’t deserve any resp-” Matriarch Mervic found herself flying and saw her own body still standing.

The three other Matriarch didn’t dare move or look up, Alais had closed her eyes. General Grejeon didn’t want to think badly of Lady Dragonfang but her methods were that of a tyrant. But Alais wasn’t the kind of woman to give power to people who would misuse it, Queen Elissa must have promised to protect the people of Thafnoris.

The young Queen twirled her sword with astonishing dexterity and then sheathed it. “Now that’s that. I want those two heads on pikes in the square with preservation spells to keep them fresh. Alais, inform the citizenry about the new hierarchy; I give you carte blanche about dealing with the minor clans. I will take the blame if you have to pacify them.”

Alais nodded and said, “It shall be done, your highness.”

Elissa spoke into her ring. “Brunhilda, my friend; I want you to help Royal Matriarch Sharan in keeping order into my city. Do it in your capacity of Vice Guildmaster of the Sisterhood.”

“Aye. But, we need to speak before you leave Elissa.” The dwarf princess’ voice became uncompromising.

Elissa sighed heavily. “Fine, Hilda.”

The newly minted Queen didn’t have a lot of patience to wait, her soulmate was in danger. Elissa turned to her handmaiden and ordered, “Reinatiel go fetch your sister, Astagith, the pseudodragons and Aeruirn. We are leaving to get Dicinna back.”

“Mistress.” Reinatiel acquiesced by bowing to Elissa, turned and left, her boots echoing on the marbled floor.

---

Sharan Clan Hold
Inner Court

Brunhilda didn’t like this fancy palace, it had too many bends and curves in it’s architecture. But the underground gardens were still gorgeous under the light of the sun crystal set two hundred meters above, on the cavern ceiling. The crystal took on the silver hued color of the moon when it was night time and the nocturnal flowers blossomed.

It reminded Brunhilda of a temple; she knew elves loved nature and this garden showed more that they longed to get back to the surface. She hoped that Elissa would be able to give them that like she did with her people.

The dwarven princess was polishing her armor and cleaning off the shade powder making it black as night. She liked it here and was thinking about buying a new set of armor. Yet, her thoughts drifted toward the orders Elissa had given her when they entered the city.

This was slaughter, pure and simple. Since this was part of war she could accept that, but giving no mercy to the old and women had tainted Elissa’s actions. Brunhilda thought that she made a righteous decision when she saved that little elf girl and saved her soul from the void. Brunhilda also wanted to save her friend’s soul, Elissa had crossed a line but she had hope to redeem her. Elissa was able to love, be warm and respectful.

*She’s not from this planet, but it did change her, making her harder.* The princess thought as she reached for the metal polish.

Someone blew in her ear and said, “Hilda.”

“WHAAAAA.” Brunhilda screamed.

Elissa laughed out loud as Brunhilda dropped her armor and jumped in surprise; the entire bottle of polish fell on the bear armor. Elissa kept giggling at her friend’s reaction.

“Ye bloody…”

The young woman put a finger on Brunhilda’s lips. “Ah ah, language Princess.”

Scowling the princess said out loud, “Ye’re so mean.”

Giggling, Elissa answered to this with a, “You love it, Princess.”

Indeed, Brunhilda liked this simple prank; Elissa had just taken her by surprise. She was used to elaborate ploys that came into fruition days later, but she still preferred jokes that had immediate effects as the opposite to her own father who thought himself clever. Brunhilda suddenly became serious as she stared at her friend.

“We need tae talk.” Brunhilda said.

Elissa nodded, happy to finally come to the point. “I already surmised that you are questioning my methods.”

“Aye.”

Elissa shook her head at that, and went to sit on the bench, Brunhilda following her. The young woman made the pieces of Brunhilda’s armor float and land near her feet in a neat pile; they stayed silent for five minutes trying to speak about what must be said.

Brunhilda put a hand on Elissa’s arm and said, “Ordering us tae kill women and children was unbecoming of ye.” Brunhilda continued to tell her what she really thought. “Ah know dat ah am new to war, but there are lines that cannot be crossed Elissa. Dis sets a bad precedent.”

Elissa closed her eyes and killed the instinctive reaction of wanting to break the neck of people who argued with her. Elissa couldn’t do that to her best dwarf friend; and she wanted to curb and control those recently surfacing habits. At a later time when she didn’t have to worry about Dicinna, a trip to the dreamscape would be needed to ask questions to either Mother Hekate or an ancestor about what was wrong.

Sighing heavily Elissa thought about the people she made Reinatiel free from the Stasis sphere, when she saw the little elf girl and her handmaiden explained to her that Brunhilda saved her from her own unfeeling orders she understood why the dwarven princess did what she did.

“I saw the little elf girl that you saved. I am happy that you didn’t take her life, she reminded me of my own little sister.” Elissa said.

What would happen if someone got her family one day and killed them? The answer to that was scaring her, there was nothing that would stop her from tearing the world apart to find who did it and make them pay. Brunhilda stared at Elissa’s expressive face, she looked disturbed as her body shook from realization.

“Ye recognize dat ye went too far?” The dwarven princess asked, her hands reached Elissa’s and held them tightly.

The shaking stopped, Elissa nodded and said, “C-certainly, I do. Now I k-know better to adjust my orders to the type of enemy I face.”

Elissa had felt ashamed, and that’s when she had decided that she would not let her anger get the better of her in war. Brunhilda felt that she was telling the truth but covering it with false bravado, maybe her friend was really repenting. She wasn’t sure, and she asked Elissa directly, “But… do ye feel bad about what ye ordered us tae do?”

To Brunhilda, her friend stopped moving for two seconds but to Elissa it was an introspection that lasted for thirty minutes thanks to how quickly her brain processed information. Elissa turned her head to the dwarven princess, looked at her meaningfully and answered, “No.”

“Nae?!” Brunhilda widened her eyes as this wasn’t the answer she expected.

As for Elissa, her demonic upbringing didn’t let her regret it, what happened was in the past and there was nothing she could do about it. She just told her friend that she wouldn’t do that again, and it was enough for her. Cassandra, her sister would have understood her thought process.

As Elissa saw her friend’s horrified expression, she tilted her head and asked herself what was her deal? “Is there anything else?”

The young woman shrugged as her friend’s gaping mouth almost reached the ground for a reason she couldn’t fathom. Brunhilda couldn’t understand how she had missed this gap in Elissa’s personality, she didn’t react like any true elf she knew; though she understood that Drow elves were like this, she thanked Holaf to not have met one yet.

Angered, Brunhilda held on to Elissa hand and tried to make her sit again. “Elissa keep yer tight arse on dis bench!”

Elissa stopped moving, looked at Brunhilda and raised a penciled eyebrow at her. “How do you know it’s tight?”

The young woman slapped her bottom and began to laugh.

“...” Brunhilda was rendered voiceless at her friend’s salacious repartee.

Elissa continued to laugh as Brunhilda looked like a fish out of water. Tears of joy in her eyes she gradually recovered her calm after five minutes. “But more seriously. Next time I will be careful, just know that I won’t kill people for no reason. I can’t deny that... I was letting my anger get to my head. But I won’t kill non-combatant children or women anymore.”

*But sometimes I won’t be given a choice on how I must behave in war.* Elissa thought secretly in her heart. *According as circumstances are favorable, one should modify one's plans.* The young woman remembered this quote from the art of war.

Brunhilda stopped to try, and will get back to Elissa lack of empathy later. Nirnyahr wasn’t built in a day, after all. “Aye, at least ye know it’s bad.”

Elissa nodded. “Truly bad, I thank you Hilda,” The young woman engulfed the dwarven princess in a tight hug. “that you want to keep me on the straight and narrow path and to not let me become a monster.”

“Ah will nae let ye become one, aye. Ye saved me from becomin’ a broodmare at home.” Brunhilda said, overcome with emotion.

That was why she continued to follow Elissa, she knew that deep down she was a good person. She continued to help her people even without her having to ask, just by being herself she enriched those around her. Still Brunhilda felt the need to screw the head of this elf tighter on her shoulders.

Elissa whispered in her friend’s ear. “And if he does it again, I will kill him.”

The dwarven princess smiled, then chuckled slightly. She wasn’t the only one who saw her father’s duplicity, now everyone knew what type of king he was. With her new friend and employer, Brunhilda didn’t feel alone anymore.

“Get in line.” Brunhilda quipped in answer to Elissa.

The two separated and Elissa went back to find Matriarch Sharan; the guards avoided but still followed her as she walked to the Matriarch’s apartment. Elissa was on her guard, still waiting for the usual betrayal schemes the dark elves were notorious for; she was ready to deal with them swiftly and ruthlessly. The proof was how she never took off her striking gauntlets.

The palace clan hold was spacious but not as much as the dwarven palace in Nirnyahr; through Mystral, Elissa could feel everything around her, the people moving around doing their tasks even though it was still night. It was weird to Elissa who asked herself if they worked in shifts? Or was it because they were on a heightened alert level?

*It’s my fault, isn’t it?* Elissa realized as she looked through the window at the crystal on the ceiling shining silver because of the rays of the moon being transmitted to it.

*Thafnoris is a beautiful city, however, I wouldn’t like to live here all year.* Elissa mused.

It reminded her of New York, pretty from the outside but the back alleys showed you its filthy underside. Elissa felt it when she crossed the fearful eyes of those guards, courtesans and servants. 

*Was this how it felt in the Imperial palace on Phantasia?* Elissa’s anger boiled as this thread of thought brought her to the treatment of Daphne by the nobles of her homeworld.

Ice spread around Elissa, engulfing everything in the corridor before she got her emotions back under control when she realized what she was doing. Sighing, she fixed the marble with alchemy by repairing the fissures that had appeared because of the extremely low temperature. The door of Matriarch Alais Sharan’s suite opened and she looked at her Queen fixing the flooring like a common servant.

Alais shook her head, “My Queen…”

“Alais, just the person I wanted to see.” Elissa said as she rose from her crouching position.

The ground under her was pristine, the ice turned to liquid and evaporated making Elissa’s hair rise with a Woosh. Alais invited Elissa into her suite, the matriarch guided the young woman to her lounge and they sat there on the velvet sofas, looking at each other before Elissa was the first to speak. “I have a favor to ask…”

This was strange to Alais, the conqueror who took her city from her was now wanting something more. She also liked the fact that she just didn’t take whatever she wanted from her, but Lady Dragonfang was asking. If it had been any other dark elf Alais felt that she would already be dead and her city taken; Elissa Dragonfang, Storm Queen was not a dark elf and the matriarch thanked Nodicea for this fact.

That is why she said without hesitation, “Ask away.”

“I need armor.” Elissa said.

Her amazing dwarven made half plate armor made with the Phantasian style saved her in the confrontation against Siodhanth the fire Dragoness. She wanted a new one in that style, but she didn’t have the time to get back to Iron Fang and ask for a new armor.

“Armor?” Alais asked, *She could just go to the armory and take one from there, unless...* A bad premonition rose in the matriarch’s mind.

Elissa smiled then crossed her legs primly. “Yes, and you have one in your vault I saw that hit my fancy.”

She saw it when Alais had shown her the clan vault, it gleamed white and silver, and looked magnificent covering the upper torso area, shoulders, arms and legs whilst leaving room in the joints area for better movement. It had reminded Elissa how majestic Daphne looked in her own armor. It had been the only thing truly precious in the Sharan vault, since Elissa didn’t care for gold and the magic books inside were all cursed.

“My family’s ancestral armor?” Alais asked.

Elissa nodded. “Yes.”

The matriarch crossed her arms, clearly unwilling to even think about the prospect. “I am sorry, I cannot do that.”

“Why?” Elissa looked as if she got slapped.

Alais was surprised that the she-elf took it like this and was not making demands or threatening her. But nothing like that happened. Still, a calculating glint could be seen in her new queen’s eyes. The Matriarch leaned on the sofa, looking at Elissa.

“It has been in the family since the fall of the Dark Elven Empire.” Alais explained.

She started to tell Elissa about the history of the armor: it was an artifact that was created at the start of the first beast tide. Her ancestor Alea Sharan was the general of the third army of the empire and she helped the refugees get underground and how she and the remnant of the armies made a life in the underdark.

Elissa began to understand, this was a historical piece, the symbol of the first Matriarch of House Sharan. She saved the refugees from certain doom, the only way she could get the armor was by stealing it or… a plan suddenly started to form in the young woman’s mind. The symbol of the person who brought them to the Underdark and helped them survive, and she knew these people wanted to safely get back onto the surface.

“Hmm, what do you want for it?” Elissa asked again.

Alais narrowed her eyes. “I said…”

Elissa raised her hand to shut her up and make her think. “I can give you something of equal value for it, I saw that it’s shining with enchantment. Maybe it’s a relic but I like it, it reminds me of what my Matriarch always wears; Heavy Half mithril plate armor and dragon leather.”

Elissa waited for Alais to make her neurons fire and work like they should, it was night and it didn’t make it any easier that she was speaking face to face with someone who had been killing soldiers and clansmen that owed her fealty. The platinum blonde understood that Alais could be somewhat wary of her.

“I don’t-” Alais was about to refuse but she suddenly froze and then silver eyes gazed into emerald green ones as she said, “Wait, you said that you have lands on the surface?”

With predatory smile Elissa said smugly, “Yes, Aryther is big and I keep making it bigger.”

Alais stood still and asked in a little voice, “Would you be agreeable to exchange some of your land for the armor?”

*Hooked.* Elissa thought.

“Certainly, I have a big island with greenery one hundred kilometers from my fortress in the freshwater lake. The island is 1000 km2 and it has mountains and rivers, woods and forests.” Elissa introduced her vassal to the unnamed island that she thought was too big. 

Now that she had dependents, she could cultivate it, and as a final incentive to make Alais decide, “And I emptied it of monsters in my hunts.”

Alais was already thinking of her people being finally safely under the sun, children playing or helping their parents farm. She saw Elissa grinning at her and the matriarch said, “Then this armor is yours.”

Elissa clapped her striking glove and made them disappear in her spatial toe ring and brought forth two sheets of parchment. “Thank you, let’s write the sales contract right now.”

Thirty minutes later the Sharan ancestral armor was Elissa’s possession and Alais Sharan was the Duchess of Port Sharan. The first port city of Aryther; now Alais was already making plans to take control of her new land, draft new settlers and dedicate a part of the army and mage academy to the task, with the cooperation of Storm Queen Elissa Dragonfang.

When they were finally done with designing their plans, Elissa was leaning half asleep on the sofa and saying, “Now, Alais, your famous ancestor saved your people by bringing them in the Underdark and now thousands of years later, you, her descendant, are bringing them back under the sun.”

“It was worth the wait.” Alais said nodding.

---

Thafnoris’ western gates
Late Morning

Reinatiel waited patiently for her mistress, but her new vassal Alais Sharan barely wanted to let her go. After that her mistress had traded her lands away for the cheap and outdated armor she was wearing it was like they had become the best of friends. The demoness was wary, she didn’t trust dark elves they had shown themselves to be deceitful and crafty.

Alais and every minor and noble clan Matriarch with their heirs were now assembled before Elissa and kneeling at her feet. They stayed a good minute in that position before Elissa made them realize that this was their place.

“Rise.” Elissa said imperiously, her new armor visible under the black and silver trimmed cloak she wore.

Reinatiel was lost in nostalgia as she remembered a similar scene of Empress Daphne speaking to the Non-Fallen Demon in the slums of Storm Advent. Telling them that she will recognize them as citizens and give them a better life if they accepted to conform to Phantasian tradition and accept the worship of Hekate.

The demoness looked on as all the matriarchs stood up, their eyes gazing into unyielding emerald ones sparkling with power. Elissa’s golden and almost tangible magical aura was crackling around her and she looked magnificent. They were at the gatehouse of the city, the fortifications were more artistic than functional and it had disappointed Elissa tremendously. She found that all she had to do was to punch the stone and Thafnoris would be overrun.

The little noble crowd was surrounded by the citizens who had been gawking and speaking about their new ruler’s show of dominance and came to see her, the dreaded and notorious Lady Dragonfang. 

“I am leaving as some unfortunate events are taking me away, nevertheless, I have given authority to vice guild master Brightforge, General Grejeon and Matriarch Sharan to quell any unrest and outside threat. I want to come back to my new city intact.” Elissa pointed an armored finger at the three women at her side.

Her eyes became cold as she turned them toward the troublemaking matriarchs, “That’s why I am warning you now, those little backstabbing games you’ve been playing? It stops now. Gathering intelligence and healthy competition are fine in my books, but assassination? Bribes? You have been weakening this city for too long.”

Reinatiel was aware that her mistress wanted Thafnoris to become a test bed for change she intended to enact for the dark elven population she had taken under her wing.

“I ask myself why you are glorifying this Dark Elven Empire you are so proud of and want to emulate? After all, it failed.” Elissa looked at each of the matriarchs and beyond them at every clanless dark elf.

There were shocked expressions in the crowd, some neutral and a large amount of them agreeing with Elissa. Reinatiel wasn’t surprised, the populace was more grounded and realistic than their nobility it seemed. However, there was still the idiotic inbred who couldn’t read the mood and vociferously disagreed.

“Lies!” screamed one of the old minor matriarch.

Another saluted in the old empire greeting and shouted, “Glory to the eternal emp-”

But Elissa interrupted her by freezing the both of them with a freeze ray. The magical beam of ice was carefully controlled and the ice stopped at their breast bones leaving their heads free. Reinatiel was astonished by the level of control that her mistress has reached with her newly amplified powers, she wouldn’t have been able to do that fifteen days ago.

Elissa walked to the matriarchs, everyone already expected her to finish the job and kill them gruesomely; but she didn’t, she lightly flicked them on the forehead and they landed on the ground unconscious, the ice pillars still they were imprisoned in still standing. Reinatiel understood what Elissa just did, she had momentarily turned the ice into liquid at the speed of thought and made it solid again.

The demoness watched the crowd and saw that some of the more powerful magic users recognized what Elissa did, some were awed, others were afraid.

*As they should be.* Reinatiel’s lips curved.

Elissa continued her speech, now unimpeded. The matriarchs who still had defiant eyes were decently cowed. “This Empire you love so much was so corrupt and decadent that it let the monsters run rampant; monsters whose population should have been tightly controlled. But no, your ancestors were too engrossed in their little political games to do their jobs correctly.”

Looking at everyone, Elissa raised her hand and pointed at the royal matriarch and the golden armored female general. “Alais Sharan understood my point of view, as well as Ilyrana Grejeon.”

Alais and Ilyrana nodded gravely, the crowd’s volume raised after that as they began to discuss it. Elissa clapped loudly and it brought back everyone’s attention onto her.

The platinum blonde had a disparaging expression on her face. “But you know what? I will tell you that it’s not the empire that you should have sought to emulate, you should have moved forward, focused on bettering yourselves and reached for the sun and made a society completely different than the failed and deceased one your ancestors had.”

Everyone looked at her with doubt, they were pragmatic dark elves and their personal goal was about increasing their station in life, for which they desired power either for themselves or to protect their family and clan. 

Elissa countered them thinking that she was a weak idealist dreamer by saying, “Yes, what I am saying sounds too idealistic, I am aware. But you all know that the world isn’t all sunshine and rainbows - look where you are now.”

Elissa raised opened her arms wide and looked at the ceiling, everyone followed her gaze. “Cowering. Underground, like rats.” 

“You had two thousand years to gather your strength, train warriors and take back the surface and still nothing was done.” Elissa laughed at them.

Everyone narrowed their eyes at her as she paused before reaching the conclusion of her speech, dark elves were often easy to challenge when you pointed out their failings. “Well, as you have been twiddling your thumbs in your collective bottoms for so long, an invader -me- has come and decided that this planet was nice and that I should take it.”

This planet was better than Earth for a Phantasian, it had a powerful sun and untouched nature that Elissa liked, but the monster problems annoyed her; a problem that she intended to correct soon by sacrificing them to her Goddess.

Reinatiel felt her sister take her hand in hers, they looked at each other, smiled and then looked back at Elissa. They understood at this moment that she didn’t have any intention to return to Earth on Malicia’s terms. Elissa was creating her own kingdom, and that maybe it was what it would take to crush the demonfist army.

“I am taking advantage of your people’s disunity and now? Now, I am winning.” Elissa added in a draconic growl. “Now, the result is that you are all my people, but don’t worry. In house Dragonfang you should trust. I take good care of what’s mine.”

The sun crystal’s light on the ceiling gained intensity, a sign that it was now noon. “Oh look at the time, I must go now.” 

Elissa turned and gave her back to the matriarchs and crowd; looking directly at her three vassals. “Alais, Ilyrana, Hilda. I’m leaving you in charge, and I’m counting on you.”

“Aye, ah’ll hold the fort for ye.” Brunhilda held her warhammer toward Elissa, then put the handle on her armored shoulder.

Ilyrana put herself into an at ease position, her hands on her sword belt. “This has been my duty for fifty years, my Queen and I don’t intend to shirk on it.”

“This is my home.” Alais said simply, then she smiled at her new ruler. “Come back alive, I cannot wait to get to the surface and do not worry; everything we planned will be ready, your highness.”

Elissa nodded. “Very good Alais.” The young woman gave another guideline to her new pet general and said, “General, be as ruthless as you want, the security of the realm depends upon you.” She turned to the dwarven princess. “Hilda, use Dragon Fang Tower’s scrying artifacts to protect outside the city.”

Brunhilda rolled her eyes and threw her thumb behind her, “Aye, now go get back your intended.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice.” Elissa grinned and walked to the gates.

Astagith, and Elissa’s handmaiden followed her as the platinum blonde left, her black and silver cloak billowing behind her.

---

Day 70, Morning
16th of Hematite
City State of Cynlenor
Zerloth clan hold

Lerrina Zerloth, heir of Kiomdra Zerloth who was virtually the most powerful clan matriarch in Cynlenor after the royal clan of Cynlenor, was conflicted. She knew that her sister didn’t like to play political games and was often offworld for the simple reason that she found her own race annoying. Dicinna even told her she didn’t want in anyway to be tied down to the matriarch position and that she would easily renounce her position in the clan if her mother made her the heir.

However, things couldn’t be that easy, since everyone loved Dicinna dearest; she was strong, worldly, beautiful. Traits that even her taciturn behavior toward people couldn’t totally turn them off from considering her an appropriate heir. Lerrina felt pressured.

Lerrina had the signature white hair of her clan, she was more voluptuous than either of her sisters and was more used to wearing gowns than skin tight armor. Her talent laid in statesmanship and magic. Nevertheless, her sisters were both overachievers and constantly pressured her into being the best that she could be. Dicinna was a combat prodigy while Ocima her twin was going to overtake her in the magical scene soon if Lerrina was reading her report card well.

*I am tired of always trying to keep up and receiving barely any recognition for my hard work.* Lerrina thought as she glared at the ceiling.

Lerrina was in her mother's study, sipping on silver tindell tea, a magical stimulant that promoted mana regeneration. Sitting on the green sofa, Lerrina leaned in her seat and lifted her booted feet onto the low-table. Her tight riding outfit showed off her hourglass figure that made countless male elves drool and be forward with her.

*I have finally done it. Mother finally listened to me and decided to marry off her most talented daughter.* Lerrina thought.

This had been a long term plan that she had enacted and she had played on her mother’s insecurities to make it happen.

Lerrina grinned and swallowed a bit of her tea. *Mother loves Dicinna so much that she wants her to stay home where she will be safe.*

Kiomdra loved all of them, but since Dicinna had shown intellectual and fighting prowess since she was able to speak and hold a dagger, she had become their mother’s favorite. It didn’t help that Lerrina’s taciturn sister awakened as a blessed of Nodicea and was able to use the same power as their mother; World Walking or more commonly called portal manipulation.

Kiomdra had intended to make Dicinna her main heir because of that, but it backfired on her as she didn’t like her fellow elves and loathed politics. It made Dicinna become an adventurer, and run away. Kiomdra had hunted Dicinna down in the lower dark while she was gaining experience there.

Lerrina remembered when her mother came back through a portal with a wounded and unconscious Dicinna loaded on a shoulder. She had spent a week nursing her back to health. Dicinna had ran away again when she got healthier, causing no end of worry to their mother; and still Kiomdra ignored that she still had two other daughters.

It had made Lerrina angry, but now she had found a way for her mother to deal with her feline-like sister. They would marry her off to one of the scions of the strongest clans that would come and she would be rid of her too-bright sister.

*However, it seems I have made an enemy of my own sister.* Lerrina thought.

Dicinna was cunning, dangerous and too intelligent to not know that this was a ploy concocted by her. Her sister must already be planning to escape, even though solutions to make her unable to flee through mundane means or by portal were taken.

Lerrina nodded to herself. *It cannot be helped, but I must stay vigilant; Dicinna could have cards I am not aware of that could save her from her fate.*

Giggling, the elf woman was feeling like patting herself on the back for having finally cornered her main rival. *Mother invited the most prestigious clans from within Cynlenor and other cities to a traditional handfasting tournament. I am sure that someone will take her out of the equation. Once married, she will have no other choice than to leave; Maybe I cannot kill you, sister, but I can make your life miserable.*

Lerrina looked at a family portrait with all of her sisters and mother present with their deceased father. The heiress’ gaze focused on her mother’s image.

*And then… ah, dear mother it will be your turn.* Lerrina chuckled and then sipped her tea.

---

Zerloth clan hold
Dicinna’s bedroom

“I will kill you for this, Lerrina.” Dicinna said between her teeth.

She was pacing in circles in the space between her bed and her sofa while still wearing her armor, not having taken it off since she arrived two day ago. Her mother had placed her under house arrest as soon as she portaled into her bedroom. Dicinna tried again to open a portal by pouring all her power and fury in the attempt, a red glowing hole of ten centimeters opened and quickly dissipated.

“Aaargh!” Dicinna growled throwing her hands in the air in frustration.

Knock.

Dicinna’s head whipped toward the door, she narrowed her eyes as she saw her twin sister enter her room through the blue forceshield at the entrance keeping her from escaping. Ocima, wore a red skin tight armor, a short sword at her belt. She watched as her sister warily entered and quickly closed the door.

“Sister.” Ocima said quietly with trepidation.

The angry glare directed at Ocima made her step back briefly; her twin sister has always had a placid temperament, but to suddenly see naked anger written all over her face was a huge change.

“What do you want?” Dicinna spat.

Ocima had felt apathy from her sister before, but animosity was something new; surely her situation wasn’t that bad? After all, she knows that their mother always knew best and she wished for Dicinna to settle down and be safe.

“I-I came to see how you were doing.” Stuttered Ocima who wanted to reassure her twin sister that their matriarch was taking the handfasting tournament seriously and only the best candidates would be chosen.

Seeing Ocima’s fearful expression, Dicinna calmed down after closing her eyes for ten seconds, massaged her temples and then reopened her eyes to look meaningfully at her sister, “I am not in the right frame of mind to start with your silly games, Ocima. I need to either escape and cut all ties with the clan or kill my way out of it.”

The two solutions would end up with the same consequence: banishment. But weirdly it didn’t bother Dicinna at all, she had her soulmate waiting for her who had her own kingdom and was an avid adventurer just like her.

Ocima came up to her sister and shook her. “Sister! You can’t! What about mother?! Those people we grew up with?! You know them all, would you really kill them all?”

Dicinna laughed at her sister, it was a mocking laughter full of condescension toward her. “Mother is trying to take my freedom away from me, I dare say that I could be more ruthless.”

Dicinna glared at Ocima when she finished speaking and took back her arm pushing her sister away. A hurt expression appeared on Ocima’s face. Her mind was turning toward another avenue of escape when Ocima took hold of her arm again and said, “But, but she loves you, us!”

*Love?* Dicinna thought, her mother has been more a hindrance to her. Always wanting to mold her into another Lerrina.  The only reason, Dicinna still cared was because she knew Filial piety. But this new incident and machination from her elder sister and their mother helping her had pushed Dicinna to review her priorities.

*I shouldn’t have come back here, I should have stayed with Elissa and the Sisterhood.*

With her cold blue eyes looking into her twin’s, Dicinna gave her undiplomatic answer, “If she really did, she wouldn’t try to force my hand.”

Dicinna didn’t care what would happen to them anymore, and washed her hands. Ocima knew that her sister still had a point, this wanting to marry Dicinna was truly out of the blue.

Dicinna’s twin thought really fast. *Mother should have known that doing so would anger Dicinna and force her to want to flee. Maybe I could try to hel-*

However she was interrupted by Dicinna lashing out at her, “You have always been this way, Ocima blindly following mother’s directives, could you stop being such a sheep?”

SLAP. 

The slap of Ocima had come so fast that Dicinna had no time to avoid it. She put a hand on her cheek and glared at her sister who began to sob with tears in her eyes.

“Why are you always demeaning me? What did I do to deserve so much indifference from my own sister?” Ocima didn’t understand her sister, how could she be so cold toward her own family?

Dicinna couldn’t believe that she asked this after everything she had done to her. She wanted to slap her back for her impudence and to even have forgotten why she didn’t treat her like she did before. “For you to know sister, look deep into your memories. Now leave, your presence is bothering me.”

Ocima scowled, not happy to be dismissed as if she was a child, “I’ll make you-”

Dicinna gave her back to her sister and went to sit on her bed. Once installed, she glared at her sister. “Yes, yes you’ll make me pay for that, now get out.”

Ocima left in a huff with her eyes moist and slammed the door. Dicinna shook her head; she couldn’t believe the nerve of her sister, and that she forgot the day that she had betrayed her.

Ting.

The sound that she awaited for so long finally rang, Dicinna’s eyes lit up with joy. *Finally!*

“I am in Cynlenor, Cinna.” Elissa’s voice was like music to her ears and it made Dicinna suddenly stand up from her bed.

Dicinna put the ring next to her mouth and said, “Come get me tonight, Elissa. But be careful, they expect me to try to escape.”

Silence. Then ten seconds later Elissa replied with, “I’ll try to be discreet. And I am getting you out of there.”

---

Cynlenor
Eastern City Gates

Elissa and her party finally arrived. The handmaiden followed behind her, and her pseudodragon familiars were having a well deserved rest after flying all day.

The young woman stopped before a caravan that was being checked by the highly competent guards in black armor; they were completely different from the sloppy ones she had encountered at the southern gates of her new city - that in her head she was already vowing to train more thoroughly - and showed it when they eyed everyone with mistrust.

Gazing at the black and silver gates and the city beyond them Elissa pondered at how different it was from her new acquisition. The black and crystal encrusted walls of Cynlenor were more majestic than Thafnoris’ and it made Elissa’s eyes narrow by looking at them. Cynlenor looked richer and bigger than the town she conquered.

Yes, now to her, Thafnoris was a town compared to how big Dicinna’s home city was. The population was substantial; It was comparable to Nirnyahr in size and from what she could see, had a lot of sublevels as it kind of looked more like an anthill made of stone and aesthetically pleasant to look at.

They had three skyscraper sized sun crystals on their ceiling that was higher than Thafnoris’ and an underground river passing through divided the city, just like Queen’s Rise; the underground city under Dragon Fang Tower. The most glaring difference were tapering structures hanging like icicles from the roof of gigantic cave. With her ancient human augmented vision, Elissa could see that those structures were linked by suspended bridges and that they seemed inhabited as there were windows and verandas carved into them.

Elissa felt that she was seeing what Queen’s Rise might become with time and a lot of riches injected into it. And she took further notes on the structures to maybe have them in her new city too.

Cynlenor was the farthest city from Thafnoris, and Elissa hadn’t liked the thought of going through the Lower Dark to get to it. It had taken a day on dragonback in the skies of Svartalfheim to reach the closest entrance to Cynlenor. They passed the great desert east of the Rislt plains, another great lake similar to Aryther and when they reached the tallest mountain on the planet, Daruman, the party had found the entrance guarded by a detachment of black armored soldiers that they passed easily.

Elissa had to hide the fact that she was under the glamour of a sun elf by putting on a facemask. With the mask, her full body armor that she had darkened with shade powder and her black cloak no one could divine her race; then Aeruirn gave her instructions to act like a silent warrior, the combat priestesses of Nodicea who wore the same kind of armor Elissa was currently wearing, patterned after the old imperial model. She was even more secure with her steel adventurer brooch, the soldiers left those alone as they were part of the bread and butter of the current economy.

Four hours later they found themselves before the gate and Astagith and the handmaidens wished to rest.

Now that she was here, Elissa wanted to storm the city and go take back her elf lover as fast as possible, however, when she entered in communication with Dicinna through her Master Ring, the dark elf had told them to wait for nightfall to attempt to break her out.

Reinatiel put a hand on Elissa’s left pauldron and the young woman turned to her; they stared into each other's eyes. The demoness could see impatience and anger in her mistress’ green eyes; the kind of feeling that had no place for the kind of operation they were about to run.

With a soft and reassuring voice, the demoness said, “Calm down Mistress, Dicinna will be ok. You are here now.”

At those words, Elissa’s shoulders sagged and then after calming herself by taking a lengthy breath of air she held herself like the predator she was. Reinatiel’s gambit paid off and she smiled at Elissa. By appealing to her mistress’ sense of worth and capabilities, she defused the situation.

Aeruirn saw the change happen and as usual since she joined her she found Elissa to be a mystery; one moment she was all rainbows and laughter, then you blinked and she became the dangerous and powerful demigoddess that everyone on Svartalfheim had come to fear, and those who still didn’t? They would take her seriously when they learned what she had done to her city.

“Let’s find an inn, we need to rest and prepare for tonight.” Reinatiel said.

She didn’t have to explain, Astagith was the first to run to the gate with her pack weighing her down. Elissa followed the dwarven huntress, everyone in the caravan looked at her for an instant then began speculating out loud about the presence of a silent warrior here in Cynlenor.

Aeruirn placed herself at Elissa’s side and whispered, “See, it’s working mistress.”

Elissa put a gauntleted hand behind Aeruirn’s back. “Yes, it is. I am happy to have taken you with me Ruirn.”

“I am but your humble servant.” The dark elven handmaiden bowed her head slightly, acknowledging her mistress.

While the caravan was still being checked and the merchants and children pointed fingers at Elissa’s party they fell into silence, Astagith was getting impatient.

“What can you tell me about Cynlenor.” Elissa asked to Aeruirn almost nonchalantly, but the handmaiden felt that it was important to her new mistress.

“Thafnoris is nothing compared to it.” Aeruirn answered deadpan, with something that approached bitterness in her tone.

The dark elf was dusting her leather brown and silver armor, and looking at herself in disgust. Elissa chuckled at her situation, the young ex-matriarch was a clean freak and was more of a stay at home lady than the adventurous one; however she had signed a contract and she would fulfill it to accompany Elissa.

Elissa looked at the tall stone and metal tower jutting straight behind the white walls. “I noticed.”

Absently, Aeruirn continued. “Here, I would have been considered a minor clan matriarch. That’s how big this city is politically and economically.”

Elissa stayed silent as she pondered that, Aeruirn tauntingly grinned at her. “Mistress how does it feel to have conquered what others consider a provincial fief?”

The young woman didn’t answer for about ten seconds, and after a noisy shrug, just waved at Aeruirn to get on with it eliciting a chuckle from the handmaiden.

Her face took on a serious expression. “Other cities try not to catch the ire of Cynlenor as it is the most powerful remnant of the Elven Empire. You see, they were already underground when the first beast tide happened. They escaped that cataclysm unscathed and with the Zerloth Family who has the blood of the world walkers they stayed in touch with the other worlds such as Alfheim and Asgard.”

“Asgard? They are still a power?” Elissa was surprised by this.

To her Asgard should have been history from long ago, Malicia had told her how the Aesir had been broken and from the silly mythology she learned from Earth’s libraries and videos games they didn’t amount to much compared to Hekate in her heart.

Aeruirn nodded vigorously. “Oh, yes they are.”

Asgard was the most respected superpower in the Yggdrasil network of worlds, they were still at war with Jotunheim since the first Ragnarok but they still experienced long periods of peace and they knew not to keep all their eggs in the same basket since then. They had become cautious and ruthless in war, crushing any enemy that threatened them, it was reflected in their economy and political agenda.

Aeruirn began to explain all this to Elissa.

It still was strange to Elissa. “The Realm Eternal, wasn’t it destroyed by Ragnarok? I saw a Valkyrie before in my home, but she never told me anything about her home planet, just that they were still battling Frost Giant in a war.”

“Mistress in some way you are right, Asgard was destroyed, but a new one was built and its people don’t use magic as much but have become more technological, similar to what you could find on Midgard but much more advanced.” Aeruirn said.

Elissa decided to bring the conversation to a halt, because Aeruirn was treading on something she didn’t want to think about, Midgard or more commonly called Earth by its denizens. She was still debating whether she would go back there or stay here for good. As Aeruirn moved and spoke, she was attracting everyone’s attention, the dark elven handmaiden was particularly beautiful with her black hair, hourglass figure and enchanting voice. The only reason she wasn’t bothered by anyone was thanks to the menacing presence of Elissa in all black armor, mask and cloak and their party.

It was finally their turn to be checked at the gatehouse, the guards were particularly suspicious of Elissa, but as they saw the quality of her gear and the steel brooch holding her cloak and the primal fear she elicited in them, they decided to focus more on the other members of her party, however they noted in their report how suspicious she looked and to ask Nodicea’s Temple if a Silent Warrior had been dispatched in Cynlenor.

The guards were too competent to be distracted by Aeruirn, Reinatiel and Fenirael; no one paid attention to Astagith. She was a dwarf, and even though their respective kingdoms were at peace there was still animosity between the two races.

After five minutes of questioning the party finally entered the city, to Elissa it was beautiful but the atmosphere reminded her of New York, everyone was busy and walking around doing their business. Astagith had come to this city before with her siblings after a great hunt. To the huntress it hadn’t changed very much, though she noticed that there were more food stalls than before and more different types of elves in the city but people gave them a wide berth.

Aeruirn grinned smugly as she had anticipated this problem with ease; Fenirael and Reinatiel hated her for it. They continued to follow Astagith who decided to get them a temporary shelter. “Tha Adventurer guild got an inn for far away adventurers like us.”

Aeruirn tilted her head and frowned. “But I am not an adventurer, Lady Astagith.”

It was known that those that weren’t adventurers couldn’t access those services. Elissa turned her head to her new handmaiden and put her registration with the guild on her mental to do list.

With a furious glare Astagith turned to the dark elven beauty. “Oi, Ah’m no Lady, elf. Call me Asta, will ya?”

With a quirk of her lips, Aeruirn bowed her head. “As you wish, Lady Astagith.”

Astagith’s glare focused even more on Aeruirn who showed an innocent expression that fooled no one. Then the huntress looked at Elissa and said, “M’Lady Snow, your handmaiden is being annoying.”

Aeruirn and Reinatiel had agreed that their mistress needed a new name to enter Cynlenor without alerting those in power that her persona of Lady Dragonfang was present inside their walls; Elissa came up with the name Shaera Snow that was really part of her Imperial name.

Elissa shook her head, but the levity did her good as it busied her mind. Unconsciously she made Mystral scout their surroundings, the elemental stayed on her guard waiting for her mistress to be ready to fight. She had noticed that Elissa was always embroiled in one, either verbally or physically. The throng of people thickened as they walked toward the center of the city where the guild and its facilities could be found.

Thanks to her cold aura, Elissa cut through the crowd like a hot knife through butter as everyone was startled by the display. So much that within another thirty minutes they finally reached the Windy Dragoon, the sponsored inn of the adventurer's guild. It was a beautiful whitewashed building the size of the White House in Washington D.C with dark blue tiles and a multitude of windows. It even had an enclosed garden and three meters tall warded walls.

The security was comparable to the one Elissa had at home in the family manor on Earth. “This is beautiful, I want it.”

Everyone looked at Elissa with various degrees of disbelief. The handmaiden unfroze and tried to change Elissa’s mind. Astagith, just told herself that this was just one of her guildmaster’s quirks and let it go.

“Maybe we can have the tour, mistress and you’ll be able to replicate the theme of this inn.” Aeruirn smoothly offered.

Elissa nodded at her and gave her a thumbs up, Aeruirn smiled and looked tauntingly at the demoness sisters. Reinatiel and Fenirael growled in frustration; they would never have expected to be less than useful with the dark elven ex-matriarch around. Entering through the gated entrance, the walls slightly flashed with light when Elissa and her party passed.

“Demonic mana detection spells, they are really sensitive.” Reinatiel observed.

The wards tried to attack her and Fenirael but they weren’t powerful enough to even annoy them. Elissa pumped more mana through their bond and the demoness mage smiled in gratitude to her mistress who snapped her fingers as she focused on the ward, fed mana to the counter spell that came to her lips and mind. “Ward Breaker.”

The sound of breaking glass rang behind them, startling Aeruirn and Astagith who turned to look at the destroyed walls.

“Reinatiel, prepare a bag of gold to reimburse the innkeeper.” Elissa said as she opened the inn’s door.

She wasn’t surprised to find people at the entrance with weapons drawn, Elissa didn’t stop walking and one bearded dwarf lunged at her with an ax, but she batted him away and he crashed into a table that was nearby. A dark elven lady with white robes threw a spell, Elissa had time to spread her awareness around her, focused antimagic on her gauntlet and crushed the magical construct in her fist. It was a white fireball that weirdly Elissa considered not at all hot compared to Siodhanth’s fire.

An enchanted arrow crashed in the personal force field of her armor that protected her from magical and kinetic attacks. Elissa turned head to the brown haired elf that attacked her, his bow string was drawn and a second glowing arrow was about to be fired. Sighing Elissa sent a freeze ray that reached the elf who fired but the ray of frost froze the flying arrow first then the bow thirty centimeters from it and finally the archer.

Everyone stopped to gawk at the impromptu fight, Reinatiel and Fenirael entered after Elissa and Astagith and Aeruirn peered through the opened door.

“Innkeeper, I’ve come for a room.” Elissa said calmly as she looked at the dark elf male who was shaking from fright at the counter.

Elissa snapped her fingers and Reinatiel walked to the counter and put two pouches full of gold coins before the innkeeper.

“This is for the damage and the fee for our stay in this fine establishment.” Elissa nodded.

The innkeeper was used to violence from the adventurers who came to dine or seek shelter in the Windy Dragoon, but when he had felt his wards crumble, everyone in the room had felt it too. Something demonic in nature had destroyed them, then this armored woman entered the inn. He knew Durik Doomhammer, a powerful mithril ranked adventurer and she swatted him like a fly; Nuala the White a steel ranked mage who had made her name lately got shown how much she had to learn by this dark armored woman.

*And that wasn’t all, she just destroyed Qildor the Swift, Durik’s companion. What am I going to do? Do I tell her to get out? Or will she kill me?* The male innkeeper was still shaking.

“Innkeeper?” Elissa tilted her head as she stared at the frightened elf.

Elissa crossed her arms, and brooded at the intellectually absent innkeeper at the counter. The patrons stayed silent and unmoving witnessing what was for some the scariest incident happening to date in the Winding Dragoon, for others who were more certain of surviving the current circumstances they continued to drink and enjoy the show. Proof that adventurers were a weird breed of people.

“Mistress are you sure that you want to sleep here? The service and the welcome you received wasn’t all that good.” Reinatiel, the ever useful handmaiden said loudly.

Elissa sighed, knowing what game her handmaiden was playing suddenly. “Maybe not, Astagith do you know of a more professional inn in Cynlenor?”

Hearing her name and the question asked, the dwarven huntress adopted a thinking expression, “Nae M’Lady Snow.” Astagith smirked at her, she was thinking about how jealous Brunhilda would be because she missed this event.

A tavern brawl and swindling an innkeeper? That was really enjoyable to her.

“Goddess, I wish things were easier. Barely thirty minutes in this city and I picked a fight.” Elissa whined.

She made to turn, slowly. Feigning that she was leaving, Elissa waited for the inevitable call back, after all the reputation of the inn was in danger.

“Halt there, Milady!” A feminine voice said.

No one could see it, but Elissa smiled under her mask. She turned to see a woman with an apron at the counter, she had brained the male elf with the ladle in her hand and he was holding his head with tears in his eyes.

*I almost feel for him.* Elissa thought.

Turning her eyes to the older woman, Elissa asked. “Who might you be, Matron…?”

She had dark brown hair, smelled of jasmine and dough, her eyes were yellow and her body’s build was closer to Gadhiss. The elven woman before her made her think more of a warrior than the wife of an innkeeper.

“Call me Jastira, I own this inn.” Jastira’s gaze was hostile.

However, Elissa made the woman lower her guard by saying, “I really like what you did with the decor, however…”

Jastira nodded, everyone knew how much she worked to make the Windy Dragoon homely, but she didn’t take it well when someone messed with her theme by destroying the place.

“Was it you that destroyed the walls or was it that demoness behind you? I hope there is enough money in those pouches to repair the ward scheme.” Jastira turned her harsh glare toward Reinatiel who made her face became neutral, not wanting to mess up her mistress’ negotiations.

Elissa harrumphed. “I am not some kind of miser, I gave you more than enough to repair it and make some needed upgrades.”

Jastira looked in the pouches, checked that it was gold by shining a magical orb on a coin and weighed them on the scaling tool. She was satisfied that Elissa was not trying any funny business; as the innkeeper’s wife and true owner of the Windy Dragoon, the dark elven matron made a decision.

“Are those demons yours?” Jastira asked, eyeing Fenirael and her sister.

Elissa nodded. “Of course, they are my familiars, they are tightly bound to me.”

Looking from the demonesses to Elissa, Jastira said, “It’s been a long time since bound demons have been sighted in Cynlenor. Will you excuse the staff for not having thought that this kind of situation might have occurred? We will of course lodge you for free, how long are you staying?”

Elissa slightly bowed her head to Jastira. “I accept. We will stay until our affairs are concluded in this city.”

And that was the end of it, Elissa received the keys for two rooms on the second floor and installed her party in them. Astagith was given the task of registering Aeruirn at the adventurers’ guild; while Elissa would go scout the Zerloth clan hold while relaxing and eating as much as she could to prepare herself for her night attack.

Aeruirn looked reluctant, she considered herself better than scummy adventurers. Elissa had just thrown a meaningful smile that gave the ex-matriarch goose bumps and she relented. Right now Elissa was in a tea house sitting at a table with Fenirael and Reinatiel; the tiny establishment overlooked the noble district of Cynlenor and had a direct view of the clan hold of the Zerloth family.

It was simply put a palace of black stone and encrusted with purple crystals. It was surrounded by a moat of undefined depth; the gates were open and Elissa could peer inside easily.

“This is bigger than the Sharan clan hold.” Reinatiel commented as she ate the elven pastries, a roll cake full of jam and sprinkled with fairy sugar.

Elissa’s piercing gaze noticed the high number of patrolling guards. “Heavily guarded.”

Fenirael was standing up against the wall of the booth they had commandeered, arms crossed, brooding; she stayed silent. Mystral was scouting the hold, its gardens, the entrances and Elissa was scribbling a map that she drew while linking to her bound air elemental’s sight.

“What are we to do, mistress?” Reinatiel asked.

The mage demoness was worried, completely different from Thafnoris, the guards and soldiers in Cynlenor oozed professionalism, martial prowess and power. Through her mage sight, she saw that some of them were quite capable magic users.

Elissa sipped on her expensive Trelawn tea, a calming herb infused in mana rich water, looked at Reinatiel and said, “My first idea was to enter the Zerloth clan hold, spells blazing and tear it down till I get my woman back.”

It hurt the two demonesses that this elven interloper had already seized their mistress’ heart in barely two weeks; they had strived to do it for months now and Elissa completely ignored their advances. But what shocked them more was their mistress being honest in wanting to readily take the brute force approach; they had noticed that it had become her Modus Operandi as of late.

“Reinatiel, mistress is doing it again.” Fenirael’s voice tone became plaintive.

Elissa laughed at their reactions, “However, I choose to be subtle this time. I am going to use stealth, the shadows are my friends tonight.”

“What do you mean?” The two sisters asked in unison.

Elissa just smiled enigmatically at them, then she ordered more pastries and tea. After hours of staking out the Zerloth clan hold, Elissa and her handmaidens have feasted on the delicious pastries and tea so much that the tea house’s owner proceeded to beg them to get out as the three of them had eaten everything already and had to bribe them with her personal recipes for them to leave.

---

Night fell on the city, the sun crystals’ giving light in the entire cavern were weak and therefore suitable for stealth work. With her magical moonblade in hand, Elissa melted into the shadows. She began to avoid everyone that blocked her path. The night revellers were going from tavern to tavern, the crystal lamp posts illuminated the city but the shadows were always there, eternal.

Cloak billowing she made sure to not get spotted by anyone while Mystral was scouting ahead. It took Elissa five minutes to reach the walls of the Zerloth clan hold. She observed the guards standing at the doors and through her linked vision with her air elemental discovered that there was a slew of them in the gatehouse barracks?

*The only way I can pass this without being detected is by taking the long way.* Elissa thought.

And her solution was to get around the wall, find the closest house near them and jump into the nearest shadow inside the Zerloth gardens. She did just that, found a tall building with a flat roof, ran and then jumped the fifty meters separating the building and the wall. Chanting a feather fall spell, Elissa landed in a tree with silverish leaves; letting herself fall to the ground thanks to Ghostwalker she became one with the shadow instantly.

*So far so good.* Elissa thought as the patrolling guards filed by in groups of two with crystal lamps glowing white.

She went still and let them pass her by, then she sped through the shadows of the palace at superspeed; leaning against the wall connected to the stable. Waiting for a moment for something to happen, Elissa spoke into her ring after seeing that it was still golden, “Cinna.”

“Elissa! Are you here?” There was joy in Dicinna’s voice.

“I’m in your clan hold, where are you?” Elissa said.

Dicinna answered instantly. “In the left wing, the biggest tower, third floor.” 

“I am coming for you.” Elissa said confidently.

Linking with Mystral’s sight, she found her target quickly. Elissa entered the palace through the servants’ entrance, silenced a maid that she found roaming in the arch shaped corridors. Jumping onto the ceiling to avoid a duo of guards, Elissa still didn’t like how all this subtlety work she was doing right now.

*This is more Tabitha’s style.* She thought.

This was tiresome to her, but the prize, oh the prize was everything she could ask for. Evading guards and maids alike, Elissa finally reached the third floor and it was the most heavily guarded one. There were guards posted every ten meters, so she resolved to put them down with a choking spell that she channeled through her bound air elemental and robbed oxygen from their lungs.

As if they were puppets whose strings were cut, they all fell on the ground while clawing at their throats. Elissa’s lips quirked into a smile, and she walked nonchalantly to the door that was her target. But before putting her hand on the door handle she used an overpowered Knock spell to open access to the bedchamber.

A loud knock rang but Elissa used Mystral to diffuse the sound to this floor. The door opened, a thin blue film of energy could be seen making Elissa open her enhanced mage sight. Elissa clicked her tongue and put her moonblade in her spatial toe ring and took out Gram. The sword spirit just told Elissa <I will take care of it> and her blade glowed blue; Elissa plunged her sword into the forcefield.

Pushing her mana into her godly sword, it wasn’t surprising that cracks appeared on the forcefield’s surface. Until the cracks turned into a tear that Elissa enlarged enough for her to pass through. Once inside the magically warded bedroom Elissa was hugged tightly by Dicinna who promptly took her mask away and kissed her as if her life depended on it; Elissa of course gave in and gave back as good as she got.

Just like before Dicinna left, this kiss was everything Elissa had wished for, with white hot passion they melted in each other's embrace. One minute later, Elissa and Dicinna came back up for air.

“Wow, you really missed me.” Elissa said, dazed.

Elissa’s hood came off and her hair, arranged in a loose warrior’s braid, was slightly in disarray because of her dark elf messing with it while they kissed.

“You bet I did.” Dicinna’s smile lit up the room.

“They went to all the stops to keep you here, how can I break this forcefield thing?” Elissa felt it buzzing through her magical seventh sense.

Dicinna stroked Elissa’s cheek. “Yet, it wasn’t enough to keep you away.”

Elissa preened and smirked at the dark elf. “I was extremely motivated, I wanted my woman back.”

“Oh, I’m your woman?” Dicinna’s eyes gleamed with lust but stepped back from Elissa.

Draconic instincts taking over, the platinum blonde walked up to her elf and took her arm possessively. “You have no choice in the matter, Cinna.”

Dicinna enlaced her fingers with Elissa’s and said, “You either.”

After another intense kiss, Elissa decided that it was time to get out of dodge. “We have… we have a lot of things to talk about but first let’s get out of here.”

However destiny was a fickle mistress, and someone appeared to stop them.

“You are leaving so soon?” The contralto of a female voice rang from the bedroom’s door.

Dicinna’s weapons were out of their sheaths instantly, Elissa conjured a wind wall between her and the door. The woman had the same silver white hair as Dicinna, but she had more of an hourglass body and her eyes were almost the same as hers. Though to Elissa she could feel that this woman was a snake and a coward.

Dicinna’s dagger glowed blue, the crystarium in the blades emitting cosmic energy. “Lerrina.”

Her elf’s behavior shifted instantly from outgoing and flirty to cold and inimical. It startled Elissa so much that it made her lower her blade. “Who is this, Cinna? There’s a certain... family resemblance.”

The elven woman facing them touched her ample cleavage, feigning that Dicinna’s assertion hurt her. Lerrina didn’t care about her sister’s well being anymore, only valuing her as a chess piece that will give her the clan matriarch position and the Zerloth holdings. Dicinna was the main obstacle to her path as the leader of the most powerful clan in Cynlenor.

“She’s no sister of mine, we are only bound by blood.” Dicinna said coldly.

“You hurt me sister.” Lerrina smirked.

Lightning coursed through Gram’s blade, making Lerrina jump and step back. Elissa asked, “So can I kill her? She’s the source of all your problems, right?”

The heiress stared at Elissa, not knowing what to think of this armored sun-elf. From what she saw, she was Dicinna’s lover and an obstacle to her plan; Lerrina opened her hand and a magical construct appeared hovering. It looked like a 3D fractal ball of light to Elissa who didn’t understand what it was.

Lerrina sneered. “Kill me? And who might you be sun-bitch?”

“She didn’t just call me that, Cinna, right?” Elissa said as she stared at her lover.

Dicinna lowered her eyes, feeling the full power of Elissa’s rage coming to the forefront of them. The dark elven adventurer didn’t want Elissa to go on a rampage in here and she needed Lerrina alive. “You can’t kill her, mother needs to know how badly she’s acted. Though I really, really want to do it.”

“Every guard is going to come to the third floor now, I don’t think you can escape at all.” Lerrina said smugly.

Elissa unleashed her aura, and as it filled the room Lerrina fell onto her knees. “Know your place you harlot, you are nothing, nobody. How dare you insult me? You are a waste of space, a net negative on existence. The elements that make up your pathetic excuse of a husk would be better utilized fertilizing the garden outside. At least then you would have some use, no matter how minute.” Elissa ranted as she walked up to Lerrina and had her hand around her throat.

Lerrina struggled to breath, the only thing that saved her at this moment was the noise of footsteps coming from behind the door.

“Quick, let’s go!” Dicinna shouted to Elissa who let go of the pathetic so called sister of Dicinna.

The woman was left panting on the ground and Elissa twirled her sword and launched it at the window behind them with all her strength and enough mana to tear through the forcefield keeping them in. It shattered as the blade stabbed through it and Gram broke the enchantment, Elissa unfurled her blue wings and took Dicinna by the waist and as she tried to leave the bedroom through the open window, however, she was prevented from doing so.

As if an invisible wall blocked her way, they couldn’t get out. Elissa tried again and again, beating down on it, but her hand passed through whatever it was when it stopped touching Dicinna.

The evil laugh of Lerrina who had recovered rang behind them, taunting them. “You cannot leave, Dicinna! You are bound to this room! Do you think I didn’t have any contingency? I knew you were biding your time.”

Elissa turned suddenly and with a Gust of wind spell blew Lerrina away, she crashed in the wall near the door and breaking the dresser placed against it at the same time.

“Elissa.” The platinum blonde was ready to finish her with a Lightning blast spell but was stopped by Dicinna who put a hand on her outstretched arm. Elissa’s gaze turned to the second love of her life and saw resolution etched on her face, a scheming glint could be seen though.

“You must leave, now. Leave me here but take this.” Dicinna took something from her spatial ring and put it in Elissa’s hand. It was a blue jewel, enchanted and engraved with Dicinna’s name in elvish. “Take this and go see Arno Isazish, he is the guildmaster of the adventurer's guild.”

“No! I am sure I can do something about this!” Elissa said trying to get Dicinna to the window.

Dicinna shook her head and placed her daggers in her spatial ring and placed it on Elissa’s finger. While gritting her teeth she said, “Knowing the bitch it’s going to be difficult.”

The Door was suddenly rammed open, and guards filed into the bedroom screaming orders that Elissa promptly ignored and Mystral cast an overpowered wind wall that made the guard step back or be knocked back.

“Elissa, please do this for me. Leave me here, I can’t leave with what she did! Go see Arno he will explain what you must do to free me! Go!”

“Whatever it is, I will do it. Your sister will pay in blood for what she did to you.”

Dicinna kissed her briefly, stroked her wings taking a feather from them and pushed Elissa through the open window. There were guards under the window, archers followed the platinum blonde with their eyes and shot at her with enchanted arrows. Elissa used the Gaseous form spell to become intangible and flew out of the clan hold in defeat.

Once out of it, she returned to her solid form and flew from the well-to-do city area to the end of Cynlenor’s slums and landed in a dark alley where she retracted her wings. With tears falling down her cheeks, she looked at the silver ring around her wedding finger and the glowing blue jewel in her hand with Dicinna’s name written on it.

“I will make that vixen Lerrina pay!” Elissa shouted, unleashing her aura completely.

Draconic fear covered the entire city, some people fainted, others knelt with the pressure bearing down on them and other more elderly had a stroke. As for Lerrina who just woke up and was gloating to Dicinna at the same moment, she recognized the magical aura and put a knee on the ground as she could barely resist it.

*Maybe I offended the wrong person.* Lerrina thought as she clutched her head.

---

A/N

So yeah guys, we almost caught up to Patreon content so I will pause the publication on SH and RR for a while. So far Chapter 42 and the intermission are here on Patreon.

I am writing chapter 43 right now, so give me time to make another stock of chapters ok? I have another announcement to make too! I have the intention of rewriting Convergence of Fate Book 1 to SHP's standard, might give it a shift in POV.

Oh and I intend to publish some of my fanfictions soon. It's everything I wanted to say, so guys what do you think about what's going to happen, some of you guessed a bit.