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Opening up the festivities, Elinor moved away from the platform so Valerie and Theresa could enchant the weary crowd.  Laughter, tears, and thankful prayers to her were muttered or shouted as she made her way to the area her many maids had prepared for her.

The day was still long, which meant a decent amount of downtime could be taken.  Yet, Lucky and Gwen were already surrounded by individuals that wanted to start building homes as soon as possible, seeking tasks to keep them busy.

Edmon was swift to make use of those that could direct work or had experience in key fields.  His priority was the redevelopment of the dam into a hydroelectric model, modified by Tiffany’s rituals and what supplies they’d been able to salvage from the goods they’d brought.

Throughout their journey, they’d managed to collect a few larger beasts in the jungle to better move all the goods she’d been able to barter for from their world.  It was far from complete, but with some ingenuity, they could make do.

A few things were on the task list, such as a sawmill, the construction of specific metal tools from the Wixum craftsmen, and the production of items for construction: nails, glue variants, and potential insulation materials, among many other necessities.

Tiffany and her Circle were in charge of identifying the goods that could be cultivated in useful ways.  There was so much to do that it was hard to get organized, but her Court was doing an excellent job at setting their foundation.

The sudden surge of productivity had the Wixum dizzy with excitement at all the new ideas and projects flooding in.  Chief Yimara was practically stuck to the Death Knight’s side as her father gave insight into what tasks required their primary attention.

Elinor sat on her comfortable armchair in the open tent set up for her to rest in, crossing her legs and listening to the dozens of reports passing through her Nexus.  She had maxed her previous cap in undead throughout the five weeks it took to get here, and it showed.

Ninety Intelligent and two-hundred and seventy-four Unintelligent undead were busy at work, organizing all of the goods to be stored in dry and guarded areas.  Most of the mindless drones had been utilized as pack animals to haul the packages.  She’d lost a number of them along the way due to wearing their bones out.  Clanless attacks gave her replacements, though.

There were a few things she had to be careful of with her own citizens, though.  She couldn’t be too sure people wouldn’t try to sneak into the medical boxes to steal pills or liquids.  Tiffany had a hand in providing a temporary chilled environment that required the sacrifice of three jungle animals a day to maintain.

Hopefully, the cost would be reduced now that they had a more permanent residence, and they could focus on efficiency.  Her supply of lives was limited, after all, and she didn’t want to disrupt the ecosystem too much since it was a key factor in keeping her empire running.

Listening to the musical duo go about their rhapsody, Elinor smiled at the focus Theresa had as she directed maids and played her instrument.  She truly had found some exceptional individuals to direct her empire.

She could feel Emelina’s somewhat disappointed heart after being away from Klaus.  They hadn’t even been able to discover what each other looked like before their separation, and she sensed the woman’s curiosity.  Still, her Head Maid was a paragon of poise and a model of elegance in her station.

Elinor caught Antonietta cooking large pots of stew while maids supported her in showing the curious ri’bot how to use flowers to craft bread.

It was fortunate that someone in the company that gathered many of the goods to be taken through the portal had the thought to snatch all the seeds they could.  Tiffany had been thrilled to find bamboo and a massive stock of banana tree seeds.  Her former mother was rather vague on the way since she wanted to surprise her.  Sill, excitement had its place; everything was in order.

Butter’s continual nagging to get into her phylactery to see their progress made her sigh.  I swear, you are more thrilled about this than I am.

“This is big, Priss!  There are some you haven’t even paid attention to that would have made my life a lot easier.”

Oh, I knew about them; I just didn’t tell you since I knew you’d pester me, Elinor said, getting into a comfortable position before closing her eyes and entering their shared space.  Let’s see it…  Well, this is something special.

“I told you!”

Quite a few of her Feats had advanced over the weeks, and she’d reached the second Grade on some that gave her minor improvements, yet it was her new Achievement Feat that snatched her eye when combined with her other Grade increases over the month.

 

[Rising Empire: 1st Petal]

 

For every 7 citizens that recognize the user as their ruler, increase Minion Pool [Unintelligent +5 and Intelligent +1].

For every 50 citizens, increase Death Pool by +2

[Reaper Core] Unlocked

Unlocked one Monarch Title Slot

 

[Reaper Core] - The harbingers of death that reap the souls of the living to provide fuel for their master.  Their strength is increased when riding together and divided when apart.

 

[Minion Pool II] E-tier

 

Current Max

Intelligent - 229 (35 + 194)

Unintelligent - 1,370 (400 + 970)

 

[Raise Undead II] C-tier

Able to raise up to Uncommon [Intelligent] and Rare [Unintelligent] undead, imbuing them with a small amount of power proportional to their strength in life.

 

[Death Pool II] D-tier

Increases the user’s base to 18 Death Orbs.

 

Current Max

97 (18 Base + 54 Feat + 25 Stat)

Rain and dark ambient music played in the background of the large manor room Elinor had fashioned her inner world to be as she fixated on the third line of [Rising Empire].

A problem had recently started to surface that had Butter terrified; they had trouble keeping up with the daily upkeep of Death Orbs to run the empire as their Uncommon serving staff grew.  This was exactly what they needed, but it also came with another risk.

Rising to her feet, she could practically taste her twin’s anticipation.  Elinor glanced at her bright aquamarine eyes, shining with the expectation of finally having more help.  Butter’s gaudy room was lined with all sorts of unusual bobbles she’d taken a liking to from the pile of human goods the maids had combed through.

“Well?”  she asked, speaking aloud since they were now in their inner world.

Elinor turned away from her to stand at a large, open window beside her blue flame fireplace.  The status window kept pace with her, staying within her peripheral vision as she studied the expansive valley she’d taken a snapshot of weeks prior.

Her make-believe manor on top of that large rocky hill she’d used gave her perspective of the world she was contending with.  The colossal valley was teeming with life—as jungles did—yet it wasn’t infinite, and as her empire grew, so too would the hunger to feed the ravenous superstructure.  It wasn’t sustainable.

“You are already having trouble keeping up with demand, scouring through the mud to find spirits to feed upon.  How long do you think it will take before we are at this same limitation again?  It’s only a bandaid to the underlying issue.”

“True,” Butter whispered, rising to stand on the opposite side of her own fireplace to stare out of the window; they shared it now, her side white flames with golden brick.  “I don’t have a solution.  Do you?”

Letting out a long sigh, Elinor glared at the valley.  “Undead are typically limited by the number of lives there are to consume.  It’s unreasonable to think it will improve overnight.  Currently, my only option is mitigation and only raising quality.  Every life raised and lost is Death Energy wasted.”

“We could start developing farms to be used as livestock.  I know you are also worried about Tiffany’s excessive use of life for her rituals and the potential damage it could have.  It is a long-term goal we can work toward as we discover new creatures that can be used.”

Elinor knew it was the obvious plan, yet it was still not a solution.  Then again, humanity hadn’t solved its dependence on food or water.  They all took resources from somewhere.  As undead, they had to be smart about how they went about the empire’s growth since overexposure to their methods could elicit pitchforks and torches at their doorstep.

“At least half of the life force we have drained thus far has come from Clanless attacks, baited in by Carlos and Mika.  In turn, they make up the vast majority of our Unintelligent forces.”

Butter ran her fingers through her liquid-like golden locks, staring out at the mist and drizzle that fell over their imaginary world as it moved along the landscape.

“Our supply will be cut dramatically if our enemies aren’t coming to us.  Are you suggesting we start a war with one of the Dalthax enemy clans?”

Elinor shook her head.  “Intelligent life is too valuable to harvest like this.  Valdar desires the ri’bot clans to be united under one banner, and they must if they are to survive because the Scarlet Hand is coming…  Shade is coming.  As I said, we must be even more selective as to who is raised.”

A depressed tone entered her twin’s usually upbeat voice.  “That is challenging when we have so many more humans we need to raise.  We haven’t even gotten through a tenth of them, and you promised their loved ones returned.”

“I know…  Perhaps I’m being too cautious this early since we still have a vast jungle of resources, but at some point, if we are not careful, it will dry up.”

Leaving the window, Elinor took her seat again to stare at the dualistic blue and white flames as Butter joined her.

“I will bring up the importance of finding suitable creatures for a life farm.  I am sure there are rapidly reproducing creatures that we can make use of in this environment.  You plan to start with the mitigation route, then?”

“It will give you more time to focus on other areas while these Reapers take care of the hunting.”

“Aww, and I liked my time roaming about the jungle, getting dirty, desperate, and exhausted for our next meal,” she teased, adding a smile that said it would not be missed.

“Heh.  Yes, I’m sure you’re heartbroken.  In any case, I think I want to go a bit of another route this time around…”

Butter’s eyes widened as Elinor’s finger hovered over the status sheet, inputting several things in quick succession.  She’d thought about what she would do quite a bit over the past five weeks, and little had changed.

 

[Primal Force X] - Refinement Time - 7 Days.

 

Something she’d come to suspect was that she also shared in the EXP of her minions, and they received a split amount from her.  Therefore, it meant that by increasing the base EXP multiplier [Primal Force] gave and being at its maximum Grade, the bonus would get exponential value.

 

Attack Feat Branch: Chains of the Damned I - Summon a chain [Current Max: One] that splits space within one meter of the caster to bind the spirit of the individual.  User can interact with the links.  Modified by [Constitution] and [Strength].

Defense Feat Branch: Gates of the Dead I - Summon a frontal barrier that blocks all spiritual and physical damage.  Modified by [Constitution] and [Defense].

Utility Feat Branch: Life Recalled I - Convert Poor-Grade Undead for 100% of the Death Energy used to raise them.

Utility Feat Branch: Find Corpse I - A passive that allows the user to know the location of all resurrectable corpses within ten meters.

 

Elinor was a tad surprised that two of the Utility Branches opened up, but it made sense, given that she’d already selected it in the first place.  It also meant that if she chose one of the other branches, then she’d have more options when she hit level 25.

She’d already made up her mind when it came to this option, though, and the new additions were somewhat tempting, but Elinor knew she couldn’t remain in the background forever.  Her decision on this came from watching Valdar; despite his mystic specialization, he was far from powerless.  A welcomed surprise came as a result.

 

Achievement Feat Unlocked - [Chains of the Damned I]

[Strength Grade Modified - Increased to Average]

[Constitution Grade Unable To Be Modified - Maximum]

 

If her Base Stats could be modified via these Achievement Feats, then a lot could change for her in the future.  Her attention was on the Endurance Stat, though; it could drastically change the cost of everything she used.  Using her Stat Grade enhancement point, she buffed its base multiplier.

 

[Endurance Grade Modified - Increased to Above Average]

 

[11 Stat Points Available]

 

[Endurance raised to 6] (+6)

[Strength raised to 4] (+4)

[Constitution raised to 6] (+1)

[Control Resistance raised to 3] (+1)

 

Maximum Death Orbs

102 (18 Base + 54 Feat + 30 Stat)

 

Now that she’d reduced the cost of everything requiring Death Energy across the board via her raised [Endurence] Stat, Elinor turned her attention to her Equipable Feat options.  She quickly identified each Grade I Feat by its name and general description.  Some had only just appeared after selecting her Attack Branch:

 

3x [Equipable Feats] Available.

Currently in use: 3/4

 

[Life Detect] - Active - ¼ DO/10 Minutes - Sense the quality of creatures’ life force within 5 meters.  Duration Modified by [Endurence].

[Enhance Construct] - Passive - -10 DO total capacity per active use - Strengthen any singular conjured construct’s base attributes (not the user’s attributes) by 30% for a day; if deactivated or construct is destroyed, the 10 consumed DO will not be replenished, but maximum capacity will be restored.

[Minion Sight] - Active - ¼ DO/10 Minutes - See through a minion’s eyes.  Modified by [Monarch of Death].

[Commune With Dead] - Active - ¼ DO/1 Minute - Speak to Common-Grade Undead without binding them to their body or to the mortal sphere.

[Fear Wave] - Active - ½ DO - Release a [5-meter] frontal pulse of psychic distortion that affects the mental stability of all those hit.  Strength modified by [Constitution].

[Necrotic Touch] - Active - 1 DO - Instantly affects the target with [Paralysis] and [Deathly Chill] for [1 hour].  Duration of the Feat is modified by user’s [Constitution].

[Telekinesis] - Active - 1 DO/5 Kg/5 Minute - User spends Death Energy to lift an object up to [5 meters] away that can be moved within that radius.  Duration modified by [Strength], [Constitution], and [Endurance].  Weight lifted per Death Orb modified by [Power].

[Cursed Zone: Amplify Wound] - Active - 1 DO/Duration - Summon one 10-meter dome that inflicts a decrepifying curse that rapidly advances the age and putridity of any wound on those within its effects that lasts [2 minutes].  Duration modified by [Constitution].

[Enchant Undead: Frenzy] - Active - 2 DO/Duration - Enhance all undead with [Frenzy] up to [10-meters] around the caster, increasing [Velocity] and [Attack Speed] by 25%.  

[Bone Shield] - Reactive - 5DO/Activation - Summon up to [Two] bone shield constructs that automatically defend the user when attacked.  Constructs degrade after 30 seconds or if penetrated.  Modified by [Defense] and [Constitution].

 

Elinor instantly selected [Enhance Construct] as one of her three options.  Yes, it would drop her total maximum from 102 to 92, but it was a flat increase to her body’s base capacity, which would only advance with its Grades and her Stat Modifiers.

She dismissed a few right off the bat due to the other options having far more use at her current stage:

[Telekinesis] could be useful if highly advanced, yet with the cost of [Power] being a primary modifier, it wouldn’t scale well with her currently.  Perhaps in the future, if it showed up again, she would consider it.

[Minion Sight] and [Commune With Dead] were too niche and somewhat unnecessary at this time.  Sure, the latter might have been useful when she was first starting out in that dusty abandoned basement, and her minion slots were limited, but that wasn’t her problem now.

[Life Detect] could provide Butter a better chance at selecting the best breeding stock for their future farm.  Then again, trial and error would also suffice and not require the slot’s use.

On the other hand, [Enhanced Undead: Frenzy] could be useful if she was fighting with her army, and that could be rather fun in the future, considering what she’d gained with her newly upgraded [Phylactery II] Feat.  Unfortunately, the other options were also too tempting to pass up.

[Cursed Zone: Amplify Wound] had too many uses to dismiss.  She could use it for herself or for others, and she could see it being useful for a major fear factor as a show of power.  It took her second selection, leaving her one left.

[Fear Wave] and [Necrotic Touch] were in the same category as a good way to control her opponents.  One was a conal, wide-ranged disruptor and short-term, while the other, a single target with a longer effect.  It would make for good use in close combat, but she also needed to advance her combat prowess, and [Bone Shield] would provide a good buffer for surprise and ranged attacks.

Deliberating on it only a moment with the recent additions to her toolkit, she liked [Bone Shield], yet [Fear Wave] would have more use.  Her new [Phylactery] addition could also provide a backup if it came to the worst and her primary sanctuary was destroyed.  Butter’s fat butt did make her a bit annoyed; discussing it with the sister that was tied to her leg would come later, though.

Her twin’s jaw slackened, eyes scanning down her own open status sheet as Elinor selected them without much input.  “You just…  I had reasons why we should consider other ones!  Haaa.  Can I at least give my opinion on the Feat Extensions?”  she dryly asked, shooting a light glare in her direction.

“There aren’t many, unlike before… and no new ones, which shows holding onto them isn’t the same as the Equipable Feats.  I think one is quite obvious as a means of transportation.”

Butter’s head sank back into her chair while picking at her shimmering white silk dress.  “Perhaps for you, Priss.  When will I finally get a body?  When can I enjoy dancing and the tension of dignitary meetings?  Not a single Feat in fifteen levels allows me an escape from that accursed, confined butterfly form!  I’m depressed.”

Elinor leaned against her armrest, knuckles rising to press against her nose and mouth while examining their recently advanced sanctuary Feats.  “Do you really think me so selfish, Butter?  If I get a second phylactery, you do.”

“My lack of an elegant figure is still an issue,” her twin complained, turning to a nearby mirror to stare longingly at her reflection.

“We do what we can, Sis.”

“I know.  It’s just frustrating.  Yes, the transport one looks quite useful, and the construct might provide us both with some added support.”

“Agreed.”

 

[Phylactery II] D-tier - Seal one’s soul inside an object.  Current in use: 2/4.  Maintenance price per use:  ½ Death Orbs a day (based on solar cycle).  Can only have one active as primary per soul.

 

2x [Feat Extensions] Available

 

[Phylactery I: Spirit Transport] - Allows the user to transport to another phylactery across large distances for the price of temporary unconsciousness and stress put on both objects based on linear distance traveled.  The object can be destroyed if stress exceeds its defensive capacity.  Modified by object [Defense] and user’s [Constitution].

[Butterfly III: Extra Wing] - Permanently adds new butterfly constructs [New Max: 7] to the total available to be summoned.

[Replacement] [Butterfly I: Extended Wing] - Increase range by five meters.

[Artificial Body I: Sturdy Build] - Slightly increase the construct’s [Defense] and [Force].

[Raise Undead I: Body Conservation] - Slightly decreases the Grade and Tier required to reconstruct the user minions’ physical form.

[Darkness Vision I: Pierce the Veil] - Allows the user access to [Supernatural Sight I] to spot unseen phenomena.

 

[Pierce the Veil] was tempting for the exploration aspect, if anything, and [Body Conservation] could possibly draw a few dozen more people into her ranks.  Still, they’d join anyway, given time, and it may be a morale booster for the weaker subjects, yet didn’t provide much else.

The Reaper Core made the [Extra Wings] less needed, which did make [Extended Wings] a possible option for the future.  That left her with the final two extensions, which were more than acceptable.

“Well, that’s a surprise,” Butter commented as they finished their boosting session.  “I hadn’t expected you to put so much into a more offensive path or that it would pan out.”

Elinor shrugged, returning to the window to study the memory of the dying hurricane as it beat against their manor, the ambiance mixing with the dark classical music playing around her.  She did love a good atmosphere to set her in a positive mood.

“If we are going to be using this new transportation Feat, then I need to be somewhat capable myself.  That includes you, Butter,” she smirked, shooting her a side-long look.  “When we get you a body, I expect us to have daily sparring matches.  Wouldn’t that be fun?”

Her golden-haired sister opened up her menu to slide it across their divide.  “Putting that business behind us, what are your thoughts on our new Limit Break Feat that we obtained at Level 10?  You’ve been annoyingly silent about it.  Did you suspect a new Perk Branch would open up if you went into it?”

Elinor chuckled, only taking a glance at the two possible activations; they appeared to have their own unique gauges since her [Empress: Limit Break] was full, and her [Lich: Limit Break] was empty.

 

[Empress: Minion Break I] - Advance all current Intelligent minions by one Tier and Unintelligent minions by one Grade for five minutes.

[Lich: Chain Break I] - Increase the number of chains the user can summon by three, triple their distance, and double all user’s Stats for five minutes. 

 

“I didn’t expect anything but wanted to see what would change if I bided my time and waited until I was Level 15 to see what would be affected.  I’m happy with the results.  My guess is that it will be similar to our Extensions in that we can replace a current version with another one when we reach Level 20 or upgrade it.  We shall see.”

“I suppose we will,” Butter smiled, giving a sad sigh.  “I am going to miss you while you’re away, Sister.  I’ll be sure to give Dad enough attention so he doesn’t get lonely.”

“Hehe.”  Elinor walked to their divide to stare into her twin’s mirrored gaze as she joined her; their hands reflected each other, left held at their side and right on their hip.  “What if I told you I was having him join me?”

“I would say you are a fool.  He’s better positioned here with me to do all the labor you shirk.”

“Haaa.  I have such a cheeky High Monarch,” she lamented.  “I miss the days when you were pleading with me not to get rid of you.”

“Hmm?  And when was that fictional account, Sister?  Perhaps you’ve found a way to dream—you must share your secret—because, heh, that doesn’t sound anything like me.”

“No?”  Elinor mused, scanning her twin’s gaudy apparel.  “You don’t recall being ravaged in cuts, bleeding out all over my spirit while doing your best not to get kicked out?  ‘Please, Elinor, I have nowhere to go!  You’re all I have.  Have pity on me.’  How could I leave my sad, weak little sister to such a fate?”

Butter’s smile became strained.  “Eh-heh…  I didn’t know you were prone to such embellishment, Priss!  And when have I called you by name?  And you still don’t buy the idea that we’re related.”

Elinor pointed to her left, creating an imaginary construct of her sister on her knees, begging not to get kicked out.  Butter countered with a clone of Elinor pleading for her to stay and thanking her for all the support she’d given.

“Just try not to embarrass me, Butter.  And I hope you find something useful while I’m negotiating for our empire’s roots.”

“Our empire?!”  Butter gasped, hand flying to her mouth.  “Now I know you must be sick.  Hmm.  Maybe I should go instead.”

“Hehe.  Maybe if you had a body, I would take you up on that, but you’re still a tiny insect that gets destroyed by wind and rain.”

“Hurricane wind and rain, by the way!  Details matter, Priss!”

They both chuckled, and Elinor selected [Enhance Construct I] as her 4th Feat and exited their private sanctuary.  She’d need to discover suitable objects for their second phylacteries in the coming week.

“Have fun with Dad and tease Tiffany.”

“I will!”

Opening her eyes, Elinor saw almost an hour had passed.  Her gaze drifted to the Plant Callers, who were busy making temporary wooden structures to store their more perishable goods with the Dryad pre-teen’s help.  Their activity was causing a lot of stir amongst the crowds.

The Wixum Clan’s representative that Nadraca left had been spending quite a lot of time with Tiffany to see how she would make the silk they’d promised.  From what she heard in the Nexus, the woman’s first crop and field would be filled with bamboo.

Elinor had no clue how she planned to make silk out of bamboo, but she wasn’t that versed on the topic, to begin with.  She did have her Warlocks and Witches on the lookout for insects that could spin silk, but that was a work in progress that required a lot further development of creating a farm to cultivate it.

She soon found her eyes wandering to the south as Butter flew to join her, where she felt Klaus and two maids that had been sent with him.  Elinor wondered if her Head Maid felt jealous, yet she didn’t feel anything of the kind through the Nexus, only the anticipation of his return or her restoration.

It might be sooner than she thought if this extra phylactery gave her the means to transport between areas.  Then again, the cost might have a ramping effect that could damage the phylacteries, which meant they needed backups ready in the worst-case scenario.  It was something to plan for.

Butter landed on her shoulder, having obtained updates and directing a few undead to support various projects.  She was here for a very important topic to them both, though, and Elinor had enough time to make her decision.

“Well, Priss?  I think we should make our Reapers sooner than later.  Have you had a chance to look at them?”

Not quite yet.  Give me a bit of time to think about this…  Come back in fifteen minutes.

Butter was silent for a moment, tone accusatory.  “You were getting distracted.  Weren’t you?”

I have a lot to think about, Elinor huffed.  Go be useful; find out where our Reapers should focus their efforts first.

“Fine…  Lazy ass.”

She gave Butter a semi-tight-eyed stare as she flapped off; her twin was getting quite mouthy lately.  Dismissing it as a phase she was going through in their developing family relationship, Elinor turned her thoughts inward.  She’d already obtained the basic information about the Reapers, but there was something that bothered her about the topic.

In all the undead she’d raised, not once had an entire Core been locked off before.  Something stuck out to her in the Core’s description when she’d glanced at it, though.  The System made it seem like having many Reapers was a detriment to the Core itself since its power was shared amongst its members.

A dark twist came to Elinor’s lips as a certain theme and image came to her mind; their Seeds appeared to operate in a sort of thematic way thus far.  If these Reapers were going to grow and take shape, then it would be good to cast them in a light that fit their purpose.  Now, she only needed her ‘ever-reliable’ sister to select the appropriate candidates.

Butter…

“Hmm?  I’m still talking with some of the Delthax to find the best places.”

Oh!  Finally, someone living that can understand you?  she teased, making Butter growl.

“Emelina is helping me.  If you’re making fun of me, then you must have solved the mystery… or do you need my help?”

Testy!  Haha.  I think you’ll love this idea.  We’re only going to have four Reapers.

“Huh?!  I get they split their power, but four—why four?”

Well, obviously, to represent the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

Silence took them as Elinor puffed up her chest with pride at the idea; Butter’s dull tone popped that bubble.

“The who?  Sounds a tad over the top and ridiculous, don’t you think?  And are you restricting me to only using men?  That’s cutting out, like… half my potential candidates.  You’re trying to make this hard for me, and do I also need to connect their resurrection to horses?”

A sour pout crossed her face for what felt like the first time since her death, and Elinor glared in the direction of her ignorant twin. 

You’re no fun.  It’s an amazing idea.  You’ll see.  Just find me some humans and horses that will fit the bill of good Reapers.  They’re supposed to be like family—maybe add a bit of competitive dynamic to spice it up.

“Okay…  I hope you know what you’re doing, Priss, because I think limiting us to only four will cause problems.  Wait, you think if they’re family, then the bond will be stronger?  Okay, I can see what I can find.  It’s a bit specific, though.  Ugh.  You’re a slave worker!”

All good things come with effort, Elinor returned.  Trust me.  This will be grand.

“Effort that doesn’t involve yourself!  Haaa.  I’ll set my expectations high, then.  Let’s see, a family of four that are competitive?  Hmm…  We should just clone ourselves,” she mockingly grumbled.  “That would be easier than checking records and piles of bodies.”

Elinor let her go to work.  Hopefully, she’d find something in the next several hours.  Right now, they had more than twelve hours of downtime since she didn’t sleep, and Valdar needed to regain his strength for their much swifter journey to his settlement.  If she had time to relax, then she could begin her combat training.

Excitement bubbled within her as she instructed her confused maids-in-attendance to find her something more exercise-friendly to change into.  She entered a closed-off tent that they set up for her private use.

She reformed her body to apply all of her increased Stats, used [Enhance Construct I], and changed, flexing her fingers and stretching her muscles to test out her gains.  Elinor felt lighter than she could ever remember, more flexible than when she took gymnastics, and even a bit stronger than when she was at her peak in cheerleading.

Calling Mika to disengage from whatever she was doing, Elinor exited the tent, drawing a lot of attention as she accepted a knife from one of her Unintelligent undead.  It felt familiar, yet foreign in her grip.  She had a lot of practice to do.

Over the next several hours, as night took them, Elinor pushed her new artificial body to its limits to see how reliable it was.  She had Mika train her in a few basics with weapons like daggers, staves, spears, and swords.  Elinor didn’t intend to train in ranged combat until later since it wasn’t quite as useful for her.

When the morning rays started to brighten the sky, Elinor’s body finally gave out, erupting in flames.  Almost everyone but the warriors and ceaseless undead were asleep, given how much had been started the previous day.

Butter contacted her on the way back to the tent, excitement lacing her words.  “Ah!  I got them!  Will two men and two women work, Priss?  They were kind of old when they died, but they fit the bill.  They’re on the unknown dead list and seem to have died a long time ago.”

Elinor’s mind returned to a conversation she’d had with Fennel and Carlos when they were going over the toad’s random actions and reasoning.  Some of the Roxim’s torlim were trained to dig up treasure or find buried creatures, and they’d unearthed a few dozen caskets in the local graveyard.  They looked important, so they’d hauled them back.

Have them brought to me.  I’ll be ready in a bit.  Soon, you’ll have your Reapers, Butter.  I hope I’m right because this could solve a lot of our Death Energy problems.

“Here’s to hoping!  Alright, we’re dragging the boxes over.  Ugh.  The horses might take a bit to untangle, though; we had to strap and cram them onto one of the carts we made.”

Exiting the discussion, Elinor’s chest burned with anticipation.  They likely would only be raised at a lesser Grade and Rank since they would be humans, but perhaps that could be offset by their Core.

She reformed her body, her maids swiftly dressed her, and Elinor left the tent to spot Quin moving the caskets to her location.  Valdar would be up soon for them to resume their journey, and raising these Reapers would be critical as they moved forward.

Chills ran down Elinor’s arms.  It was rare that she felt this kind of anticipation.

My own horsemen of the apocalypse…  Welcome to the Empire.

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