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A distant rumble and drop in air pressure made Butter frown as Nebu spewed his bullshit to Carlos; this world’s weather didn’t make sense.

Twilight was coming on; unfortunately, if there was going to be a storm, it could jeopardize their plans.  This alien planet—not that Earth was any better to her—seemed to have quite volatile weather during the rainy season.  Perhaps she was too hard on Earth because of the Crystal Event, though.

Carlos was the picture of a cooperative subordinate leader as he wished the ‘warlord’ a safe trip.  The plump ri’bot eagerly accepted Mika’s protection as he walked out to prepare his full force to move with him to the mines.  Within the Nexus, plots spun between Mika, Butter, and the bull-man.

“A snake in a toad’s skin,” the South American cowboy chuckled, fingers sliding down a rough map the Wixum craftsmen had drawn for them with their rudimentary paints.  “The yellow-bellied tadpole doesn’t have it in him to go somewhere that’s likely to see him gutted.  There’s something else going on we’re not seeing.  Any insight, Mika?”

“He’s a booze-swilling licentious coward if there ever was one,” she huffed.  “It feels like a trap.  Do you think this Susime clan is a bluff, and he is trying to wiggle away from the main force to escape somewhere?”

“Have you heard of the clan?”

“Never.  The Roxim are on the exact opposite side of the valley, though, so that isn’t all that surprising.”

Butter examined the map, judging the distances between locations.  From what Priss and she had gathered from the Delthax and Wixum over the past few weeks, north of their location was one of the few easily traversable areas to get out of the valley.

A network of tall hills weaved like waves to sharp plateaus that dropped off to a poorly nourished savanna, stretching as far as the eye could see.  The problem came with how ri’bot judged a far distance: anything beyond one’s territory limits was considered a considerable journey, and the former quen’talrat empire’s breadth supposedly boggled the mind.

Since arriving in this world, Butter hadn’t heard a peep about the Susime Clan.  And now they were spontaneously more dangerous than the Lethix and Flex?  By the reaction of Nebu’s most trusted men, none of them were brought into this disturbing detail, and that raised quite a few red flags, as Priss would say.

A northern clan not one of the Wixum High Warriors knew, yet, Nebu did and to the point of knowing specific signs for safe passage, their Mystics, and extensive military prowess to feel comfortable enough to meet them.

To his already brainwashed forces, it was a mark of a superb leader with divine knowledge, marching out to heroically proclaim himself to these enemies.  Nebu was a horrible actor, yet who would suspect such an idiot to be a spy?

Nebu was a coward.  If there was such a horrific force just north of them, why wouldn’t he or his family speak about them to their clan until they invaded?  The fat toad wouldn’t go for a morning stroll without a dozen High Warriors.

Yet, he was confident enough to approach this terrifying clan he thought they provoked, and when they were currently engaged in a hostile takeover of his clan’s most precious resource?  If that wasn’t suspicious enough, he’d told Carlos he didn’t want to provoke them, yet was bringing his full force and only a few of theirs.  No.  There was something more happening behind the curtain.

It feels like a trap because it is one…  Butter hummed, rubbing her antenna.  I’m almost certain he is a spy, which might explain a lot about the current troubles in the Wixum and Delthax.  He wouldn’t be the only one planted, either.  Ugh.  It is a storm…

Butter took to the air when another rumble rolled in the background; one of the undead opened the flap door for her to take to the sky.  Once breaking through the canopy, she studied the oncoming dark clouds from the west; it always came from the west.  And, like every time before it, it would look toward the colossal snow-veiled mountain to the center-north, drawing it toward them.

Carlos exited the tent, holding his belt while watching Nebu’s forces gear up to follow him toward the mine.  “A spy, huh?  How in hell did this little pile of shit get that gig?”

Curated results, Butter answered, judging the storm would hit them in about an hour at its current rate.

“Heh.  Yeah, I suppose when ya take out most of the competition yer all that’s left.  We still going with Plan A?”

Plan A-3, she chuckled, dropping back through the canopy.  Are things ready?

The cowboy walked toward the camp, a hum in his throat.  “The Warlocks did bring some glass containers, High Queen, but they’d rather not use the buggers liberally since our stock is low.  We’re going the nuclear route, huh?  As an FYI, we ain’t got a clue when we’ll be makin’ glass of the same quality.”

Carlos looked up as thunder shook the heavens again.  “Yeah, I suppose If there’s gonna be rain, we’ll have to bite the bullet.  The Orange-Eyed Monarch isn’t gonna be thrilled at the news.”

Mika silently glanced at the lieutenant from her elevated position, sitting cross-legged on her giant torlim.  “I’ll prepare the vials…  I still don’t know how this makes a plague.”

Butter snickered at the creased frown the Staff Sergeant gave the Warlocks as they crushed red worms into a paste before chanting and adding various other ingredients inside the large dirt symbol they’d made.

You let me handle Tiffany.  I’m more invested in this new clan and their angle.

“Their attack location?”  Mika asked, moving around the circle of Warlocks as they sprinkled dried flower dust and blood with drugged, living animals placed in specific spots to sacrifice.  “The mines are a solid resource to strike that the Roxim would certainly enjoy.”

Butter landed on the toad woman’s head, wings fluttering with a new sense of thrill at what was to come.  A solid resource for an act of war, it may be, my ambitious Sergeant…  Although, there’s a rather fascinating detail subtly hidden beneath all of this that piques my curiosity, and Nebu plays a critical role.

A sharp hiss came from Carlos as he walked down the lines of unintelligent undead to stand beside them.  “Ah…  You think they’re givin’ us the run-around, using one of their men to set up this whole scenario?  That’d be pretty tough stuff.”

Mika’s forehead twitched.  “How?  Are you saying they took the mines, knew we would send an army to reclaim it, and that Nebu would lead it?  They wanted me to kill a scout for Nebu to panic when he saw them.  It sounds too convenient to be true.  If it was generations ago, wouldn’t it be more plausible that their clan has fallen in decline and joined the clanless?”

It is possible, Butter agreed, eyeing the many soldiers in her broader field of vision; the ri’bot warriors were about to set off.  It could be a set of stupid coincidences that brought us here… or it could be a test or trap.  If Nebu is a spy, then there has to be more, and likely in other clans.  Isn’t that exciting?

The subtlety of weakening the valley over time?  You have to admit that a string of unfortunate events has occurred across the valley since the Fire Wars, which lines up with Nebu’s story regarding his ancestors.

Our arrival on this planet would have spread in the last seven weeks, and naturally, when hearing about this new power, they would need to see if we pose a threat to their current plans…  Valdar is concerned about other nations swooping in to take the valley for themselves, and I’d put more faith in his experience and judgment with his neighbors over blind luck.

Take the vials, Mika…  All of them.  You may die, well, heh, die again, in this trap, but you will not die alone.  It really depends on how intelligent these Susime are.  My wings won’t stop fluttering!  Ahh.  I’m excited.

“Understood.”  Mika’s tone said she was resigned to her fate if she did die, yet she wouldn’t go down without a fight.  “From what I’m told, these vials are similar to the Mysticism of the Flex?”

Oh, Mika, Butter chuckled, you’re in for a treat.

A few of the undead serving staff helped the humans prepare for the coming storm, but they were told to be ready to match at a moment’s notice.  Butter had wanted them to witness an actual battle.  Plans change, though, and the potential future value they had to offer was worth more than acting as test dummies on an unknown clan.

Butter remained on Mika’s head as she got off of her torlim to join Nebu; the first droplets of rain fell with the rising wind pressure.  She kept a close watch on the fidgeting ri’bot ‘warlord’ as he ordered the undead taxi he’d off-handedly asked for to proceed toward the mines.

He was nervous.  No, perhaps anxious would be a better word, Butter decided.  His gaze kept falling to Mika, trudging along beside him; even when the rain started, he rubbed his slick belly and curled his toes.  Little did he know, death was all that awaited him and his loyalists.  

As they descended the misty hills, thunder crashing overhead, Butter had to thank her luck that the wind wasn’t all that heavy this time.  It was a challenge to see beyond the large raindrops, given her size, though.  When they exited the jungle to the mine at the foot of the hilly region, whispers passed between the Wixum warriors.

Standing around a wide open clearing at the base of the slope—and in a horribly defended position—were at least seventy ri’bot of all colors and spot shapes, nervously holding mining equipment.

Mika instantly located five pure golden Susime; three younger warriors were heavily armed with polished green stone weapons and shields, while two middle-aged men leaned against white wooden staffs that glowed.  Fixed to the head of one staff was a dark brown stone, while the other was emerald green.

“What is this?”  she whispered to Nebu, who locked his lips and raised his hands in an x-symbol.  “We could slaughter these untrained… miners?”

“No, no!”  Nebu growled, breathing a sigh of relief when one of the golden warriors showed the same sign in the dying light, barely a sliver in the sky.  “Yes, I got the sign.”

“I’m going with you,” his second-in-command whispered, wiping the water off his slick forehead as his nose twisted.  “I don’t sense anything in the trees, and… they’re hiding something in those brush—see?  I don’t like this.”

“I have to go…  Hmm?”

Butter followed his fingers to what Mika had already pointed out; large tarps woven together out of vines and leaves, roughly two meters tall and around the clearing behind the enemy force.  The same warrior held up his left arm at an angle before linking his wrist to his elbow and holding up five fingers.

Make Nebu bring—well, isn’t this getting fun?  Is he allowed five guards?

Mika leaned closer to the petrified ri’bot, lacing her voice with a feminine charm she never used.  “I’m coming with you.  What would I tell The Empress and chief if we lost you?”

His general smirked.  “Yeah, I think we can handle some farmers, Roxim Rider.  What do you say, Warlord?  What are they demanding?  Single combat for the mine?”

A few of the ri’bot nearby chuckled with confidence upon appraising the rag-tag clanless throng, shaking in their boots at the force of over seventy warriors waiting to cut them to pieces; at least, that’s what these Wixum saw, but Butter saw things differently as several more gestures came from the golden ri’bot that made Nebu’s hands tighten against his plump belly.

Carlos, how close can you get without being noticed?

“I’m back a few hundred meters or so with a few of the more competent serving staff; Magdalena serves a mean brew.  Coffee…  Tch-haaa—that’s the stuff.  Gotta love thermoses, as well; one of science’s greatest inventions.  I wouldn’t risk moving up any further, High Queen, not without knowin’ their abilities,” he cheerily stated.  “Got a read yet, Mika?”

“I don’t like this,” she snarled, focusing on the golden ri’bot.  “They’re disciplined and ready for action…  Not Xaria, I’m sure, but I doubt I’d win in a straight brawl.”

“Oh?”  Carlos hummed, clicking his tongue a few times as the silent exchange between Nebu and the Susime continued; the Wixum were laughing as they spread out more.  “Even with your torlim?”

“Yes…  They’re probably on Fennel’s level.”

It’s a good thing we came prepared.  Is the signal game over?

Butter smiled as Nebu got off the seat, glancing toward her, not Mika; a flash of lightning lit up the small clearing.  “They… want to talk to the insect?”

Carlos’ tone dropped an octave.  “High Queen, we should retreat.”

“Mika, eh, come with me w-with some of your undead,” Nebu mumbled, reaching up to take his jacket of polished weapons.

“Warlord?”

“No, you can join me, my friend,” he said with a short, nervous chuckle while slapping him on the shoulder.  “They’re fishers and miners, boys; just keep an eye out for those golden ones.  Everyone stand ready to attack if they make a move.”

“Sir!”  The company of warriors saluted him and pulled out their weapons.  “For the honor of the warlord!  Woo-woo!”

“High Queen?”  Carlos pressed.  “This is a trap.”

For the honor of the warlord and not their clan, huh?  Butter wanted to roll her eyes at the intimidation tactic.  Well, that says a lot.  Hehe.  Yes, Carlos…  We should retreat.  However, we won’t run because that’s what they expect from us.  This is more than a trap…  It’s a test, and my sister wouldn’t run.

Peering through the pelting rain at the calm and collected golden toads, she centered on the one with the emerald green shard lowered into a crouch.

They have more information on us than I imagined…  Information only one creature would likely have.

“Shade,” Mika growled, stepped forward.

Carlos jumped across the upper branches.  “I’m on my way.”

No, stay where you are, Butter ordered, causing him and a few of the serving staff to freeze in place.  We can’t look weak after being called out.  This is a cordial invitation, and I’ve never turned down a dance.

She giggled as Mika took Nebu’s left and his general took his right.  She selected specific unintelligent undead to join them; three of the Normal B-tier took up their rear, vials implanted inside their covered abdomens.  One had glowing blue eyes, while the other two shimmered with a red light, like Mika’s.

I can’t go back to my sister without something to show.  How confident are you in escaping, Mika?

“Fighting?  I’ll lose.  Running?  I think there’s a good chance I can make it out.”

Excellent!  Let’s meet our northern neighbors…  Hmm.  A familiar tug pulsed from one of the staves, resonating with something inside her.  Hold on.

Mika instantly came to a stop, prompting Nebu to do the same.

“Hmm?  Hehe.  W-Why are you stopping?  I’m here for you—don’t worry!”

“What is it?”  Mika hissed, hand lowering to her dagger; the golden ri’bot eyed her, fingers finding their own weapons.  “The one with the emerald gemstone is looking at you, High Queen.  Should I retreat?”

No…  Butter’s curiosity hit new peaks as she stared at the shiny gem, glistening slightly to her enhanced vision.  Get closer so I can be sure of what I’m sensing.

Mika continued, causing the tension to lessen, but it was a different story inside the Nexus.

“Is it a threat?”  Carlos asked, eager to jump into action.

Perhaps, Butter whispered as they drew near the center, and the five Susime walked forward.  I sense Death Energy in that green shard and a weak Life Force in the staves.  I think we can now assume why Shade contacted this…  Well, heh, they do know how to deliver a show.  Scary!

The wind picked up, ripping off the leafy tarps to show the light-blue-skinned Wixim warriors that no doubt defended the mines before being pinned to the rocks and left to suffer; it was quite the intimidation tactic for the Nebu’s force.  The warlord froze in place, skin color darkening slightly in shock; many of his personal armies turned the same shade at the sight of their brothers and sisters.

Skewered from the butt through the mouth, smooth stone spikes jutted out of the ground, piercing their bodies; six dozen of them in all, the coverings ripping away one by one with the shrinking wind.  Some of them still twitched as the rain fell on the quiet scene.

Hold, she ordered.

The brown shard on the glowing staff illuminated with the Susime Mystic’s golden skin, blinding the recovering Wixum, and Nebu dropped to his face as if worshiping their glory.

“For the Warlo—ahhh!  Y-ahh—”

His general jumped at the five; he used the spike that shot up to intercept him as a platform, only for a smaller thorn to jut out where his foot touched, pinning him in place.  He screamed as five more curved barbs exited to enter his shin, knee, and elbows.

Mika stood perfectly still as the warriors attacked the blinding ri’bot Mystic; his shining skin cast the rain and jungle in a golden radiance.  All that met Nebu’s loyal force were spears of stone, wood, or water.

Butter swiftly noticed a pattern as she observed; they all formed within five meters of the Mystic, and all it took was a casual stroll of twenty meters before all of the Wixum High Warriors were locked in place by the nature-based spears.

If Butter could wear a curious smile, she would, as black liquid leaked out of the Susime Mystic’s eyes, nose, mouth, and ears as the last of Nebu’s men was pierced from a pike out of the side of a tree; he was killing himself.

One of the Susime warriors supported the withering golden ri’bot, seemingly choking on his own blood from the stress his Mysticism had caused on his body; the staff fell from his grip.  Another golden toad caught it, almost handling it in reverence.

On the other hand, his fellow Mystic with the emerald staff simply held out the end of his stick for his dying comrade to press his forehead against its wet surface.

“In glory—ack… to Seg’tharis… I leave my light…”

Butter watched in fascination as his eyes faded with the golden hue of his skin, leaving behind a blotched mess of color and spot shapes; the remaining life force flowed inside of the emerald, piquing Butter’s attention as it was sucked into a vacuum to somewhere else.

“P-Please forgive me, Nergath, Seventh Finger of Seg’tharis,” Nebu pled.  “I-I didn’t know y-you would be here!”

The Wixum warlord’s general and best friend gurgled next to him, eyes wide and red blood mixing with the flowing water, unable to do much else but watch as he slowly died; this was the power of a Mystic and showed the difference between a High Warrior and Xaria.  “What is r-required of—”

“I was expecting something… darker,” Nergath whispered in a raspy voice, ignoring the quaking ri’bot warlord at his feet; he addressed her, refusing to look at anyone else as one of the Susime warriors lifted their dead Mystic, and another cradled his fallen staff as if a holy relic. 

A Clanless…  Butter laughed as the glow of the dead Mystic faded.  The Susime are transformed Clanless.  Huh.  Imagine that.  Doesn’t this keep getting more interesting?  What will…  Oh?

Butter felt a somewhat nostalgic wave as green fire lit from the gem, bathing them in light as flaming threads spun out to wrap around Mika, her undead, and her, wrapping around their very soul.

All chatter in the Nexus momentarily stopped as power welled up within Butter’s core; Elinor could likely sense this attack all the way across the valley, unseen hands gripping each string within the Nexus to bring it under Nergath’s control.  It was strong enough to bypass Tiffany’s distant shield against Shade since the earrings were too far away from Butter to act as a stop-gap.

[Life Tap II - A-tier] Activated.

[Death Field Purification] Activated.

Finally!

Nergath hummed.  “I am at a loss for how…”

“Heh-hehehe!”  For the first time since she could remember, Butter laughed with her own tongue, her musical voice mixing with the pattering rain.  “How… arrogant.”

“Now this… is something new,” Nergath whispered.

The green threads and flames flared a brilliant hue that matched the Mystic’s shimmering skin, trailing back to the source.  His fingers left the staff to be replaced by Butter’s own radiant white hand; the shaft flared to life, and Butter relished in the flood of life-giving energy that exploded within her.

“High Queen, I-I can’t…”  Mika cried, shielding her face while stumbling back.

As if shedding a cocoon, a blast of purified Life Force gave her access to her full spiritual form, given a physical shape through the influx of energy; she’d longed for this moment since she’d awoken inside her sister’s soul.

Mika retreated behind a tree to not get caught up in the radiant golden fire, yet Nergath simply stepped back a few paces to observe her, squinting with a soft smile.

Drawing in from the dense source of corrupted spirits trapped within the shard, Butter freed them from their shackles by converting every drop of corruption into life-giving bliss.  Every freed creature was a beat of her heart as it solidified her form, yet she knew the tragic bait this gift was: her form was unstable, and the moment she ran out of fuel or let go of the staff, it would collapse.  Still, she had a short time to relish in this wonder.

Butter silenced the nervous chatter in the Nexus; naturally, being a creature of life made the undead nervous since it was their weakness.  Her glory dimmed as she lowered the output, buying herself more time before the emerald was drained of its corruption.

Running her fingers through her liquid-like golden hair, she relished the tingling sensation it left across her scalp and fingers.  She was naked, but that never bothered her; Butter was proud of her body, after all.

Opening her bright, turquoise eyes, she smiled at the curious ri’bot, enjoying the feeling of warm rain on her bare skin and the rich scent it carried on the stormy breeze.

“Allow me to properly introduce myself, Nergath, Seventh Finger of Seg’tharis.  I am Butter, the High Monarch of the Evening Star.  I believe you were expecting my sister.  How unfortunate, hehe; not that the outcome would be any different.”

She flashed her teeth, joy budding in every fiber of her energetic body.  “What can I do for you?”

Nergath’s gaze drifted from her golden, flaming figure to the shining staff in her hand.  “You have already shown me all I need to know.  Hmm.  I’ll be in touch.”

Butter lifted an eyebrow as he turned to take the other staff from the warrior.  Meanwhile, Mika hovered in the distance, unsure if she should act.

“Not going to try and take back your precious Staff of the Dead?”

A twist came to the man’s lips, showing three hidden teeth on the inside rather than external like the valley ri’bot.  “Consider it a gift as a show of my respect, High Monarch of the Evening Star.  We have replacements.  Oh, and a parting present…”

With those ominous words, he casually waved his new staff, turned, and left without another sound; the three warriors followed him into the veil, carrying the shriveled corpse of the dead Mystic.

“W-Wait!”  Nebu tried to get to his feet, only for spikes to shoot through the mud and penetrate his feet.  “Ack—n-no, I did—I did what—ahhh!”

Barbs seemed to grow out of Nebu’s legs, crawling up his limbs to his arms, forcing him into an upright position as they spread through his bones and exited out of non-lethal openings.  

“No, please…  I did what I was told!  It hurts!  Stop!”

Butter’s focus shifted to the screaming ri’bot, whose bones turned to thorns under the Mystic’s power, leaving him for them to interrogate for answers.  She wasn’t quite sure of Nergath’s reasons for leaving him after just having a short meeting with her, but him giving her the staff without a fight had made her reconsider their encounter.

Carlos ordered the partially destroyed unintelligent undead to lumber forward.  “Should we bring them back or use the plague?”

“I don’t think so,” Butter whispered, fingertips touching her lips to feel the exhilarating sensation.  “This was merely a cordial greeting.  Hmm.  I need to speak to my sister before deciding what we should do about these Susime…”

She brought the green gemstone to eye level, seeing the color rapidly fading to a pure white as she soothed the spirits within.

So… they trap the spirit of their dead Mystics to resurrect them.  If that’s the case, then they have a way to reconstruct their bodies…  A thoughtful twist lifted her lips as her hand tightened around the life-channeling wood.  Shade, you sneaky bastard, taunting me like this…  What are you up to?

Her glow faded further to the minimal output in order to maintain her body, allowing Mika and Carlos to join her.  A wicked smile lit her lips while observing the destroyed Wixum force; the Susime were powerful, but how much of this was merely for show?

Her focus moved to Nebu, in shock from the pain he was currently experiencing.  “Let’s start getting whatever you can out of him.  I’m sure he knows the proper direction to the Susime camp.”

She moved closer to run a finger down his slick cheek, shivering at the smoothness of his skin, drawing more upon the staff to access abilities that instinctively came to her.  “And I’m happy to tell you that you needn’t worry about dying or pain when I’m here…  See?  Doesn’t my touch feel nice… warm?”

Nebu’s throat puffed in and out as all the torment left him.  “I-It’s gone…  What—n-no, no, no, no, no!  Don’t let it come back,” he pleaded.

“Of course not…  You’re so very precious,” Butter whispered in the field of blood-gurgling and dying ri’bot Wixum warriors, stroking his head as he trembled with the threatening return of the unrelenting, torturous barbs her lifted touch would bring.  “We have such a long night ahead of us… and I won’t let you pass on until I get everything I want.  Just… give me a moment to chat with these fine ri’bot.”

“No…  No, please…  Please!  No-haaa!”

Butter walked away, humming as the rain fell down her naked body, and Nebu’s screams returned.  “I wonder how long you made those poor ri’bot women suffer.  Hehe.  What a wonderful evening this is.  Hello, Clanless.  I am so glad you chose not to run!  We have so much to discuss.

“Mika, be a dear and bring me something to eat from camp; I’m dying to taste something that… isn’t dirt flavored—blah,” she choked while licking her rain-touched lips, falling off the greenery above.  “I have a body!  I want to celebrate a bit before it’s gone…  Just a little bit.”

Nebu’s tongue was more than a little loose by the time she returned.  From the babble of words that escaped his mouth, he painted a picture that involved over a century’s worth of planning in order to weaken and turn the valley ri’bot against each other.  It gave Butter a better grasp of how patient the Susime were.

She and Elinor had had quite some time to pick apart Shade’s methodology when battling for their soul, trapped together for hours with nothing to do but talk.  And talk they had, which was why she was starting to see a possible connection as to why Shade might have influence with this clan.

Like the Susime, the entity was slow and methodical, planting seeds and letting them grow.  The question was, why would he send the Susime after them only to introduce themselves and walk away?  What seeds were they planting?  Because there was always an angle.  Perhaps her sister would have better insight into the dark creature; depressing topics were more her thing, after all.

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