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Elinor took a casual pace with her small party, heading directly east into Lethix territory.  From what she’d been told, the clan’s Mystics had died out two generations prior, which meant they were only dealing with warriors, but with the loss of their Mysticism, they’d sharpened their martial skills.

Her father took point while Quin watched their tail; Adoncia and Angélica were with her Horsemen on their sides to identify any threats and gather Death Energy, but Elinor wasn’t particularly concerned.  Naturally, the giant quen’talrat would pull the most attention, and she only needed the chance to speak to one of their scouts to initiate the next part of her plan.

As for their rather prickly and annoyed Delthax Xaria escort, the pair kept themselves at a distance while studying them.  They’d grown more cautious since entering Lethix land.

Halfway through their second day, Elinor walked alone through the dense brush, a smile lifting her lips and wooden bo staff held against her butt as she scanned the foliage.  The tigerkin lived up to her namesake, prowling somewhere among the gnarled branches and towering trees, light beams breaking through the canopy high overhead to illuminate the chattery jungle.

One bonus in being undead was the innate bug repellent; insects and small rodents appeared to instinctively know not to approach her.  Then again, maybe it was because they knew they wouldn’t get anything out of her.

The sounds she made while on the move had dramatically decreased over the last six weeks on this planet, and Xaria Meji jumped out of the trees ahead of them to confirm that they’d been spotted, not that they were trying to hide in their slow walk.

Her father’s voice linked with her mind.  “Scouts…  Skilled ones, according to Meji.  They’re signaling to surround and observe us; Meji says a runner has already been dispatched after spotting Quin.”

As we planned they would, Elinor mused, slowing to a stop to leave herself open.  Slowly return to me.  Tell Meji and Ectria to join us in the open.  If they’re uncomfortable, they are always welcome to return home and report in.

“Eh-haha.  I don’t think they’ll like that answer.”

That’s the point.  They need to appear defenseless to act as honey to lure in the big names and skip the troublesome parts.  We’re not hiding or planning to resist.

“I’ll let them know…  They’re not a fan of returning or this plan.”

Tough.

White’s commanding voice held a cautious point.  “I just spotted my first; on the eleventh tree to my north, two to the east.  I could hit it with an arrow, but I believe it is taunting us, attempting to discover our perceptive radius.”

No need to get antsy; we’re just waiting for…  She hasn’t learned anything, Elinor muttered.  “She should be getting stronger.”

“Rawr!”  Valentina pounced at her back, clawed hand aiming to slash at the back of her neck.

Elinor’s fingers tightened against the shaft of her weapon, green flames sparking across their length; space split above her, a chain shooting out to connect with Valentina’s middle finger, a second launching out near her left shoulder to latch onto the tiger’s swaying tail.

“Whaaah—ugh!”  Valentina cried out as her attack was thrown off course, suddenly left hanging by a single finger and her tail; it was a lot less difficult targeting weaker points on her body than trying to hold her limbs.

“Eesh…  Ou-ou-ou-ouh!”  Sighing, Elinor flipped around to bonk her hard on the head as she dangled before releasing the chains for the tiger girl to hit the ground.  “Ack!  How did…  Those chains are so cheating!”  Valentina hissed, rubbing her head before her hair went stiff.  “I-I mean—sorry, Empress!”

“Be gentle on her, Honey,” her father chuckled.  “She’s trying.”

She’s not even Level 6.  Perhaps I’ve been too lenient on allowing the undead to do most of the hunting, and the Horsemen are doing all the killing.

“True,” her father mused.  “Some of my Dusk Knights told me about ‘partying up’ providing shared EXP.  Maybe you could ask her to join a party to see if it works?”

Hmm.  It’s worth a shot.

Elinor held out a hand to pull the frustrated girl up.  Part of the problem was their severe level difference: she had an entire empire of people gaining her EXP, and sure, it seemed as if there was a diminishing return or some kind of split that went to her undead, but despite it being constantly active, she was miles in front of the beastkin.

“Don’t be so predictable; it’s the fifth time you’ve attacked my back in a row.  You’re going to have to find a better way to get past my defense, in general, Valentina.  Adapt.  Because even the average maids could likely handle you at this point.”

“I’ll do better…”

“Also, will you join my party?  If you say yes, then maybe you’ll gain some of the Experience from the empire.”

“Yeah.  That might help,” she mumbled, the seventeen-year-old girl glaring to the side and rubbing her head; she was trying not to cry.  “Can I go hunting with the Horsemen when we’re out of enemy territory?”

“Yes,” she confirmed, privately calling Quin to her side.

She needed the tiger to get stronger faster since she was one of the few people with a Seed that could potentially keep up with her and provide more answers.  That being said, she wasn’t growing as fast as Elinor had hoped, and not at all by just sparing with her, which meant she needed to swap tactics, and the party suggestion was something to test.

The others returned shortly after finishing with Valentina; the scouts would be watching them at this point and freaking out about two Delthax Xaria being with them, and that was the plan.  Her father sat beside her with the Xaria, the maids helping an embarrassed Valentina and chatting with the girl as Elinor’s mind drew to the various signals her distant undead gave off.

A loud roar silenced the jungle’s critter chatter when Quin jumped out of a massive tree, letting their message and purpose be known.  “Daring scouts and brave warriors of the Lethix, the Chief of the Dead demands an audience with Chief Utren; we come without ire or ill intent!”

Now, we wait, Elinor whispered, sitting on a large root to lean against the base of the tree it was connected to.  Inform me when we get somewhere, Dad.  I’ll be observing our progress from within the Nexus.

“Take your time; I’ll keep the area defended,” he gently returned, sitting beside her to study the jungle with Quin and the maids.

He swapped gears, motioning to the cat girl.  “Valentina, join me.”

The tiger’s ears pulled back, seemingly thinking she was going to get scolded again as she slunk over to hop up on the root to sit across from them.  “Okay…”

“Tell me about yourself.”

Elinor’s chest shook with laughter at the fatherly tone in his voice; he was turning out to be such a softy when it came to teenage girls; well, she only had Butter and her friends back home as a ruler, but maybe that was just because of her.

Entering her inner world, the outside jungle melted away to the vast, open view of the valley from the Delthax observation area.  It held the same looping, static scenery that she’d viewed during her visit with Chief Kalix.

The scenic vision may only be a memory, but Elinor could project the Nexus blips throughout the landscape, giving her a better visual image to plan with.

This inner world had quite a few hidden features that provided far more utility than Valentina seemed to think; she could train with any one of her undead in this mental arena if she so wanted, yet it wasn’t as effective as battling in the real world.

Elinor played with her thumbs behind her back, focus shifting to the south, where Emelina traveled with a few other maids to support her ambassador.  She looked forward to learning what progress they’d made with the Clavex and nalveans when she finally got the opportunity to reach the Great Ruby Lakes.

She looked to the southwest, where Garu had raced off to discover what happened to his people.  After five days, he seemed to have reached his destination, or he was too far away for her to sense his active movements.

If she could gain an influx of Ethereal ri’bot that possibly far outstripped the powerful scout, she could take more direct action.  Elinor hoped Garu could give her some more insight into the mysterious Prume Clan from his investigation of his birthplace.

She still played a deadly game and needed more leverage and options.  Her enemies, primarily the nasty shadow entity that assaulted her, weren’t going to sit idly on their butts doing nothing.  Shade’s influence was at work plotting across the world to redirect attention to her, as well, and just because she’d garnered some clout with the Wixum, Delthax, and Roxim didn’t mean a lot when all of them still saw each other as rivals of sorts—even the Delthax were becoming sick of their ‘ally’ Wixum.

Then, the Scarlet Hand were gathering supporters and an army in the west, using Elder Chief Krava’s fear and hurt pride to their advantage.  Not to mention whatever other races and factions would be against her in this alien world.

Valdar was putting in work with his grandson and clan to smooth things over when she finally managed to get things moving.  There would be resistance to uniting the warring clans, but if she managed it, she could have influence over a quarter of the entire valley, not to mention a wealth of resources.

Elinor’s tight eyes turned to the north, where Butter marched with the forces they’d been able to marshal thus far; it was a risky play, given the unknowns that might come from the conflict.  She could sour her negotiations with the Lethix from any number of scenarios that could play out when recovering the Wixum mines.  Still, it needed to happen, and Butter had proven herself to be quite the strategist and level-thinker already.

Visualizing the borders Valdar had shown her by using the valley landmarks and rivers, Elinor’s lips curled while observing the southern half.

If she formed an alliance between the Delthax, Wixum, Flex, and Lethix while expanding into Clanless territory, then she’d be on the Komath’s border.  With the powerful Xaltan, the Komath’s largest southern competition, to their east, all she had to do was get a meeting with them to pincer Krava and the Scarlet Hand in a vice to squeeze the life out of them or force them over the mountains to the south, where Klaus was busy at work.

Gradually, she was setting up her board and pieces.  It made her want to get into chess again with Butter; she’d gone through a short phase of it with a few of her cheerleading and gymnastics friends when in elementary and junior high, using it to pass the time when waiting for parents or events to come since it became trendy.

Summoning a comfortable armchair on the black wooden platform, Elinor leaned against the side while examining the east side of the valley.  Most interestingly, the Roxim held a colossal piece of land—the second largest—and it was a very well-defensible location with its plateaus, rivers, cliffs, and rocky descent to the grassy Great Planes.

Her focus drifted between each location within the Rosim territory, thoughts returning to the conversation she’d had with Valdar; it would have taken some time for Krava to leave the valley due to the terrain, taking the vulnerable Scarlet Hand human and traveling through hostile lands.

To get to the Great Planes past the eastern mountain range, he had to skirt his Xaltan enemies to the southeast without being seen; if he were spotted, they’d know the Komath were vulnerable without their Chief and attack.

And, thanks to the tense relation he had with the Roxim, who controlled the entire stretch to exit the valley, the Torlim-riding clan would likely give no quarter, either.  It made for a perilous journey.

The Elder Chief should only now be searching the many grassland cities of the Great Chiefs to discover their whereabouts, according to Valdar, and that was if he escaped notice and didn’t need to return to his clan to defend against the Xaltan.  Yet, no one knew where the Great Chiefs were, and that search could buy them precious time.

In addition, the two Great Chiefs were on entirely different parts of the colossal territories.  He could and needed only go after one Great Chief’s support, so she still had to be careful and swift in gathering an army.

From what little Elinor could see from her vantage point, stretching over 200 kilometers away, it was the steep downward slope to the grassy hills of the planes alone.  It was stunning to see how clear the air was in this world that allowed such a view.  It also told her that she had many decent areas to defend in case of a valley siege.

If Krava did manage to convince them, she had to have the Roxim and Xaltan on her side.  If she had control of most of the valley, then she could put pressure on him by leveraging his clansmen and territory.  Her first order of business was creating an iron wall between Krava’s people and the Wixum by bringing the Lethix and Flex under her thumb.

Her focus shifted to the rocky cliffs that ran along the east side of the valley, where the mysterious Prume were situated; they were the wildcard and held the best defensible position in the entire area.  If they chose to side with the Komath, then she would be in a dire position since they could attack the Flex and Delthax, providing reverse pressure, and if the Xaltan somehow joined Krava, they had a solid angle of attack from several fronts to overwhelm her.

Then again…  Elinor’s attention was snatched by the ominous black visage of the former quen’talrat fortress city.  It couldn’t be abandoned, and where she currently stood, she couldn’t afford another enemy that could crush her entirely from their high position; plus, nearly all of the riverways were accessible from its vantage point, allowing for ease of access to any territory by ship.

She had to investigate it to prevent a surprise attack, but it was a potential weakness and something she should pay some attention to; Garu would be perfect for investigating it when he returned.

Too much to do and not enough manpower to accomplish it all, she sighed, swapping her crossed legs to take note of various other landmarks that required further investigation.

Krava can take easy control over the Wandering River and the valley’s southwestern exit to reach the nalveans for support.  He’s likely already sent someone from his people to plead for help…  Klaus has that front, though.  Plays are in progress…

Elinor turned her focus away from her strategic analysis of the macro plays to her micro development regarding her Feats when her father disturbed her.

“A 4th Rank Scout is speaking to us from a distance.  Do you want to talk to him, or should I?”

Go ahead, she replied.  I’m not interested in talking to field commanders.  If there is anything interesting to report, make a note of it; inform me when we move to their village.

Her father took command of the outward monotony as she studied her advanced Feats in the last two days:

 

[Base Feats]

[Primal Force X - Refined - a new vein of Innate Primal Energy within the user has been tapped; EXP multiplier increased]

 

[Life Tap II - Advanced to C-tier]

[Darknes Vision II - Advanced to B-tier]

 

[Equipped Feats]

[Grade Advancement - Butterfly III Unlocked]

 

[Phylactery II - Advanced to B-tier]

[Artificial Body II - Advanced to A-tier]

[Enhance Construct I - Advanced to C-tier]

 

[Achievement Feats]

[Chains of the Damned I - Advanced to C-tier]

 

[Minions]

[Edmon - Advanced to Uncommon-S - Level 15]

[Quin’Alse - Advanced to Uncommon-S - Level 17]

[Adoncia Vences - Advanced to Common-S - Level 15 (Max)]

[Angélica Tesoro - Advanced to Common-S - Level 15 (Max)]

[Horsemen of the Apocalypse - Advanced to Common-B - Level 15 (Max)]

 

The Primal Force refinement had finished, piquing Elinor’s interest in this ‘Innate Primal Energy’ that was within her and what it meant by a new ‘vein’ that had been tapped.  Logically, the first thought that came to her was the Seed that Butter mentioned when they first met.

EXP didn’t seem like some arbitrary number but a measurement of some force feeding her soul.  When her spirit had been corrupted, turning her into a Mythickin Lich Empress, what triggered the surge of Death Energy that destroyed her body and almost killed Butter?  There had to be a source to this development in her corrupted spirit, a transformation of sorts, and she wasn’t convinced it was the Seed that Shade and Butter had mentioned.

She touched the butterfly tattoos on the back of her shoulder; it stood to reason this was only the first stage of this Seed’s influence.  Her Rising Empire: 1st Petal and all the Feats she had were likely no different than Primal Force in that they only represented something far more fundamental underneath the gaming language used to help her understand the transition.

There was a secret to her change buried deep within her—Shade had more or less confirmed it in their discussion by mentioning this deep connection she shared with her sister—and she would get to the bottom of it… eventually.

Thinking of her sister brought Elinor’s gaze to the northwestern part of the valley, where Butter traveled with Carlos and Mika.  A great many of her servants had advanced, but there was that unbreakable wall they were hitting, just as Adoncia, Angélica, and her Horsemen had reached.  It didn’t seem reaching one’s max level had anything to do with one’s Grade, which was the most important upgrade since it seemed to correlate with a significant base multiplier.

Elinor was coming to believe it had a direct connection to [Raise Undead II], which meant she was the bottleneck.  She needed to raise more undead on their path whenever she got excess Death Energy from the Horsemen; Butter was also doing her part, evidenced by [Life Tap] growing and [Butterfly] being the first to hit Grade III.

Although, she did need to keep purifying Death Orbs to restore her spiritual health, which made her realize how important giving her access to [Life Tap] and command over the ethereal butterflies was now that they’d split up.

It was unfortunate that her phylactery plan hadn’t seen much success yet; it should bear fruit given time, however.  Her artificial body was growing in leaps and bounds now that she’d made a conscious effort to do all of her travel on her own, and training [Chains of the Damned] had given her a rather powerful form of defense in a disruptor.

As for citizens, she’d grown by a tiny margin, but it wasn’t noteworthy; if she wanted to reach [Rising Empire: 2nd Petal], she’d need the ri’bot to join her empire as citizens.

“Elinor,” her father prompted.  “We’re ready to move; the Xaria are keeping them civil.”

Good.

Glaring at her Level 15 status, Elinor exited her inner world to find a host of male Lethix warriors and scouts surrounding them.  Unlike the colorful and somewhat cute shades of blue that characterized the Wixum and Delthax Clans, the Lethix were a muddy brown, blending in with the dirt.

All of them were male, by their build and features, and many were around their mid-to-late thirties, which was middle-aged for the toads.  At the very least, they looked more formidable than the Wixum force, but that was a very low bar.

They raised their swinging slings as she rose to her feet and tossed her bo staff on the ground.  “I’m in something of a hurry.  Take our weapons and lead the way to your leader; I believe we have much to discuss.”

The 4th Rank Scout pointed them in a direction to follow them after tying up their wrists; it was a tad humorous to see them wrap Quin’s four arms in a tangled mess around her body when her fur could burst into flames at any moment to break free.

Her Horsemen dismounted, all of them coming a long way in their appearance since gaining skin and muscle; their weapons had come upon reaching Common-C and could be recalled at any time, yet they gave them up to the anxious warriors on her command.

White was a picture of radiant beauty, wielding a bow with deadly accuracy and supernatural force.  She was the youngest of her siblings, yet the most eager for conquest, inflicting hopelessness on her enemies and inspiring courage in those that followed her charge.

Red was a mass of muscle, armor, and brutality, his skin color matching his name; he usually carried a ruby great sword, bringing mania to the battlefield.

Black, the second born, held a pretty sort of sickly luster with her thin frame and raven hair, wielding scales to balance her siblings.  Hunger and satisfaction came from her presence on the field.

Ash brought up the rear, a skeletal figure of death, trotting in the wake of devastation to gather the souls of those that had fallen.  As the eldest, he often guided his younger siblings, providing words of wisdom that often had his younger brother and sisters rolling their eyes.  Sickles and a scythe were his weapons of choice.

They walked beside their steeds on their path through the jungle.  The maids kept close to Valentina on Elinor’s orders, her father taking her side.  Quin was told to keep at a distance, most of the nervous warriors giving the giant ape-child their attention.  Valentina appeared more annoyed by their slow progress than afraid, which Elinor could appreciate.

A curious smile moved Elinor’s mouth as they continued to push east, curving slightly south to reach the far point of the Lethix’s territory; oddly, she didn’t see too many active villages on their journey, but there were signs of recently destroyed settlements.

She kept her silence on their journey for the next several hours until night began to overtake the valley, and finally, two young Xaria made their appearance—one male, one female.  They were accompanied by an elderly man that might be close to the age of Valdar, and had a similar feel to Krava, according to Quin.  Even further, a rather decorative, middle-aged male Xaria took up the rear: the Lethix Chief, no doubt.  They’d come in force, as Elinor expected.

Valentina’s hair stood up as they dropped out of the canopy to land around them, instincts probably telling her she was dead if she made a move.  However, the two male and two female Xaria were entirely focused on one another, the two younger ones taking their counterpart.

She ordered everyone to be passive as they observed them, and the leading scout reported to the chief, standing a distance away.  In the meantime, a few words were passed between the two male and female Xaria.

Ectria showed a tight smile, keeping a certain distance from the young female Xaria that circled her.  “Inora… you’ve gotten older.”

“What is your ugly tooth plotting, Ectria—sending two Xaria as bait?”

“Haha!  Says the 1st Rank Xaria that couldn’t touch my foot the last time I offered it, forcing Welix to save you?  Ooh.  That scar on your thigh didn’t heal well!”

“It’s a new season,” Inora snarled in return, expertly flipping a dagger around her hand.  “I’ve learned a few new tricks since then; I’m sure you’ve heard the rumors among those pathetic Wixum toe-snappers.”

A teasing smirk lifted the 2nd Rank Xaria’s face.  “I can’t say I have, and heh, we both know even without a weapon, I can kill most of you here.”

“Always boasting, liar…”

Meji’s exchange with the other male Xaria was a lot less chatty as a small pack of High Warriors soon surrounded them but kept their distance.

“Welix…”

“…Meji.”

The one Elinor took for Chief Utren observed them in the tense silence before looking from the circling Xaria, Quin, Edmon, and finally, her, showing a calm smile; his gravelly voice held a dangerous edge that matched the scar tissue covering his body.

“You are the one leading this suicide mission…  The Chief of the Dead?”

“I am.  I can’t speak to the two Xaria accompanying us, but we mean you no harm, and I think you will want to hear what I have to offer…”

“Which is?”  he asked, fingers playing with what looked to be a scimitar.

“Salvation for your dying clan…  Female ri’bot.”

A stillness came over the throng of almost entirely male toads, excluding the fiery Xaria; it did annoy Elinor a tad that they’d left out the fact they knew each other so well.

“What do you think, Grandfather?”  Chief Utren asked.

“Hmmm.”  The aged Xaria’s frame shook with laughter, leaning into his staff.  “Son, it’s rare I hear such amusedly confident words…  And a docile quen’talrat?  We shouldn’t be too hasty to make enemies of creatures we know nothing about; a valuable lesson learned during the Fire Wars.  Let’s hear them out in the forward base.  Will you join us, Ectria, Meji?  Bound, of course.”

Ectria gave her annoyed brown toad counterpart a mocking smirk and held up her wrists.  “I’ll see this through, Meji; report back to the Chief.”

“You sure?”  he calmly muttered.  “Don’t die.”

“Can’t someone just resurrect me if that happens?” she grunted, vision moving to Elinor; in that second, Inora had somehow managed to snake a thin vine around her wrists in a complicated knot and shoved her into the ground.  “Ugh—live it up, Brownie.”

“Snarltooth dry tongue,” Inora grunted.  “Hey—ggrh!”

Ectria somehow managed to flip her around while bound to enter a weird wrestling match with the other Xaria that everyone else just watched.  “Mud eating—foot licker!”

“Ick—keep that ugly tongue… away from my mouth; toothless splotch-colored Torlim sucker!”

Insults continued to pass between the two women as Elinor tuned them out; there was clearly a history between them.  The ‘ugly’ female Delthax Xaria and the ‘talentless’ female Lethix Xaria performed impressive leaps and maneuvers against each other in a flurry of blows, seemingly to the amusement of Chief Utren.

Getting the scuffle under control, Meji was allowed to leave since Ectria willingly gave herself up as a prisoner after getting a few good kicks in against Inora that soured the lower-ranked Xaria’s mood.

Perfectly capable of traveling throughout the night, they were guided to a massive hollowed-out tree stuffed with supplies for quick access.  Not bothered by the darkness, Elinor sat on a low-hanging shelf carved into the side to face the Xaria.

Ectria was basically tied like a hog and carried to the location by Inora, the two spitting venom at each other the entire way.  Welix kept watch over the rest of her party outside, talking casually with Quin.  Well, everyone, excluding her father, who refused to leave her side.

“What do you know about our plight, creature…”  Utren calmly asked, studying every inch of her.  “What are you, and how do you know our language?”

“Quite a lot of questions,” Elinor laughed.  “Allow me to give you a short synopsis of who I am and why I am here…  I have a proposition.”

The hours of night sped by as she explained the basics of what she wanted and how she’d come to live amongst the Wixum and Delthax.  She confirmed that there was a sharp decline in female ri’bot; birth rates among men had increased, and females decreased over the last century, sparking unrest and doubt as to their honoring of their ancestors.

It didn’t help that the Flex Clan was experiencing the same troubles and had sparked some contention between the allied groups.  The revelation was a shock to Ectria; in fact, the news was likely worth enough for her to try to escape and report back, but that wasn’t happening with four Xaria nearby, even if Inora was young and Elder Chief Dren advanced in his years.

Doubt came from Elinor’s suggestion of a neutral ground between the Flex, Lethix, and Wixum, utilizing their tri-territory meeting point as an area to test it out.  Utren’s tight gaze scanned her every action to look for a trap.

“Humans…  You’ve taken up residence with the Wixum and expect us to believe that yellow-bellied ‘Warlord’ of theirs will give up his power?”

A dark grin came to Elinor’s tone as her gaze drifted between the Chief and his grandfather.  “I haven’t heard any mention of a battle over the Wixum mines.”

“Because we don’t know where their mines are,” Dren chuckled, lifting a hand at the glare his son gave him.  “Valdar may be a devious old Mystic, but he is a man of honor.  He would not play such a dirty trick on us when we are so desperate…  If their mines were taken, it was not by us.  Hmm…”

He glanced toward the entrance to examine Quin.  “You’ve shown us proof enough at raising the dead, given these tiny skeletal Nimilra, but a young quen’talrat Elite Hunter…  Frightening, if an enemy.  You need to keep an appointment with the Roxim Chief?”

“I do,” Elinor cooly stated.  “I understand you have your doubts, and I’d like for you to explore your options—think about my offer—because I am more than willing to help mend your relations with the Flex, which should be tempting.”

“That’s—not part of the deal, Empress Elinor!” Ectria growled through her gag.

“It is a part of the deal,” she returned, rising to her feet to hold her hands behind her back.  “If I fail in my task, it would be troublesome, but not if I succeed.  Chief Utren, I will leave one of my maids and Ectria here as collateral to ensure my return.  Acceptable?”

Ectria snarled, prompting Inora to kick her stomach to shut her up.

The chief’s gaze shifted to her father.  “No.  Your Monarch will stay behind.”

Elinor’s mouth tightened, but her father shockingly intervened before she refused.

“It’s fine.  I don’t want to be away from you, but this will give us a chance to forge a stronger bond moving forward.  Plus, if we can convince Ectria that the Lethix aren’t savages, and open up some sympathy, then it will further strengthen our cause with Chief Kalix.”

Holding Utren’s gaze, Elinor begrudgingly relented.  “I will leave my Monarch and a maid to support him, then.  I will be back within a week—two at most.  It would be nice if you were able to convince the Flex to meet with us by that time.  A little trust must be given by all parties.”

A sly smirk lifted Dren’s wrinkled mouth.  “Do you know what would be interesting?  What if all the chiefs were to gather and see if we could live with one another in this… community zone that you mentioned?  My grandson has yet to find a wife, so…”

“Elder Chief!”  Utren grumbled, nose twisting with disgust.  “You are out of line.”

“Heheh.  Actually,” Elinor’s smile mirrored the Elder Chief.  “I think there is a rather excellent candidate among the Delthax.”

Utren’s brow furrowed, Ectria’s expression telling her not to even think about posing Valdar’s great-granddaughter, the Delthax’s nervous, next Grand Mystic, as a potential bride.

“Oh?”  Dren asked with interest.

“Hmm.”  Elinor waved her hand with light laughter.  “A discussion for later.  My Monarch will stay to observe your culture and make sure Ectria is treated… humanely, as dictated by how humane her tongue keeps—I hope you understand the concept?”

Dren’s wrinkled body shook with silent laughter.  “We understand the concept of ri’botane, Empress; the accords have been issued by the Supreme Chiefs themselves.”

“I see,” Elinor whispered, glancing toward Ectria, who seemed stunned she would ask after her safety.  “Haha.  Politics can be fun!  Now, I should continue to my meeting with the Roxim Chief.  Might you provide me a guide and escort?”

Chief Utren gave his grandfather a tight look, uncomfortable with how eager the elder was to find him a wife and explore this unorthodox proposal; times truly must have been desperate for their clan, because Utren sighed and waved his hand to one of the wide-eyed scouts standing nearby.

“Yeppa, take The Empress to our border and escort her to her destination.  When she returns, you will provide the border patrol with a detailed account to be sent on ahead of your activities.”

“Then I bid you farewell, Chief Utren, Elder Chief Dren,” Elinor cheerily stated to help get her mood across.

Departing with a respectful gesture, Yeppa jogged after her as she told her escort that they were leaving.  It wasn’t everything she’d wanted, and this new proposal by Elder Chief Dren was certainly spicy, but if she could form a bond between key members of each community, then her victory on this front was practically guaranteed.

Now… let’s see how Fennel is faring nearly two months after our departure.  We can cover quite some distance when not weighted down by supplies, sick, elderly, and being cautious of tipping off the Lethix border patrol, she noted, finding her hands behind her back.

Travelling in a straight line and trying to get caught helps, as well.  Three days to get picked up by the Lethix; it probably will take a week, nonetheless to reach the broken Crystal shelter.  I’m a tad surprised the Lethix were so willing to talk, but horny men with the option of plentiful women is a hell of a motivator.

I’m turning out to be quite the undead Cupid, she mused to her father, making him laugh.  What surprises will we find amongst the Roxim?

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