Auratic

sɔop ǝlƃooפ

Alicia was called to a rather unusual place, the small hamlet that was built at the edge of the forest to receive outsiders. It mostly saw comings and goings from vendors and merchants associated with Albertini’s firm along with the occasional peddlers seeking the unique products solely produced by Velauhart - Magna apis Mellifera honey and extraordinary silk that stretches without tearing or losing shape - unknowingly or not attempting to secure some for themselves and troubadours seeking shelter. It was mostly inhabited by the former slaves Alicia freed with frequent visits from “Elves of the Black Forest” - or so they have been dubbed by the outsiders that stay for the brief - were vastly different from the usual half-elven tarts closer to humans that they ogled, namely longer ears, sharp senses, sharper wit and, it going without saying, the sharpest being their arrowheads. Few scoundrel stowaways often learned the last point first hand. Those qualities, combined with them moving quieter than a owl’s down on grass, attracted followers by their own right, be it as admirers or challengers. With their judgement being dealt swiftly without pretence, usually in the form of an arrow to the neck, they were quickly established as the sentries of the hamlet.

Groundless rumours and gossip borne from the implausible settlement in the forest were carried far and beyond the small confines of the hamlet, retold each time with fewer and fewer facts, and more and more fantasy. It was a given though, that few things remained a staple, of which the mysterious woman in white, known only as the Mistress that revealed only to greet those bearing esoteric offerings from distant lands and spending loosening her coinpurse generously to buy miscellaneous paraphernalia should it catch her fancy. And one was considered exceedingly fortunate if they could bear witness to magicals feats of wondrous proportions that she may perform. Some real, some imagined, all the more enticing for bored middle-class, glory seeking knight-errants and curious travellers. The person in question however had no clue of the peculiar notoriety she had amassed.

This time however she was not here to browse vendibles. Though that did little to deter her from taking in her surroundings at her leisure. She had almost no involvement in the design and construction of the growing vill. As she often made her visits when it was crowded with merchants and busy overall, she hadn’t quite found the time to inspect the construction aspects seriously. But now it seemed like the perfect opportunity she was looking for without much traffic. Picking the largest building she could find, which happened to be the caravansery guesthouse with a sizable stable at its side, she started circling it around looking for any obvious errors, damages or potential issues. With a glossary look from the outside showing no signs of stress, she started digging at the side building with her hands, enough to reveal its cobblestone foundation. Kneeling down, placing her palm against it to examine the foundation with magic, she felt that there were far more people inside than she expected, but she thought nothing of it since it wasn’t rare for some travellers to stop by, and carried on with her original intent.

⟨ Earth Aspect ⟩

Her magical energy permeated through the stone substructure, divulging her of its minutiae.

‘Raft foundation… no cracks… The soil is packed nicely beneath it but doesn't reach the hard strata… Unlikely to settle unevenly, must’ve compressed the soil with magic… quick and dirty but it will work. I don’t think this thing has a drainage system, not like we have some plastic pipes that I can stab holes into…’

⟨ Water Aspect ⟩

‘…Almost nothing… not a lot of moisture… won’t be wearing out to water damage anytime soon. Still, it needs a foundation drain, a weeping tile perhaps. The old fashioned way, with fired clay… rain and snow is going to be mean without it. Just gotta dig a trench, fill it with gravel, give it a nice filter mesh sock and it will be all good. In the worst case, someone with water affinity can force the humidity away from the footing with magic. Eh… good enough, they get a passing grade.’

Satisfied with the work of her Araneae put into the construction she stepped away, just in time too as Alfred had come to receive her.

• “Not like of you to be late, something wrong?”

Holding her head low she answered.

• “Apologies mistress, we’ve had to receive unexpected guests.”

The strange emphasis on the word guests made Alicia curious. Furthermore, there were no visits scheduled from Albertini’s firm for at least two weeks.

• “Who are these guests?”
• “Refugees. From various razed villages. Rather, it would be more apt to say that they are strays picked up by Echo on her returning journey.”

‘Oookay… First a moth with Goldia. I expected a puppy, or a kitten from Anna but not humans… from Erwin no less.’

• “How many?”
• “No less than fifty. 37 females of which six are juvenile and two elderly, at least 16 males, eleven of which are juveniles and three elderly. In addition, seven horses; three rouncey, four corsiero breeds and various other potentially useful acquisitions.”

‘She’s been busy counting heads I see…’

• “No followers?”
• “None. The Empire’s men think they have a few deserters in their ranks.”
• “Well… If they’ve been stranded out there, they might have ended up as barghest bait. Where are they staying now?”

Her head turned to look up at the building beside her momentarily before answering.

• “Inside the guesthouse.”

‘Ah, so they were the ones who I sensed on the inside.’

• “Well that’s good and all, but whether they wish to associate with us is… another matter entirely.”

Alfred’s face turned to one of proud satisfaction for but a fleeting moment as she replied.

• “Echo assures that will not be an issue.”

Alicia, wise to Alfred’s mischievousness, suspected something was up.

• “How… so…?”
• “The humans appear to have managed to delude themselves into believing Echo to be some sort of herald in service of a higher power. It seems that her mesmerisms have had a profound effect on their strained minds.”
• “This reeks of something awful…”

Alfred’s face had slowly twisted into an unrestrained, smug smile, like that of someone about to deliver the punchline of their greatest joke.

• “The higher power she serves is none other than you milady. They regard you as something of a Divinity.”

All of Alicia’s hair stood on its end.

• “You’re joking… right.”

As dry-wit as she was, Alpha was not one to mix personal amusement with her work, that Alicia knew as a fact from working with her. So why did she ask a question that she already knew the answer to… It was quite simple, Alicia wanted it to be a joke.

• “I wouldn’t dare, not once.”

And with that, reality of the situation had set in. Never before did Alicia wished to disappear as the seafoam did. In accordance to her will, stealth took effect, obfuscating her already faint presence.

‘Echo! I would love to compliment you for your work but why in the name of hell did you make me into some sort of deity. I have one tribe too many already.’

• “There is another, more concerning matter.”

With the previous topic too embarrassing to dwell on, Alicia gladly jumped at the opportunity to change the subject.

• “Good- I mean, what is it?”
• “I believe it is better to hear from the source, this way please.”

Led by Alfred, the two arrived at a stable some distance away from the hamlet, as it was built to house the horses of visitors it was mostly empty most of the time. There, Erwin was feeding fruits to horses as she was stroking them, accompanied by two men. The mounts were quite different from ones that usually occupied the stables. Smaller build, quality saddles on their back, blinders on the reins, just from cursory look alone it was quite clear that they were not the sort of horse that a typical trader would bring along.

As they came closer, Erwin took notice and held her head low in reverence, the two men that were with her instead took a knee in an unexpectedly practised manner. Even the equines seemed to follow suit, somehow.

‘Horses too… I was doubtful of her, what was it? Hypnosis? No no, it's mesmerism, she was adamant about it not being hypnosis. Apparently it works on animals too. As for the men… empire’s soldiers. Defectors or… Echo’s new pets?’

• “Greetings, milady.”
• “Welcome back. Seems that there’s something important I need to hear from you.”

Erwin’s look of serene calm disappeared as she cast a dismissive look to her side.

• “Speak, human.”
• “Your grace, we were ordered to start cutting down trees for lumber, and this forest was where we’s supposed to go.”

‘I can understand what he’s saying but it sounds… off? I think it's still the common tongue… maybe with a dialect? Also, how much influence does she have over them…?’

• “Echo, are these… your new friends?”

In lieu of answering directly, Erwin opted to demonstrate.

• “Whom do you serve?”
• ““I swore fealty to the white lady!””

‘A lot… That’s the answer… Ugh… I thought Domination was excessive, meanwhile Erwin here is brainwashing people into some sort of religious nutcases. Just don’t think about it, just don’t think about it.’

Echo still wasn’t sure if the actions she had taken of her own accord were correct. She was hoping for a resolution, was it approval or reprimandation. Studying her beloved mistress’ expression, she couldn’t tell for sure, yet it may just have had just the modicum of displeasure, something she absolutely dreaded.

• “Seems like we have to prepare a warm reception for some guests. Now what would army men hiding in forests want more wood for?”
• “In preparation for the siege by the third mixed army, for siege engines methinks. We were just told to make a stockpile near the black forest, closest to the town without being seen, they said.”

‘Of course… they’re not just going to bang their heads against stone walls and those vertical grate doors… whatever they’re called. Catapults, ladders, rams, those giant wood tower looking things yeah… should be something to see… from a distance that is.’

• “The Empire’s making their move it seems. How many I wonder…?”
• “That… w-we don’t know.”
• “Lie, and it won’t just be your life that will be forfeit.”
• “I swears it, I don’t know! They just said it's going to be enough to make the stubborn lord of this land concede immediately!”
• “Alpha, that’s enough.”

‘Army hm… modern militaries can field hundred thousands of soldiers easily if they wanted to, in this world, without the advancements in roads, transport logistics, chains of command and before the discovery of radio… organising an army is going to be hell. So I can low ball it quite a bit. But he did say it's enough to make someone stubborn concede, so they’re likely to utilise overwhelming numbers to their advantage… Tricksy, tricksy…’

• “When will this army arrive?”
• “The lieutenant said that Captain Moreau received a letter telling him the third army had already departed. He says it won’t take longer than ten days of marching to arrive here, that was two days ago.”
• “Just over a week’s time hm… isn’t that too fast?”

‘There should be at least two forts in their way before they can even make it to the edges of Viveria. They’re acting as if it won’t even be an obstacle to them…’

• “Alpha I need intelligence on Fort Caermana and Fort Grounvall, any additional information about the coming army is also appreciated, time is of the essence here.”
• “There are few Huntresses available for tasking. I shall inform them of their assignment immediately.”
• “Remind them that a safe exit is their priority. Has there been any response from Pyrinia?”

• “None thus far.”
• “So they’re completely in the dark, won’t be long until the grand premiere then…”

Armed conflict, city siege, international politics, treachery and betrayals, things had escalated far beyond Alicia’s comfort zone. Although it was something she really wanted to stay as far away as possible, stowing away to herself in a quiet corner of this world, the world had already made its decretum.

• “What do you think the kingdom is going to do? Do you think they have a chance?”

An open question to everyone, but there was really only one that could give a satisfying answer among them. Alfred stopped to think, exhaustively considering all the possibilities and the hypotheticals, carefully picking her words. It was Alicia’s first time seeing her at her wits’ end.

‘Heh, so you’re not a supercomputer made by gods after all. That’s fine. The company of one is already enough.’

• “Unfortunately, I cannot presume to know the minds of the Kingdom. However, what I do know is that they’re going to find themselves caught off guard with the whole situation, and react with confusion and panic. Flat-footedness that will cost them the crucial time needed to enlist forces and mount a defence. It would perhaps be wiser to consolidate elsewhere and retake the city.”
• “Even if Valtima region won’t capitulate in its entirety, the odds are stacked against them in the coming engagement is it?”
• “It would appear so.”

Alicia finally found an answer to the question that was plaguing her for a long time.

• “Then, let's even it up our way. Alpha, call Gamma, tell her I have a job just for her. Oh and also tell Llynbel to come find me.”
• “As you wish.”
• “Echo, you did well.

It came suddenly, but it was without a doubt an approval. Such a shock it was to her Erwin froze up, her luminous scales lost in discordant colours, a window to her mental state.

Now, take Delta with you, I need an accurate, topological map of the area just outside the forest. Remember to include the outskirts of Viveria. Take in more refugees, any that you can spare to save.”

• “At Once!”

She finally recovered from her stupefaction, and moved to carry out her new task with pep in her steps, something that was somehow shared to the two human soldiers that was under her thrall. Her hair and scales turned to bright yellow and teal as she went.

‘Huh… So that's her happy colour… Wait a minute, is she a goddamn chameleon?’

Auratic

A Mesmerising Chameleon Araneae.* I contracted a nasty case of food poisoning and had to recover for the last few days. No funni this time. Only pain. You're invited to join me in misery.

most PSYCHOTIC female TARANTULA