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Elinor watched the large circular disk descend, fascinated by its appearance.  If I didn’t know any better, we’re about to board an alien ship.  Ke’Thra’Ma had wonders in the Life Room, which he guarded viciously; so, what’s he hiding in this massive tower?

She giggled.  No, the real question is why he hid the schematics behind a false wall in the Library when he could have just placed it up here?  Maybe he just liked to be organized and have everything in one place, who can tell?

Tiffany smirked as the disk met the floor, hands held behind her back.  “I must agree, my dear.  Out of a scale of one to ten, I give it a nine.”

“Oh?  High praise for your taste.”  Edmon’s eyebrow lifted as he made a slight circular motion on the crystal he used to lower the platform.  “What’s the critique?  By the way, I don’t know exactly how long we need to wait for it to rise; the instructions were not entirely clear as the book was schematics, not a user manual.”

The Witch glanced around the glowing crystals with an amused expression, Elinor following her example.  “It certainly is fantastical.  The brute must have spent many nights looking up at the stars and galaxies in the sky, pondering their meaning.  The energy flow between the active and inactive crystals really was quite the sight, and the mysterious disk descended while blinding light expelled from above … classic, clean.”

Her lips shifted with her head to the left while pointing at the platform.  “However, it doesn’t even sink into the floor!  You’re supposed to step up like … half a foot.  It’s just not very … seamless.”

“Fair,” Edmon nodded while moving to step onto the disk.  His strong jaw shifted into a grin as he folded his arms across his armored chest, facing the Witch.  “So, Tiff, going to join us on this ride?”

Tiffany’s expression became conflicted before turning sour.  “I could … but I have people to heal, and a toad paralyzed to a table.”  She made a low growl in her throat, glaring at the void-like floor they stood on, left arm pressing up on her chest, her shirt sliding up to expose part of her black bra while she played with her short’s strap with her right.  “I’ll finish as soon as I can.”

Edmon shrugged as Elinor directed her ride to join her Gatekeeper.  “Guess I’ll enjoy it with the Empress and Iris, then.”

Elinor hid a wince, and as expected, Tiffany’s vision narrowed, cheeks sucking in for a moment before she gave him a forced grin.  “Yeah … yeah, you enjoy yourself with the spider.”  Without another word, she turned and stormed out of the hallway; Elinor could feel the anger in the communication she sent to the Quen’Talrat minions to open the doors, and within moments, she was gone.

Edmon’s brow creased, and he scratched the side of his short beard before huffing.  Dashing smile returning, he held his hands behind his back while looking up at her.  “Well, Empress, Iris, what do you think about this engineering?”

Iris hummed softly.  “It’s curious, but not something I’d waste time on.  Although, I am looking forward to seeing what sights can be found throughout the structure.  I sensed a change in Tiffany’s demeanor, but I do not understand her displeasure.”

“She may be Undead, but she still has the mannerisms of the Empress’ mother; she can get temperamental at times, and I suspect it was something I said.”  He replied absently.  His glowing blue eyes shifted around the dark room, focusing on several bright stones.  “She’ll stew over it, and then give me a chance to redeem myself.”

“I see, but what was the trigger?”  Iris asked, sounding genuinely mystified.  “By the way, Empress, I will need to exit your shadow within the next five minutes.  My time limit is up.”

“Oh, okay,” Elinor chuckled.  “Do you really not know what you did, Edmon?”

Edmon’s lips creased, and he shook his head.  “Not the foggiest; I try not to linger on things I can’t understand, and that woman is like a Unicorn.”

Elinor’s eyes scanned the room as it began to shift again, stones shimmering as the lights flowed like water, and the platform smoothly rose into the ceiling.  The bright lights of the Throne Room cut off as her minions closed the doors again.  It didn’t take that long to raise, and the doors can be open while doing it.  Good to know … and a Unicorn?

Iris asked her question, clearly unable to fully grasp the meaning through her translation skill.  While they rose, Edmon explained, examining each floor they passed.  “She’s unique, temperamental, magical, mysterious, and always stands out.  She does have a way of prancing about, too, excited to show off.”

His low chuckle drew Elinor’s eyes for a moment, and he rubbed his chin before saying, “You see how she manipulates her shirt when I’m around?  It’s her taunting me; I notice the small gestures she makes and what she tries to show off.  Every grin, smirk, shift of the hips; it’s a game to her, and Tiffany never likes losing.”

Elinor sighed, unable to fully relish the strange devices and stores of goods in each room as they rose.  Most of the floors seemed to be cut off by a sort of greeting room, blocking access to the areas beyond, but every entrance was decorated with different styles of paintings, furniture, and statues.

So, Edmon and Tiffany have this attraction game going on, and while it might not be love, they’re playing to the other’s sexual preferences.  It’s a little disappointing to find out they both recognize it, but perhaps it will bloom in time.  They can only tease so many times before something sticks.

Her mind found the prospect of her Royal Gatekeeper and Witch having a date more appealing than the artwork on each floor, and she had to pull herself back from the tantalizing thoughts as Edmon hummed softly.

“It’s an interesting design.”

“Hmm?”  Elinor asked, trying to distract herself from the romantic scene playing in her mind, but it was hard while staring at her former father’s roguish smile.

“If you look up, you’ll see there’s a metal sphere that’s the same size as the one we’re on.  It moves down and to the right once we reach the floor in question, but the placement moves in a circular motion by ten-degrees every level.  Although, we could be the ones slowly turning … no, it’s definitely the disks.”

“How fast are we rising?”  Elinor asked, examining the platform they stood on; it was large enough to accommodate two Quen’Talrat Ke’Thra’Ma’s size, giving them ample room with just a single skeletal Quen’Talrat grunt that was twelve feet tall.

“Faster than one would think,” Edmon commented while turning to survey the floors they passed.  “I counted eighty floors, and taking into account the size difference between structural design; I’d give it about a minute for us to reach the top.  So, any moment.”

Elinor didn’t respond, lips pursing as her mind returned to the furious Witch below; she could still sense the heat from Tiffany’s connection.  She really didn’t like that Iris comment after making this grand show for her; it was like a slap in the face, but it’s not like he meant any harm by it.  Although … maybe he knew it would push her buttons.

She pushed her cheeks to the side while glaring down at the Gatekeeper, continuing to study the differences in each floor with a critical eye.  Was he the one being petty?  I can’t really tell; he’s so cool and collected … like Iris.  He’s ice while Tiffany’s a raging fire of emotions.  He was pretty stoic as my dad … well, whenever it didn’t involve him losing control.  He really didn’t like Tanner.

Her thoughts melted away as they appeared to meet the top, and her mouth opened slightly with shock.  “Windows?”  She whispered, directing her minion forward while staring out at the massive valley, and Iris detached from her shadow, spider-like body rematerializing from the darkness.

“Fascinating,” Edmon muttered, joining her by the edge of the sheets to examine them.  “There’s no dust because … did he use titanium dioxide to coat them, or some other type of compound?  If he did, then it’s no wonder they’re still crystal clear, but the strength of the glass itself…”

Elinor tuned out his mumbling while he tried to figure out the physical properties of how Ke’Thra’Ma built it.  She glanced up at the arched stone ceiling, reinforced by what seemed steel beams, and there appeared to be a mural of glowing stones strung across the ceiling, depicting the night.  To her left was a place where they could go even higher, to reach the outside.

She turned back to the valley; the orange glow of the morning sun was breaking through the black clouds as the hurricane passed.  The dull, sickly color scheme of the jungle gave an almost autumn feel to the rolling hills.

An observation point for Ke’Thra’Ma to view his kingdom?  The Quen’Talrat were shunned to the desolate lands behind this mountain; it makes sense that he’d want the jungle that had been denied to him since birth.

Elinor left Edmon to wander the area while Iris stared down at the valley she used to roam, only this time from the air.  She directed her mobile throne to walk the opposite way to view the towering mountains that reminded her of the Great Rocky Mountains, showing off their white-capped peaks.

Snow … I didn’t think there would be snow in jungle climates, but I suppose if the mountain is large enough, there would be.  This entire world is new … so new.  Yet, as Valdar showed me, people claim different parts of this world already, which means I may need to contend for it.  First, I need to deal with the Ri’bot that trapped me here.

She returned to her survey of the valley, noticing a decent layer of dust on the floor that was slowly stirred up but was pulled toward a pink glowing gem placed in the stone and steel pillars between the large glass panels.  A filtration system?  I can breathe here, still.  Maybe whatever Edmon did reactivated many facets of this tower.

Her ghostly green irises swept the thick treetops; she noticed several clearings and even a flat ridge by the place the Roxim Clan should have been.  This thick blanket of foliage hides tens of thousands of Ri’bot … eight different clans of people.  I can even see the partially destroyed towers to the east and southwest.  That river, though … it’s massive, probably as big as the Mississippi.

Elinor addressed Iris, recalling the map she’d seen from Valdar.  “Were the Clanless you killed by that lake?”

Iris followed her pointed finger.  “Yes, around that area, perhaps a bit further to the west; there were dozens of them, and they were likely following sightings of the Clavex Clan’s progress along the river.”

Her vision narrowed.  What will I do?  I’m not sure how strong my military is compared to the Ri’bot.  I’m sure Iris and Edmon could kill dozens, and obviously, the sisters are no slackers … well, Violet seems to have some slothful tendencies, but she wouldn’t be slowing anyone down beside her mother in a conflict.

Edmon cleared his throat, at some point moving to stand next to her.  “Empress, what’s on your mind; you seem troubled?”

Elinor took a deep breath of the somewhat stale air before slowly releasing it.  “When I think about an Empire, I think about the U.S., Russia, China … massive chunks of land and this seems so small.  Yet, at the same time, it’s so vast compared to what I know about this world.  Where does that river come from?  How soon does it reach the ocean?  I don’t know anything about this planet, and it’s all a little overwhelming.”

A low hum resounded through the tranquil atmosphere as Edmon’s blue eyes scanned the valley.  “True.  We have so much left to discover about this fortress alone, much less the wonders held within.  I’m just happy we’ve found a strong fortifiable location, and this tower put my heart at ease.”

“The thing that I’m wondering now is which people we should visit first.  At the moment, we cannot upset or draw attention from the other powers of this world; I must first gain a foothold for my Empire.  The U.S. and every other nation never started out large, but slowly expanded, right?”

“Indeed,” Edmon responded, moving a few feet to her left to stare down at the colossal city below.  “We have a lot of repair work that needs doing to this stronghold, but that will require many more minions, which means we must expand, and fast.”

“Where to start, though?”  Elinor mumbled with irritation.  “The humans haven’t even settled in yet.  Should I just leave one or two guards behind, and the Clavex Clan … wasn’t there a warden Tiffany was talking about?”

Edmon’s smile turned sinister as he leered down upon the dense jungle; the warm atmosphere of the room quickly dropped as fog escaped the Gatekeeper’s lips.  “Most of that is irrelevant; one of the sisters alone could handle all of that, but you could leave a Thélméthra drone behind.  Also, Tiffany and I have already discussed the quickest method, and we agree after some debate; release Zombies into the surrounding Clanless territory.”

Elinor folded her arms, leaning back against the palm of the skeletal Quen’Talrat to stare at her Royal Gatekeeper.  “My vision of Zombies comes from movies; what kind are we talking about?”

“Eh,” Edmon tilted his head to the side, smirk clear as day.  “They’re basically braindead living bodies, infected by a magical-based disease that controls their host to do whatever you desire.  So, they won’t decay rapidly, but yes, they won’t last that long with the infection taking over their nervous system.  So, World War Z zombies.”

“Damn, I was thinking of The Walking Dead, but if they’re like that … I watched it last Halloween with my parents, and they were insane,” Elinor muttered, remembering different scenes from the movie, picturing them scaling the fortress’ massive walls.

“It’s one reason why it’s a dead-end Class; the zombies burn through so many resources, wasting their physical form away in a short time.  Once the infection strikes the brain, the mind is gone, and there’s no cure.  Everything that makes the person a person is destroyed and the only thing left is a ravaging hunger with only your orders as a leash.”

Elinor glared down at the massive walls separating the city from the jungle.  “I need an army, but should I kill all the Clanless?  Aren’t they just rejects trying to make the best of their lives outside their previous community?  I suppose some may be banished for other crimes, but could I incorporate them into the Empire?”

“You could,” Edmon shrugged.  “I won’t lie; I’m neutral toward the Ri’bot as a race.  It would be more proficient to make use of them.  Is that not something you wish to do?”

“Give me a moment to consider my options.”  Elinor leaned her head back, feeling the darkness press in as she retreated to her mind, blocking out the world.  This is it, the moment … the decision that needs to be made, but I keep putting it off.

I know I need to learn to live with all the things I can’t change, and I hate the fact that I feel nothing while below this void I’m reeling in pain.  Do I rid myself of all humanity, or can I still keep a piece of who I was?  I’ve been lying, saying I”m fine … I’m so empty inside.  I’m sorry, mom … dad, but I don’t know if I can keep fighting to care.  I feel like I’m losing my mind … everything I was.

Her gut tightened, and she felt the flames lick below, fire entering her veins and smothering her cold heart.  Just let me feel something, even if it’s hate … no more waiting and doubting; heartbreak makes you heartless, but I’ll give them one chance.

She opened up her entire internal network.  Valdar, you and Camellia will go to everyone in the Clanless areas around the keep.  Give them an ultimatum, join, or die.  If they choose to leave or fight, then set the Zombies on them.  I’ll be down in a moment to create them.  Those that join, send them to the keep for further instruction, Violet will receive them in the hall.  Bring a few of the Yaltha'ma to act as their guides.

The heat in Tiffany’s connection vanished in an instant, replaced by excitement.  “Oh, we’re making a move?”

Once I have the forces, we’ll march against the Lethix Clan and give them the same ultimatum on our way to the Delthax Clan.  The left side of the valley will be mine by the end of the day.

“Thank you for entrusting me with this task!”  Camellia said with joy.

Azalea chuckled softly.  “What about me?”

You’ll look over the humans, and make sure they don’t wander around too far.  They are not allowed in the Throne Room.

“Understood!”

A soft sigh passed through Valdar’s connection.  “May I ask what you plan to do with my clan?  I will not assume anything.”

Elinor directed her minion back to the elevator, Iris acting as her silent shadow.  Edmon moved to one of the support pillars encrusted with gems and made the reverse motion on a similar shining stone.

I cannot forgive what your warriors have done, Valdar, and neither will those taken captive and beaten, killed, and lacerated by them.  However, after I make a show of Folcra, then I’ll give you a chance to reason with the rest of your people, but every warrior involved with your expedition will face Iris.  That being said, if your people agree to the terms set by the humans, then they will live on.

She began to descend, feeling a strange sense of satisfaction from her hatred; action was being taken.  Azalea, explain the situation to Gwen so that she may speak to the other human representatives; Gwen will be put at the head of our connection to the humans.

“Got it.”

Valdar didn’t respond, but she knew he was grateful to have this much leniency through her connection to him.

The platform began to descend, and she took one last glance at the beautiful view of the valley before composing her attire, ignoring the floors this time.

Tiffany, you’ll join me with Edmon and Iris.  I want the whole Court present for this campaign.  Violet, I’m leaving two skeletal apes under your command, and there will be one in the Throne Room, where no one is allowed to enter.

“Of course,” Tiffany replied with a bright tone.  “So, while Camellia is going out spreading the word of your dominion, what will we be doing?  Oh, I’m just about finished healing all the humans; you wouldn’t believe some of the cuts they received … it’s like they didn’t expect half the humans to make the journey in the first place,” she mused.  “The allergic reactions, too.”

We’ll be waiting atop the second wall.  I want to get a better grasp of the land while we’re waiting.  Once we’ve conquered the valley, then we’ll move onto planning our next steps.

Elinor felt several conversations happening at once between her minions, which she let them handle.  She’d given the primary orders, so she permitted them to coordinate her desires amongst themselves.  The first step to this campaign, let it be fear they know.  If the warriors will not pay the price, then their loved ones will join them.

Her minion carried her past the Life Room’s hallway, entering the silent Throne Room.  The sounds of clattering bone against stone filled the space as they descended the stairs, flanked by Edmon, Iris, and one of her guards, leaving the other to guard the hallway.

Upon entering the main entryway, Elinor spotted precisely what she was looking for and activated Herald of the Empress.  Her hands, folded evenly across her lap, burst into emerald flames, moving up to her elbows as the jade-colored butterflies took flight from the blaze.

There was activity on the second landing as the children watching above quickly alerted the adults, and they crowded the side of the railing, observing the flames warily as the dancing butterflies touched Ri’bot corpses atop the resting Torlim.

A gasp swept the crowd with low murmurs when the first body twitched, rigidly grasping for purchase atop the corpses around him before tumbling to the floor with low snarls, showing congealed puffy wounds across his body.

Elinor frowned, glancing down at Edmon as they watched the rest of her first Zombie horde awaken.  Didn’t you say they’d be like World War Z Zombies?

“Yes, the living that becomes infected, but these are already deceased, meaning they’ll be much more rigid, and decay much faster.  It’s only your magic moving them since the bodies are no longer alive.”

I see … in that case, Camellia, you may need to watch and make sure they can bite someone.  The Ri’bot can be pretty quick on their feet.

“Bite?”  Camellia asked with enthusiasm, standing upon the second story railing while looking down at her new unit.  “Can I eat a few, too?”

Elinor frowned, head tilting to the left as she studied the rigid minions twitch their way toward her to stand attention.  Sure … but only after I’ve reached my cap, which is … eighty, while I already have seventeen Skeletal Apes and four Thélméthra Drones, meaning, I can have fifty-nine zombies.  Once I hit that amount, then eat; however, you need to replenish the number if they die.

“Mmh, I can taste the flesh and juices right now!  I can’t wait.”

Well, you have twenty of these stiff Zombies.  Replace them; I give you permission to destroy them once capped.

Upon giving her orders, she directed her portable throne to move toward the front of the building, bringing the rest of her horde with her other than the guards she’d appointed.

She squinted as the morning light hit her; her vision quickly adjusted, and she glanced around at the decaying fortress.  Camellia rushed past her with the slow zombies, struggling to keep up with her rapid eight-legged movements.

“Hurry up, slow-pokes!  We’re going to eat!”

Elinor followed their exit while the rest of her party gathered around her, and she realized how intimidating her group really was.  The burning bones of the apes and spiders with the Royal Court by her side made for a horrifying sight.

So, the campaign begins.

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