UE Rewrite: B2 — 52 (13.5). Butter's Elation (Patreon)

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1. Butter ( Our Beloved High Queen of the Evening Star!)

Undying Empire Index

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Butter’s wings fluttered, clinging to Mika’s shoulder as they ventured deeper into the lush, untamed jungle, flanked by two of Mika’s four undead torlim. The ri’bot girl had managed to unlock the Hunter Class and Beast Tamer Subclass, to her joy, which allowed her to bind up to four creatures.

Returning to her roots, Mika had chosen to go with torlim for now for comfort. One torlim bore their limited supplies—clothes, obviously—another two served as Adoncia and Mika’s mounts, while the last one was reserved for defensive action. After a few days of acclimatization, the maid was now adept at maintaining her balance on the giant alligator toad creatures, which was impressive.

Her accompanying Death Energy butterflies were latched onto the toad woman beside her; if they were destroyed, then she wasn’t getting another one without Priss.

As was typical when she was out on her own, Butter talked to herself. Why was she so animated and talkative? Well, a good high queen should often talk to themselves and explain things in their heads to better learn how to speak to others!

At least, that is what she was going with because, well, she didn’t have a lot of practice since her big sister hogged the majority of their living days on Earth. She’d barely had a day on the planet before being shipped off to this jungle! So, yes, she needed the practice. Those who traveled with her seemed to enjoy her internal monologues at times, which made the boring jungle scenery—or lack thereof—more palatable.

She began her speech to her two current companions, seeing a smile brighten Adoncia’s face on her nearby mount; six if counting the Intelligent torlim—not that they were particularly intelligent.

Ahem. Butter’s Log: Week Nine…maybe, I sometimes don’t keep count. My journey with the nineteen-year-old maid, known as Adoncia—or Blue-Eyes, by me—and our trusted knight in shiny green skin, Mika the Scowling One, has gone surprisingly well! Ah, I should backtrack a little since our protector has yet to hear the report.

Fluttering up her wings and directing the other butterfly minions she’d brought from Priss to take cover as a low rumble sounded in the distance, she bravely held fast to Mika’s forehead, daring the incoming falling death bullets to dislodge her.

After meeting with my ever-too-serious big sister, I kidnapped her beautiful maid and took off into the jungle! Our journey was a harsh one… Two days! Two hard days of rugged travel. I felt exhausted at points, holding onto Adoncia’s hair as she blitzed through the muddy floor, becoming a walking mud woman… Oh, the horror!

Adoncia chuckled, keeping her eye out for danger as they neared the mines, seemingly in high spirits. “It was a bit rough on my bones, High Queen, even when I was in my Oni State. Maybe it would be good to remind the listeners that days here are 30 hours and not 24, like back on Earth.”

Mika’s left eye creased while scanning the jungle for danger. “That seems rather short, I will say. How are you supposed to have enough daylight to accomplish anything? Mmm. The shower will be short but fierce, High Queen. Perhaps you should take shelter inside the covering Adoncia created for you.”

Looking up as another rumble of thunder vibrated the air, Butter considered her position. Sure, she could act tough and be out in the rain with the troops, but if, on the off chance, it changed to hail, it could destroy her body, and she could be back with Priss, waiting for her teasing remarks.

A good call. I will make my way to my throne, then. Slow the pace, good knight!

She cheered inside when feeling the tingle of entertainment that came from the amused toad warrior who used to belong to the Roxim. Mika had been one of their toughest cookies—she wanted to taste what the hype was over cookies.

Spreading out her wings as they eased into a stroll, she let the warm wind of the approaching storm carry her back. Butter expertly judged the wind currents to land on the small covering her maid had created and settled in to continue her log.

For two days, we battled the veils of rain and humid heat; can I say that the name ‘rainforest’ does not do credit to how often this place is wet?!

“It is the rainy season,” Mika chortled. “Give it another few weeks, and we’ll enter the short dry period.”

Short, huh? Well, I suppose I’ll be complaining then, too. Anywho! I delivered Priss’ message to our dad, and he seemed to be in high spirits. We’re doing good! Our empire is gaining ground, and Priss is doing a ‘decent’ job of rallying support… So she exiles me! Oh, the humanity! she fake lamented.

But I totally understand. I mean, hah, it’s me, her gorgeous, gifted, and charismatic little sister! She couldn’t possibly allow me to run wild in the empire while she’s off doing Priss stuff. No, I get sent north to the borderlands to uncover mysteries and potential enemies! Dangerous stuff! Is Priss trying to kill her loveable little sister off-screen?!

“High Queen,” Adoncia snickered, “you’ve only seen a TV without power, and doesn’t that mean she trusts you the most?”

Or! Or! Hear me out… She hates me! Butter joked with a laugh. But despite our sibling differences, I go boldly to my exile! Ever the gracious one, I will battle my way back into the empire’s graces. Not that I’ve fallen from it—but rise nonetheless, I shall! she roared, holding up one of her tiny insect hands as the heavy raindrops started falling around them.

Using my superior directional talents—following vague impressions about where minions are through the Nexus—we easily traversed the jungle and made it back to civilization! Adoncia took a bath because a clean maid is a happy maid.

“Very true,” Adoncia chirped. “I appreciate your attention to my preferences, High Queen.”

Indeed, indeed! I am a gracious mistress. So, while I directed other maids to pack the essentials—clothes, beauty products, and other random travel goods that aren’t important—I multitasked and spoke at length with Queen Tiffany. The mother of former bonds of familiarity or something along those lines.

“I still don’t know why you haven’t let me look into some of the packs…”

Surprises! Surprises! Hehehe. Getting back to the log… Now armed with my club-wielding maid bodyguard—cleaned and bright-eyed after talking to her little brother—we set off to meet the Argent Dawn and Tiffany’s Covens… They really need to stop fighting about names and choose one already, like the knights.

We meet the strapping young ladies and men, budding with passion and love blooming in the air between parties. I bet you two didn’t know I can literally sense the attraction between parties! It’s a gift, she boasted, cleaning her wings with smug care.

Adoncia adjusted the poncho and swimming goggles that she’d brought to keep sharp through the storms. “You are a hundred percent on eighty-three new couples so far, which seems to be the talk of the empire when I was leaving. Alisa was telling me that a lot of the girls in her coven were wondering if you’d do a love booth, where you could tell if a boy liked them or not.”

Oooh. I love that idea! We’ll look into that when we get back. There are some juicy pairings and scandalous attractions! We need to be careful because as much as love is a beautiful thing, it can sow an ungodly amount of discord. Hehehe. And I’m not trying to get Priss on my butt; she already thinks it’s too big, as it is…and we’re twins!

“I’ll have to take your word for it, High Queen Butterfly.”

Ha-ha. Make fun of my small body now, Blue-Eyes, but you’ll see me in all my glory soon enough, she laughed, puffing up her tiny chest. That staff strapped to your back is waiting to give me sweet freedom!

Shielding her head as the pattering rain increased, small waterfalls now cascading around them from the gathering pools on the canopy rivers that formed high above, Adoncia glanced over her shoulder at the stick.

“You keep saying that, but you haven’t touched it once since we picked it up with Mika and left Carlos to return to the Wixum settlement. Do you need to attune to it or something? I think I heard something about that in some fantasy book my old friend read in middle school.”

Butter frowned while peering through the haze; it was a good thing they talked through the Nexus because the rushing sound of water and falling rain drowned out almost all sounds. Plus, it was a good thing to keep Shade in the dark about developing further profiles of their personalities, destinations, or goals.

Maybe… To be totally honest, I wanted to save as much energy in it as possible until we reached the mines again. There is some stuff I’d like to test out, but I’m unsure how long I can upkeep my complete body with it before it snuffs out. Besides, it would be wise to wait for Conquest to make it here to deliver whatever message Priss sent her to give me.

She shifted in her simple throne to stare off to the side, having to brace herself a little with a sudden surge of wind that brought mist smacking against her tiny body. White had been traveling through the jungle at an angle, seemingly heading right for them. Hopefully, it wouldn’t be anything serious.

If she keeps up her pace, she should be here by…the end of tomorrow, probably. Maybe a little sooner. We’ll see. Elinor is always doing something…talk about a try-hard. Why can’t she just relax a little? If I had a body, I’d be dancing, eating, and practicing a lot with weapons or something; I don’t know…fun stuff.

Mika chuckled, taking them around a giant fallen tree that blocked their path. “You really do love all the human words that they throw around. I would consider you quite ‘try-hard’ as well, High Queen. You are constantly competing with the Empress.”

…We are twin sisters… she grumbled, feeling a little agitated while looking back at everything Priss had accomplished, and her gaze shifted to the staff, barely seen on Adoncia’s back through the veil. If I just had a body, then I’d be able to do so much more. Then again, I’ve also seen a side of Priss that feels…new since being forced to rely on her…

She wanted to say that Priss wasn’t as bad as she thought. In fact, she kind of admired many qualities in her big sister… She couldn’t say that, though. She had to prove to her big sister that she was her equal. She wasn’t just some lump of fat that weighed her down… She had to prove that to herself.

Humph. Priss is a slave driver! She really should indulge in the finer things life can offer.

Adoncia moved a little closer to Mika’s torlim, a soft smile on her slick face. “Maybe you can show her when we get back? As much as The Empress is in charge of the empire, there is a special dynamic I’ve seen between you and the rest of her family. It grounds The Empress, helping us to see that she isn’t just all plots and conquest… She has a heart that we can see.”

Butter strained a laugh and lowered herself on her throne, not responding to her maid’s comment. It was she who had told her two guards to be open and genuine to her. Open hostility was far better than false platitudes. Her heart told her Priss had changed…yet her gut told her it was an act and not to fall for it. Why did their sisterly relationship have to be so complicated?

We…will see. As for our log! Ahem. I am so very tempted to take that staff, purify the ever-living death out of it, and absorb its essence to show off my glory! But I am a patient girl. It has been one day since leaving Carlos, and we’re probably less than twenty minutes away from the cave… You do know where we are going, Mika?

“It is hard to miss the chemical trails I left for us to follow back,” she returned. “Ugh. Or the Wixum male musk they spread everywhere on the way here. Never have I smelled such a…terrible warrior scent. It puts off ‘pick me’ New Blood energy, looking for a mate.”

Butter snickered, recalling the end of Overlord Nebu’s pathetic life at the hands of the Susime Mystic and all of his loyal traitors.

I don’t think they’ll be attracting any girls out in the outskirts of the Wixum settlements. Many of them are sending delegations to the lake to get a better grasp on how things are changing, so more followers will likely be added to the empire as time goes on. Hmm. White is picking up her pace a little… That’s not a good sign.

The Horseman of Conquest would certainly reach them by the end of tomorrow. The question was whether the radiant woman had unfortunate or positive news. Priss seemed to have made it to the Shattered Crystal location, which meant it was time for her to meet the Roxim chief, Zargoth.

They paused in the rain when coming upon the downward slope to the mining cave opening. Only the sound of running water and rainfall met them in the sobering sight of the male Wixim warrior graveyard. All of them were still attached to the stone and wooden pikes that had shot out of the ground to impale them.

Mika sent out two of her torlim to scout the area, the giant alligator toads somehow hardly making a sound as they prowled through the wet zone. Carlos had left fifty Unintelligent undead to patrol the area, so it should be safe since all of them were still standing guard. A few creatures from the local wildlife lay dead near some of them.

The lieutenant scanned the area, now on foot and breathing the moist air deeply, attempting to sample what chemicals remained. Despite the weather, she could pick up a decent amount of trace scents.

“A few Wixum locals in the area passed through here a day ago. The soldiers were ordered not to attack blue-skinned ri’bot, so they just let them slide. It seems they took another route toward the lake settlement…probably scared and wanting answers. I’m not sensing anything else. What do you want to do, High Queen?”

Butter fluttered her wings while observing the death around them, remembering the feeling she had when obtaining a body for the first time in memory. She’d bided her time thus far, but maybe she wasn’t as patient as she thought she was because she itched to go to the staff now.

We’re going to be stopping here for a while… At least until White catches up to us.

“We’re going to be stopping here, High Queen?” Adoncia’s nose crinkled. “Ick. It stinks of death here—even with the rain—which is ironic since, well, we’re all dead. Should I help look for anything?”

No need, Blue-Eyes. Just stay out of the wind, and it should be fine, Butter mused. I’m just…bah, I won’t know until I try! On second thought, Adoncia, we’ll go a bit more north to the nearby lake and find a branch overlooking it. Set us up a temporary shelter there for me to do some testing.

“And me, High Queen?” Mika questioned, redirecting some of the unintelligent undead to flank them.

Do some sweeps of the area. I can handle myself with these undead nearby. I want to know more about the mine. Maybe there is something the Susime were after inside it. Also, look around for more entrances to that mysterious cave that Priss mentioned.

Mika left without a word, and Butter took command over the guard the ri’bot had left. Adoncia came near, allowing her to transfer to the woman and hide beneath her poncho. The shoulder-length, dark-haired maid pressed on with the torlim, taking them around the cliffside and to the lake ten minutes to the northeast.

Once securely settled in on a very wet, low-hanging branch overlooking the vast lake, likely only one-fifth the size of the Wixum main settlement’s basin, Butter flew down to the staff. The tarps, bungee cords, and paracord kept their temporary shelter from getting even wetter under the heavy rainfall—everything was always wet here.

Adoncia unfolded a second tarp under it so they could rest on something dry, and Butter got to work. Adoncia observed from different angles, her bangs sliding out of place as Butter studied the Staff of the Dead’s remaining Death Energy—unsuccessfully.

“The rain is clearing up, High Queen. Let’s hope another one doesn’t follow,” Adoncia mumbled through the Nexus. “I feel like we…didn’t bring the proper clothes for jungle travel.”

Oh, you look adorable in your black dress, Butter chimed, debating whether she should try her luck now or later; it was a risk, after all. Your cute maid outfit is nice and safe, packed away for later—oops, that was supposed to be a secret.

Adoncia struggled to express her true feelings while waiting for her mistress to give her next orders, making Butter sigh. She felt guilty about everything Butter had the young woman pack for their journey, one of which was an absolutely perfect maid outfit that Adoncia used to market herself in the town. She had literally been a maid to help pay for their family bills.

It was my order, Blue-Eyes. I want my maid to have the best, most cutest outfit. Plus, it is literally yours, so it fits perfectly. We have to make excellent impressions, expressing our culture to the Susime. Naturally, attire is a colossal part of that. Gah! I can’t take it anymore. I’m going to try!

The maid brushed back her bangs and fixed her dirty dress; she’d probably go down to the lake to clean it sometime today. “Are you sure? What if it doesn’t work when you meet the Susime?”

Well…if the Susime had a decent number of staves, then it would be fine to use this one to sustain my body for a few days, right? Maybe not, she laughed to herself, but I still wanted to try. My first attempt was extremely rough; if I did it again, I’m sure I could learn to moderate the output better.

“If you say so, High Queen. I look forward to seeing you in all your glory!”

Butter smiled inside and looked up at the nervous Colombian woman; she was so uptight sometimes, not knowing how properly she should act between her and Priss.

When I do master it, you can be my dancing partner to get better acquainted with a body again. Nothing beats a party! We’ll sing, dance, and talk so I can get better accustomed to it. Sound fun?

“It does, a little,” Adoncia replied, sitting a bit straighter. “Some of the women in the empire have been teaching a lot of dances since we don’t have much else to do in this world for fun. I’m…guessing you’ve been watching from afar.”

Oh, yes, I have! And I can’t wait to return home and have a giant festival for me regaining my body… One way or another, I’m getting my body back!

Butter desired to activate the weakest version of one particular Feat, and to her delight, [Life Tap I] responded at the F-tier Rank.

It worked!

Adoncia leaned in closer. “I’m not seeing any change.”

No, no, something else, she mumbled, concentrating on the output. I can use previous Grades and Rank Feats… I bet Priss already figured this out and just didn’t tell me.

With that excitement came a bucket of cold water: it wasn’t enough.

Mmmgm. I’ve had this thought for a while since I formed that body of Life Energy… Me being able to do that opens up some interesting experiments I’ve wanted to run.

“Like?” Adoncia asked, trying her best to follow the explanation. “Empress Elinor doesn’t really talk to us about her powers. She just…does stuff.”

Haha! Yeah, that is Priss, Butter chuckled. Let’s see if I can do this… I think I can access almost all of her Feats to some extent. It makes sense; I can’t believe we didn’t think about it sooner! Unless…Priss did and didn’t want to explore that. Hmm.

“You two have been very busy,” Adoncia defended, fiddling with her thumbs in her wet dress front. “The Empress seems very preoccupied with building the empire.”

She and I both… We’ll see! You’re probably right, Blue-Eyes; she probably didn’t think about it since we had too many things going on. There are a few things that I don’t think Priss has noticed. This is big, though. 

Wings fluttering with apprehension, she continued to draw in the Death Energy, purifying it in the slowest trickle she could manage. Attempting to fuel it into an artificial body, like her privileged sister, she pressed forward, assuming there was some overlap between them.

It was a little annoying neither of them had thought about this sooner, but if she could use her sister’s [Life Tap] and [Butterly] Feats, why not [Artificial Body]? 

Yes, Priss could help her connect to her other Feats, and they felt unnatural to her; however, the previous success she had while drinking in the purified energy from Staff of the Dead proved she could.

Then again, she’d never tried to use any of the purified Death Energy for anything but the cost of repairing her spirit. It was a fact, though; she did have some link with her sister’s abilities. She just had to practice a little. If this worked, then there were so many other things she could try.

Butter ramped it up to E-tier, feeling the constant trickle of energy branching out as she imagined it reshaping to her mental image of herself. It was close; she could feel it. Brute forcing the process wasn’t her goal, though. She wanted consistency and longevity—she wanted a body!

Adoncia looked like she was on the edge of her toes while holding the powerful Susime artifact. “…High Queen, you’re glowing more brightly. Is…that supposed to happen?”

“The mines are secure, High Queen, and…I think I’ve found something,” Mika interrupted.

Shhhh! I’m concentrating… Grrr. How does Priss make it look so effortless? She reforms different pieces of her body with a blink of an eye. Concentrate…picture…materialize…

A heavy weight pressed around her whole body, and she felt the world tip upside down with a dulled pattering of rain compressing against her head.

“Eeep!”

She opened her eyes to a much smaller world than she’d become accustomed to, blinking up at the brown tarp above them. Then, it was gone. Tumbling through the air, she returned to her butterfly form to land in Adoncia’s outstretched hand, catching her just before hitting the plastic.

Safe!

“High Queen?! You… I think you had a body for a second! Well, it was more like a big glowing ball.”

Ho-ho-ho! Just you wait, ladies. I’m going to stun Priss with my skills—her skills—when I return, she boasted. I think I can figure this out. That’s it, girls; I have some practice to do. I’ve never been one to fail! No…that’s a lie. I always fail, she mumbled, feeling the lie in her bones when it came to her big sis. But not this time!

Righting herself with renewed vigor, she pushed herself into the air to look around across the vast, semi-choppy lake, seeing the ripples from the passing rain. There was so much more for her to explore…to experience.

Behind them at the mines, the former Wixum male warriors that had followed their creepy warlord to their end waited for her study. Impaled by stone and wood, decay had already set in, with some already being snatched away by wild animals. 

If it isn’t immediately important, Mika, then mark it and continue the investigation. I want you to show me everything you find out when I can walk with my own two feet. Be careful, though. We don’t need any acid accidents that melt you, like that cave we found. I want you to investigate it closely.

“Yes, High Queen! I look forward to seeing the fruits of your labor.”

“And me?” Adoncia asked, watching Mika’s torlim leap into action to start patrolling further outward in a slow prowl as the unintelligent Normal Grade soldiers stood sentry.

Butter’s excitement grew, and she looked up at the spunky, blue-eyed woman. She would make a great handmaiden as she continued to mature. Adoncia had something to lose and someone to prove herself to—her little brother, who likely felt the same way toward her. Adoncia wanted to live, and live well—ironic, considering she was dead.

You’ll go wash up and finish getting everything ready for me… I don’t know if you’ve noticed or not, but Priss has been aging over the past nine weeks. Have you seen it?

Adoncia blinked and glanced at the muddy jungle floor, where little creatures were beginning to poke their heads out to forage for food after the storm.

“I…have noticed, but I didn’t think much about it. She looks a bit older…more mature. Maybe a year or so younger than me, eh—she sort of looks eighteen? Is that bad?”

Not at all, Butter whispered, calming her thumping heart. Her [Artificial Body] Feat reflects how we subconsciously view ourselves, and it shows that Elinor is advancing beyond her former years. When she awoke me, she unlocked something else…something connected to our former life. I can feel it as much as she can…

Staring at the shimmering lake, reflecting the overhead light of the blazing sun, Butter felt a chill run through her tiny frame as the other ethereal butterflies fluttered their wings around her.

After I get this down, I want to get a better look at this artifact that the Susime are using against the valley clans. I want you to join me, she chirped. We’re going to do a little exploring after I have mastered this artificial body.

The blue-eyed woman perked up at the change of scenery and plan. “We don’t have any towels, by the way, High Queen. I’m fine skinny dipping. I used to do it with my friends when I was in school. It will be fun not having to breathe and just swimming around without the worry of drowning.”

It’s an adventure!

Butter got to work. She carefully swapped between E-tier and D-tier, and at the higher output, it was far more manageable; that meant it was too much. It was a skill issue, and skills could be refined with practice. By the two-hour mark, she’d fully formed it for the first time, which collapsed soon after.

Maintaining her struggle, she gradually got a handle on it and was able to balance it at the lower Tier and Grade. From there, she speculated that it could hold up for a full week before exhausting the staff. It was a guess, but a close one, give or take a day. 

“High Queen!” Adoncia clapped. “You really do look like a brighter, blonde version of the Empress! Wow. Just seeing you for those few seconds made me see how beautiful the Empress really is…which is weird, but I guess it’s because she’s always so…”

Serious and intimidating? Butter snickered, stretching out her wings for her next attempt. I’ll fix that when we get back home. An Empress does need to be serious and intimidating to their enemies and a glorious picture of fun and safety for her subjects! We’re getting closer, Blue-Eyes! It won’t be too much longer now.

It was much longer, though. By nighttime, she’d managed to keep the form for a minute; by sunrise, if she focused, she had it down for ten, and by the time White caught up to them, she was maintaining it with minimal effort.

Flexing her toes against the tarp on the low-hanging branch Adoncia had made their home for the past 40 hours, Butter cheered inside while examining her perfect, naked frame. Her long, liquid-like golden locks folded over her shoulders and down her back and front.

“Yes! Yes! Yes! I’m keeping it stable, Adoncia.”

Her blue-eyed maid clapped. “Congratulations, High Queen. You look so beautiful. Uh…should I get out the travel clothes you had me unpack?”

Butter’s aquamarine eyes narrowed while glancing over at the sheltered nearby packs by the trunk, streams of water falling to drizzle along the dirt in the short jungle shower that had passed them again. It would probably rain again in an hour or two; the lake increased its size a bit with its slow crawl up the banks.

“No—ah! It feels so good to use my throat—hear my voice,” she sang, enjoying her musical and enchanting rhythm. “Mmm. We have a few things to enjoy and investigate before we continue our journey…such as the rain on my skin.”

Sitting on the edge of the branch, she held the staff in her lap and ran her fingers over her frame, enjoying every tingling stimulation. She had a body again. The sad part was that it wasn’t being used to repair her spirit, only to maintain her figure.

“Okay, Adoncia, let’s test this out… Do you have the cord to bind the staff around my frame? Hehe. My figure will more than keep it in place if tied properly.”

The maid extracted the item from the bag with a soft pelt of animal skin. “Just let me wrap it in a way that it won’t burn or rub your skin the wrong way. I know you need it to be tight.”

“Take your time.” she massaged her jaw while swapping to speak through the Nexus. 

Conquest is almost in range of the Nexus. Hmm. I’ll need to wear the crop top, I think, but the staff doesn’t need to be touching my skin; it just needs to be close enough for me to drain it, and once I’ve made a connection, there can be a short gap.

“I’ll make sure it looks good and is secure,” she reassured as Butter got to her feet and swapped the shaft to her back. She let the maid figure out the best angle that would work with the leather cushion.

After a minute, the horsewoman came into her personal Nexus. White, I feel my sister has begun her journey toward…the Wixum? How did things go at the Shattered Crystal for my Priss?

White’s strong and confident voice reached her with vigor. “Everything is proceeding smoothly, High Queen! The Roxim have agreed to join the alliance under The Empress; they are facing an imminent invasion from the Xaltan.”

Butter smiled and held out her arms, consenting to Adoncia’s guiding fingers to position the staff. She seemed to be taking an angled approach at her back, using the leather-wrapped cords to bind the leather in place between her breasts with animal pelts as an extra cushion. It had been the right call to bring the leather.

No doubt spurred on by Shade, Krava, or the Scarlet Hand. It’s nothing I don’t think Priss can handle, which is why she sent you to join me… I don’t know if she’s insulting me or worried. My sister is so aggravating these days…and I kind of like it this way. It adds a bit of mystery to our bond! she chirped.

Deliver your report, General, while joining Mika’s mission. I’ll be with you shortly.

“Say the word!” Conquest stated, the woman’s tone confidence defined.

She didn’t find much of what White reported to be of immediate interest to her. Essentially, the valley was slowly bending to her sister’s will; nothing new. However, Roman’s Legend Quest was certainly something she found intriguing.

Hmm. An entirely new world we can obtain resources in? And I thought my adventure would be fun. Hopefully, Priss can learn to let her hair down and relax a little… She deserves a break after all the work she’s put in. Are we secure, Adoncia?

“Mhm! We might want to test it out a—High Queen?!”

Reaching back to tap her knuckles against her maid’s shoulder with a small smirk, she said, “Tag, you’re it,” and jumped into the mud, feeling it sink between her toes. “Hahaha! It feels so good!”

Her wavy, liquid-like hair bounced as she took off at a sprint, feeling the weight of gravity, wind resistance, and the humid heat against her bare skin. The staff had a little give but held firm against her back.

“What are you doing? Hurry up, Blue-Eyes; it’s an adventure!” she called back, pivoting in a quick circle on her way to the lakeshore; she saw the maid laughing, stripping down, and folding her dress under the tarp. “I’ll see you in the water!”

“You don’t act anything like the Empress, High Queen!”

“Oh, I swear Priss has a little girl waiting to be unleashed,” she yelled back, waving at the twenty unintelligent ri’bot that raced out of the brush to join her on her silent command. “Let’s go, boys; into the water!”

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