“On the other side of the rifts, as they became known, the legionaries found strange caverns and cities. Entire ecosystems of flora and fauna existed in what seemed to be a vacuum, without any sign of a wider world.

No stars were seen from the ground, and no sun was in the sky, but endless forests and enormous mountain ranges lay on the other side. Intelligent species inhabited some, but mostly, there seemed to be a never-ending horde of monstrous creatures.

Artifacts and valuable minerals were brought back with the expeditions, to the great relief of the empire's almost empty coffers.

One thing that changed the very dynamics of the empire for good came from these expeditions through these rifts. Ability crystals.”

- Elistar Iscariot, Grand Magister during the second Kingfisher dynasty.

Stairs do not make for good chairs.

Sitting with my legs splayed out, I was glaring at the entrance to the vault, sweat dripping down my face and a chunk of what I hoped was grilled none, sentient bovine periodically moving to my mouth to force down another bite.

Growling as I tore a particularly large bite, a tinkling laugh reached my tired mind.

“I am not sure if I have ever seen such a sour demeanor in someone attaining wealth by the fistful before. You could always let what is left stay there. It is not like you are lacking in plunder from this expedition at this point.”

Grumbling profanities under my breath, I answered.

“Aside from the obvious issue, do you know what I have come to realize annoyed me more than the predicament I find myself in?”

“What is that vexes you so, my savior?”

“Not once…Not even one time you were in there did so much as a hint of avarice show on your face. To become that casual to so much wealth takes a special type of rich. A disgustingly rich sort. I knew things were different for the imperials than the kingdoms, but really? You are not even interested in a single piece of jewelry? A shining gem or even a bar of gold? I saw you pick up a fistful of gold and drop it back in a pile with as much care as someone would a fistful of dirt. You even dusted your hands afterward as if it was dirt. It is just infuriating.”

Letting out a sigh as much in frustration as exhaustion, I leaned myself back against the hard stairs, propping myself up on one elbow as I mechanically kept feeding myself.

“Wealth is relative, true power is not. While wealth holds a certain power in itself, in the face of something that can completely crush anything you can buy for that wealth or simply take all of your wealth because you are unable to stop them from doing so, it becomes pointless. What good did that wealth do you when it was taken by someone else?

It certainly makes life's day-to-day struggles easier, but in the end, it is exactly just that: a means to an end.

Not to say I do not possess or have not been surrounded by it most of my life, but you quickly learn that it matters little when the mercenaries you paid have been intimidated into betraying you by someone more powerful. That said, I much prefer being wealthy than poor, for the creature comforts if nothing else.”

“Wouldn't your family intervene if someone tried to take what was yours?”

“Why would family interfere between family members? Only the strong survive. The weak remain nameless and forgotten.”

“So you think your capture was orchestrated by a family member too?”

“Oh, I know it was. My younger brother was mocking me as the snakes removed my arms and legs.”

Well, damnation. That was taking maliciousness to a new level.

“Wait? Does your brother work with the snakes? How can your family condone that?”

“Yes, it is an interesting development. Considering the Imperial Throne is currently at war with the snake people and their allies. Around half a year ago, a fleet of snakes suddenly appeared from the east and took landfall in the northeastern part of the empire, where they quickly fortified themselves, enslaving or killing the populace as they expanded throughout the area.

While they have been fought to a standstill, we have not been able to drive them back into the sea. At least, that was the situation before I was captured. Now?

I can not say what drove my little brother to have me delivered to the snakes, but I imagine it was something of high value for him not to end my life if given the chance.

He will come to regret that decision.”

The pure hatred I saw shining in her eyes made me consider crawling up the stairs to give her a moment, but this was the most she had told me about herself so far. What was that saying? Curiosity killed the cat?

“I would think that someone would have come looking for you by now. I'm guessing your family has access to an oracle or a seer?”

She looked a bit pensive, but after a few moments, she did answer.

“Yes, but considering the circumstances of my disappearance, it might have been considered just another casualty of war. While not common, the children of the great houses do fall during a war from time to time. It is extensively celebrated, and feasts are held in their honor.

Depending on the family, the citizens may even be given a couple of days off to celebrate the passing in battle. It is quite an event.

As to if someone is looking for me? Maybe my mother has sent someone to investigate what happened if she is still allowed in the palace. I was the only remaining child she had, and if father felt like taking in a new wife instead, there was not much she could say or do as he was the head of the house.

Taking into consideration that Father has sired more than five hundred children, with enough affinity to Awaken one day, and only around three hundred of them are still alive, I doubt he has even been made aware of my disappearance and supposed death yet or really remembers which one of the children I am….

When it comes to what will happen to my younger brother if it is found that he has collaborated with the enemy of the empire? Father will bring him to the plaza in front of the imperial palace and personally strangle him in front of the heads of the other houses and any of the citizens that may wish to witness. His mother will be demoted to a concubine since she currently has status as a wife, and any other children she has given my father will be put to the sword.

Imperial justice is somewhat extensive when it comes to matters of war.”

I decided right there and then never to say anything bad about anything my parents had done, ever.

“At least things should work out for you once you go back home. Exposing your brother's scheme. I wonder what he got in trade for you? From what you said, it has to be valuable to take a chance like that.”

“That is the part that has me bothered, too. If I were in his shoes, I would simply have killed myself. One less step between me and becoming the heir to take over the household when Father dies.

The snakes would have had to give up something of immense value for me to take a chance like that. Something to change the entire playing field…”

Shaking my tired head, I stood up and stretched. It had been four hours, and I had barely scratched the surface of what was in the vault. Time to get to it.

“Sounds like you should be careful about exposing that you survived the tender care of the snakes. Alright, I'm heading back in. Never thought I would say this, but the very thought of gold makes me sick.”

Almost as soon as I said it, she was walking in the same direction as me and saying.

“Exactly, that's why I'm staying with you until I have a comprehensive picture of what is happening at home. Already? Are you sure you can take another round? I was not going to mention it, but you did look ready to shed tears at the end of the last attempt.”

Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

No. Just no. I can imagine what would happen to me if her family somehow unraveled all that had happened, only to find out she died in a ditch trying to take back my tiny territories or something stupid. I held no illusions about them holding different standards for themselves and outsiders.

“Why? I'm not going anywhere near the empire if I can help it for the next few years. I have a home to win back, powers to grow, people to piss off. It's a terrible idea.”

“That's why I should stay with you, outside the empire, while I gather and prepare my return to the capital. What do you mean home to win back? You lost your home?”

Trying not to curse, I walked into the vault that lit up, sensing someone had entered it.

Shielding my sensitive eyes for a moment, I answered.

“My aunt is currently being naughty and up to no good; even worse, nothing she is doing makes any sense, but she is sitting on my throne while doing it, so I have to go and politely ask her to leave. Preferably with a sword through her heart as a thank you for last time.”

“So the issue of having a family that works against you is not unfamiliar to you? I must say I did not think the rebel territories to be this cultured. How exciting! I look forward to evaluating how you handle this situation. It is a good indication of your prospects.”

Grumbling, I answered.

“You don't have to sound that happy about it. I am basically looking at years, if not decades, of battle against my own subjects. It will get messy no matter how I choose to handle the situation.”

“There is always the possibility of leaving. Vanishing with the wind.”

My answering snort was all the answer the statement deserved. Why she had to look so happy about it, I still have no idea.

No, I would not be the last link in my family. I had decided that some time ago. My pride would not allow it. Besides, it really pissed me off that my aunt could turn my own land against me, even if I probably looked like a disaster waiting to happen when I grew up…I was a disaster waiting to happen.

With a tired sight, I turned my attention to the shelves of chest and display cases lining the room and stacked on the floor.

Gold, scrolls locked in tubes of crystal, gems, ability crystals, and artifacts. It was maddening. Until now, I have managed to move over twenty thousand of the gold coins since they were the easiest. Well, thirty thousand, but moving ten thousand back again in and other experiments meant I had only twenty thousand gold in my storage from this room, and it had taken four hours.

My dreams of creating battlefield obstructions and fortifications on the go had been rudely crushed. I quickly found that moving large amounts of materials at once was impossible.

My limit seemed to be ten thousand tiny gold coins at a time before I needed to regain my energy. Reaching the point where I could continue made it feel like I had eaten a large meal, and someone was standing above me pushing down more food with a stick, at least on a spiritual level. On a physical level, I just felt exhausted, as if I had run hours.

What I discovered was that while I could move ten thousand small gold coins at once, I could not move an equally large amount of gold in one piece. The tendrils would just flail around ineffectually without really doing anything until I ran out of energy a short time later without anything to show for it.

The material density seemed to matter a lot when it came to what could be moved over to my storage. I could move about a quarter as much silver and a bit more than twice the amount of iron as I could move gold.

It was getting a bit worrying; I would need every last piece of wealth I could get my hands on for the upcoming campaign, and we had no idea how much time we had left.

Something had taken note of my voidlings scouting above a few hours ago and hunted them down. I chose not to send any more of them outside the palace in case they were followed back here.

That left me working strategically towards garnering as much of the vault as I could, and the most efficient use of my power was coins. It would give me the most value for my energy expenditure, but I didn't want to leave any of the ability crystals behind, either. There could be some extremely valuable ones in there, but that was also the problem; it could also be complete trash.

Reaching out through the amulet, I swapped out ten thousand more coins with empty air. Sure enough, I could barely stand, so Sabina helped me back to the staircase so I could sit somewhat comfortably.

“So, that leaves you with thirty thousand to run a campaign on. That doesn't sound too bad, does it?”

“You forget that I will be taking back my own territories. It is not like I can pillage my way across the land. Even a single village plundered and burned down is one too many. Quite frankly, my reputation there will already make this an uphill battle.”

Leaning back, I offered Sabina a bit of the reaming food as I stuffed myself.

Next, I would try for some of the chests filled with ability crystals. There were so many different colors and sizes I would need a proper factor to go over everything, but it largely depended on how many I could get away with taking. The crystals could be a bit hit or miss when it came to value. Gold was certain.

There were also strange plants and what I assumed were monster parts held in special glasses, so I couldn't begin to guess the value or even the purpose of most of them. Sabina was uncertain, too, but she claimed they radiated power, almost like an Awakened. I didn't notice anything from them but had moved over a few of the more interesting-looking ones.

Another rest later, and I was filling up on ability crystals. I only took the largest and clearest I could find before I almost had a heart attack. It was an annoying problem since it almost gave no warning. One moment, I would feel fine; the next, I was knocking on death's door, pleading to be let in.

As I lay there on the floor, my head resting on Sabina's lap, my sweaty brow stroked, I wondered if any of this was worth it. Even if I emptied the vault, it would be but a speck of the funds my aunt could draw on from the bank.

While she couldn't access the family treasury without my ring, she was the lawful regent until I turned sixteen in a few months and sat on the throne in the family home for the first time as an adult. Traditions are incredibly inconvenient at times.

Then there was the matter of the border barons and who were loyal to who, if anyone, at this point. It wasn't like any help had been sent from my aunt to the borders over the last few years if my memory served me right.

Up again, I managed to move another ten thousand gold coins before I had to sit down, cursing myself as I staggered towards the staircase.

No sooner had I sat down when I felt a new power starting to flood the environment.

Someone or something was about to do something of terrifying proportions. Sabina was looking up towards where, I guess, the center of the city is located.

Time to get out of here. I don't know what they or it was doing, but no amount of wealth was worth sticking around here for.

“This is not good. How are you feeling Alucard?”

“Like shit and your right. Let's get out of here. I'll refill it as we run. I don't want anything to do with whatever that is.”

Sabina more or less carried my sorry ass out of the palace while I focused on eating. To our surprise, when we got up, there was no sound of…anything. My ragged breaths aside.

Digging deep, I managed to summon a voidling and sent it out, scouting the area.

Taking Sabina in hand, I started walking towards the exit tunnel. It would take a while at this rate, but it was better than standing around like sitting ducks.

I felt better steadily as I kept eating, and I was getting fed information about our surroundings. I was surprised to realize we were behind friendly lines. The battle moved past the palace and towards the center of the city. However, everyone had stopped moving for some reason.

Just as I was pondering what that meant, a pulse of power spread out from the battle lines; I could feel it washing over me seconds later, and It was as if I had suddenly woken up from a good night's sleep, a large relaxing breakfast and had just gotten out of a warm bath. I felt great physically. My spirit was still running on dregs, but I'll take what I can get.

Sabina's eyes lit up as she said.

“That was the work of a third ranker. I feel like I could run for a day."

Then, as suddenly as it had begun, the sound of battle started up. Metal hitting metal. Roars and screams filled the air again, but the power that had made us decide to leave was still building, so getting out of this place was still as important in my mind as it had been a few moments ago.

Rushing towards the tunnel past dead and dying bodies, we barely took time to see if any of the people were alive. The few we checked were sadly not.

I think Sabina felt some sort of responsibility for the dead. Me? I just thought it was sad, but these were not my people.

With renewed vigor, we reached the edge of the cavern in no time. Mounds of bodies covered the floor, mostly dead remdra. There must be a good bit more than a hundred thousand dead remdra spread around the exit; by the looks of it, they had been holding back the people from the tunnel by simply flooding them with bodies. Obviously, that had not worked.

Feeling a burst of power from behind me, I took hold of Sabina and dragged her with me around the corner of a sturdy-looking building.

When nothing more happened, I eased one eye past the corner of the building and saw an enormous portal that had appeared above the city.

Feeling Sabina walk past me, I followed as we stood looking at the strange operation in the sky.

The portal showed what must have been the deck of an enormous ship. Sitting on a throne of cushions was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. That she barely had anything on her upper body, just a large jewelry piece made of sapphires and emeralds that glinted and glimmered in the sunlight she clearly had been basking in, certainly helped show off her generous assets.

Her jet-black hair framed a young face, a woman just beginning her journey of womanhood. Her green eyes sparkled with mischief, outshining the emeralds on her chest.

Then I noticed the bottom part of her, and that was all snake. Yeah, let's just say my interest cooled rapidly, but not before I breathed out the word.

“Naga.”

“What?`”

“That's a Naga. Let's get the blazes out of here before she does something painful to us.”

“She doesn't look that dangerous…”

“The serpents worship them like gods. Some of them are, as far as I can tell, close to being powerful enough to what most people think of as gods. An elder or matriarch can make a full-grown dragon reconsider attacking. Let's go now!”

Then, she spoke in a language I did not know, but everything she said was as clear as if spoken in everyday imperial. It was unnerving.

“I see my children have failed. Instead of taking responsibility and dying in my name, they have called me here to save them. Naughty children. You know Mama won't save failures…

No, you will die at the hands of these humans as fate has dictated. You have proven yourself unworthy."

There was a short pause as the creature seemed to consider something.

"I do think I will leave you with something to remember me by, humans, so you do not forget that you are nothing more than a pest in this world.”

The lamia turned her head to the right and said.

“Come here, my dear. It is time for you to pay back what you owe.”

From the left side of the portal, a woman entered, walking slowly as if in a trance towards the lamia, whose face was becoming more and more serpent-like by the second.

I don't know who the woman was, but her long, almost white hair seemed to flow in the wind to a breeze only known to her. The slightly pointy airs told me she wasn't human, or probably not, but there were so many variations and half-lings by the time I lost my life as Smiley that I couldn't be completely sure.

As the woman stopped to the right of the naga, the latter raised her hand to the chest of the white-haired woman. Gently caressing her, the lamia started humming a song that was strangely soothing before she flexed her now-clawed hands, piercing the flesh of the still-silent woman.

A glow appeared under the lamia's hand as she threw her head back in ecstasy. Hissing out sounds, this time in a language I had no hope of being able to replicate.

The woman stood still as I watched her turn into dust while the glowing orb in the lamia hand grew. Then she was gone with the wind. Nothing remained but a ball of glowing power hovering above the lamia's palm.

“There, now let me leave you a little present to remember me by. Until we meet again, delicious ones.”

She blew on the orb that floated through the portal and into the cavern, but instead of a palm-sized orb of power, a new sun was shining down on us.

The orb pulsed once, then exploded. I barely had time to register any of it happening because the world turned white.