Isaac Hamilton, Crown [Prince] of the Pekothas Kingdom, entered his father's private chambers.
It was a work in progress. The new King decided to keep references to the former occupants of the palace and preserve the history of the place. From when the [Unicorn Queen] built a dynasty of her own descendants, an alliance between the Elves of Fulgen, the humans of the peninsula, and the horse-lords of the plains to the northeast. Almost three thousand years of history.
But the decoration and furniture favored by the Satyr, now Fauns after they were cursed by the Goddess, that decoration didn't fit [King] Hamilton I's tastes. Still, a lot was being changed.
The civil war had ended but the cost would be shouldered by the millions of survivors across the peninsula. Those living under the banner of the losing Nobles would suffer the most as heavy fines were imposed on the losers. Regardless of what faction one belonged to, only one thing was consensus. The floating island that appeared on the south had to be addressed.
By the Goddess' will, the pieces of the Sylvis, the broken moon were reclaimed by the skies. A few lingered here and there, reports of floating mountains and archipelago where stability was achieved arrived with every [Bard], [Storyteller] and [Minstrel] that washed ashore from Auvanini. But one piece, the only floating island in the Pekothas continent was concerning.
It rose in the Clovehaven Barony. The same place ruled by Barbara Ambrose and her book familiar. Isaac sighed and approached the [King].
"Father, I have arrived."
The [King] dismissed the [Tailors] and slowly turn around, lest he pop the pins holding the fabric in place. "How do I look?"
"Splendid, father," Isaac replied and then addressed the [Tailors] with a nod. "Good job, gentlemen."
"Leave us for a few moments, please," Hamilton asked. "Did they confirm their presence at today's court session?"
"I received a messenger bird from Netherbane. They are coming, all of them," Isaac shuddered. "Do you think the nobles will accept that, father?"
"They will either comply or be excommunicated. I will do as you asked, Isaac. Should they ask for independence, I will grant that. Did it agree to release you from your vow of silence?"
Isaac's face flashed with horror before he recomposed himself moments later. "Father, watch your words. Yes, Netherbane kindly allowed me to tell you their true identity."
"Out with it, then."
Isaac told his father the truth, the whole truth.
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The ten of us were in the waiting room for foreign dignitaries. It was a lavish hall the size of a basketball court designed to impress. A mural of a forest of Peko trees full of nuts, a giant tapestry with an accurate and very detailed map of the continent, gold, gems, sculptures, the finest furniture with the softest upholstery.
A knock on the door warned us that we'd be summoned to the throne room in a few minutes.
Barbara also didn't have one but that was fine. In the narrative we were pushing out, she was a vassal of the Triumvirate. It wasn't far from the truth anyway. I adjusted my veil of concealment to hide only their levels. Showing that the Aspects were in the fourth tier was to our benefit but then they would see Kasumi, Barbara, and I as weak points even if I hid only ours. It would be worse if I showed ours as I was still only level 30 after my latest evolution. Better to hide everyone's levels and keep them guessing.
The door opened and we got ourselves in our marching order. Barbara, Lily and Apricot would go first, followed by Lakerta, and Arista. After them, Kasumi would come carrying me, and the Triumvirate of [Queens], Alloralla, Snowdrop, and Rose – I mean, founder [King] Locksley of Windemere – would close the procession.
We walked out slowly and solemnly. The end of our formation was fearsome. Alloralla was dressed in an elven gown of greens and silvers, her pink hair cascading in voluminous waves over her shoulders and back. Her long and slender elven years still poked out of her flowing mane of pink, quelling any doubts whether she was the real deal.
Snowdrop wore traditional Centaur clothing from her time as [Unicorn Queen], a pleated barding made of white steel hanging between her front legs, a skirt draped over her hindquarters going underneath the tail, and armor plates on her back. Her human torso was covered in scale mail of the same metal. Her horn and wings were glowing faintly. She didn't hold the [Unicorn King Spear] as people would interpret carrying weapons into a [King]'s throne room as a threat. Her hooves, shins, and knees were covered in silver greaves and polains.
And on the other side of the Centaur heiress walked a figure clad in blueish steel gothic plate, not a single inch of skin visible. A green dragon leather cloak hung from underneath the pauldrons and the breastplate were covered by the [Tabard of Windemere] in all its silken glory.
Kasumi wore a living silk red qipao dress with golden trim and gold thread embroidered cats pouncing up and down the fabric. The qipao framed her kitsune curves and accented her tails. I was in her left arm, clad in white and silver glory, the Matriarch's holy symbol in full display.
Lakerta had a risqué shoulder less dress that was little more than a fancy lacy bodice with a skirt that would be heinously short on any creature with hips. Which she didn't. Some lamias could bulge the start of their tails to give the impression of hips but Lakerta didn't. Her tail was in a knot that sill let her slither around but shortened the space occupied by it. She declined to wear a wig, polishing her bald head to a shine.
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Arista was floating with magic, her dolphin tail bent in a crescent behind her. She wore a dress made of wavy blue and light green lace with seashell embroidery and two pearly giant seashells covering her chest. The way the dress moved as she floated made it seem like she was swimming in the air.
Lily wore nothing but her fur. Black jaguars were considered a sacred animal by the faith and no werecat were ever born with or could shift into a full black coat. The black werecat was the Matriarch's hallmark.
In the middle of the front row, Barbara was in her blue enchanted robes. She added several glowing spell-crystals to the clothes as both accessories and a convenient source of extra magic.
And Apricot was in a black dragon leather armor that look impressive, sleek, and deadly.
The doors to the throne room opened. The [Steward] glanced at us, washed his [Appraiser] proficiency over our titles, was surprised for all of five minutes, probably gained a few Proficiency points, and then started calling us.
"Baroness Barbara Ambrose of Clovehaven! Escorted by the [First Hero] Apricot of Akerton and..." his Adam's apple bobbed up and down on his throat as he gulped, "The Werecat Matriarch."
We kindly gave them a list of what to call us in advance.
The three walked a few steps and stopped. We wouldn't move forward if not in a group. A few Nobles looked constipated. The Church types didn't believe their eyes, they didn't believe their ears. They ain't seen nothing like this.
"[Grand Duchess] Lakerta of Windemere!" A [Grand Duchess], when unmarried, was somewhere between a [Princess] and a [Queen]. It was the same as the latter if she ruled her domain without answering to a suzerain. Judging by their wives' reaction, a few of the assembled [Lords] would have to sleep on the couch as they admired the exposed bundles of tasty chocolate skin beneath Lakerta's collarbones.
"The Siren, [Princess] Arista of Atlantis!" The mermaid floated ahead, her fins bobbing and flapping as if they were pushing herself forward.
"[Saintess] Kasumi!" A few cheers erupted but were quickly quelled. "She bears the Netherbane Syllabus, [Master of Magic Holy Scriptures of the Matriarch]."
Props for the man for not wrapping his tongue around my title. I could make it longer but why bother? Poor [Steward] was quickly losing years of his life. I spent a point of [Saintess Magic] on him to soothe his nerves. The man immediately perked up.
Kasumi sauntered like only a Kitsune could into the throne room, moving me from left to right and back like some Vegas bikini pin-up before a boxing assault. Utter silence followed as all eyes were on me. Then they were no longer. I didn't blame them because...
"[Hero Queen Dowager] Alloralla of Fulgen!"
Some gasps. As Alloralla walked, her dress made the faint sound of leaves rustling in the wind. It was enchanted, as were all of their clothes. Except for the few of us that were naked.
"Snowdrop, the [Unicorn Queen] of Aquilonia!" Given Pekothas' history, it was obvious she would draw all the attention. Her horseshoes made striking sounds as she clopped on the granite floor. Once again silence fell, causing her hoof steps to echo in the hall. Snowdrop flexed her wings up and to the sides just slightly, like a bird that was about to ruffle its feathers. The real effect was to cast more light on her armor, causing dots of light to appear on the assembled nobles. Her tail swished lazily after her, giving the skirt some movement.
"[Truesilver Hero King] Locksley of Windemere!" The person in the tall suit of armor walked in, the former as dignified as the latter was noisy. Locksley's armor was too lean to belong to a human warrior, giving credence to the claim the fabled [King] was a half-elf or a pureblood elf. Nobody would notice the shapeshifted Eleon inside the person-shaped tin can.
As our group walked in formation toward the throne, I used my all-around vision to look at the people. The faces showed a wide array of emotions. From exultant joy to loathing despair, from the joy of a divine epiphany and transfiguration to the seething hatred only a demon cultist would feel toward our group. Some Viscount if I was not mistaken. From the loser faction.
Oops, perhaps I should... you know, cast a spell, and make sure. I drew the diagram inside my pages and cast the spell. Broke down the mental barriers of the target and then sift through his memories. Dark robes, bloody athame, yup. This was worrisome in so many levels, to know a cabal of demon worshippers was here, in the land furthest away from the mess of a bloody demonic shitshow that the Scorched Continent was becoming.
Who would've thunk I would miss Wyxnos? At least the guy did his job and maintained the barrier keeping the demons out of this dimension.
I redoubled my mind-bending efforts and cast an illusion to keep the next spell from showing. The diagram was too complex to fit in my pages. A spell straight from the headmaster's grimoire. The guy who taught us summoning magic, from that Mind-Bender Academy Snowdrop destroyed. Modified by me to take advantage of my Perks.
> Curse of Divine Mind Domination.
Laced with a few points of Divinity, to make it night-impossible to either detect dispel. The demon-worshipping Viscount became my puppet. Later, I would find all the cultists in that network and then crush their cult and yank it by the roots out of this place. Covertly because I didn't want Barbara to worry about it.
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We stopped before the throne. None of us knelt.
Though some of the [Royal Guard] were about to twitch and demand we show his liege respect, none did. [King] Hamilton I cast his gaze over us, studying the people before him. I hoped he would follow the script.
"Welcome," he said finally. "What I see before my eyes are thousands of years of history. The living proof this world has good people striving to make it a better place."
The [King] stood and extended both arms, scanning and locking his gaze briefly with key personnel on both sides of the throne room. "Pekothas and Auvani battle to claim the title of cradle of civilization. This land has a history as rich and ancient as any. The answer to this feud, to this question, is right before our eyes. I am humbled to stand before such legends," he lowered his head and slightly bent his knee. "I am blessed to be here in your presence today, my Goddess."
So, Isaac had told his dad the truth. I left it up to him whether he should trust his father or not, but the warmth in Hamilton's voice told me the kid did the right thing.
> > Suppress Curse.
The girls formed a ring around Kasumi. She rose me up in the air.
"Behold, the [Holy Scriptures of the Matriarch]," the [Saintess] proclaimed, her Faith burning bright like a pyre. "This living tome, book mimic, monster, is the nursery the Goddess chose to heal from the wounds she suffered during the Cataclysm!" She knelt, and so did all the eight around us. Soon after, Hamilton also knelt, followed by his family and the [Royal Guard] and then all the nobles. Lakerta and Arista were the only ones who hadn't knelt because of their lack of legs. But they did their best. Even Snowdrop bent her front legs, leaving her huge horse butt sticking up in the air.
Kasumi continued, "Mother, we are unworthy of casting our eyes upon your divine flesh. But we beseech you for this mercy. Grant us the boon of your presence!"
She opened me in the middle. I cast yet another covert illusion and switched me with a replica book. Then I shapeshifted into Haru. After she had officially founded the Church of the Matriarch in Windemere and created her floating island, Haru was the face of the Matriarch. I rose up in the air, letting my twenty-six tails flare out and stretch over the kneeling women, covering them like a multicolored umbrella. Floating, I spent a little more Divinity to send them a message through the System.
> > The Matriarch has cast her divine gaze upon you. Your heart will be judged.
Time to show them the might of Ainz Ooa... I mean, my own.