"We can't allow the humans into the heart of the forest, Your Highness," the commander told me with a tone that was both condescending and showed he would harbor no argument.
"I'm taking them to the next human settlement then," I set my foot down. "I'm not abandoning them!"
After defeating the orcs, I went into the hut where the human women were resting, huddled in a corner, and frightened by the sounds of orcs being squished by my stone hands. I spent a good half hour healing them and talking to them. They were villagers, travelers, and merchants that were captured by the orcs over the years. A few of them were even pregnant from their rapists.
I promised to help them and left to talk to the knights when the commander stonewalled me.
"You can't leave the forest It's--"
"Orders from the council. The almighty council. Who the fuck do you serve, commander?"
The elf was about to burst. I think that if I weren't the Princess, he would've hit me already.
"Escort me then. I don't mind having you with me," I offered as an olive branch. "I promise I'll return."
"We have ordered. You do not have the authority to overrule them. Not yet."
'And if I ever made it to Queen, you're fucked'. I couldn't tell him that though. It wasn't the time to trigger a revolution. But if I couldn't take the women with me into Fulgen, couldn't bring them back home, and wouldn't abandon them to their luck, there was a fourth choice I was perfectly fine with.
"Oh, well. Okay. I'm the princess, I was born to rule a realm, why not start with a village? Taeral?"
"Yes. Your Highness?"
"We are outside the Forest proper, aren't we?"
"Indeed we are. We would never let the filthy orcs set foot in our lands," the [Master Ranger] answered.
I set my foot down and stared at the commander.
"I'm creating a trading village here. These human women will be the first villagers and I'll rule over this settlement. This way I am not going out, not taking the humans into the Forest, or abandoning my promise to them."
"The council--"
"Can come here and drag me back screaming and kicking, commander. I'm going to build a settlement fit for both elves, humans, and traders that will come here."
The commander was almost boiling. He waves his hand to point at the thinning forest beyond the settlement.
"Your Highness, there's nothing in these lands. That's monster country out there. The human settlements are on the other side."
"Great. Maybe we can found a nation here. Reclaim these lands. I want you to send a runner back to Forest's Heart. I am giving an order to bring clothes, farming tools, and other assorted utensils, and ranger Velora is to present herself here. She's being officially summoned by me. The others including you are to patrol the area for threats.
"You have your orders, commander. Do not bother me further."
He barked an order and one group of three elves ran back into the deep Forest. I dismissed him and went to look after the women. The knights stayed back and Taeral came with me.
"I need to offer them abortions. Unless they want to have half-orc babies," I told him.
"Not half-orcs. The children will be born as full-blooded orcs."
"Damn."
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With the knights out of my way, I could dedicate some time to my own needs.
Before I could treat the women, I had to do my most ambitious to date skill fusion. It would be a make-or-break one. There were some steps to preparing for it.
I did the same thing that happened to my Claw and Bite skills with my furtivity Skills, earning some free levels from the expertise displayed during Apricot's adventures. And now I would sacrifice them all.
Then I assigned all my Exp to bring me all the way to level forty and my professions to level.
> You reached a True Hero level 20
>
> You gained four True Hero perks.
>
> Class rank up available.
>
> You reached Royal Moon-Blessed Elf [star] level 20
>
> You gained four Royal Moon-Blessed Elf [star] perks.
>
> Race rank-up available.
>
> You reached Spirit Surgeon level 20
>
> You reached Alchemist level 20
>
> You gained 210 Skill Points
>
> You gained 19 Attribute Points.
>
> Attribute points over the cap redistributed.
>
> All of your Attributes are at their caps. Withholding excess points. 100 / 100 Attribute points withheld.
>
> Congratulations! You are the first mortal ever to surpass the limitations of your race.
>
> You gained the Surpasser I (unique) Perk. All your Attribute caps are increased by 10.
>
> Reach 100 withheld points to gain the next rank.
>
> You have 5 Attribute points.
Basically, once you hit the cap all attribute points cost double. However, a person would have to accumulate a thousand Attribute points in a single lifetime, which was mathematically and practically impossible. Only because I had curses artificially lowering my ceiling was I able to hit it after collecting Attributes for a half-dozen lifetimes.
The five points went into Dexterity.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
I bought a few Elf Skills before performing the fusion I wanted.
> You gained the Psyche MP Storage (very rare) Skill. Increase your MP pool by Rank x Ego x 0.5%.
>
> You gained the Spiritual MP Recovery (very rare) Skill. Increase your MP recovery rate by Rank x Soul x 0.5%
>
> You gained the Lucky MP Pool (ultra-rare) Skill. When casting a spell, there's a chance of Rank x Luck x 0.005% of spending no MP for that spell. You must have enough MP to cast the spell.
These Skills catapulted my MP pool to ridiculous levels. And led me to suspect Sariandi's was in the millions.
> Strength 11 / 21 - Dexterity 19 / 24 - Endurance 11 / 21
>
> Mind 12 / 22 - Willpower 12 / 22 - Charisma 14 /24
>
> Magic 100 /110
>
> Ego 100 / 110 - Luck 100 / 110 - Soul 100 / 110
>
> HP 82,909
>
> MP 151,200
>
> SP 145,200
With that out of the way, I could spend the remaining Skill points burning a hole in my pocket on making the combination I wanted.
> {Combine Skills} activated. You are sacrificing the following Skills:
>
> Stealth 35, Camouflage 35, Hide Tracks 35, Reduce Threat [Forest] 9, Hide Presence (rare) 35, Infiltration (rare) 35, Saboteur (rare) 35, Detect Traps (uncommon) 9, Disarm Traps (uncommon) 9, Trapsense (rare) 9
>
> Plus 197 Skill Points.
>
> Confirm?
>
> You gained the Surreptitiousness (ultra-rare) Skill. When hiding or moving stealthily, reduce the chance of others detecting either you or traces of your passing through any sense by Rank x Dexterity x 1% (Current: 1520%).
>
> You gained the Grandmaster Surreptitiousness (ultra-rare) Perk. When moving at half your movement rate, apply your Surreptitiousness modifier to the chance of triggering traps or wards of any kind. You are aware of any trap or ward that fails to act that way.
>
> Your Surreptitiousness Skill level is Grandmaster 80 (The maximum level for Combine Skills - excess Skill Points were lost).
I hope that's what you wanted, Wyxnos. I really do. Because you might've unbottled a demon. Since I'm the demon (lowercase D), I don't mind. The funny part was that since my movement rate was doubled by a broken perk from an ancient age, half my movement rate was the normal movement rate for a person.
I left the perks for later. Some people needed me and I was too much of a softie to ignore them.
----------------------------------------
The women were reluctant to submit themselves to the abortion even though I was sure I could perform the procedure.
"I'll pay a gold coin to the first one to volunteer. I'll also heal any ailments you have."
One of the women, whose name was Norma, had a belly so big she might give birth at any moment, came forward. "I'll submit myself, Your Highness. I don't want to birth these parasites."
I had an operating table in the chieftain's hut, the only one big enough for what I wanted. I led the woman in there and performed a c-section on her. She was already near birth. I killed the fetuses as I pulled them out before they could take in their first breath. I also fixed her womb, the lung damage she had from an old disease, and sutured with my threads, putting her on {Intensive Care}. My MP pool was big enough to keep a slow trickle of healing on her.
That took the rest of the night and the whole other day. I only left her side and released her on the morning of the day after.
"How are you feeling, Norma?"
She had tears in her eyes. Grabbing my hand, normal pledged, "I'm honored that Your Highness stood by me this long. I've been granted a new life and I'd like to devote it to you."
"Help me do the same to the other women there. Come, let's talk to them."
Seeing Norma walking normally, if you forgive my pun, made me think there was another hidden truth to Velora's injury. True, I unlocked a Profession that's almost impossible to achieve without my modern knowledge, but It's impossible those high mages and druids can't restore a lost limb.
The women were free to pick their huts save for the chieftains. I would replace all of them with stone constructions later. Once they heard us talking - well, mostly Norma telling me how the orcs raided the merchant caravan she was part of and killed the man to kidnap the women and goods, they gathered.
"Norma? You're... not pregnant," one of the women, a girl with very elegant manners that betrayed she was nobility gasped. She too was pregnant but her belly still had a few months to go.
"Silvie, hey. You told me not to do it, but Her Highness here healed me," Norma bowed to me.
Silvie's jaw dropped. "Her... Highness... pink hair..." then it was her knee's turn to bend. The other women followed the cue and I had a kneeling village. "I'm sorry for offending you, Lady of the Forest."
I was sure news of Fulgen's Royal Family predicament had run their course and my bloodline was considered extinct by now. The efforts of the council to keep my existence under wraps was enough proof of that.
"Hey," Taeral called my attention. When I looked at him, he sent a sign message.
I hope he wasn't telling me I'd have to kill the women after going through all of this.
"Your Highness, I humbly request permission to speak," Still on her knees, Silvie broke our sign conversation.
"Granted. Speak your mind. But all of you, arise and be at ease."
The women stood but they were looking at me with concern and awe in their eyes.
"I'm the first daughter of Count Hazelwich. I... understand a bit of elvish. I thank Your Highness for thinking of our wellbeing. I can assure you we'll do our utmost to cooperate with your new settlement."
She touched her belly, "And if Your Highness could do to us what you did for Norma, we would be eternally grateful."
If things are the same in this continent as in the now-called Scorched one, virginity wouldn't be an issue for noblewomen. But to give birth to orcs, that was a fate I wouldn't wish on anyone. I'd rather have Nenandil freeze their pussies.
"I intend to do that. We can't let orcs come into this world."
"I thank the Lady for not taking the easiest path."
She glanced at where I had the argument with my knights. She probably heard the whole thing and "speak a bit of Elvish" is misdirection. Yes, this woman is dangerous. I'll have to do something I didn't want to.
"If you know this much, you understand you won't rejoin your families," I said. "You all will live here, in this land."
Her act dropped for a moment as she glared at me. Even Taeral who was guarding my side tensed.
"I believe you won't have a problem with that, do you?" I pressed.
She froze for a long moment. Then she bowed, "Of course not, Your Highness. We owe you our lives."
I used {Appraise} on her. Level thirty-three [Aristocrat]. There are perks to fake one's status. Why am I this bothered by what she's saying? I should...
Yeah, right. Thanks, {Pinnacle of Ego}.
I drew a dagger and pointed at her. Taeral unsheathed his shortsword.
"Did you really think you could manipulate me?" I asked with a hint of anger in my voice. "Taeral?"
"As you command, Your Highness," He said in Pekothian, the local human language.
Taeral didn't speak his maneuvers but he blurred from my side and cut down the [Aristocrat]'s neck as he walked past her. The other women fell on the ground, cowering.
"Taeral, her level?" I asked in Fulgen Elvish.
"Forty-seven, Your Highness," He answered as he walked around and cleaned his blade.
I collected and bound her ghost before it passed on. Let her sit for a while next to the orc chieftain. I would interrogate her after purifying since that kind of ghosts tells no falsehoods.
"Listen up. Your former lives are forfeit. You are alive by my grace, and by grace alone. Silvie, if that was even her real name, attempted to manipulate me using a Skill. I believe I don't need to tell you how foolish that was. I will treat you of your belly parasites, and you are going to give me your full Status. Any falsehood or attempt to hide information from me will earn you the same fate as that one. Do not squander my kindness."
I knew what I had to do. I didn't like that not a single bit, but it was needed.
In the next couple of days, I performed surgery on all the women. And I used {Assassinate} on all of them, followed by {Last Chance} on them. Should they have more than seventy thousand HP, it would've failed but none did.
During that time I interrogated their ghosts. Five of the women were Silvie's handmaidens and I had to let them pass on. They were loyal to their lady and they wanted revenge. The other eight were former bandits, murderers, and I also dismissed their ghosts.
One interesting thing was that the orc fetuses had no ghost and gave no Experience. I believe that - at least in this world - the souls are only bound to the bodies upon birth. It is interesting because there was evidence back on Earth that babies can remember what happens in their mother's bellies. If this is because the Gods will so or the System requires it was something beyond my meager knowledge.
I was left with nine healthy human women to play Sim City with. It was then that Velora and some other elves arrived. I went to the edge of the settlement to greet her. They knelt as I approached.
"Your Highness. I answered your summons," Velora said. If I had to guess, she doesn't know who I am yet.
"Well met, ranger Velora. I'm grateful that you came promptly. And you are...?" I asked the other elves.
"Your Highness, we were sent by the Council to assist you in your project. We have Earth mages, engineers, and also a priest-inquisitor of Yznera. The health of your new wards was our concern."
And their secrecy. "I appreciate they sent a priest, but I already interrogated the women and removed those that could be a danger to us. Let us work then. I am interested in learning from the masters the spells used to raise functional habitations and these orcish constructions are too damn ugly."
"We would be honored, Your Highness," the speaker answered.