THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION, AND SHOULD BE TREATED AS SUCH. ANY RELATIONS OR REFERENCES WITH REAL LIFE EVENTS AND PEOPLE ARE MERE COINCIDENCES.

Prologue: Reigners

From the Desk of: Natasha Duncan

Date: 2-17-2025

Title: Group Formation

A message to myself…

This is a message that desperately requires your utmost divided attention, and it will most likely not be the only one that you may write concerning the state of affairs that plagues us.

As you may know, issues have risen, and they are not the ones to be taken lightly.

…oh, who am I kidding myself? Let’s just get down to the point.

I am Natasha Duncan, and right now, our worlds are facing a terrible crisis that could wipe out all life as we know it.

As you know, the Treaty of Harmony was put in use after the results of the first End War due to both worlds sustaining severe damage to the people. Nearly more than half of Earth’s population was wiped out, as well as the other world’s population, also known as Deymous’s population.

In short, the war brought nothing but destruction, and we were forced to sign a treaty to prevent any more needless bloodshed, and for 40 years, we’ve learned to live together. There were some difficulties, but that was inevitable.

We were too naïve to think that a simple treaty was going to unite two completely different worlds.

Some years after the treaty was signed, crime…was at an all-time high.

Robberies, arson, property damages, sex traffic rings, rape, prejudice, murder, you name it. Almost every crime was committed, and the police was even torn to try and apprehend the criminals.

This was because the people of Deymous were anything but ordinary. They all had unique abilities:

The ability to use fire, the ability to fly, the ability to shapeshift, you name it. It was because of that, the people of Deymous always felt that the people of Earth didn’t know their place and tried to hold us down.

What they didn’t know was that humans tend to advance very quickly, and it was only a matter of time before we were on the even playing ground.

It was because of human advancements that we were able to go toe-to-toe with Deymous.

…wait…that isn’t…

…

“No! Argh!”

Natasha yelled as she crumpled the paper she was just writing on and roughly tossed it towards her waste bin, which was overflowing with a growing mountain of crumpled balls of paper. Scratching her head in frustration, she grabbed a small bottle filled with an energy drink and gulped the entire thing down in one go. She then tossed the now empty bottle towards another pile next to the waste bin, which was now made of various bottles, all the same size.

“Ok…I…think I need a break.” She muttered as she felt back onto the floor from her sitting position. Natasha took a deep breath, released it and laid her arm over her eyes. One could tell that she was exhausted from how she moved: slow and careful.

Then again, trying to complete something from 5 in the afternoon to nearly 3 in the morning wasn’t such an easy task to deal with.

With only a dim light to illuminate the space around her, the fatigue and strain to stay up late was starting to take its toll on the woman. Of course, another reason could be due to her advancing age of 39. She wasn't exactly a young lady anymore. Now she was a woman in her prime, working the ever loving job of Chief Officer of the Koshan Police Force to pay the bills, keep her home afloat, and making sure that the city she had resided in, Kosha, was safe and sound for the other residents to go about their everyday lives.

Of course, just remembering what she was doing and what she was doing it for made its way into her memory bank.

Kosha. The city that existed in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, almost smack dab into the middle, and the only neighboring areas of land surrounding it were several small islands. This particular city was built some time ago to accommodate for the unexpected arrival of the world that came into contact with the planet known as Earth.

This other world was known as Deymous, and the inhabitants were pretty much every mythical creature that mankind had dreamed up, created and gave stories to. In other words, the fantasy world of every geek, nerd and those who wanted to study the myths of old.

It was fascinating, but unfortunately, the first meeting with these creatures were not the best. But...that was 50 years ago from now.

Yes. The first meeting of the Earthlings and the Deymous was in the tender year of 1985. Unknown to the public, technology had made a impressive, yet dangerous breakthrough. An unknown portal had emerged because of one man, a young lad by the name of Damien Crowlings, and what popped out was something that would set the spark for the eventual war that would eradicate nearly 75% of both Earth's and Deymous's populations.

What popped out, was a small child that was an ogre, and the child was shot by an armed guard, afraid of the small child. This single act was what started the war that would be known as the End War.

10 years of nothing but bloodshed everywhere. Earth's greatest armies from around the world would soon find themselves locked into combat with the mystical powers of Deymous's armies, led by their various kingdoms, and...it was just pure carnage.

It was unimaginable that in just 10 years, the Earth's massive number of around 7 billion people would lose 75% thanks to one single war. The damage was irreparable, but in return, the citizens of Deymous was also lose the same number of their own to the End War.

After 10 bloody years of nothing but blood, the war came to an end because of one single act of selflessness: In the midst of the battle, a couple emerged, holding hands and cuddling their newborn twin babies, but sadly, would perish due to a stray bomb landing right on top of them.

What was impossible to miss was that the couple in question was a human male and a Deymous female, and the children were of mixed descent. That one brief moment changed something in all who had took part in the End War.

While everyone hated each other, and would sooner put a bullet through their skulls than ever speak any words that didn't carry ill intent towards the other person, two people instead bypassed the hatred that was consuming their fellow species and found companionship and even love.

That moment when they emerged out of hiding was forever captured, and not only was it the catalyst to put an end to the End War, but it also enacted the Treaty of Harmony, the binding law that as of the day the war ended, the people of Earth and the people of Deymous would no longer feud, but instead would work together to bring peace and harmony to live together in coexistence.

Natasha sighed as she sat back up, groaning, wondering what made her remember an event like that at a time like this?

Oh. Right. The proposal that she wanted.

It had been almost 40 years since the Treaty was put into law, and of course, everyone's reactions were all over the place, ranging from relief to anger. Some migrated from their respective worlds to the other, and others chose to stay in theirs. Some races survived, even by having only a single member, and the others, unfortunately, were wiped clean off the map, with the most recent one being a big genocide that happened 12 years ago. The race that was unfortunate enough to join the list of extinct races were the Fira, who were well known to worship the Phoenix Goddess, and would sacrifice young maidens to appease said goddess.

Then, all of a sudden, in the span of a single day, the clan and everyone who had their blood in their veins were wiped out. The really odd thing was that there were no remains of any of their bodies to be found. Even more odd, it was said that they had just sacrificed a young girl, believing that she was the Phoenix Goddess reincarnated, and that if successful in the ritual, she would be reborn from the ashes of her deceased body.

Of course, no one knows if the ritual was successful, and the reason behind the genocide was still a mystery waiting to be solved. After all, over 5 million people just don't suddenly disappear in a single day.

Then again, having your coworker, who's a human female, having loads of sex with a male dragon who's as tall as a skyscraper and living to tell you the tale is already weird enough. So the possibility of someone having the power to wipe out an entire clan wasn't beyond question.

Though it did make Natasha wonder about how a human could fit-NO, NO, we're not going there!

Ahem...

In any case, it was labeled as the Fira Genocide, and so far, no clues had popped up as to what, or even who, was responsible for it.

But that wasn't what Natasha was going for. Yes, it was a big deal, but she was going for something much more bigger.

The Treaty of Harmony, while effective, was in the end, just another law, and like many laws, it can be broken and bypassed. More often than not, crimes between the humans and the Deymous would range from petty to horrid. It wasn't uncommon for drug and sex rings to appear, and Natasha couldn't even count how many times she had to stop a sex traffic ring and find that the majority of women in it were human. Yes, there were ones that had Deymous women, but humans were far more easier, considering that the Deymous actually had the destructive power to murder anyone who opposed them.

A few unfortunate women were used as examples, and some were even as young as 13.

The drug rings, by far, were much easier to find and control. Her special training during her time in the Koshan Academy prepared her to handle those who would flaunt their abilities to show that they meant business.

She would be all too happy to remind them that she's the chief for a goddamn reason.

But she soon noticed that there had been an increase in the rings, and even more crimes were becoming more common such as theft and arson. The reason was beyond her, but that didn't mean that she would stand there and let it slip by.

The city of Kosha was there to show the world that no matter how everyone else felt about the Treaty of Harmony, whether it was love or hate, that there was always be one place that would represent the perfect coexistence between humans and Deymous.

Of course, it would have security to make sure that peace was upheld, and Natasha made her way through the ranks to keep the city's peace going.

Nowadays, it seems that Kosha’s peace was starting to look like a dream.

In the center of the entire city was a statue that represented what everyone wanted: peace and harmony. Of course, it was fitting that the statue would be of the couple who put an end to the End War in the first place, and below it was the very picture of the moment they appeared, captured by one single individual named Beth Duncan.

That was Natasha’s own mother.

But the big issue was that the statue was currently feeling out of place. It was the odd thing out of place in the city of Kosha, home to 2 billion individuals of the now ever-growing 18 billion people that occupy both Earth and Deymous.

The one symbol of peace was being overshadowed with the evil deeds of the citizens that surrounded it, and Natasha felt the pressure of trying to outdo it all.

Even if she could put her team all over the map to keep everything at bay, the thinning of such a force would break the police force apart easily, and despite her nearly being a one-woman army that can single-handedly stop a dozen crime lords and make it to her youngest daughter’s 1st grade school play in under half an hour, the keywords were: one woman.

She was still a single person, and there was also her age to consider. She couldn’t live forever, and would eventually have to retire, either by stepping down willing or by force.

Thus, her current dilemma: finding individuals who could help her.

Simply put, she was thinking of putting a group together of gifted people who would benefit the world using their abilities to help keep the peace. Her team was helpful, but unfortunately were needed on her squad. This team had to consist of people who could work part time for the group, but they had to respond to the call when it came. Kind of like a vigilante group, but in contact with the police and would have the ability to travel between both worlds and help those in need.

Of course, this was merely on paper.

In reality, she didn’t know if the force in Deymous would agree to her plan, and even if they did, she would probably have to listen to their demands and probably end up losing more than half the control she would have to them, among other things.

Thus, she made the choice to start the group herself.

So for the last few weeks, she had been looking and looking. Auditions, live demonstrations and even internet searches brought up a few likely candidates, but none that caught her eye that screamed instant material. She did take down their info in case she changed her mind.

“Damn it!” She screamed, slamming her fist into the table and knocking over her papers. It was 3 am in the morning, but she certainly didn’t care who heard her.

She heaved a heavy sigh as she got up to go get a glass of water, her legs feeling a bit numb after sitting for such a long time. She stretched as she made her way into the kitchen, the darkness blinding her for a few seconds before her eyes adjusted to it.

Suddenly, she slowed her walking speed when she made it to a certain door. On it were big stickers of puppies, unicorns and some pink and purple stars with sparkles. In the middle was a single word: Christine.

In other words, her young 6-year-old daughter.

The door was opened just a smidge, and she could spot the young girl sound asleep through it. She was holding her Carl The Crocodile doll as she slept under her Carl The Crocodile blanket, drooling a bit on her Carl The Crocodile pillow. In the corner of the room next to her Carl The Crocodile lamp and matching Carl The Crocodile desk was a limited edition Carl The Crocodile night light. In another corner was a Carl The Crocodile bean bag chair, a Carl The Crocodile tea set, and she also had a Carl The Crocodile TV. To complete the collection, a Carl The Crocodile rug was neatly placed in the middle of the floor, and scattered around it were more Carl The Crocodile toys.

It then occurred to Natasha that her child may have a bit of an obsession with a certain fictional reptile.

Ever since her only son, Chris, showed her the awesomeness that was Carl, that was all she ever wanted, and every chance she got, she begged for more Carl.

For two birthdays straight, it was nothing but Carl The Crocodile merchandise everywhere, and while Natasha loved her daughter to bits, she’d be damned if she had to buy any more Carl merch. Last time, she forgot her favorite coffee mug, and had to make due with one that had Carl on it.

The coffee never tasted so bitter. It was because she had to drink her coffee out of a mug with a blue reptile that talked about love and peace. That, or her tears of embarrassment made it into her drink.

Either way, she then made her son take care of any and all Carl merchandise from that point on for his little sister. After all, he got her into it. Might as well make the man pay his dues.

Natasha smiled as she gently closed the door. It was a good trip down memory lane, and then she had finally reached her destination of the kitchen. Reaching for a glass, which was conveniently right next to the same Carl mug she drank from, she got herself a nice cool glass of H2O.

A few gulps down, and her mind was becoming a lot more clearer.

“Pah! Phew...that was needed!” She exclaimed, feeling the heat disappear from her body. Running her hand through her hair, she took a few breaths before finishing her drink.

“OK...now that I’m more hydrated, I should probably get to bed. Even though I don’t have work tomorrow, staying up late isn’t good for me.”

She made her way to her room and was about to head to bed when the mess she made earlier caught her eye. Her bag was open and the papers that were inside were all over the floor.

It looked like the bed would have to wait a bit longer to have her body occupy it. Sighing, she went and started cleaning up, not wanting to deal with it in the morning.

While picking up the papers, she looked around to see where they had all flown off to, and spotted one lone piece that drifted under the door. She could see the title of the paper in big bold letters.

“ARTICLES TO LOOK OVER - URGENT” it said.

On it were a list of articles that she had to look through. Unfortunately, it wasn’t for business. It was because her co-workers wanted to give her something to do when she wasn’t working. That, and she did become genuinely interested in some of these after they made the news. One of them featured a classmate of her son’s university.

The rest were because her co-workers knew the people involved, which did pique her curiosity, since one of them was a queen of her kingdom, one was a succubus and one was a mad inventor.

But the first one on the list was also a very interested tidbit. It featured a club of sorts, but it wasn’t just any club. This club was open to everyone, both human and Deymous alike.

What made Natasha began reading instead of going to bed was something she couldn’t find out, but whatever the case, she went on ahead and began to read about the articles she was presented.

The first article was about the club and how successful it had become.

“The hottest and sexiest club in Kosha, Temptation is open to all who wish to enter.” it read. “Founded in 2020, the owner, Richard P., opened the club to let the citizens of Kosha have fun, relax and even find comfort for those who want a little more than just talking.”

She had heard of the club before. Her fellow officers were talking about it all the time, and even made plans to go there after they got off. Natasha herself had never gone, but that didn’t mean that she wasn’t curious about it. She remembered that they did ask her a few times to go, but unfortunately she always had other things to attend to, like her children. Her days of trying to get with the younger crowd were over, and she wasn’t much of a drinker anyway, at least after she entered the force.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

The biggest reason that she stopped was because her college days full of drinking and partying all the time gave her an unexpected son named Chris Duncan.

Natasha shook her head at the memory before she continued reading.

“Of course, it’s not just the atmosphere that makes this place relaxing. The staff also have a huge hand in making the citizens feel at ease. Luckily, we got an interview with one of them, who many have said to be the best there, and ironically the only woman working at such an establishment: Zoe Belgman.”

As soon as Natasha read that name, her eyebrows shot up.

It was a name that almost everyone in Kosha knew about, and it was someone that she had ran into a few times before, mostly because she heard many stories about this woman from her fellow female co-workers and wanted to check it out herself. Unfortunately, the first time she had met Zoe was...not a pleasant experience:

Just imagine you walking into the bathroom, and the first thing you see is your fellow officer sitting on the sink, her legs spread open for all to see her goods, and the woman who everyone was talking about having her head in between them, presumably getting a taste.

The kicker? Not only was the officer already married to a man, but SHE was the one who came onto Zoe and the other woman just complied. Also, that apparently wasn’t the first time they were like that as well, as they have been meeting up together for a week. Similar stories were heard from the other females of the Kosha Police Force.

Thus, Natasha knew a lot about the person that was Zoe Belgman:

- She was a womanizer who, more often than not, had other various females come to her, sometimes without her even trying to invoke them.

- She was a full blown lesbian, and had never been with a man in her entire life. According to her secretary, it was that way since she was small. She could get along with men, but never romantically.

- She somehow had the ability to sense what women really wanted when it came to intimacy, even if they themselves don’t say or even know of it, and would fulfill it.

- Despite the various females that she had been with, she has never been in a full relationship with anyone. It was merely sex and nothing else, but that didn’t stop others from trying for more. According to her secretary, again, Zoe had claimed that she doesn’t want to be tied down to one person, but will pleasure anyone who wants it from her, but won’t ever try to destroy a relationship; and yet she had slept with many wives and girlfriends of other people. How hypocritical.

It soon came to the fact that not only did Natasha figure out that she was one of the few women on the force to NOT have sex with Zoe Belgman, but aside from her sexcades, there was nothing else that anyone wanted to tell her about, which included family, hobbies and education. She made a note to ask about that later.

She continued reading.

“According to Ms. Belgman, the massive success of Temptation was the freedom to have a place for comfort and safety. Of course, she also had to give herself a bit of credit for bringing in a huge crowd whenever she’s on the clock, since, in her own words, ‘...considering that the majority of customers that come in are women who want some love, and since I am the best lover there, I make sure that their deepest desires are all fulfilled. Though, the majority of our customers being female may also have to do with the fact that I’m the only female working there, and the rest are men, both human and Deymous alike, so you have some good eye candy. Sometimes, they want men, and sometimes they want me, and how could I say no to such lovely ladies who only want to be treated like queens in the bedroom?’”

Natasha shook her head in disbelief. She wondered if those were the kinds of lines that got her fellow officers to hook up with this person.

In the article was a group photo of all the employees that worked at Temptation, including the owner, guards and even Zoe herself, sitting high on the shoulders of one of the guards. Just like the other employees, she was dressed in a tuxedo with her violet hair in a long braid, complete with a grin on her face while giving off a thumbs-up. Another picture of her alone was used in the article during her interview. This one had her in a pose sitting in a chair with her legs crossed, holding a wine glass while looking at the camera with half-lidded eyes and a smile. Her eyes were a soft golden color, almost sparkling thanks to the lights reflected on her.

It was as if they were trying to make her irresistible...though Natasha had to admit that they kind of succeeded. If Zoe looked at everyone like that, it was no wonder why her squad fell for her.

Pushing that thought aside, she continued reading.

“The owner, Richard P who is openly gay, also had a few words to describe the success of his club. ‘It has always been my dream to make something like this, and that it was miracle that something so small and uncommon would blow up to what it is today.’ He stated.”

Natasha skimmed through some of it, which talked about his childhood, his coming out and partner, Juan (who was the one who had Zoe on his shoulders) and other minute details like what drinks they served and the kinds of parties that they throw, which ranged from the traditional birthday bashes to the more expensive sex parties. There was also an escort service available, which Zoe was apart of. For a hefty price, the buyer could have anything they wanted from the escort, like hugs and kisses and even some fondling and cuddling. The restrictions were only as high as the price would allow it, so for the full package, one would have to pay the full price, and of course, it was to no one’s surprise that Zoe’s price was no laughing matter.

Though there were rumors that if anyone were to come and ask her for sex outside of work, she would do so anyway. Her reasoning, according to sources, was that “she’s not responsible for anything that happens with anyone’s relationships, but she can’t leave a woman who wants to be sexually satisfied alone.”

Natasha had to sigh. Was sex the only thing that could describe Zoe Belgman? Surely there were other things, though it did bug her that she found herself getting more interested in the woman that was Zoe Belgman, if only to see if the rumors of her being everything short of a sex goddess were true.

With that said, she supposed that the next time she was offered to go to Temptation, she’d accept.

Now with a plan set, she moved on to the next article.

This one was about one of her son’s fellow college students and her involvement in the anti-bullying movement.

“Every year, thousands of children are bullied and they often go unnoticed, but here, a student at Kosha University has a program that may change that. That program is called The Anti-Bully Buddy Program, where they have a young child get together with an older person and have them commute with each other. What goes on between them is only between them.” The article stated. “The student, Dorothy Belgman, came up with the idea in regards to her childhood, where she had been bullied for her Half-Deymous blood.”

Natasha had to smile. There were three things in that one paragraph that she took a good note of:

1. She was happy that people were trying to prevent bullying. She was glad that her kids were good and honest, so she would know if some kid were to pick on them, especially her daughter. Her fellow officers, on the other hand, weren’t so fortunate. Some of their kids stayed from school, some tried to run away, and even one of them committed suicide. The father hadn’t recovered since.

2. Was it a coincidence that she went from one Belgman to another? She’d like to hope so. Sure, they could just have the same last name and have no relation whatsoever, but she had a good feeling that they were probably sisters. If so, then did Dorothy know about Zoe and the numerous women she’s been with? Which led to…

3. Dorothy was Half-Deymous. In some ways, that was a huge deal. Yes, there were mixed couples of humans and Deymous, but early on, not every couple would have children due to the different DNA, and it would usually result in the death of either mother, child or both during birth. Nowadays, methods were being utilized to reduce the stress and lead for a more natural birth. But the biggest reason was that Half-Deymous had the potential to be gifted with an ability that would only be told via legend. In other words, a power that could either start or end a war single-handedly. This was verified by the Terra, who were the humans of Deymous. The biggest difference between the Earth humans and the Deymous humans were the hair color, which was something that Natasha should’ve known about Zoe. She was either a Deymous human, or a Half-Deymous like Dorothy.

       Natasha put the thoughts in the back of her mind and decided to read on.

“Often children don’t tell their parents about the bullying because they don’t want to worry them. Here, we let them tell one of the older students everything in exchange for some help in regards to overcoming bullying. The students who participate are often those who also had to deal with being bullied, so the connection is more smoother.” Ms. Belgman explained. “I also had my fair share of bullies growing up. My sister and I are both Half-Deymous, so we were easy targets. I was too afraid to stand up for myself, but my sister would fight back.”

In the article was a picture of a woman with long white hair and golden eyes. She was dressed in what seemed to be like a 19th century black gothic dress, with a black rose hairband accessory in her hair and black lipstick. It was an odd way to dress, but a few things stood out. First was the little girl she was holding hands with, then it was the bright background behind them, and last was the warm smile she gave the young girl.

In the caption below it, the name “Dorothy Belgman” was seen.

So this is her, huh? Natasha thought to herself. She looks like a porcelain doll in that get-up, especially since that’s a lot of black she has on, and not to mention her skin. It’s pretty pale, but it just makes the doll comment all the more believable.

There was also the fact that her and Zoe were sisters. There was too much proof to deny it: The eye color, the last name, and the hair color all point to it. Dorothy even referenced her. Sure, not by name, but that’s from what Natasha had read so far.

Surely, Zoe’s name must be in here, somewhere...ah-hah! There it was!

“My sister, Zoe. “ Written plain as day. So that confirmed the relationship between both Belgman women, but it did little to confirm if Dorothy knew of Zoe and her sexcades.

She supposed that she could always get her son to ask her about it. They seemed pretty close, and he even had some talks about inviting her over for dinner with his friends. Maybe he had a crush on her.

Of course, Mommy Dearest would have to check on the background of Little Dorothy to see if she was any good for her son. Now the background check was doubled since she was related to the female sex machine that was Zoe Belgman.

Jotted down and imprinted for the future, she looked at the clock and was shocked that only five minutes had passed since she began looking into these articles. Either she was really quick to conclude her findings, or time had just decided to move very slowly for her.

She guessed the former.

Still, if she could knock out two articles in 5 minutes, then the rest should be a breeze. So with that mindset, she moved onto the next article.

This one was about the mad inventor. Apparently she was presenting an idea for AI’s for home use, such as house cleaning, running errands and other things. She already had some prototypes available for public use, and the results were mostly positive.

It seemed like a good idea, especially since it would benefit those who were elderly, disabled or otherwise, but it did beg the question as to why she was referred to as a mad inventor?

The answer, Natasha guessed, would be in the article, so onward she read.

“Is the future of technology here? According to the creator of these AIs, yes it is.” the article stated. “The creator, Katherine Crowlings, unveiled her creations to the world a few days ago for testing, and the world is still in shock.”

Now that Natasha had heard of it, she remembered that there was an event some time ago announcing something that would benefit everyone. She must’ve forgot about it under the amount of work she was pulling in. But there was something else that she took a big note of.

Crowlings.

That was also the last name of the guy who first discovered the portal connecting Earth and Deymous, igniting the End War and the Treaty of Harmony. She wondered if they had any relation or if it was just a mere coincidence that they had the same last name. She decided to bet on the former, but if that was the case, then what was the relation?

Pushing the thought in the back of her mind, she kept reading.

“Unfortunately, we were not able to get a face-to-face interview due to her...excuse of ‘missing the latest anime’, so we instead got an interview with her two first androids, named Inu-kun and Neko-chan, after their animal motifs, a dog and a cat, respectively.”

Well that was no good. No words from the woman, herself, huh? While the interview with the androids was an interesting topic to read, Natasha wasn’t too interested in it. She was about to go to the next article, but a picture caught her eye.

And what a picture it was.

What was shown was a woman in spectacles, her brown hair into a single braided ponytail on the side with a hairband, licking a popsicle in an...erotic fashion, with her legs spread as wide as she could get them. That was a bizarre image to have. But what was more bizarre was the fact that she was wearing a lab coat...and nothing else! The only thing that was covering her was two nuts for her breasts and a rather long and even comically large wrench for her genitals, with the hook laying right on her crotch, just enough to cover her. The popsicle dripping, landing on her body and the words “U NO HANDLE MEH” written on her belly, were the final pieces to the whole thing.

The caption under the picture? It said “Katherine Crowlings in her norm~ - Inu-kun and Neko-chan. Do not steal.”

Natasha made a face. Seriously? Inu-kun? Neko-chan? Not having an interview because of anime, and now this...spectacle of a photo?

And this was the person who could create an army of androids single-handedly and wanted to make the world a better place with her ideas? No wonder they called her mad.

Natasha made a mental note to arrange an arrest on Katherine Crowlings later for public indecency later. Anyone and everyone falls under the law in her book.

There was more to the article than just the interview. Apparently, it seems that androids weren’t the only things that Katherine created.

“Ms. Crowlings also has the privilege of being the one to design the city’s new defense system, as well as the newly acquired weapons that our police force uses, including the guns, handcuffs and even the bars of the prison. With her inventions, the city couldn’t be in safer hands!”

Natasha scoffed. The city of Kosha, safe? Yeah, and she’s still married.

First off, the bastard left her after Christine was born. The reason was unknown to her, but she didn’t care anymore. Her son was more of a man than he would ever be. Second, Natasha 0admittedly had to give credit where credit was due. The new weapons that she had been using were pretty damn good, and the security system was a huge advancement for protection from unwanted outside guests.

But on the inside? Let’s just say the peaceful face of Kosha hid the equally dark underground, almost to the point that once you go in the dark side, it’s unlikely that you’d ever been seen again. Because of that, it was a miracle that she and multiple officers came and left unscathed on multiple occasions. That, or the new weapons worked better than she gave them credit for. If it had been anyone else, they’d might as well forfeit their lives.

But of course, she had built a reputation of taking down anyone that even looks at her funny. Unknown to her, she was quite infamous in the dark side of Kosha, where she had earned the nickname “Executioner of Kosha’s Dark Side.” The only people to have the balls to mess with her were either crime bosses or idiots with a death wish.

Unfortunately, even with her unknown moniker, she was still only one person, and a single person would have a difficult time cleaning up something that elevated way passed what she could keep up with.

In other words, for every crime boss she put away, 10 more would take their place. They were similar to cockroaches in that way.

At any rate, it was a sure surprise to her. She knew that the government provided new weapons and stuff for them, but actually knowing who made it all was a neat thing to know.

Then again, she never bothered to ask anyone nor watch any news segments. As long as they worked, she could give a rat’s ass as to where they came from, which also included the drug lords she rounds up regularly. If they had to ask for any kind of compensation, then she would be more than happy to pay them back by putting them behind bars, and anyone else who wanted to make her an enemy would probably think twice before doing so.

Sure, she had made quite a bit a enemies over the years, but almost none of them would dare to go after her family. That was because of what happened some time ago.

A few years ago, her children were kidnapped, and when she found the ones who had done it, only her and her kids left the place alive. Ever since then, some have tried and failed and others never worked up the courage to even attempt it, but Natasha was always watching and waiting for the day someone would do so once again.

But as for the article and who it was about: weird person who she would never really want to meet and would really love not to have around her daughter. She better hide it or maybe burn it so that none may see it.

Putting that thought away, she moved on to the next article. This was about a kingdom located within Deymous borders. Compared to Earth, Deymous was an interesting mix between modern technology and Ye Olde structures. Some areas were more advanced than others, mostly thanks to Earth’s technological advancements, but Deymous technology also brought in medical miracles that were sought after for years, such as the cure to the common cold and even viruses such as HIV. Now there were less people that would have to die from such unfortunate diseases, but there was still the risk of getting them.

Back to the article, it was about the Kingdom of Lampert, and how the Queen not only participated in a battle for land from one of their enemy kingdoms, but won said battle.

“The battle between the Lampert Kingdom and the Ulite Kingdom has finally come to a close. Led by their Queen, Lara de Lampert, the Lampert Kingdom fought to the very end, bringing the whole thing to a close, with her army winning and securing the land from the Ulite Kingdom.” The article stated. “Of course, battles like these are fairly common and are known as Land Battles.”

Natasha gave a low hum. She had seen Land Battles on TV before, but mostly with official teams. She never knew that kingdoms also took part in the sport. Then again, she wasn’t a huge fan like her son was, so maybe he knew much more than she did.

If she remembered the rules, they were as followed:

- Two teams would compete for a piece of land, sort of like King of the Hill.

- To acquire the land, all members of a team must be on the land for exactly five minutes total. Each team must have 10 members on the field, and at least five members must be on the land for the timer to go up. Each successful capture lands a point to the total, ending the round.

- The timer stops when less than five members are off the land, or a member from the opposite team comes on the land.

- Each member has special armor for Land Battles. When the armor is hit, they are downed for 10 seconds before teleporting back to their base. Special weapons are used for Land Battles, and real weapons are prohibited.

- Before each round starts, each member is allowed 500 of a special currency called Land Battle Dollars, or LBD, to purchase better weapons, more armor or perks to aid them. To earn more, they can collect it on the field via special boxes laid out all around.

- The first team to win five of the 10 rounds wins the game.

Sure, on paper, the sport didn’t sound exciting, and sometimes it can be so one-sided that it could feel like a waste of time, but five minutes could pass in the blink of an eye, and especially when you could just pick off a single member and halt the timer, giving yourself a small advantage that could save yourself in the long run.

Many kingdoms and countries from around Deymous competed in the sport. There were three major tournaments: East Deymous Land Battle Cup, West Deymous Land Battle Cup and Universal Land Battle Championship. Each winner of the first two would compete in the ULBC for a total of 20 rounds.

Despite that, it was still played like any other sport: professional, casual or otherwise.

“The Lampert Kingdom has been dominant so far in their battles, winning a total of six battles so far. Surely, they look like the best chance the east has of winning the East Deymous Land Battle Cup, and hopefully the ULBC!” The article went on to state. “Of course, this isn’t the first time they’ve been this dominant. They’re also famous for always making it to the ULBC, but always coming up short to the west for the last three years in a row. Perhaps this time, they may capture the gold! We’ve managed to get an interview from the queen of the kingdom and the captain of the Lampert Sunflowers, Lara de Lampert!”

Natasha snorted. Lampert Sunflowers? Not...exactly a menacing name. Kosha was one of the only teams from Earth that competed in the sport. The team’s name were the Kosha Tigers. From what she understood, each kingdom named their team after their main motif to show their support and legacy. Some were silly, and others were intimidating.

Still, a name like the Lampert Sunflowers wasn’t that intimidating...but then again, they did make it to the ULBC three times in a row. Perhaps the name hid the team’s strength and made their opponents drop their guard.

Who knows?

“‘When we first started competing in the Land Battles, it was more serious than just having a mere contest. It was for more territory and control over the land. No special weapons, perks or armor. It was just war.’ The queen said. ‘Bloodshed, lost lives and countless years of trauma plagued the lands until the end of my great-grandfather’s reign. More of the story can be found in your local library, should you need to look up the history.’”

Natasha knew the drill by now: interview, more comments, and a picture. Skip A and B, go straight to C. So she went straight for the picture.

She had to admit that it was strange that every article was in the same format. Either it was the style, or someone in editing was too lazy to make things unique and did a copy-paste job to get their check faster.

Either way, she couldn’t hold out for the rest of the articles since it was going on 4 am, so this was the last one that she would read before she would head to bed.

Taking a look at the picture, it was the most normal out of the bunch. There stood the captain and queen of the Lampert Kingdom, dressed in her formal kingdom wear: A long floral pattern dress that exposed her shoulders and had quite a long tail. It had a number of layers, all different shades of blue, which was the kingdom’s official color. Her hair was two completely different colors, with her bangs being a natural blond and the rest, a nice coat of jet black. She wore a light amount of make-up and had piercing blue eyes. She also gave off a gentle yet warm smile. In her hands was the uniform that her team wore, and it was specifically hers. Next to her was a blonde man, also dressed in the same colors, but it was nothing more than a male version of her dress. One couldn’t miss the pair of rings they both had, so the result was that this was her husband, making him the king of Lampert. His name was Iyan de Lampert, it seemed. In the middle of them stood a little girl around five years of age, grinning like a mischievous child with her front teeth missing. Physically, she really looked like a miniature Lara, but her skin was similar to the king’s, as well as her eyes. Lara’s were crystal blue, but his were a nice golden brown. So taking that into account, this was their daughter, named Sarah Maria de Lampert.

All of a sudden, the picture got blurry, and Natasha had to rub her eyes to keep focus, but knew that it was useless. It was extremely late, and any more reading would leave her sleep deprived for the next day. She could look into the other articles later when she had more energy. But before she could get up and move her tired body to her bed, she heard the sound of a door opening.

“Hck..Mommy…”

And the sound of someone calling her name came afterwards, but it sounded like it was crying as well.

Natasha bit back a heavy groan. The worse combo of her life was coming in three parts: It was 4 a.m, she didn’t get a wink of sleep, and now the worse of it all just made their appearance:

In the form of her six-year-old daughter, Christine, standing in the doorway while dragging her Carl The Crocodile doll, rubbing her eyes trying to keep her tears from falling.

Yes, the young girl seemed to have woken up from a nightmare, and it was bad enough to make her cry. Natasha was no stranger to having her young child wake up in the middle of the night after a nightmare or even after an accident like wetting the bed. Usually, she would welcome Christine in her bed or even change the young girl’s sheets right then and there, no matter how late it was.

Of course, the mother of two would already be in her bed, much rested and therefore more inclined to abide by the task. This time, she never even touched her covers.

What made it even worse was that after a nightmare, Christine wouldn’t even attempt to try and go back to sleep in fear of having it again. Natasha spent enough time staying up late to confirm that fact, and had downed a good half a year’s amount of caffeine from early morning interruptions because of said fact.

Without a word, she grabbed her daughter and pulled her into a hug. Looks like the rest of the articles would have to wait until much later in the day, but if she had enough time, she would go visit a certain purple haired lady casanova and have some words with her.

But for now, it was time to take care of her little girl. At times like this, she wished that her son would be home from college so that he could take care of his sister.

© William Owens 2017, All Rights Reserved