With the path to Yarriw now clearly visible, I pressed forward. My advance was slow—Ice Dance had an annoyingly long cooldown, and I wasn’t about to get caught without it. And most importantly… “Mud is demon’s spawn!” Electricity surged forth the ground.
[To unlock a Chain lightning, practice it: 1000/1000]
[Congratulations! You unlocked the Chain lightning spell. You know how to cast it.]
I could not hide my grin. Finally, something going my way. Then I got too excited and ran toward a hill and my heel got stuck in the… mud. “You have to be…”
Despite my irritation, I made decent progress, cresting a hill just as the famous dungeon came into view. There it was.
Yarriw.
Its broken spires rose into the sky like broken teeth, its crumbling walls draped in moss and ivy, all implying glory long since faded. The wind whistled sadly through the ruins, carrying with it a strange sense of foreboding.
“Not sure if I should keep walking on the road…” I muttered, eyeing the ancient path ahead. Guardians—big ones—defended uncleared dungeon entrances, and Yarriw didn’t look particularly welcoming.
Nah, I can take them down! My inner bravado surged, though it didn’t stop me from slowing my pace. Let’s drink before a little though…
I took a swing of wine and let that sweet alcohol empower me.
I moved cautiously, scanning the surroundings with every step. The strange guardians that had dotted the way here had stopped appearing entirely, which only made the silence more disturbing.
Something’s up.
As I approached the sixth decrepit gate, its arch barely holding together under the weight of time, a sharp voices rang out from both sides of the path.
“Halt!”
I froze mid-step, my heart skipping a beat. The voices were commanding, deep, and perfectly synchronized. My eyes darted to the left, then the right, but whoever—or whatever—had spoken hid in the shadows of the ruined walls.
“Identify yourself!” the voice from the left commanded authoritative.
“Princess Charlie?” I responded, though it sounded more like a question than an answer.
“P-Princess?” The surprise was palpable as both figures stepped into the light.
They wore the armor of provincial imperial guards—functional but clearly suffering from a tight budget. As usual. They also paid me badly. The plates were sturdy but patched in places, the wear and tear speaking of countless repairs.
Their weapons pristine though, as they should, the steel gleaming even in the muted light.
Both guards were men, their faces obscured by closed helmets that had signs of their elven race—elegant curves ingrained into the design.
“Yes, I came back to…” I hesitated briefly, testing my luck. “Eeleim.” Huh. Still not censored. “Is this the capital city of Yarriw?”
Both guards exchanged awkward glances, their postures stiffening. They were elves, yet clearly in service to the empire, not the elven kingdom.
“Yes, Your Majesty,” the left one finally replied. “But… they told us to stop anyone coming in.”
“We have to fight?” I asked, already reaching to unfasten my whip. “I’d rather not.” My gaze flicked over their armor—solid, hard to penetrate. And besides, they’re people, not monsters.
“If you turn around, we don’t have to, Your Majesty,” the left guard suggested hesitantly.
“Yes, exactly,” echoed the right one, nodding vigorously.
I hesitated, weighing my options. System, what’s my Right to Rule
[Congratulations! You unlocked the Right To Rule stat.]
[Right To Rule: 44]
What? That high? My mind spun. How?! But it didn’t matter—this changed everything.
“Soldiers!” I barked, letting my tone shift into one of imperial authority. Days as sergeant showing. “I am also an Empire Baronetess! Is that how you treat a noble of the Empire?” I demanded, raising my hand with a flourish to show them my ring.
While running around the imperial court, I’d learned a thing or two about dramatics and Riker reminded me how important that was, and now was the time to use them.
The guards froze, then dropped to their knees, their movements stiff and reluctant but undeniable.
“Good,” I commented coolly, slipping my whip back into place as I stepped forward. Now we’re getting somewhere.
“By law, I could have you executed,” I said, letting the weight of the words settle on them for a moment. Their bodies tensed, their hands twitching slightly toward their weapons. “But that would be a silly notion.”
Their shoulders slackened slightly, confusion flickering in their postures.
I pressed on before they could recover. “Instead,” I continued, my tone shifting to something almost gracious, “I commend you for your dedication and duty. We need good men like you. There’s a war on the horizon.” I allowed the weight of my words to sink in before delivering the name that would stir any elven heart. “Mother Irwen is rising.”
That did it.
Their stiff kneeling forms practically vibrated with emotion, and if my Right to Rule had been any lower, they might have stood to challenge me. But as it was, they remained on their knees, hanging on my every word.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
“Do you know what that means?” I asked sharply, my voice ringing with authority.
“It’s time to get our kingdom back,” they answered in unison, their voices brimming with a mix of pride and resolve. But then the left guard hesitated, glancing at me nervously. “But… you are an empire noble, Your Majesty?”
I took a moment before answering, deliberately waiting with my response. The empress did that a lot, and it was infuriating. And effective. “Mother has to declare war into the hands of someone,” I explained. “To soften the impact of the God of War. I’m that someone. And I’ll give her a fight she won’t forget—a fight worthy of a princess.”
Their eyes widened, and I motioned toward the looming ruins. “But for that, I need something from our homeland.”
The right guard straightened slightly, his voice hesitant but filled with hope. “As you command, Baronetess… are we dismissed from our posts? Can we return and fight alongside… forces in the war?” His words faltered, barely masking the fact that he was asking for permission to desert.
I gave him a sharp nod. “Yes. You are relieved from your posts. Report to Village Number Seventeen.”
Their reactions were immediate. “Yes, Baronetess! Right away!” they said, snapping to attention before marching briskly toward the gate without so much as a backward glance.
I blinked, surprised by their abrupt departure. “What?” I muttered under my breath, watching them disappear into the distance.
Well, that happened.
----------------------------------------
Lucas’ apartment, day before…
When Lucas finally got home, the exhaustion of the day hit him like a Charlie’s slap. Dropping his jacket carelessly over the back of a chair, he sank onto the worn couch in his living room, picking up the half-drank can of energy drink.
His fingers moved quickly over his holo-screen, sending all the intel to Pearl. Another task dumped on her plate, another debt added to the growing ledger of favors he owed.
Maybe Charlie’s right, he thought, running a hand through his disheveled hair.
“Speaking of Charlie…” he muttered, reaching into his pocket to retrieve his comm.
The device flickered to life in his hand, and he shook his head with a smirk. After the meeting with Riker, he’d forgotten to turn it off. The battery, against all odds, hadn’t run out. He stared at the device for a moment, debating.
Finally, he issued the command: “AI, analyze my dialogue with Charlie. Analyze what I did wrong.”
The comm hummed in response, his local AI lighting up with streams of data as it began parsing his request.
“Analysis complete,” a crisp, formal British female voice announced. “Complimenting Charlie’s appearance while she was clearly upset came across as dismissive. While it deflected the immediate tension, it failed to address her concerns. Statements like ‘the money’s just a bonus’ undermined her efforts and the risks she took.”
Lucas winced, running a hand through his hair as the weight of the words settled over him.
“Charlie wanted transparency. Not sharing—”
“Stop,” Lucas interrupted, frustration overtaking him as he kicked the table. “Tell me what to do!”
“Recommendation,” the AI replied, its tone as dispassionate as ever: “Acknowledge her contributions, share details openly, and prioritize the relationship when it matters.”
The comm fell silent, leaving Lucas alone with his thoughts, staring at the glowing screen.
“Ruthless,” he muttered, shaking his head. But he couldn’t argue with it—because it wasn’t the first time this had happened.
I screwed up.
He’d set his alarm later than usual, enjoying the chance to sleep off the chaos of the previous night—and maybe to delay facing Charlie. Maybe. The alarm eventually woke him, and he lay in bed, staring at the golden-laced ceiling above.
I actually pulled it off, he thought, a small smirk tugging at his lips. His crazy plan, against all odds, had succeeded.
But then, like an unwelcome guest, another thought crept in: Maybe it cost me Charlie.
He frowned, trying to shake it off, dismissing the weight in his chest as a leftover from the stress of the night. With a grunt, he swung his legs over the side of the bed, pushing himself upright.
There was no time for regret—not yet.
Sure, there had been… setbacks. Losing all his money initially wasn’t ideal, but that was just a temporary inconvenience. The results mattered, and they spoke for themselves. He now had the intel he needed—info on the two people who were on his tail.
Acting alone.
That detail had been crucial. They weren’t operating under orders from higher-ups. They were rogue, just two loose ends. That he could handle.
But first…
He grabbed his holo-keyboard, quickly opening the Riker’s Rimelion Ranking. Scrolling through the interface, he navigated to Charlie’s page.
“Yesterday?!” he blurted out as a new video caught his attention. Riker’s Tower.
His pulse quickened as he clicked on it. Was he in it? Did they catch him? He held his breath as the video began, but exhaled in relief as the camera focused squarely on Charlie.
She was… breathtaking.
Dressed in an insanely elegant blue-and-white dress, she gave off a raw confidence as she strode toward the side entrance.
The dress clung to her in all the right ways, almost glowing subtly in the dim light. Where did she even get that dress? He wondered, equal parts impressed and curious. And how did she look more stunning every day?
Then there was the tone—that frosty, domineering tone she used when dealing with the guards. It sent a chill down his spine. “Hah,” Lucas chuckled softly to himself, shaking his head. “What am I doing? He… She may never talk to me again…”
But he couldn’t stop watching. The video continued, and his amusement quickly turned to wide-eyed amazement.
After a brief exchange with the guards, Charlie moved—fast. In one fluid motion, she closed the distance to the nearest guard and sent his head crashing into the wall with a precise strike. The impact was brutal; the guard crumpling under her attack.
Lucas’s jaw dropped.
“Has John been secretly learning martial arts or something?” he muttered to himself, replaying the moment. That wasn’t just a lucky move; it was controlled, decisive. “This wasn’t something they covered in basic army CQC…”
He leaned back against the headboard, still staring at the video. There was so much about Charlie—about John—he didn’t know anymore.
And somehow, that only made him admire her more, so he checked all the photos and videos.
A chime alerted Lucas that Pearl had hacked into his system.
Again.
“Hi, Pearl,” he said casually, addressing the surrounding air.
“Hi, Lucky Lucas!” she chirped, her voice bright and cheerful, maybe too cheerful. “I got the info. Amazing work—how did you pull it off? Riker’s not exactly the sharing type, especially with something this big.”
“All it took was inviting Charlie there…” Lucas grinned, leaning back in his chair. “She chatted with him, and he handed it over. I just love her.”
There was a pause. A small one, but it lingered just enough for Lucas to notice.
“Yeah…” Pearl’s tone dipped, losing some of its earlier enthusiasm. “Well, what matters is that you succeeded. Now we can move into phase two of the plan. When’s Charlie coming?”
“She isn’t,” Lucas admitted, his tone heavier now. “I’ve already burdened her more than I should. I… I need to stop relying on her and just handle this myself. Be a man. Clean up my own mess.”
“You also cutting me out?” she asked quickly, her voice flat.
Lucas let out a surprised laugh, shaking his head as he stood. “You? You came up with the idea! How could I do that to you?” His grin widened, the usual confidence returning. “We’re a team—you and me—and we’re the best damn hackers in the city. Two morons can’t stop us.”
Pearl laughed, though it sounded strained. “Yeah. You and me.”
“So, Pearl, what’s the first step?” Lucas asked as he walked to his computer, only to notice immediately her handiwork. How she hacked him.
No point leaving that in.
“So, the first—” she started, but he quickly patched the code and restarted the router, cutting off Pearl’s connection mid-sentence.
She wasn’t out for long.
“That was rude!” she laughed as her voice returned, amused rather than angry. Lucas, meanwhile, was scanning for gaps in his defenses.
“Damn, you’re good,” he admitted begrudgingly, narrowing his eyes at the logs.
“Of course I am,” she replied smugly. “The only one who could do it, mind you. Now, as I was saying—step one is scouting out the place. It’s in the slums, pretty dangerous, so bring a gun. According to the intel, you’re not the only one—”
“Got you!” Lucas interrupted, grinning triumphantly as he located a permissions exploit in his firewall and patched it.
Pearl’s voice cut out for ten seconds—a new personal record.
“Lucas!” she returned, her tone playfully furious. “That was just uncalled for. Don’t force me to use a 0-day exploits! Anyway, that’s all you need to know for now. I’ll tell you the rest on site.”
“Thanks… And Pearl? Personal question?” Lucas hesitated.
The line was silent for a few seconds, then her voice came back, a little wary. “What is it?”
“Am I… selfish? The AI told me I’m not sharing enough, or that I deflect blame—”
“Lucas!” Her frustration burst through. “How many times do I have to tell you? Don’t ask an AI how to live your life! Soulless machines know nothing about being human. You’ve got to feel it for yourself!”
Then she added quietly, “but you are the densest human alive…” Her voice softened slightly, carrying a sound of something deeper. “That’s why I wanted us to meet in person, you know… before her.”
Lucas leaned back in his chair. He was confused, but her answer confirmed his screw up, so he was happy—until Pearl’s next words hit him like a cold slap.
“By the way,” she added casually, though her tone wasn’t, “have you told her yet?”
“Told her what?” Lucas froze mid-motion.
“That she isn’t the first Charlie,” Pearl said, her voice turning deadly serious.
His grin vanished, replaced by a deep furrow in his brow. “No. Not yet… The time wasn’t right.”
“Lucas,” Pearl sighed heavily, and for the first time, her usual confidence cracked. “The time never will be right. If you don’t tell her soon, I will.”