----------------------------------------

Lyn emerged from the tub and groaned as the last of the body enhancing tinctures faded. “We’re out?”

Elder Vehenna nodded, “Yes, my Lady.”

Lyn had subjected her body to ten of the most potent body enhancing items – undiluted, in their raw form. In addition to Ironhide, she had slathered her body in the eight other body enhancing tinctures that gave resistance to the main external elementalism spell types. Emberblood, Joltlime, Waveweal, Powered Adamantine, Sylphdram, Brightbalm, Umbralbalm, and Evercleanse Ointment. Each had inflicted her with a different type of agony that she was able to effectively ignore thanks to the spell she had crafted for Vehenna prior to each treatment. Even against sub-types of those elementalism spells, she would have a modicum of safety. Such as sound, which fell under wind. Or ice, which was a sub-type under water.

The whole process took a full two days, and they only took breaks for food and sleep. By the end, Lyn’s body was inured to most means of harm. Each treatment had the side-effect of slightly altering her skin. The geometric pattern of the Ironhide naturally attracted the other body enhancing tinctures, and so if one peered closely, they could see the gorgeous rainbow of prismatic, hexagonal scales across her body. But only upon close inspection: from a distance, her skin just appeared to shimmer like a sequined dress catching the light.

There were other body enhancing tinctures out there. Other potions and elixirs that could be used to increase all manner of functions of the body; blood filtration, breath capacity, sight enhancement…the possibilities were practically endless with a good alchemist on hand. I should track down Brad before long and see if I can just get some from him, for old times’ sake. Brad was the Alchemist hero and was an expert in all manner of admixtures. She smiled as she remembered him extolling on the virtues of herbs that they found, including something analogous to coca leaves. He got really excited at that, for some reason.

The volume of these tinctures raised some alarms for Lyn. She knew that these were the top-tier quality of the substances, and the amount was staggering for a single dose. The Demonic Dragon must have anticipated being destroyed and coming back in some form or another. Why didn’t it come back fully as itself? Instead, I got the power and returned to Earth. Both questions needed answering. But first, she had to see herself in the armor.

Getting out of bed, she channeled mana into the choker and willed the armor to come to her. It covered her body, and she reveled in her appearance in front of the mirror. The armor accentuated her form perfectly, and upon closer inspection in the reflection, she saw the secret to its flexibility. Tiny scales. The size of the scales could mean only one creature worked on such a magnificent suit – the feysmiths of the island called Feylin. This would be ludicrously expensive to craft. She also noted several intricate inscriptions upon the armor. And it shifts shape depending on my whims? Handy.

She went into the bedroom and lightly smacked Vael on the rump as she lounged on the bed. She woke up and looked at the armored figure and bowed her head, “My Lady, are you well rested?”

Lyn nodded, “Yes. Get dressed, then join me in the council room.” She opened the doors and saw Gael outside, who saluted a moment later. “Come with me. We speak to the council.”

“My Lady,” Gael turned to one of the nearby servant-caste, “Go, fetch the elders.” The servant nodded and ran off through the elaborate tunnel network.

Lyn led the way, having instantly memorized the layout due to her Scout core’s innate ability to traverse environments with perfect recollections after a first exploration. She had yet to map the whole complex, but it was on her to-do list. As is this. The time she had spent blissed out over the past two days while enhancing her body was not spent idle. No, she was thinking, and instructing as Gael or Vael filled out sheaves of parchment at her instruction. I didn’t want to come back and be a ruler, but I need to.

She just wanted to come back to Ghomar, find the heroes – mostly Misty – to make sure they were okay, and then retire on her laurels and be treated as the hero that killed the big bad evil guy. But that wasn’t the case. That valor and victory were stolen by the others. She was seemingly erased from history. And she had to find out why.

“Rule number one of expanding and growing your strength,” She remembered Cecily saying when they had saved their first village from destruction. “You want to have a base of power.” Everyone listened to her words as if they were law. She was the class president, head of the student council, had the highest GPA alongside Trisha. She was the Ruler hero, and none questioned her advice. “We saved one village, now we fortify it. Make it a place of strength we can strike out from and grow even more.”

Lyn had a love-hate relationship with Cecily, and their last interaction had her leaning towards ‘hate’. But her words were true, and that is how the heroes grew their power steadily and with relative safety. If Lyn wanted to conquer dungeons to get more mana cores, fight monsters to get even more mana cores, find the other heroes, and figure out what the hell had happened ten years ago – she needed a base of power. And this Conclave of the Fortress was being run horribly. She had to fix things up around here, and let the surrounding races know that there was someone willing to welcome them into their power structure. The Newen especially, as they were quite numerous in the surrounding forests. The lizard-folk would be valuable allies. They were quite skilled at forestry, and she had plans that involved a lot of lumber.

The council chamber had been shifted around. The circular space was still covered in a giant rug, but the large cushions were pushed to the outside of the ring, and at the center across from the entrance was a large wooden chair with a cushion. Lyn sat on the chair and Gael stood next to her. After a few minutes of waiting, Vael came in and stood on the opposite side of the throne. The three elders came in shortly after, bowing one after the other before sitting on some of the cushions on the side.

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

“Thank you for coming,” Lyn said. “I have some changes to implement. First, we are renaming this place. Henceforth, it shall be known as Lynhold.” She looked at elder Vehenna, “You have served most faithfully. Therefore, I name you Chancellor. You shall be responsible for logic-related tasks. Find and appoint a Diplomat, Scholar, and Physician to assist you in tasks.”

Vehenna bowed deeply from her seated position, “My thanks, your Ladyship.”

“Elder Bhelarm, I name you as Steward. You shall be responsible for managing the realm’s finances.”

“The realm, your Ladyship?” Bhelarm asked cautiously.

Lyn smiled gently, “Yes, we will be expanding. Find a Seneschal, Antiquarian, and Architect to serve under you. I believe your organizational skills and rational mindset will be invaluable.”

He bowed deeply, “I understand, my Lady.” He sounded quite enthused with the prospect of expansion.

But I should also have someone else check in occasionally. Auditing is important if Earth is anything to go by. She had helped dethrone a monarch who did not serve their people, and part of that was embezzling funds instead of using them to complete public works. Give the taxes back to the people and make their lives better. “Elder Velenna, I must say that I would appoint you to my council, but I am not aware of your current capabilities. Tell me…how would you best serve?”

Velenna looked up and smiled gently, the spitting image of her sister. “I would be pleased to be your Spymaster. I have many contacts in Conclaves across Ghomar to begin the building of a spy network. I will have to acquire new ravens, though.”

Lyn nodded, “So be it. Find and appoint a Keeper of Ravens, an Assassin, and a Thief.”

Velenna’s eyebrow raised quizzically just like her sister’s. “My Lady? A thief?”

“You heard me. Having a thief who is paid to try and break into our strongholds to find weaknesses is going to be vital in ensuring we are protected in the long term. If they can find a way in, our enemies could as well.”

Velenna bowed deeply, “Ah, my thanks for your explanation, my Lady. I will work towards this task.”

Lyn stood up, “I am naming both Vael and Gael my personal Bodyguards. However, we need a Marshal who can help to shape up our forces. For now, I will assume the role.” She turned her head to Gael, “Gather every one of the warrior-caste, save for the perimeter guards, and have them meet me in the cavern dedicated to training. We will cycle some out to relieve the guards and bring them in later today.”

Gael nodded and bowed, “As you command.” He hustled off down the hallway.

Lyn stood up, “Bhelarm, I want you to complete a full inventory of the treasury. I want to know every single coin we have, inscription-etched item…the most exhaustive list possible.”

Bhelarm nodded and bowed, “It will be a multi-day task, my Lady.”

Lyn nodded and gestured for him to stand, “I know. I trust you with this task. Serve me well, and I will ensure you are rewarded.”

“I live to serve the Destroyer,” he said with a bow before leaving.

Lyn looked back at the two women elders, “On a scale of one to ten, with one being ‘a rat’ and ten being ‘the Paragon hero’, how much do you trust Bhelarm?”

Vehenna smiled gently, “He is utterly devoted. Ten. An odd way of ranking loyalty, my Lady.”

Lyn nodded and sighed gently, “I didn’t get a good read on him. But, if you trust him, Vehenna, then I will as well.” As she started to turn, she paused. “Oh, one more thing. And tell Bhelarm this, as well…for the positions under your own, I want them to be open to any race or caste. For now, I know we only have Duskari to choose from, but as we forge alliances and I contact the other cultures and kingdoms of Ghomar, if you see fit to replace one of your underlings with a more suitable replacement from abroad, feel free to do so.”

Vehenna frowned, “My Lady …trusting non-Duskari?”

Velenna shook her head gently, “Strange orders, my Lady.”

Lyn set her face in a grimace. Fucking racists. “My exterior is that of Duskari, but on the inside, I am still the Demonic Dragon, am I not?” Both elders nodded. “Heed these words – do not judge a book by its cover. Just because someone may wear the skin of Vharthon, Foskor, Raptin, or any of the other races…if they show dedication to my rule, then they are welcome.”

Both women nodded and bowed, “As you command.”

Lyn turned, “Come, Vael. We have testing to complete.”

----------------------------------------

Volio finally crested the mountain and reached the pinnacle. He sat on the peak, finding a nice spot where he could take in the breathtaking view. The mountains ringed the whole of this valley. From the pass to the South that led out towards Fort Watch – an independent city outside of both Khrelardia and Valagonia’s borders – the forest filled the valley. Up until it reached the dread fortress – that was clear-cut for a good mile around the citadel. And the citadel itself was magnificent to behold – a black, granite edifice carved from the central mountain, and part quarried stone for the exterior. Far above the citadel was the volcano known as Shiverburn Summit, for it was so high that the air froze, and it would be capped in snow, but the lava within bubbled and would occasionally spurt over the side, running down the channels on the Northern backside of the mountain, forming a large, sleek, obsidian waterfall.

He pulled out his flask and drank the last of his water. I wonder if there’s still that pool, he thought as he recalled their last camp site prior to assaulting the dread fortress. The last time he had a chance to talk to Lyn. He smiled as he stared out at the gorgeous scenery, reminiscing about that night.

“What are you going to do when it’s all over?” he had asked his beloved. The last two awake next to the fire as they shared their turn on watch.

Lyn smirked, “I’m going to retire. Sit in my castle and keep to myself. Visit Ben and Trisha on their little farm they’re planning. See Thomas here and there. Invite Misty over.” She looked up and smiled gently at him, and he vividly recalled her scar down the right side of her face. “Maybe I’ll even settle down with someone. Who knows?”

Volio had gulped and felt his mouth go dry. He tried to tell her about his plans; how he wanted to propose right then and there, how he wanted to be hers forever. How she was the only person he could ever love. He fumbled with the ring in his pocket, but her warm smile and welcoming demeanor was commitment enough for him. “I’m…going to start up a theatre school.”

Lyn chuckled and those dazzling, blue eyes caught Volio’s in a rapturous blaze that set his heart aflame. “That’s just like you. Going back to your roots.” She looked into the flames, “I might try to learn the guitar. Introduce whatever the medieval version of punk would be. Who knows? We might even decide to team up and do a rock-opera or some shit.” She laughed and stirred the fire.

Volio brought himself out of his reverie as he pulled Lyn’s shirt out of his pouch once more, inhaling her scent. Reminding him of her presence. She was alive, he knew it. They had a connection. And he would give her the ring this time. He kept it right next to her shirt. Putting that away and putting the canteen back on its strap he began the long descent to the valley floor. I’ll have to be cautious, and extremely sneaky, he thought. That dragon’s servants are still down there.