?????'s Point of View

Unknown Location

As I was working on another experiment in my lab, Tor quickly formed along with a Skeld crawling out of his shadows. "There has been word." Tor stated.

Pausing what I was doing, I looked away from my current experiment and to my general. "Speak."

Tor surrounded the Skeld and lifted it helplessly into the air. "A small group of Skelds placed with Grog has been destroyed. It would appear The Anomaly is heading to the Desert Kingdom."

"Is Grog in place?" I asked as I went back to work.

"He is. Do you want him to engage?" My general inquired.

I thought about it for a moment. Tor was right when he said Grog likely wouldn't survive an encounter with Mordred, but the amount of magic he held still made him a threat. There was no guarantee he would lose, and if Mordred is weakened or caught off guard by the magnitude of his foe, it could lead to his fall. The Eastern Kingdom's time was limited, but if Mordred joins the fray, there is no telling what will happen.

Looking at my current experiment, I spoke. "How far has the transfer of our army progressed?"

"About half our forces have been sent. I should be able to send the rest in another month or so." Tor answered.

"An army consisting of no Demons…" My mist wrapped around the creature before me. "If either one of us were to go, the Eastern Continent would fall, but I am wary about sending in more Demon Lords than necessary. With Mordred out and about and Fluffy always keeping an eye on our activities…"

As I trailed off, Tor spoke up. "Other facilities are also being engaged by unknown combatants. I suspect Pestilence and Credo are becoming more and more active as of late."

Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

My eye twitched in repressed rage. "Enemies are popping up around every corner." Reaching my hand out to touch the face of my newest creation, I hissed in anger as I grabbed it tightly. "Kingdoms with no real means of defense! This world is laughably unguarded!" Bringing up my other hand, I continued. "And yet, small groups continue to disrupt me and my plans at every turn."

Tor backed away from me as my magic began to seep into the room. "My Queen…"

"First, it was only Fluffy, and then it was one mistake after another! I should have killed those two when I had the chance! Them and Mordred! Then it would still only be Fluffy and his ilk!" Taking a deep breath, I stepped back from my creation. "Time is on my side. It has always been on my side. I am nothing if not patient."

When I went silent, Tor crept forward once more. "What do you wish for me to do? Shall I go East myself?"

Eyeing him for a moment, I eventually replied. "No. I cannot risk you again. Tell Grog to confront Mordred and return. When you do, I will have you take my newest creation to the East."

Tor bowed to me before he looked over at my experiment. "Do you truly think it's wise sending a new-"

Giggling at that got him to silence himself. "This one is special. It has a similar ability to the barrier in the West sealing Aridia. However, instead of keeping things inside, it steals the magic of all who enter it's mist." My own mist danced around me. "An interesting take on my own abilities, do you not think so?"

"Yes." Was his short response.

"With this one, those mortal creatures should have little difficulty taking the East." I told him. "It may take them some time, but I have faith that they will prove useful. If not, then I will continue to use them as I always have." Caressing my creations body, I smiled softly. "More Ghouls are never a bad thing."

Tor looked at me with a wicked grin that I matched. "Breeding them is easy as well."

"That is is."

However, his face took a more concerned expression for a moment. "What about the Goddess that hides in the depths below?" My grin quickly faded at that. "Will she not act?"

Moving over to a table that held a map, I pointed to an exact spot. "Crawlana… The Underwater Kingdom where the Seafolk reside. I have informed Grog to stay away from that forsaken place." I spat. "If not for that infernal Goddess, it would be easy to destroy and be done with it. However, much like the reason I was so keen to remove Mordred's influence from the Floating Stone Forest in the North, I cannot interfere with this place."

"Is the Goddess not sealed away?"

I eyed my general. "Is Fluffy sealed away?" My rhetorical question was met with silence. "Even inside a seal, she can still interfere with the outside world. We saw it at Klasteris."

Tor was silent for a moment before he looked back at me. "I could assist Grog and-"

Slamming my hands on the table, my mist quickly wrapped around him. "Do not presume to know what is best moving forward." My eyes glared into him as he shifted around to avoid my magic slightly. "Crawlana is guarded… I learned that the hard way. Fulfill the orders I have given you. Everything will be ours in due time."

The collection of shadows was my most trusted general and far more powerful than any of the others. He was comparable to me. However, Tor knew more than most and knew better than to make such a suggestion. Eyeing him, I wondered why he would make such a ludicrous suggestion. It mattered little in the end as there were more important matters to attend to.

My mist dispersed, and he backed away from me. "Of course." He quickly left with the Skeld in his grasp.

Pieces were starting to move. Crawlana might be one of them. Mordred and Rudnurth were back, along with Pestilence and Credo. Another group of Hunters was sent to the Hollow Forest to explore before being wiped out by some unknown creatures. Not only that, but several of my installations throughout Crevalis had been destroyed with no inclination as to who was responsible.

"Patience." I told myself quietly. "Patience… Everything will fall into place in time."