After we returned to our manor, mother lined up our newest servants in the garden.

"Let me introduce myself once again. I am Celina Darkmoon, heir of Darkmoon House and .. your Master. You may adress me as Lady Celina. What I want from all of you is to perform your duties to the best of your abilities. Also all of you were selected for your capabilities in combat. Don't neglect that part and keep training, as from now, all of you are secret guards as well..." started adress them my mother, but soon was interupted by naga.

"Don't expect me to follow orders of someone weaker than me. Those enchanted robes with lightning might impress others, but being pretty is nothing in the face of power." she shouted while glowing tattos on her skin showed that she was ignoring the pain from slavery bindings.

"How dare you speak like this to Lady Celina !" shouted Vivian angrily.

Naga girl crumbled to the ground from invisible pressure. Naga tried to prevent her face from touching the ground with the help of four arms. Cracks formed under her body and her arms started to sink into the ground like it was water, bringing  her face closer to the dirt.

"Wait Vivian" mother tried to calm down our angry fox.

"But Lady Celina, for showing direspect to you she has to be disciplined." Vivian objected, but the pressure on naga noticibly lessened.

"Don't be like that Vivian, she is your fellow coworker." smiled mother.

"Not yet. First she has to prove herself worthy of such honor." pouted Vivian, but pressure lessened even further.

"What's your name ?" asked mother while facing naga.

"Sinzi !" answered naga while glancing to Vivian with a fear.

"So Sinzi, to have your loyalty all I need is to beat you, is that right ?" asked mother still smiling.

"Yes ! I have no problems in following your commands, if you are stronger than me." answered Sinzi.

"But Lady Celina, you should't .." started to object Vivian.

"Vivian, I was pregnant very long, then I had to sit in this manor with nothing interesting to do, and even when assassins came to entertain me .. they were gone before I even reached. Soon I will have to return to an Academy. Can't you see this is my oportunity to finaly get some action ?" mother started to complain.

"Ahhh .. I am sorry Lady Celina, I havn't thought like this." appoligized Vivian and faced naga girl.

"Rejoice, as you are granted great honor in facing Lady Celina personaly." after saying this, she steped to the side and all pressure from naga was gone.

While Sinzi was standing up, if you can say that about people from race with snake tail instead of legs, mother gave me to Vivian.

"Let's see if I can make this match last more than few seconds. As your master I allow you to attack me with all your strength." said mother with a smile while steping closer to Sinzi.

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Tattos on Sinzi stoped glowing and she charged at mother with incredible speed. One would expect lack of legs to make her slow, but she probably was a match even for a sprinitng direwolf.

With a spining motion Sinzi slashed with two of her arms to a place where mother was just a moment ago.

"Not bad" said mother from behind her.

This time Sinzi sweept with her tail, but mother once again was not there anymore.

"You leave too many openings when you attack." said mother while smiling from the side.

Naga attacked her with her arms again while keeping guard of her surroundings.

"Now better." said mother once again from the back of Sinzi.

"Stop runing and fight !" shouted naga while sweeping with her tail again and preparing to strike with her arms to possible places from where mother can appear.

"Very well." said mother and then vanished.

Naga started screaming while floating in the air. A slight blur and wind surrounded her body while marks from fists and palms started  appearing all over her body. Then blur suddenly stoped and with Sinzi heavily falling to the ground, mother appeared once again.

"Anyone else wants a spar ? If you manage to beat me here and now, I can even promise to release you." said mother while looking at the slaves.

Everyone looked at now unconscious Sinzi lying on the ground. She was breathing heavily and had marks from hundreeds hits by fists or palms.

"No one ? What a pity." said mother then came closer to the unconscious naga.

"Elements of Water answer my call. Aid me in mending wounds of the body. Heal !" and with her aid wounds of Sinzi started to heal.

After she touched her head, naga woke up.

"Now that I don't need to worry about repeating myself, let's continue." said mother while picking me again from the hands of Vivian.

"My House actualy doesn't need slaves, what we need are loyal servants or even new members of the House. I will watch how you do your duties and if I like what I see, I will change slavery into a work contract for specific amount of time, I might even offer a chance to join my House as a member. Of course in that case you will need to pledge your loyalty and get trough my personal check of your true intentions. I don't care about your race or gender, as long as you have abilites, loyalty and dedication, all of you have this chance. In the future my House will go to war with the Zolmor Kingdom, so anyone who shows a promising future of a general, captain of guards or other high position, can expect to bear name of Darkmoon, instead of being a simple servant." and after little speech mother brought me to our chamber. Sadly it was time for lunch.

*

After mother finished her next project it was time to return to an academy. As for project mother was working at, it was 'power armor', as mother named it. Basicly it was some sort of mix between a golem and an oversized armor made from metal. It was a fourteen feets tall metal giant, that was controlled by toughts of a person inside it, even if that person had no gift for magic.

Personal barrier powered by giant mana crystal, (work of Vivian) could protect from any spells. It was equiped with detect ability and large water whips for each hand. When Jade was trying it out, it looked terrifying. She needed a bit of time to adjust with new problems that comes with such mass, but after that 'power armor' became just a bit slower version of Jade.

I haven't heard of any human sized golem capable of dodging a fireball, but Jade did that even with this collosal body. And not just one but five fireballs from different angles were easily dodged by her. There was no need for that, as barrier could handle them all, but this was to check it's mobility. In a war it would be a terryfing weapon if controlled by experts. Mother was hoping to lure the House of Newblood into asking for them as return of favor she owed them.

So far this was a first prototype and mother made so it can be controlled only by people with highest level insignia. Our people were already making parts for others, but they will still need a finishing touch of mothers enchantment and Vivian's mana crystal to work. But at least mother doesn't have to work from start to finish on them alone.

They were just a small part of what mother planed for Zolmor to face. Her next project was something she caled an 'airship'.