“Now then, if you can best me in one on one combat, General Jothy, I’ll let you go free. But, if I win,...” With a deviously wicked grin, Hekate finishes her offer. “Then you have to do whatever I say.”

The officers are visibly cornered, especially when a figure leaps out of the hole they came from, landing on the ground. He is lightly wounded, but mostly unharmed; a dragon in human form, Choul. General Jothraligus kos Ekstragar the Third is the general in charge of the invasion. He’s not the one who made the call on his own, of course, but he is someone important trying to gain something, and now trying to flee in the face of the Fievegal’s forces making absolute mockeries of the invasion, in spite of how large it is.

Of course, Ryuogriar knows something they don’t at the moment. She whispers, “Hekate…?”

Hekate looks at her, smiling. “It’s fine. Trust me.”

Ryuogriar is hesitant. Daniel, for one, would never forgive her if something happens to Hekate, and Ryuogriar did nothing. In spite of that, Hekate is insisting, even though Ryuogriar doesn’t know what the youthful empress has planned.

Ryuogriar decides to wait and see for the moment. Hekate’s magic is currently sealed by assassins that appear to have come from the Demon Covenant to try to interfere during the invasion. In a great blessing, she met Daniel while trying to conquer the Citadel under the former dragon lord’s order, and she was fighting primarily with a broken buckler and a worn down sword, having managed to kill several goblins before Daniel appeared. Now, she’s in a far-healthier physical condition, practices with Daniel when he’s doing his own physical training, and has been on several missions with him. She likely can hold her own in a fight, but without her magic, she’s a fraction of the size and weight of the general she intends to duel.

General Jothraligus retorts after the initial shock wears off, “I am an officer and a gentleman of the Grand Zenkon Empire. The Fievegal is not recognized as a sovereign state, so you have no authority here.”

Hekate begins laughing. “He called himself a gentleman! Pfft-Hahahahaha!” As she wipes a tear away, she adds dryly, “A coward and a weakling, maybe.” Hekate puffs up, saying more sternly, “The Fievegal does not recognize the ‘Grand’ Zenkon Empire as a sovereign state. See how easy that is? Now then, let’s find out who’s stronger. Don’t you want to accept my duel? This is your big chance to strike me down.”

Jothraligus hesitates. He and his men, who are now loosely surrounded by Choul, Ryuogriar, and Hekate, are on guard. They obviously don’t realize that Choul can’t harm them, as they are just as afraid of him as the other two.

“Why should I trust the word of a demon?” asks Jothraligus caustically after discussing quietly with the officers with him.

One of them says haughtily, “It is widely known that demons are violent, treacherous beings! You can’t trust the word of savages.”

Hekate sighs. “I can’t believe you’re the same species as Daniel.”

“You little cur!” snarls one of the other officers. Hekate draws her shortsword, saying dryly without any interest in the insults, “Listen, you’re not leaving here unless you win the duel. So, you can face me, or you can lose immediately. Your choice ‘gentlemanly Jothy’.”

The general grits his teeth, and he grunts, “Xendell, I nominate-...”

“Ah ah ah!” calls out Hekate, interrupting him as one of the guards starts forward. “I’m facing you myself, general. You are the one who fights. No exceptions. Or, are you not as loyal to your men as I am to mine?” She already essentially knows the answer, since he was abandoning the crumbling attempt at an invasion before they had even been completely defeated.

One of the lesser officers tries to come to the general’s aid. “You have no right! A real officer’s place is in command to keep the soldiers in line. We do not lower ourselves to combat. Certainly not with lowly demons.”

Again, Hekate simply smiles. “I’m hearing a lot of fearful racism, but not a lot of gentlemanliness or courage. If you want to just surrender, I’m fine with that.”

Finally growing frustrated, Jothraligus growls as he draws his sword from its scabbard on his hip. “You said it yourself. When I defeat you, we go free.” He glances at Ryuogriar, and the voluptuous woman bows her head respectfully.

“I understand the terms, General. Best of luck.”

He scoffs, stepping away from the other officers to get closer to Hekate, who stands calmly. His companions try to object, but he ignores them, shedding part of his armor.

He lunges forward, swinging his sword in a broad arc. Hekate easily steps out of range, lunging in to spear her sword at him. He narrowly avoids being stabbed twice, sweeping his sword in to parry her attacks. Metal strikes metal, and Hekate hops backwards. She tries to swing, but he parries skillfully, easily knocking her sword away with metallic pings and shrieks.

Then, he takes the offensive once more. He successfully parries another feinting strike from Hekate, but he closes the distance to her with a massive lunge, shoulder-checking her with his much greater weight. She stumbles back, grunting, “Whoa! Eep!” She tries to parry his next strike, since she’s off-balance and can’t escape so easily.

His blow is heavy with the practiced skill of a duellist.

Hekate manages to hang onto her sword, but the flat surface smacks her forehead as she’s slammed into a backwards tumble. She scrambles to her feet, avoiding a follow-up downwards strike.

Hekate wipes her forehead, making sure she’s not bleeding yet.

Fortunately, she just had her bell rung a little, but is ultimately okay.

Still, the fight doesn’t favor the small feldrok girl. She manages to strike his armor a couple of times, but his much heavier swings knock her down with ease if she isn’t fast enough to escape, and more than once, she tumbles through the leaves and dirt of the small stand of trees where they’re duelling. The officers and guards cheer, but Hekate climbs to her feet once more, still holding her sword firmly. She chuckles as she wipes blood from her mouth.

“You fight like someone who as always had everything he ever wanted,” remarks Hekate before spitting out a little blood. She sniffles, wiping her nose.

“It is my right,” replies Jothraligus arrogantly. “My father and his father before him were counts. But, I wouldn’t expect you to understand. You call yourself ‘Empress’ because of childish whimsy. You have no idea what it takes to be a noble.”

Hekate smiles gently. “And, you have no idea what it takes to fight.”

Suddenly, Hekate shifts, and she lunges forward in a blindingly-fast movement that startles the general. She keeps unnaturally low to the ground -advantaged because her big tail can help balance her-. She swoops in close to Jothraligus’s off-hand side, sweeping her blade up under his shoulder, which he throws his weight away from her to avoid.

Her boots skid on the dirt as she changes direction instantly, driving her knee into his leg hard, and he grunts out in pain. Hekate is already behind him, slamming him with her sword. He stumbles forward, nearly falling when his knee buckles slightly. He spins, swinging his sword as brutally as he can, and Hekate flops backwards, catching herself on her cushiony tail as the sword slashes over her by inches. She springs back up to her feet, clawing his face with her free hand and then leaping in an acrobatic flip as he tries to swing back across again, this time lower. He snarls in frustration, but she’s using something she learned through her entire life of suffering; desperation.

She knows how hard he can swing now.

She knows most of his range of movement and how he chooses to move.

She knows what it sounds like when he’s about to make a swing, from the way his armor shifts with his breathing to the breaths themselves.

But, desperation is only one part. To succeed, one still needs to fight with their mind, and Hekate has had all of her practice being the underdog; the weakest person in the room trying to defeat anything.

Otherwise, she might have starved.

Jothraligus has never had to fight against impossible odds for fear of starving to death. He has never had to claw his way out of a trap. He has never had to eat scraps and still summon enough strength to fight.

She is sore and weakened by the blows she has taken so far, but she is desperate to win, because Daniel is counting on her.

“Your Greatness!” calls out Ryuogriar. “I truly believe, now. You will win, and I will tell Daniel of your victory myself.”

Hekate grins, her soul igniting with passion. She stays close to him, since his sword is longer and he makes broad swings for power. His skill in close is good, but when he tries to grab her, she bites his hand. When he tries to swing at her next, she screams passionately as she swings as hard as she can, “Raaaahhh!”

Then, a General screams as he stumbles back, his sword hitting the ground as he drags it with him, his wrist wounded and slashed. He switches hands.

Just as Hekate is about to capitalize, however, she is halted by something holding her tail, throwing off her movements. She glances back, and one of the officers is diving away from her. She gasps, bringing her sword up in the nick of time to block, but once more, she’s slammed across the ground. She coughs, and Jothraligus clutches his wrist as he tries to take his mind off of the pain.

He taunts her coldly, “For all your talk, you’re nothing more than a rat. A pathetic street-urchin who gained a little power. You are weak.”

Hekate coughs, holding her forearm over her abdomen with her hand near her holster. “You’re wrong.” She coughs again, adding coldly, “I was a slave. I was less than a rat.”

He chuckles, shaking his head and walking away. “You haven’t defeated me.”

“Yes I have. We’re leaving. Finish her.”

The officer that interfered with her is the one who walks towards her, drawing his own sword. Ryuogriar starts to step forward, but Hekate remarks calmly, “I said you haven’t defeated me, General.”

He turns to look at her, and as the officer raises his sword, Hekate draws and fires her pistol, wincing under the painfully loud report. She fires into the officer’s legs, causing him to cry out and topple like a tree. The others cry out, and Hekate climbs to her feet once more. “A gentleman, are you?” She walks past the wounded officer straight towards Jothraligus. The guards try to place themselves between her and him, but she fires into their legs as well, wasting shots with misses, but easily hitting them one by one, toppling them with pained cries. She reloads, still stalking towards the remaining three officers and the general. “I gave you a chance to be a man of honor, Jothy. If you wanted to finish me, you should have attempted to do so yourself.” One of the officers tries to flee, but Choul appears in his path, startling him, and Hekate fires, dropping him as well.

Jothraligus tries to convince the other officers to protect him, but they all are frozen in terror, trying to push each other forward while working their way backwards.

Hekate aims the pistol at the group, growling, “Drop your weapons and fall to your knees before Empress Hekate fell Lawson.”

Jothraligus shoves one of the officers hard, attempting to make a break for it away from Choul. The officer tries to swing his sword in an instinctive and panicked motion, and Hekate parries it aside, since it was a sloppy vertical strike. Ryuogriar hits the officer with a punch in the abdomen, hard enough to dent his metal armor and topple him with a single strike. She walks three steps behind Hekate as Hekate stalks after Jothraligus. The other two officers who are unharmed toss their weapons to the side and sink to a kneel with their hands up. Hekate takes aim with her pistol, asking, “Ryuo, I really wanted to prove myself. I would have had him.”

“I know, Hekate. I was sincerely excited by the fight. You were doing well.”

“Maybe I am nothing more than a savage former slave who gained too much power. I’ll never be a noble girl like Erimaya.” She fires once, and Jothraligus cries out as his knee blows out. He topples, crying out in agony. “But, if that’s a gentleman, who runs away when he’s losing, unlike me, then I would rather be a savage.” She calls out, “Ucahote? Would you do the honors?”

“It’ll be my sincere pleasure,” replies the golem as he appears from the shadows of the trees. His golems also appear, having departed from their shuttles for the time being. They round up the captured soldiers, dragging them to the shuttles to be taken to the Citadel.

Hekate stretches, trying to loosen her aching muscles. Ryuogriar suddenly dabs Hekate’s cheek with a piece of cloth, and she spits and squirms. “H-Hey! What do you think you’re doing!?”

Ryuogriar doesn’t relent, though, holding Hekate gently as she continues dabbing blood and dirt away. “You have blood and dirt all over your face, your Greatness. Let me clean up at least your adorable face.”

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Hekate glares up at her, but stops squirming so much, allowing Ryuogriar to continue.

The platinum dragon softens her expression, replying softly, “Hekate,... I’m sorry.”

This causes the girl to cock her head in confusion, flopping her ears to the side. “Huh?”

“I’m truly sorry for not being more kind to you… when you were a slave. I’m sorry for not treating you like the child you were, like the child I would kill to have had. I justified to myself that I wasn’t cruel to you, and that I would be an excellent mother. And yet, I was able to see and hear a child be abused, crying herself to sleep every night, and belly rumbling from constant hunger… I…” Tears form in Ryuogriar’s eyes, which surprises her as much as anyone else. “I… I don’t deserve it, but… I…”

Hekate takes a step back, which halts Ryuogriar as she simply slumps, resisting the tears. The young feldrok girl has every reason to hate Ryuogriar.

And yet,...

“Y-You know, Ryuo…” Hekate scratches her cheek sheepishly. “I-I don’t hate you… Y-You were the kindest person to me… wh-when I was a slave… And, I know I’m ugly…”

“That’s not true. It was a cruel thing to say to a child, and I regret not having the strength to put a stop to it.”

Hekate smiles softly. She steps forward and hops into a hug, holding Ryuogriar’s neck affectionately. “I forgive you, Ryuo. P-Please continue to be a part of my family.”

Ryuogriar feels a feeling she never knew she could feel. The closest she got was when Xyreko revealed that she was successfully pregnant, as well as when she was holding her egg in her arms.

Tears begin forcing themselves out of Ryuogriar’s eyes, and she sniffles, beginning to sob as she sinks to a kneel, hugging Hekate firmly to her chest. “Thank you! Hekate, I will! I… I swear, I’ll always treat you as my family! I… I love you.”

Hekate smiles, nuzzling Ryuogriar’s neck. “I love you, too.”

They share a tender moment for a long time, and Choul stands by at a distance to give them some peace, while also watching over them in case any hostiles appear.

Hekate adds softly after they’ve both calmed down, “Don’t think I’ll just hand Daniel over to you like you’re my mother and he’s my father. He’s still going to be my husband before anyone else.”

Ryuogriar chuckles. “I won’t give up so easily on becoming number one.” She teases with a honey-sweet tone in Hekate’s ear, “Imagine how much easier it would be if you just became our daughter. I would spoil you if you do…”

“Ha!” Hekate springs away from the lady dragon, pointing at her. “Never! Daniel will spoil me as his wife plenty! But I don’t mind treating you as both of our grandma!”

Ryuogriar can’t help but laugh, wiping her eyes with her hands.

Hekate hesitates, but she withdraws a clean handkerchief from her bag, offering it to Ryuogriar while looking away. “U-Use this.”

Ryuogriar smiles, gingerly taking the handkerchief. She wipes her eyes and nose. “I’ll clean this before I return it. Thank you.”

Hekate nods. She then puts her hands on her hips, saying proudly, “Now, go back to calling me ‘your Greatness’ sarcastically. It helps everyone else know what to call me.”

Ryuogriar chuckles, but she’s sincerely touched when Hekate helps her to her feet. “As you wish, your Greatness.” She cups Hekate’s cheek with her palm gently, adding tenderly, “I pray my children can grow up with your sincerity and fortitude, sweet little Hekate.”

Hekate blushes, trying not to make eye contact as her tail swishes back and forth, betraying her happiness. She huffs as haughtily as she can. “I hope my children grow up as beautiful as you. In either form.”

Ryuogriar smiles. “I’m sure they will, since I’m confident you will. You’re already adorable.”

Hekate blushes even more, finally growling to try to break her embarrassment. “Grrraaahh! Let’s go. We still have to break the soldiers while our minions work over the officers we captured. Hopefully, we can figure out where the orders came from.”

Ryuogriar nods with a happy smile. Her greatest regret is laid to rest. And, she vows to herself to ensure Hekate is also happy long into the future.

***

Rikuto has been sitting in his seat in Senn’s house, pondering their conversation deeply. Senn, the elven mage rumored to be one of the most powerful in the world, approaches and offers Rikuto a cup of tea. Rikuto is pulled out of his trance. “Oh! Thank you.” He accepts the tea, taking a sip as his thoughts return.

“You seem to be deeply troubled, your Majesty,” remarks Senn, taking a seat across from Rikuto as he sips his own tea.

Rikuto nods. “In my world, the major countries of the world existed by basically perpetually holding guns to the heads of all the others. It created unreasonable drama, and the sheer number of people who are in danger…”

Senn is silent for a moment as he simply sips his tea, paying no particular mind to Rikuto’s concerns. “Your world sounds difficult to choose to live in.”

“It… well, for the most part, it was fine, I guess. But, the country Daniel comes from…”

“You keep saying that. ‘The country Daniel comes from’. What does that mean? Did you not live in his country?”

“No, of course not. I’m Japanese. He’s American. We’re almost as far apart on our world as you could possibly get. And, during the war… America used those weapons against mine.”

“I see. You lost someone precious, then?”

“Wh-... No, but… The effects lingered for almost a hundred years.”

“A hundred years? So, humans in your world live for centuries as well?”

“No. We-... Listen, you don’t understand because they don’t exist here. These weapons are an atrocity. Hundreds of thousands of people were wiped out in seconds by just two of them. So don’t try to justify Daniel’s actions by saying he did the right thing.”

Senn sighs. “I don’t need or want to justify his actions. If you knew he could make these weapons, why did you allow him to leave your proximity?”

Rikuto is aghast by the question. “I had no idea! He presented himself as a normal guy! It’s not like they teach nuclear weapons theory in school!”

“And yet, this apparently ‘normal guy’ was able to make two of them to defeat a threat to this world, becoming the new one, according to you.”

Rikuto stands up. “You refuse to understand! By the time Daniel decides to do something, it will already be too late!” Rikuto storms to the door, pausing long enough to add, “If you intend to turn a blind eye, I hope you can live with the horror when that time comes. You could be doing something to stop it, but you prefer to justify his actions.”

With that, Rikuto storms out, leaving the elf to sigh. He takes another sip of his tea, replying softly, “Atrocities are the acts of people, not the weapons they create.”

From there, Rikuto boards the carriage to make the return trip to Mornistae. A lot of time was wasted coming here, but he was hopeful that he could convince the elven sage of the threat. The otherworlder king begins thinking about his options. He trusted Daniel initially, but now he knows that Daniel is an immense threat to the stability of not only the Empire, but all of the kingdoms of the east.

I need to come up with something to counteract it. I don’t know how atom bombs work, but maybe we can come up with something. I don’t have to work alone. Once all of the artisans and artificers are gathered, we can develop something to counter Daniel’s weapon.

He stares out the window as he thinks, watching the landscape pass him by. Zenkon is beautiful, comparable to Earth, but not quite the same. That said, it’s worth protecting. It’s his home now for the foreseeable future, and he has come to care about the people in this world.

Rikuto does his best to relax in the carriage during the trip. It’s a long trip, though, and he has a lot to think about.

***

Daniel coughs awake, having partially inhaled some saliva. He finds himself buried in a pile of bodies.

Thankfully, he’s not in a hole about to be buried in a mass grave. He’s in the Citadel, judging by the lighting and the ceiling above him, as well as the massive size.

Is this where I say the dumb line about the ceiling? thinks Daniel to himself.

He inspects the bodies that are piled on and around him. He easily recognizes his companions. Reignleif and Geirahoel are crowded against his sides, with eggs resting between their legs and Daniel. Hekate is asleep on his chest sandwiched between Shek and Skloe, as if she crawled onto him and collapsed. Wenlianna is asleep on the edge of the bed, and Ryuogriar’s hair is visible beside his cheek, indicating she’s doing the same behind his head. Treia and Gwenesphia are nearby, bundled in blankets, and Aoloan and Kera’tai are sleeping with their backs leaning against the bed near his legs.

It comes back to Daniel, though. He was impaled pretty definitively by a magic spear belonging to a superhuman assassin. He’s not sure how he’s alive, since healing magic shouldn’t work on him, and this world’s medical technology almost exclusively relies on magic.

He has no idea what time it is, and he feels a little bad doing it, but he can’t help it.

“Braaaaaaiiiiiiinnnnnssss…” groans Daniel.

This is sufficient to start a chain reaction of movement. Shek and Wenlianna stir first, but Shek is in a position to make eye contact the most quickly. And, though her movements disturb those who touch her, everyone is quickly awakened by her crying out, “Daniel! Daniel awake!”

“Give me braaaaiiinnnnsss…” jokes Daniel, emulating a b-movie zombie.

Everyone cries out his name multiple times as they crowd in, taking turns hugging and kissing him as he chuckles, doing his best to return hugs and reassure everyone.

When he is finally able to calm everyone down and sit up, he sits cross-legged on the bed to figure out what he missed.

“How long was I out?”

“About a day,” replies Vaergraes seriously. She was also in the room, though speaking quietly with Xyreko, Choul, Ucahote, and Illianna for planning purposes. Hekate nods vigorously in agreement. “We were all so worried!”

Geirahoel shakes him via his right arm, whining, “You promised you would stop doing that! It was agonizing! I… I wanted to destroy everything! I thought…” She begins sniffling, “I thought… you were really gone…”

Daniel smiles softly, hugging her gently. “Shh, I’m alright now. Though,... admittedly,... I’m, uh…”

Wenlianna takes charge of the explanation. “It appears you’re no longer devoid of magic, Daniel. We can’t confirm it compared to what I saw with the artifact unless we can use it again, but Sir Choul and Xyreko have both confirmed that you have a miniscule, but detectable amount of mana. I’m certain the artifact showed none, and… Well, now that you have magic, healing magic was able to work on you. It’s inefficient, but…”

“Worth it,” replies Ryuogriar as she leans on his shoulder affectionately. She kisses his neck, murmuring tenderly, “Don’t do it again, though.”

He scoffs. “I didn’t choose to get stabbed, for the record.”

Everyone glares at him, and he sighs. “So… I have magic, now, huh? Where did it come from? Ryukana?”

“No,” replies Ryukana from nearby. “I still haven’t figured out the source. I asked Lady Chaos, but she denied involvement and said it must be something in this world.”

Daniel nods. “Well, I’m glad I got to cling to life. Thank you all. How… did the battle go?”

Hekate grins, saying proudly, “We found and caught him! He retreated the first day of the battle! Choul, Ryuo, Ucahote, and I were able to trap him, and we captured some of his officers as well.”

“The general?” asks Daniel, since she didn’t explicitly say it.

“Oh! Yes! We also have the assassins in storage, though they’re both currently dead. We weren’t sure if we should revive them and question them, or if we even could.”

Ryuogriar adds tenderly, “Hekate challenged the general to a duel and performed splendidly. He had to drop his honor just to contend with her skill, even with her magic sealed.”

Daniel looks from his shoulder, where Ryuogriar was speaking, to Hekate, who blushes and chuckles sheepishly. “Good work, Hekate. I’m proud of you.” He pets her head, but she suddenly bats his hand away. “No! T-Today, I want a kiss, not a head-pat.”

Daniel smiles, and he gestures for her to come closer, since he’s still crowded by his other companions.

Hekate eagerly crawls closer to him, leaning on his lap. He hugs her head and kisses her forehead, and she giggles happily. “Th-Thank you, Darling.”

He chuckles and replies, “Great job, Sweetpea.”

She hugs him, and Geirahoel grumbles, “M-Mukori,... Are you s-still hurt?”

“No. Actually, I feel pretty great. A little bloated like I was drinking too much milk or something, but…”

Most of the women around him shift, and Shek blurts out, “Daniel drink Shek’s milk! Shek’s milk blessed!”

Daniel starts to give her an empty platitude, but he remembers not too long ago when they spent some personal time together. She has, in fact, been ‘blessed’ by Ryukana, though she doesn’t know it was Ryukana. And, among those blessings, Shek’s milk acts as a healing potion, restoring injuries and stamina.

Treia adds, “We also fed you potations. F-For the record.”

“Shek always making milk,” retorts Shek proudly. “Shek happy to help.”

“You all saved my life. Thank you.”

“I’m next!” exclaims Gwenesphia before anyone else can say anything. He looks at her, a little confused, and she blushes. “I-I’m next. F-For… Y-You know.”

“I really don’t.”

“It’s embarrassing to say it out loud in front of everyone!” whines the gatonine lieutenant.

Kera’tai teases deviously, “You’ll have to say it, or I will, Gwenesphia. I’m not shy.” She starts to take a breath, and Gwenesphia cries out, “No!” She blushes, saying to Daniel, glancing at Hekate, who scowls lightly at her the whole time. “Um… I-I want w-what ladies Ryuo, Reina, Geira, Shek, and Skloe have…”

Daniel looks at each of the five she just named. They smile happily at him, content that he’s okay.

“I don’t mind. I do like the western-style dresses more than the ones I saw in Mornistae.”

Gwenesphia stammers, and Hekate grabs Daniel’s shirt’s chest, shaking him. “She means children, Daniel! She’s asking you for children! Why do you have to be such a meanie!?”

He chuckles, and Gwenesphia squirms. He asks playfully, “Was there a drawing or something?”

“Yes,” states Geirahoel bluntly.

Ryuogriar pouts on his shoulder, “Can you believe they excluded us, Mukori?” Shek and Skloe nod in agreement. “Skloe and Shek want try, too,” complains Skloe.

“You know why!” retorts Aoloan. “Give the rest of us a chance!”

Ryuogriar hugs Daniel now, stroking his chest from behind as she holds him. “You need to be more aggressive to get what you want.” She hums as she presses her cheek to Daniel’s, asking, “Right, Mukori? If you don’t share your feelings, he’ll brazenly assume you don’t want what you want.”

Daniel sighs. “You’re never going to let me live that down, are you?”

“Never,” replies Ryuogriar playfully. She kisses his cheek. “I’m glad you’re alright.”

“Speaking of,” starts Wenlianna. Gwenesphia complains, “Don’t you dare, Lady Wenlianna! I won fair and square!”

Wenlianna blushes, quickly replying, “N-No! Not that. I was going to ask; Daniel, what did you say when you woke up?”

“Hm? Oh. ‘Braaaaiinnns.’ It’s a quote from a [movie] from Earth. When [zombies], uh, the undead attack, looking to eat brains.”

A few of the women make disgusted faces and grumble, while Hekate and Treia scoff in amusement. Reignleif asks, “What’s a ‘[moo-vee]’?”

“[Movie]. Short for our words for motion picture, modified. It’s like… Oh! It’s like the hologram in your memory crystal, Treia, but with motion that looks realistic. Or, when Xyreko is sharing her golems’ vision with us via the magic panels. Something like that. Though, some of the more enjoyable ones, in my opinion, are works of fiction.”

The others try to picture it, and Wenlianna asks, “Could we make one?”

Daniel scoffs. “At the moment, it would be tricky, since we don’t have suitable equipment. But… Yeah, that can be something we work on.”

They all smile together. “Then, let’s!” cheers Hekate.

Everyone cheers in agreement, and one more arduous day comes to an end.

***