Elinor stepped back as the thélméthra princess’ smooth, matte body was reconstructed in the emerald flames of death. The ruby, sinister four-eyed patterns illuminated the underside of Camellia’s abdomen, steam hissing out of the shifting plates on her sides and back, and the gem-like eyes that dotted her head brightened as she opened her eyes.
From experiencing a thélméthra body herself, she knew that despite the predator’s seemingly totally metallic and slick design, Camellia was, in fact, covered with microscopic hairs that fed information to a more complex and powerful set of sensory organs than anything Earth had to offer.
Her crimson pincer-like claws on either side of her mouth flexed and extended slightly, capable of being dislodged and regrown. Perhaps the most terrifying part of the silent huntress was her closed, jewel-like mouth, which could be drawn back to crush her prey or reveal her barbed teeth inside that could be projected like poison-laced arrows.
Camellia’s eight powerful legs rose, the deadly tip not so much as making a tapping sound against the stone as they lifted her off the cave floor. Rising to her full five-meter height, the arachnid’s forever open thirteen scarlet-gem eyes scanned the area, the rubies attached to her eight legs acting as branching ocular attachments to give her a complete 360 view of her environment.
Her female voice was strong, yet almost a whisper, as she lowered herself before Elinor. It held powerful and ominous vibes that somewhat broke down once she started speaking.
“Empress, I, umm—I feel… so weak… I answered your call and am eager to prove my worth.” Her gaze nervously shifted to the yaltha’ma, calling out to their princess and bowing before her. “What would you have me do, Empress?”
Elinor chuckled, not expecting this kind of reaction from an overpowered mega-predator, yet the Nexus gave her a small bit of insight into the spider woman’s inner workings. “You will join me on my journey, but soon, you will be going to slaughter some ri’bot. Join me…”
Walking toward the exit, she gave Roman a backward wave. “No more secrets. I expect a detailed report when I get back, ready to start a war. You’re bound to my empire now, Roman; we’re partners, so it is time you started showing a little trust.”
The man’s laughter echoed through the tunnels as he returned to the planning chambers a room over, giving the impressive arachnid a last glance. “I think you should wait until you have full control of the valley before dipping your fingers back into my quests. Let me handle the grunt work with your established network on the other side.”
“My network,” she pointedly stated. “Use this time to lay out your plans—on paper for me. I want to be kept in the loop.”
“As you command, Empress.”
She still didn’t quite trust the Legend. There was a bigger game he was playing; unfortunately, she needed him. She suspected he wasn’t so easy to kill and raise; at the moment, she had enough enemies as it was, so a somewhat friendly party wasn’t the worst position to have with the man. The former US general had proven his worth already. He’d also proven the lengths he’d go to get to his answers with how far he’d pushed Castria.
Elinor paused in front of Autumn and Tiffany, her father standing beside her with the towering spider. Dad, make sure Roman divulges what is making the Grand Duke cautious—whether it be him flirting with the Delva Empire, the Jesena Kingdom, or some other party—I don’t want to jeopardize what I’ve been able to build in Kaspir.
“I’ll get to the bottom of it… but first, your mother,” he stated, glaring at the grinning hag as she entered their private conversation.
“Oh, don’t you worry about me, dearies; I keep my promises,” she cackled. “It is a core aspect of my very being. That being said, I need to run a few… experiments.”
The woman lifted her fingers into a swaying motion, her fingernails extending into grizzly claws that left an orange trail of light. “The magic is far more… potent here than in my previous universe. The tantalizing secrets and whispers echoing through the cosmos make my skin’s skin crawl with delight! I owe you… much, Empress. It will be done by the time you return. The portal, though? It will take longer to prepare.”
Good. Elinor’s focus moved to the anxious witch. Tiffany, I need more information on those poisonous bugs the yaltha’ma have been fighting. I’m sure you can find some fitting uses for their unique attributes.
“I will see to it, Empress! Erm… Elinor,” she corrected, seemingly trying to make a conscious effort to bridge the gap she’d begun to feel. “Edmon can help me while Autumn gets things prepared! What do you say, honey? Care to help me one last time before I become the least favorite wife?”
“Tiffany…” her father growled, rubbing between his eyes as she giggled and turned to gather samples from further inside the caverns. “I’m relying on you to eventually give me back my wife… so I’ll be courteous.”
“…Praise be for that…”
Elinor left the cold war to the pair’s private conversation, not wanting to get distracted by their couple’s arguments. Things were turning from playful teasing to bitter anger, and she hoped her uncorrupted mother would be able to mitigate those feelings when she returned—it was what she did best, after all. That being said, she knew it wouldn’t be easy for her uncorrupted mother to accept, as well.
Camellia listened intently as Elinor continued out of the cave; she could feel the spider soaking up an ungodly amount of information. Placing a hand on the arachnid’s leg, she asked, How do you feel about stretching your legs and getting me to my next destination as quickly as possible?
An ecstatic pulse ran through Camellia’s frame as she promptly lowered herself, legs moving to act as stairs; it wasn’t about being ridden, from what Elinor could sense, so much as the ability to be useful to her—the spider woman seemed to crave validation and responsibility.
“I would love to be of service, Empress! Whatever you need, I’m your thélméthra!”
Learning more about this deadly spider princess was somehow becoming far more interesting than she’d initially thought, which was already a high bar. Mounting her just before exiting, she smiled at Theresa when the Head Maid hurried to catch up.
“Am I to remain behind, Empress?”
No. Join me. I can feel Quin nearing. Her chains broke through space, attaching her and her maid to the spider to act as support upon settling onto the arachnid’s back. I will be a bit busy. Many of our forces will be redirected to the Roxim, so make the other Serving Court stations aware that there will be movement happening soon.
“Understood,” the motherly maid replied, redirecting forces and sending the message in their game of telephone.
In the meantime, she said, talking privately to Camellia since she was now within the Royal Court, I want you to get used to communicating through this Nexus chain, so get better acquainted with Carlos through it. Tell him to redirect many of our forces to the Roxim. Can you handle that assignment while speaking to me at the same time?
“Most certainly, Empress,” the woman said, acting far younger and more energetic than she first took the spider for. “Shall I take you anywhere specific?”
Far south of here, to a giant body of water.
She hardly got the words out of her mouth before the spider lurched into action, g-forces slamming her chest and only maintaining her balance due to her paralysis chain keeping her attached to Camellia’s back. Taking the opportunity to enter her Soul Sanctum, she closed her eyes when the peppering drizzle from the overhead heavens poured over them.
The pattering of the rain didn’t fade when she opened her eyes to the flickering blue flames of the fireplace within Butter and her shared soul. Her gaze shifted to the glorious spear hanging above the hearth, where Ashrit was sealed away.
I have so much to do, and so little time to do it. Luckily, I am not alone. It would be nice if Butter were here, though. Dammit, you fat butterfly. Return and gloat about your victory already, so I can use you on another front and finally start having tasty meals.
A small smile lifted her lips as she summoned a clone of her pouty-faced blonde twin to sit next to her, if anything, to have a little company. She waved away the wall, leaving the fireplace and giving her a full look at the expansive valley view she’d just obtained with Grace.
It wasn’t an accurate portrayal of what she’d seen since she mixed other elements into its base, but the general topography was precise. With a desire, she lifted the clouds higher in the sky, allowing the rain to somewhat remain with the thunder and somber string instruments that played in the background; the mood was essential in soothing her restless soul, after all.
Leaning against the side of her chair, knuckles held against her cheek, she generated a second clone of herself and observed the physical change to her appearance. Her subjects would need to come to terms with her changing body.
Overall, it was fairly obvious it was still her, only a slightly older, elven version. Her ears were longer, her white hair thicker, and slightly curled in the humid environment. In life, her skin had been a tinge brown from her father’s side, yet in death, her mother’s French side seemed to come out, or just being dead made you paler.
On the other hand, after learning about Irkalla, she saw touches of her more brownish-gold skin returning, possibly due to her sister’s influence in unlocking Ashrit. She’d filled out a bit more in places most women would like, grew an inch, and now appeared more in line with an 18-year-old than 16. She suspected further developments were on the way as her soul further expanded.
Brushing the clone away, she brought up her System Sheet, bobbing her crossed legs a little to the strumming instruments. Her focus instantly went to what points she had to spend upon reaching Level 25:
[6 Stat Point Available]
[2 Feat Extensions Available]
[1 Equipable Feat Choice Available]
[1 Refinement Point Available]
[1 Stat Modifier Point Available]
[1 Branch Feat Point Available]
[New Feat Slot Added: 6 Slots Available (5/6 Used)]
[Twin Souls Expansion (Butter) Tier-1: Heaven’s Domain]
[Twin Souls Expansion (Elinor) Tier-1: Earth’s Domain]
Her chest shook with soft laughter as her fingernail flicked up on the expansive options at her disposal. I don’t need to use all of it. It is good to be flexible when situations arise. My Warlord Feats are giving me a lot to play with already. There are things that will become important in the coming war, though…
Elinor’s attention was taken by her Constitution, which now had a +1 next to it, doubling what it had been when it had 9 points sunk into it. Stat milestones came when they hit 10, which was something important to note, and she examined what she had already put points into with a critical eye:
Force:
Power - Low - 0
Strength - Average (Modified) - 5
Defense:
Toughness - High (Warlord) - 0
Resilience - Average (Warlord) - 0
Dexterity:
Speed - Low - 0
Agility - Average - 0
Quickness - Low - 0
Energy:
Constitution +1 - Maximum (10 DO per point) - 10
Stamina - Above Average (Warlord) - 0
Endurance - Above Average (Modified) - 7
Tenacity:
Elemental Resistance - High (Warlord) - 0 (excluding Life Element)
Physical Resistance - Above Average (Warlord) - 0
Control Resistance - Maximum (Warlord) - 3
Penetration - Average (Warlord) - 0
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[Warlord] gives me a full range of Grade advancements for my total durability, while increasing my Stamina. Path Advancements are a huge marker, but so is Level 25 with the Soul Expansions. I suppose the Path Advancement is meant to boost your soul to the ability to project one’s soul into the outer world.
I could bump Strength or Endurance up to ten… What if upgrading each of the three Substats to ten gives me an energy bonus as a whole? Increasing my physical Stamina would affect [Artificial Body]. It’s worth pursuing since [Warlord]’s influence… It may even save me Death Energy overall when I use my [Warlord] Feats, further enhancing the spirit I’m channeling. Let’s experiment…
[Endurance upgraded to 10]
[Endurance advanced to +1, multiply all mitigations by 2x]
Elinor’s excitement grew as she swapped to the [Raise Undead] conversion table, and she found her upkeep and prices decreased by half—she’d essentially cut her daily empire maintenance cost by half with that one decision. She could expand by quite a bit.
Perfect, she cooed, swapping to her other Feats and seeing the price further decrease. It wouldn’t have been half, had there not been three other stat increases in the chain to 10… likely due to my Grade being Above Average on it. I can modify another Stat, and it will be another 15 Levels—minimum—until I can select another Path.
And something tells me the ri’bot aren’t going to give me the same EXP as they did before the Legend Quest. Levels will become more sparse unless I beat a particularly powerful spirit; tiny spiritual energy gleaned from weaker creatures wouldn’t give the same pressure as a stronger one to blow up my spiritual balloon, I suppose. It may not even be accepted by my soul because it’s too weak. Yet again… more experimentation. Strength is a solid choice for my chains.
[Strength Modified to Above Average]
Making the hard choice to ignore the 5 points in Strength, she dumped the final 3 Stat Points she had into Stamina, feeling the urge to reform her physical body to account for the multipliers she’d just initiated but refraining for the time being.
As she scanned down the Equipable Feats at her disposal, she selected the one she’d already decided on when showing Grace the valley and projected her mental image to Camellia.
[Project Mental Image I - Active - F-tier - Lich - 0DO - 1 Slot - Project the user’s mental image to another party within a 2-meter radius.]
Elinor laughed to herself as she unfolded her legs, stood up, and walked to the edge of the open wall to stare down from her floating manor. A red line traced a circle of where they were on her desire, cutting through the jungle dozens of miles to the large Wixum lake—the distance limit of projecting her thoughts was meaningless since her Nexus bypassed it.
“This is where I want you to go, Camellia. Let me know when you’ve arrived. I will be changing clothes and getting ready for my battle.”
“Got it,” the earnest girl stated. “Umm, Quin and Carlos will be inside the range of your Nexus soon, Empress, and we will arrive at the location you’ve specified within ten minutes.”
“Impressive,” Elinor whispered, reevaluating where they were in the jungle. “I expected us to take longer and have a chance to talk, but I’ve been a little preoccupied… Quin.”
“Empress!” the giant four-limbed gorilla girl roared. “You have returned stronger than ever! I can feel your growing power within me. I wish you could meet the Ke. He would be sure to note your excellence!”
“Haha. I hope to meet him at some point,” she commented, figuring it was still tough to accept that the young quen’talrat’s glorious and prophesied hero had died. “You will be replacing Camellia when we reach the Wixum camp, so be ready.”
“Yes, Empress!”
“And, Carlos…”
“I am here. I heard that you’ve read the reports,” the old Colombian revolutionary stated. “I’ve just had confirmation from the Witch Ritual Station at the Shattered Crystal Camp. Our station in the plateau caves has been destroyed. I can’t be sure about the Roxim Clan’s ritual site, but without that bridge amplifier, the one by the Shattered Crystal can’t reach them. It likely happened not long ago, just before your arrival and after they checked in.”
Elinor’s mouth drew into a line, knowing that meant at least one of Tiffany’s little witches that had been left to operate it had met a tragic fate. At the very least, she was captured, but more likely than not, the Xaltan had murdered her.
“I should have expected Shade or the Scarlet Hand to have some form of knowledge on our communication network… It was our oversight. Did we have any undead with her?”
“Yes, Empress, but they don’t seem to have been destroyed.”
“Good. So, they are operating with some form of advanced knowledge from someone,” Elinor whispered, shifting the whole floating house to stare at the distance plateaus, hardly visible, even from this height across the vast valley. “It means there is a likelihood that our little witch girl is alive since they’re trying not to alert us of the break in communication. We can’t warn the Roxim—we don’t have time… I doubt Quin or Garu could get there in time.”
Her gaze shifted to the red line cutting through the jungle. “Camellia… you could make that journey before nightfall, right?” she asked, rediverting the line from the Wixum lake to the plateau. “War is there—one of my generals—who you can connect with.”
Camellia’s pride exploded, a sense of worth budding within her. “Easily, Empress! Although… my sisters or mother would be far swifter, especially my middle sister and mother. My youngest… not so much. She’s lazy.”
It clicked in Elinor’s mind; she had an inferiority complex within her family, despite being an extremely powerful huntress who could easily handle any of the monsters she’d seen in Sir Percy’s inn collection. Camellia would eat through most of the Magic Knights, potentially only having trouble with the Grandmaster, if she was judging the arachnid by her resurrected full potential.
“Excellent, Camellia! These are the ri’bot who are our allies,” she added, projecting an image of the green, slightly discolored, and splotchy toad clan with their mutated patterns, having deviated in their bloodline outside of their people. “Connect with War and discover what happened to our little witch girl. If she is alive, rescue her; if dead, bring back her body, and as to her assaulters… I want them killed and brought to me; and, Camellia… it could be in a pile of goo, for all I care. I can still chain their spirits.”
The arachnid snickered. “You sound like my middle sister, Empress, although less playful. She enjoyed teasing her food. I will complete the order you have given me without fail… We have arrived.”
A little shocked at the distance the spider had covered, Elinor left her internal world, expecting to feel the slick sensation of water drenching every part of her. Blinking as they slowed to a reasonable and very smooth pace, she felt totally dry after passing through the short storm, which was likely caused by the drag the arachnid generated.
She felt a heavy burden on her body, and parts of her dress stitching had been ripped—if she let go of her chains, she’d collapse. Beside her, Theresa looked totally poised, her own outfit somewhat ruined, yet beneath her mask, she could feel that the woman hadn’t felt so physically exhausted since being raised as an undead.
The Head Maid still managed to keep her voice steady as they traveled around the lake, the ri’bot children running over to see her. It only took one look at Camellia before their parents were snatching them away.
“I’ve sent word for the off-duty maids to meet us at your house, Empress. Is there anything particular that you would like them to prepare?
Shorts, a tank top, new garments… bring a few sizes larger than I have stored, and for footwear, nothing. I’ll go barefoot for this fight. Bring a more presentable outfit for the follow-up speech, though, which means I will need to discover my new proportions and foot size.
“I will have a measuring strip brought to mark it down.”
Elinor’s gaze shifted to the edge of the forest as large birds took to the sky, the rumble of brush parting as the giant five-meter-tall gorilla jumped out of the jungle—it was crazy to think she was a little girl, although unnaturally large for her age.
Carlos spoke his departing words as she neared the more populated area of the lake, a stir spreading as humans and ri’bot learned that she had returned.
“Do you still want the army gathering to the east instead of positioned for Chief Kalix’s surprise attack? I don’t expect all the Delthax to follow his orders, mainly the elites, but without King Edmon here, I am concerned about security. I’ve… heard about your damaged Phylactery.”
If Edmon isn’t here, then you needn’t be concerned, Carlos. Take everyone to support the Roxim in the initial invasion. They’ll be looking for support with the attack coming from two sides. You need to counter their pincer.
“Makes sense. Haha. It’s a pleasure having you back, Empress. Give ‘em hell.”
Cutting the connection, green flames lit across her figure, causing the onlookers to gasp and whisper to one another as she reformed her body. She smiled and waved at the wide-eyed children who watched. Elinor could feel the awe and respect most gave her, at least those who had accepted her as their ruler.
She saw a small group positioned outside her house, a mix of soldiers, standing in formation—her father’s troupe—with Gloria and Virgil at their front. Lucky was with Gwen, the red-headed human leader who had been voted to be the human representative. Not far away from them sat Garu, sharpening a blue metal blade with a shiny black stone. The last person that awaited her was Former Chief Vivine, the Wixim’s last chief and Chief Yimara’s resurrected mother.
Most of her citizens respectfully kept their distance, and some bustled off to continue their work. Elinor scanned the changes that had happened over the past week she’d been gone. Nicole Robinson, the little 13-year-old Nymph Faekin whom Valdar adored, seemed to have crafted several large structures near the edge of the growing town, providing a good shelter for the humans. A quick inquiry told her that they were waiting at the challenge location.
Vivine spoke through the Nexus after answering her question about the teen. “The four clans have gathered at the tri-meet area between the Wixum, Flex, and Lethix territories. They await your arrival before sunset, or else all treaties are off, and war will begin. It is to take place at the base of the cliff clearing overlooking Lethix land. You have changed. I… cannot believe you awoke a ruler of the things that crawl within the shadows.”
That works for me, Elinor whispered. And say hello, Camellia.
“Hello!” she awkwardly chimed, bouncing up and down a little and making Elinor hold fast as the girl greeted the ri’bot in her own unique way. The living around them, including Grace and Virgil, retreated a little at the unusual movements. “I have never spoken to my food before. That’s usually my middle sister’s thing.”
“Right…” Vivine cleared her throat, yet Camellia wasn’t finished.
“Umm. Empress, before I go, can I ask you something?”
Dismounting with ease after reshaping her body, Elinor chuckled as Theresa took a far less bold approach so as not to embarrass herself in case her ankles gave out. She would need to rest a bit before continuing, but Elinor had a plan for that.
She turned to look up at the 5-meter-tall spider woman towering over her; she certainly was a frightening thing when on all eight lance-like legs. However, what she asked made Elinor’s mind blank.
“I would like to take your skin, Empress.”
“My… skin?” she slowly repeated, nightmares of the cackling hag coming to mind. “My translation ability is fairly accurate to meaning, but maybe not so accurate with you. One moment…”
In the ensuing silence, she closed her eyes and entered her internal world, swiftly adding Camellia to the translation list since her new max was five.
Say that again, she instructed, sensing the nervous twitches from the arachnid as everyone stared at her; the creature was a killing machine, not an idol, after all. What did you mean by… taking my skin?
“Sorry, Empress! I, umm… you gave me the opportunity to change forms. Well, it is in my abilities—but only for one time,” she rambled, her voice becoming far more awkward and cute after the perfect translation was activated. “I just need to sample—eh, analyze a bit of your DNA structure to fully conform to the form… Did I ask something wrong? I’m trying to learn your customs. I just thought… it would be easier if I knew what it was like to be like you.”
Still inside her Soul Sanctum, she pulled up the thélméthra’s ability list and centered on one Feat—a single-use Feat. “[Metamorphosis X],” she whispered, reading its description. “Take on the physical attributes of another creature once in the user’s life, retaining desired features from their previous form to further the user’s evolution. The user is capable of reversing this change at will, shifting between forms.”
Exiting her internal world, Elinor looked up at the monstrous spider and, without hesitating, held out her hand, a thoughtful smile brightening her lips. “Garu, cut off my arm.”
A chill ran through the throng at the first words she spoke aloud since returning.
The white and blue-spotted ri’bot moved without hesitation, hopping off the house’s deck, and severing her outstretched appendage with a single stroke of his glowing blade, no doubt recovered from his visit to his home city.
Elinor caught it, refraining from reforming her body, and threw it in the air as her citizens watched in a hypnotic fashion. Camellia blurred, creating a small gust in her sudden acceleration. Her horrific, protected jaws opened to reveal the sticky, poisonous saliva within; pincers snatching it and guiding it into her maw, Elinor’s arm disappeared inside.
[Camellia Cleome Hassleriana’s Evolution: Begun]
A stillness swept the crowd as Camellia’s metallic body illuminated a ruby shade. Her metallic body fluctuated and molded. Steam hissed out of various areas, thickening around the area that circled until forming an egg around the spider.
[Evolution: In Progress]
Abruptly, the shimmering crimson egg compressed, expanded, compressed again, contracted, and constricted. Elinor could practically feel the goosebumps running down the arms of the ri’bot and humans observing the radical change. One thing was for sure, whenever Elinor showed up, interesting things happened.
After several minutes, Camellia was the size of a human. Reforming her arm in a blaze of fire, Elinor snapped her fingers and pointed at her house. “Someone bring a robe or blanket!”
Three of the on-duty maid girls rushed inside, jogging out with the item just as a crack ran down the ruby egg. Rays of light peaked through, and Elinor realized what the difference was between your typical Rare-Grade and Epic-Grade creature: it was their Advanced Feats. Thélméthra were evolutionary predators by nature based on what she’d learned from the drones, and this was what it meant to be a princess of their species.
[Evolution: Complete]
Instead of breaking open, the whole egg shattered into glistening ruby light, revealing a quite naked—and very beautiful—ruby-haired woman, seemingly around the age of twenty-three. She blinked, opening her pure ruby eyes, seemingly solid stones within her socket as a small circular radical moved within it, acting like a pupil.
The maids wrapped her in the robe as everyone else recovered from the blinding flash that had preceded the hatching. Only, she wasn’t fully human with her elven features and golden skin—she hadn’t even thought about that angle.
Camellia’s perfect lips pulled into a smile as the maids fussed with her, slipping her arms through the holes and tying the robe closed before anyone could get a peek at her very toned and well-endowed physique. She lifted her hands to squish her face, carefully sliding her fingers around her figure as if exploring new territory.
“It is so… sensitive! So… squishy, yet my exoskeleton is underneath, protecting me. I feel so flexible and light… Hmm. My thread comes through my strange, twenty little legs—so many legs—and so small,” she giggled, wiggling her fingers and toes. “I can hunt so much better like this, Empress!”
Elinor forced a laugh as everyone studied the former spider, slack-jawed at the glowing, ruby-haired beauty. “You certainly did select what genes to use wisely,” she noted, wondering if attraction was something genetically baked into the spiders. “Come inside briefly while I get ready to leave. Everyone else, direct your questions to Lucky, and he will filter them through to me. I have a busy day. I have a chief to kill in a few hours…”
Entering her single-room log cabin with her maids and Camellia, she saw Theresa bustling from a side house with a duffle bag filled with items. Right now, she trusted the thélméthra to reach her destination without much trouble, and she wanted to know a little more about her family before she left.
If Camellia was so intimidated by her younger siblings and mother when she was already this powerful, she had to hear at least the shortened version of the thélméthra tale. She directed the bewildered and slightly overwhelmed arachnid woman to do as she did as the maids took their measurements, writing them down to find the proper outfit sizes.
While we wait, tell me about your family, Camellia. What happened to your nest? The shortened version. And once you have something to properly wear, I’ll let you loose. Where do you suppose the rest of your family is… because I’d love to reunite you with them.
Remaining Upgrades Available:
[2 Feat Extensions Available]
[1 Refinement Point Available]
[1 Branch Feat Point Available]