With a slow, deliberate pace, Elinor circled Meji, her eyes never leaving the ri’bot Xaria. A towering figure, he barely reached half her height when fully upright. The silence in the large wooden arena was deafening, each spectator holding their breath, knowing that the outcome of this fight would ignite the rest of the contest.

Quin’s soul impressing on her filled Elinor with utter confidence. No, not confidence; it was far more degrading than that. Ri’bot were pathetic insects to be swatted like pesky vermin. That they dared stand upright in front of a quen’talrat instead of running like yaltha’ma wasn’t courageous, it was an insult to their intelligence.

The gray flames rising off her forearms intensified, two large hearts pumping Death Energy through her five-meter-tall frame as her green fire faded. Quakes reverberated through the platform with every footstep she took, yet she felt light as air and stronger than ten elephants.

“What’s wrong, Meji?” she taunted, using her lower-left hand to gesture at her opponent. “Maybe you should scamper away and hide in the bushes…because all I’m looking at is a victim.”

Meji’s hands darted into the pouch at his side faster than her human eyes could have perceived and whipped out a throwing knife; blue-tipped, the same metal Garu had returned with, only her misty toad had the full thing.

Quin’s advanced vision caught every twitch, but she had to admit, the ri’bot was faster than her. He had four throwing knives, three of the ri’bot smoke bombs, and two long daggers.

“Arrogance is your way, Empress,” the toad chortled, flipping the two blades in the air and expertly catching them. “It will be your undoing. You wish to fight every challenger at once? What nonsense!”

[Warlord’s Bloodlust: 55%]

Elinor paused as the Xaria bent his knees and jumped to the side, launching around her in a rapid blur, increasing his speed. Placing two hands on her hips and shifting her weight to the opposite foot, she turned to leer down upon his chief, watching his anger grow as she ignored one of their peak warriors.

The thrown knives struck her physical eyes, the glowing blue tip cutting past their defensive film to sink halfway to the hilt; her two ethereal organs maintained her sight. Meji’s searching daggers rained blows against her toughened skin, and gashes opened wounds in his rapid assault; each attack bit somewhat deep into her flesh, revealing shimmering emerald light within.

“Arrogance… Are you deaf, Chief Kalix?” she goaded, reaching up with her upper-right hand to pluck out the two knives. Gash after gash sought to penetrate her body using his blue-tipped blades, seeking to make an opening large enough to strike one of her hearts. “I said to stop wasting my time.”

The Young Bloods around the camp shot nervous glances at their chiefs as she tanked the powerful Xaria’s blows. All of the more advanced warriors seemed to realize how wrong they’d been about her just using her undead to fight for her—a miscalculation on their chiefs’ part.

True to his station, Meji found the angle and sent his second-to-last knife through an opening in her back; entering her body, it penetrated her heart, causing her Death Energy to leak out.

“That’s one heart destroyed, Empress!” Meji boasted, slowing to a stop in front of her with a smirk. “We know your body can be destroyed and how hard it must be to maintain such a colossal form. You are not as immortal as you think.”

Elinor chuckled, maintaining her poise and leer; she was getting annoyed. Cheers rang out, yet they slowly died as she casually tossed one of the throwing knives back at Meji; he set his stance to grab it, only to abandon that lunacy milliseconds later, stepping to the side as the weapon hit the wooden platform like a comet, breaking through the planks and disappearing inside the structure.

“Is that right?” Smirk rising, she tossed her second stolen knife into the air, caught it with her upper-right hand, and sank it into her own chest. “You were saying?”

“What are you doing?!” Meji snarled, confused murmurs sweeping the throng.

Pinching the small weapon between two fingers, she slid a long line down the center of her chest, hearing bone being broken away. Halfway down, the handle snapped, making her frown and hold it to examine.

“Damn. How do you expect to do any real damage to a quen’tarlat with such brittle weapons? Humph. You were saying?”

A vicious grin lit her face, and the various ri’bot colors changed shades in shock as she buried her hand into the incision she’d made to rip out her damaged heart. Her teeth shone while dropping it into her bottom-right hand, using the upper to dig out the broken blade.

Several ri’bot stepped back, mumbling, “Supreme Chiefs!”

“She plucked out her own heart!”

“Does she feel no pain?”

Meji jumped without hesitation, throwing his final knife through the shining opening to strike her remaining, open heart; it struck.

The toad laughed. “Such stupidity! You opened…yourself up?”

[Artificial Body] brought her green flames, mixing with her gray as Elinor ripped out her last heart. The fire reformed the organs and mended all the work the Xaria had done. She held up the two disintegrating, large hearts in both of her right hands, burning away and leaving the knife that had pierced them.

[Artificial Body III - Advanced to C-tier]

“You were saying?” she laughed, her fur thickened across parts of her body and a light film glazing over her frame. “Let’s see you do that again.”

[Enhance Construct II: Activated]

[Max Death Pool Decreased from 368 to 358]

[Current Death Pool: 334]

“Come on, Meji; keep trying! You can do it.” Her arrogant smirk got a twitch from the Xaria as she casually tossed the broken and good knife back. “Is it time to call for help? This is embarrassing.”

“You’re amazing, Empress!” She glanced over at her maids, where Kaya was now waving and cheering like a pop-idle fangirl. “Show those victims the difference between your power! They’re all weaklings before your might!”

It also happened to be over her speaker system, which got a rise out of the Delthax warriors. Even a few of Valdar’s Plant Callers looked uncomfortable at the human witch’s comments.

Chief Loci of the Flex and Chief Utren frowned at Kaya’s words; they held their tongues, though, the higher echelon whispering to one another. Xaria Inora and Welix seemed to be considering something the two Elder Chiefs of the brown-skinned clans said. Their chiefs and the two Flex Xaria looked unsure.

However, the Delthax appeared done with her taunts. Chief Kalix’s purple eyes had a fire in them as he rose to his full height. One of Valdar’s Plant Callers broke away from the elder, making him grimace as he jogged to his chief and whispered something in his ear. It was probably about that time.

Kalix raised his voice, making every one of his surrounding warriors firm their ground and summon their courage. “Very well, Empress. If you wish to showcase your strength…then why don’t all of our clans strike at once? Would you accept that challenge or shy away with your tail tucked between your legs?”

[Warlord’s Bloodlust: 60%]

“…Heh-haha…yap, yap, yap,” Elinor muttered, stretching out her chest and throwing back her shoulders while straightening again. “I’ve done more damage to myself than your damn Xaria, Kalix. How long are you going to keep this up?”

Her tail lifted and slammed into the arena, breaking clean through it in a long line and making Meji stumble and use one hand to stabilize himself.

“I said, come at me with everything you have. If you need all the other clans backing you up because you’re scared…then have at it!”

Spinning on her heels to pace around the semi-damaged structure, Elinor’s blood pumped hotter while looking at each clan she passed. “I’ll make this promise. Engage me with all you have, warriors of the Lethix…warriors of the Flex…warriors of the Wixum. I have prepared thoroughly for this day. Obviously, the Delthax have not.”

She raised her hands in the air with a wide grin from the nervous looks they gave her. “You could destroy this body dozens of times over—which you can’t—and it would make no difference. When you look at me, you will see the horrific image of the White God of your past…and that is not far from the truth, but allow me to make this promise to you, Chief Utren, Chief Loci, and Chief Yimara… Not one of your Young Bloods will die.

“The Blood Mysticism of your clan, Chief Loci, is useless against me. You understand that well. So, allow your warriors to take this opportunity to show their valor in fighting a god, because…”

Elinor stopped in front of Meji to loom over him, looking at the proud warrior like he were an ant while internally prompting Theresa to act. Her maid expertly threw her the microphone she’d collected, and Elinor brought it to her mouth, her voice ringing throughout over a mile with the witch’s projecting magic. [Strategic Mind] spun gears in her brain.

“…I will take on every clan that wants to challenge my rule, but today, only Delthax warriors will die. Delthax, if you recognize my strength, do not approach…or you will die.”

Tossing the microphone in the air, Elinor’s gray flames roared across her forearms, creating a trail in their motion. She spun in a sharp circle, her tail whipping out to strike Meji. He jumped. Her two right arms launched out, palms spread to backhand the Xaria. Meji took the heat while diving through her spread fingers—just as she’d expected.

[Mental Acceleration I: Activated]

[Mental Acceleration Advanced to E-tier]

Meji had dodged her first two attacks, which only led to her closed left fist, raging flames flowing off her bottom-left hand’s knuckles as the Xaria’s wide, serious eyes caught the closing-in meteorite. Willing to sacrifice an arm to escape, he dropped his dagger, body twisting to use his momentum to carry him over the flames—he hadn’t expected her delayed upper-left fist to meet his gaze.

A heated whirlwind exploded around the area as she showed off her explosive speed, the gore of the blown-apart Xaria splattering across her arms and shoulder. Silence struck the clans when she came to a standstill.

[Mental Acceleration I: Deactivated]

When she straightened, the scent of boiling blood and charred flesh filled the area, and she saw the shaken looks on the ri’bot warriors’ faces. Hot steam blew out of her nose as she quelled the heat in her hand, her second pair of eyes following the microphone’s fall into her open palm. The smoke of one of the Delthax’s heroes flowed off her fur as she flashed her teeth at the lot and spoke to them—and their hidden army.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“Xaria Meji died in a single blow… What hope do you have? Shall we find out? Send your army to become burnt meat, crushed in my hands.”

Kalix lifted his hand, his cold eyes on her, not that the man would engage her himself. “Chiefs…warriors, when this is over, you will see the great Empress Elinor running for her life. Attack!”

Shouts filled the zone, yet Elinor couldn’t focus on them as she stood in stunned bewilderment; Kalix had done something to her…affected her on a level she didn’t quite understand. The ri’bot lurched forward, stones were thrown, barbs spat, and the four brown-skinned Xaria of the Flex and Lethix blurred to engage her.

However, in those initial seconds of this battle, Elinor only had eyes for the Delthax chief as she mumbled the stupid, nonsensical jargon that the man had allowed to taint his tongue.

“Ha…hahaha! Run…”

[Quen’talrat: Blood Pride, In Effect]

[Warlord’s Bloodlust: 100%]

[Bloodlust Aura: Activated]

[Empress: Minion Break: Activated]

[Partial-Body Firecoat III: Activated]

“Why would I run?!”

A shockwave of heat exploded from her body, fur crawling down her chest and legs as the gray flames flared across her body and billowing silver locks. All the Young Bloods and half of the seasoned warriors tripped, falling over one another across the mud as the rest hesitated.

Elinor was already leaping forward, the rattling of chains splitting the superheated air as nine spiked links cut through space to select her targets.

[Chains of the Damned]

[Lich: Chain Break]

“Who’s running?!”

Nine chains pulled the first Delthax high warriors to get into range into a ball. Her burning hands slapped together around them with enough force to create a wave of gore across every nearby toad, splattering her front with their innards.

Incensed, she lurched to the left, tail sweeping out in a circle to sear and pummel anyone foolish enough to test her strength. Mud, gray flames, and broken bodies whipped around Elinor on her rampage through the masses. Her nose twitched with fury upon seeing the cowardly youth abandoning their weapons as she became a chaotic ball of superheated death.

“Fight, you mud-licking rats!” Vines and roots reached out of the jungle and earth to wrap around her. “That’s it—no, don’t stop them, Valdar! Show me your ire! Show me your hatred so that I can purge you from this valley!”

Beating back the greenery and setting it alight, she used it as a weapon to batter the nearby warriors, unable to even get close with her more advanced cloak of flames. Laughter bubbled out of her thumping chest as she charged through the disorderly ranks of the Delthax, wounding dozens in just her passing rampage to get to the insufferable chief.

Unfortunately, her path was soon blocked off by six Xaria, including Kole, the last Delthax Xaria—where had he come from? Her second pair of eyes lifted to the cliff, seeing a host of ri’bot, yet they weren’t jumping down to engage. A few exchanges between the fast and cooperative Xaria and Elinor’s grin increased as two colossal roots exploded underneath her. An extremely loud voice gave her pause, though, bringing her gaze to Kaya.

More than twelve Delthax High Warriors were entangled in vines beside the girl, and a wheezing Valdar was being supported by Theresa beside the witch. However, it was her Head Maid’s voice inside her mind that snapped her back to reality.

“The battle is won.”

“Empress, you have proven your strength enough… They have already yielded—Kalix, wait!”

Elinor cast her gaze around at the devastation she’d inflicted, unaware of how widespread her actions had been. Most of the Delthax area was in flames, and what had to be over a hundred burned bodies littered the zone.

[Quen’talrat: Blood Pride: Deactivated]

[Warlord’s Bloodlust: 65%]

[Bloodlust Aura: Deactivated]

[Partial-Body Firecoat III: Deactivated]

[Time Remaining: 54:43]

Breathing out a long stream of steam through her nose, Elinor let [Minion Break] and [Chain Break] run their course while maintaining [Enhance Construct] in case anyone else got any funny ideas. When she shrugged off the vines Valdar had no doubt summoned to snap her out of her blood rage, Elinor saw the outcome she’d foreseen all along.

In the middle of the half-destroyed, burning arena, the Delthax and Flex chiefs stood face to face; a dozen or so of their most loyal members were spread around them, waiting for the word.

The Xaria who had been keeping her busy kneeled around her, and many of the others who were able did the same. Theresa informed her of the developments as her frenzied mind settled and the chiefs squared off.

“The Flex and Lethix have recognized you as having the strength to rule as a Great Chief. None of the Wixum engaged you, choosing to wait. A few of the Flex and Lethix approached, but once you went wild, it became fairly obvious how pointless the outcome would be.”

Has it really been five minutes? Elinor questioned with a frown. It felt more like several seconds to me… I suppose when in [Quen’talrat: Blood Pride], I lose track of time…even with [Strategic Mind]. That can be a double-edged sword…and I could have hurt the other clans when I promised them I wouldn’t. What about the chiefs?

Elinor rubbed her sore shoulders, seeing some damage on her body she hadn’t known had happened. Reforming it, she motioned to the Xaria while talking internally with her maid.

“I recognize you, Inora, Welix, Kole, Ectria, and the Flex Xaria. I will learn your names later. For now, start helping the survivors. If anyone else wishes to face me, gather them in a group, and I will see them face-to-face when this is done… I will meet anyone who still wishes to deny my place at the head of this new coalition.”

“I’ll see it done,” Ectria stated, nursing a slightly burnt left arm.

Elinor shifted her four hands behind her back to observe the sharp banter that passed between the two chiefs, still keeping a wary eye on her position. Theresa’s commentary put a smirk on her face while the remaining Delthax, mostly Young Bloods, dashed around on the orders of the few seniors that were left.

“Valdar has reclaimed the right to take his seat as chief, which means he will need to face his grandson. However, he did so after the Delthax chief had jumped around your battle to reach the Flex chief.

His true aim this entire time, Elinor muttered with a sad shake of her head. He really was too consumed by hatred to be an effective leader. I was right to come early. If I hadn’t, Xaria Kole might have led the army he’d been given and genocided the normal Flex citizens. It is a good thing he sided with Valdar in the end… Did I kill any of his Plant Callers?

“Two, Empress… Swiftly and decisively the moment they chose to side with Kalix.”

Shame. They’re valuable, and I don’t suppose I left enough of them around to bring back in body?

“Not in the least. Valdar seems to think that his grandson is out of his depth in this battle.”

Oh, I would say he is, Elinor mumbled, her calculating eyes watching a few of the Delthax and Flex men and women still fighting. I’ve shaken some of Kalix’s guards… They won’t be as focused as Loci’s warriors. It will be a bloodbath.

Most of Kalix’s men were cut down before the two chiefs met blades, and their biting or taunting words gathered a crowd of the remaining ri’bot, now that Elinor wasn’t killing everyone. This was where everything led between the bad blood between the two clans; sadly, the Kalix was lacking in one critical area—Mysticism—he hadn’t been born with the gift.

“My uncle said your father was crying when they pulled him off the battlefield, Kalix. What do you make of that?”

The dark-blue-skinned chief snorted, two left teeth biting into his lower mouth. “Lies are nothing new from your cowardly clan. One nick that draws blood, and you retreat to let your Mysticism do your battle. Pathetic.”

“Hah. What you call pathetic, I call good strategy. If only you trained your Mystics as warriors, then maybe you would have stamped out the Flex, but we flex on, Limp Tongue. I suppose you can’t go against the wishes of your hero grandfather, though, can you?”

Kalix blurred into action, the two exchanging a flurry of blows before breaking apart; half their accompanying men had fallen, the victors coldly watching the chiefs’ duel.

“Hah! If I had your Mysticism, you’d be dead, Loci!” Kalix boasted, his long tongue to slide across the blood with a smirk before spitting it at the Flex chief’s left eye. “I’ve used one of your captured Mystics to strengthen myself against your rot.”

Loci’s vision narrowed, side-stepping it as his left forearm bled a pale green liquid from a minor gash. “Oh? I suppose that means Talira is still alive…my day just got that much better. I get to kill you and save one of my childhood friends.”

Kalix swapped positions, waiting for the next chance to strike as his tongue dripped poison. “Well, on the off-chance that happens due to your lack of martial skill, due to using your Mysticism as a crutch, I suppose you’ll find at least half of her. I had to cut off certain parts to make her less…active.”

“As cruel as your father, I see,” Loci mumbled, tossing his dagger at the surprised Delthax chief.

Kalix caught it in his free hand with a confused grin as Loci dove forward to take them to the ground; the Delthax toad had the advantage as he made a nasty cut across Loci’s arm, finding leverage on top of him.

“Haha! You really are a fool. Without Mysticism, I’ve trained my whole life to become a Xaria…to make my father proud and kill you dirt-licking…eh?”

Elinor sat straighter as black blood dripped on Loci’s face, dripping out of Kalix’s right eye, then his left, and down his ears.

“Why can’t I hear anything… My immunity—the Whispering Shade said I could be…immune if I…if I…”

Strength seemingly leaving his body, Loci kicked him off, nursing a deep wound from the knife buried in his gut. Kalix’s breathing became raspy, his veins turning black down his lulled open tongue, making Elinor shake her head at the irony.

And he called me the arrogant one.

Elinor walked closer with everyone else to observe the dying Delthax chief clawing at his own throat, black ooze falling out of his orifices. It was a gradual decline from there that took more than thirty minutes, and Loci straddled his rival through the whole process, not allowing anyone to put him out of his misery while looking into his bloodshot eyes.

Valdar hobbled over, much of the fires put out as squads of Young Bloods sucked up water from a nearby stream to spray it out over the flames.

Elinor felt no pity and no inclination to bring back the former leader from the dead. It would probably put a sour taste in her relationship with the Flex in any case, even as a slave, especially after what she’d just learned Kalix had done to one of the clan’s respected Mystics. Apparently, that was fairly taboo in ri’bot culture. Mystics, no matter the clan, were to be treated with respect if captured, well, if they behaved in accordance with that given respect.

“What was that about immunity?” Elinor asked Valdar, the elder’s sad and guilt-ridden gaze refusing to leave his grandson’s tortured end. “He was in contact with Shade?”

“Hmm. He told me about it when he was a boy…and I can see Shade’s manipulating hand clearly in it now. Kalix grew to hate the Flex from his father when my wife was taken in an accident of crossed blood during one of our tense years of truce… I knew it was a simple mistake. Yet, that action sparked our fourth war with the clan, no matter my opinion.”

Loci breathed out a bitter grunt. “So, he targeted Talira to try and slowly expose himself to tiny droplets of her blood to obtain immunity… Sadly, Talira’s bloodline was always amongst the weakest of our Mystics, and…as the chief, mine is the strongest.”

As Kalix took his final breath, the Flex chief forced himself up, despite his bleeding side. Kaya was busy disposing of all the contaminated blood that had been spread around, jogging over on prompt from Theresa when the Dethalx chief died.

“Oh! Careful. Ugh. This…is a toughy, but I think I can manage with my ingredients,” she mumbled, shooing people away. “Maybe I should have brought some of my coven with me.”

“Just be sure to remain safe,” Elinor prompted, sitting beside the pair as the wounded chief leaned back to stare up at her. “You want to ask me something?”

Loci hummed, his focus momentarily moving to his calm grandfather, who popped his tongue in their old language. Elder Chief Dren, of the Lethix, and Valdar looked at each other as Chief Yimara and Utren spoke about the possibility of crossing tribal bloodlines and its effects. Loci responded while scratching his neck.

“What would you have us do, Great Chief…or would you prefer Empress? Blah. It feels strange being led by a quen’talrat…thing. Not that I am trying to insult you.”

Elinor chuckled, figuring there was another topic he wanted to discuss, but his grandfather told him to drop it. He seemed like a traditional, hardass type from what little she’d learned through their short interactions.

“Empress is perfect. As for our purpose. I will handle whoever still wishes to challenge me, and then we will begin war plans to face the Xaltan. In the meantime, healing needs to be done…and I believe my witches can put Talira back together, potentially block out her memories of her torture among the Delthax.”

Elder Chief Gurali’s rough voice spoke up from beside his grandson, a dubious scowl on his face. “And why would you waste your time and resources on that detail? We don’t need pity. The Flex are always ready for battle and sacrifice… Blood for blood.”

She looked to the east, where War and Camellia roamed. She knew many of her Feats had advanced during her rampage, but she’d been too enraged to realize which; there was be time to see what had advanced when this was done.

“Because I have a feeling the Xaltan have something special in their favor, and I want every strong fighter we have. The best victory is an overwhelming victory, after all.”

A grin spreading across her lips, she rose to her feet to look at the hateful eyes of the two dozen or so older generations of Delthax High Warriors who glared at her from their guarded prison zone. “Now, which one of you wants to go first? If you kill me, then, as the new Great Chief, you can order Loci here to kill himself. Interested? Hehe. I thought so.”