Alchimia Rex

Leaving the sham trial, Kiara walked across the city slowly. Today she was focusing on garnering some softer support for the cause, visiting little shops and splurging just enough to look generous. She engaged in pleasant conversation, asked about friends, family, neighbors, and gossip if there was any to be had. Her human spent most of his time locked away from the broader population, working on this or that. Most of his effort went into his otherworlder projects, and whatever of his energy was left, he'd typically spent it on the maidens closest to him. The times he'd face the public were rare, so it fell onto Kiara's shoulders to present him as a man working himself to the bone to help rebuild the city.

It was a mostly true thing, but one couldn't readily expect the broader population to remember what they had for breakfast, let alone who was making an effort to keep them safe.

It also let her taste the milder forms of dissent and nudge them towards approval. Doing these things without her powers was a hindrance by all accounts, but she'd felt it might serve to shake off the rust. Rick's immunity to her softer skills had been one thing, she'd known she would have to restrain herself around him. But the number of times things had not quite turned the way she'd expected them to were a reminder of how often she'd relied on her powers these past few decades.

“Of course the Lord wouldn’t rebel against the kingdom,” she whispered, softly grasping the wrinkled aged human's hand gingerly. “His concerns lie with how the Darktons abused this wonderful city. They were squeezing the very life out of it, just to get more coin.”

The man's face flushed lightly as he nodded, and Kiara soon moved on to the next source of mild dissidence.

“The slave wars were terrible. Our Lord might be an otherworlder, but he knows of its cruelty,” she smiled softly, pulling up her sleeve just enough to reveal the hint of a fake scar. “I was fortunate he found me. A wildling nearly took my life at the time.”

And on she went, pleasantries shared, kindness sprinkled in small measured gestures. Kiara threw in a small show of generosity by buying some crudely made shoes from the shoemaker before navigating in search of the next target. The fit was uncomfortable, but it wasn't anything some subtle shape-shifting couldn't fix. One advantage of being a Succubus was that no clothes would ever fit her wrong unless she wanted it to.

“I can see your daughter wearing the imperial purple. It is a gift; it is a show of my husband’s commitment.” A soft touch here, a gentle hum there, the maiden's jealousy relaxed, and her husband's affection turned more closely to appreciation. “But I will not lie, if you wished to leave, the Lord wouldn’t stop you. No doubt those pieces of fabric will be more than enough to buy you a new start elsewhere.”

Few, if any, would follow through on that. There were no available maidens that could offer the muscle to keep a family protected from anything more dangerous than a small pack of feral Doggirls. The day would come when outsiders would change that, and at that time Rick's purple cloth would allow rumors to spread far and wide. It was necessary work, but a tedious one. This would be so much easier if Rick allowed her to use her powers. His concerns of potential rebellion would be gone forever. This small city would be easy pickings; any attempt to coalesce opposition would only have their leadership subverted by Kiara in quick order.

Instead, she had to pretend she cared about the mortal's petty concerns. It was easy to navigate these waters; they were the same shallow ponds that one could find anywhere, no matter the time or culture. Everyone held some contempt or anger or envy towards someone else. Everyone wanted food on their table, and safety for their home. Everyone secretly longed for a bit more comfort than what life had given them. The only difference were the faces and the names.

Not everything was as smooth as she would've wanted, however. There was one particular problem that needled Kiara no matter how much she tried to distract herself from it. Normally she wouldn't care, she was used to failure, having lived as long as she had made failure an inevitability. Everything would fail given enough time. Most times, the failure would occur within the span of a mortal's life; a few times, it would take longer. But it had been a long time since failure had appeared in this form, this quickly.

Or this repeatedly loud.

The bloodsucker was failing to keep control over her power. It blared out like a horn that was out of tune, loud and grating against Kiara's wings and tail, shrill enough to make her horns poke at her scalp with the urge to get out. The little leech was locked inside the ugly rock the city called a fortress, trying to pretend she was discreet in her experiments and bumbling training.

But the proclamation was deafening: After denying Kiara, she'd found a way to ascend into a Vampire on her own. The situation wasn't unsalvageable; it would be decades before the leech posed a serious threat to her. Things would be smoothed over by then, and unless there was some catastrophe, Kiara's power base would be too solid.

The problem was that the ascension shouldn't have happened. The leech should not have had access to the necessary alternatives. Kiara had checked; the lingering of her own powers upon the damnable blood-fetishist should not have been enough to spark the ascension. Not even if she'd drowned in Rick's blood. It was the one thing Kiara had kept a very close eye on precisely because the cat was a potential rich source of elemental shadows so there was a not insignificant chance of an accident.

The fact that the bloodsucker appeared to have deeper energy reserves than usual was the crowning jewel to the annoyance. It made the blaring horn of her failure ring for most of the day and night. If only Kiara still had the Wolf-Spider silk mantles with her, she would've been able to block herself from sensing this from nearly across the city. As it was, even the little sleep she needed was extremely fitful.

The constant reminders and exhaustion left her mind stewing on the question of how such a thing had been possible to begin with. Kiara could easily imagine Monica had been involved; there was no other source of elemental shadow in the city short of draining every Hound dry. Anything past that point was guesswork. Kiara’s leading idea was that the previous Lord had kept a Vampire captive somewhere, and the leech had found them. But it was a theory full of holes that would collapse at the slightest scrutiny.

If there was one assurance, it was that Rick had been involved… somehow.

“Maybe I’ve lost my edge.”

Taking a break from the house visits, Kiara made a rather un-Lady-like gesture and sat near the plaza, watching the people mill about. Those that noticed her presence would make a quick curtsy and mumble “my Lady” before moving on. The Succubus kept her thoughts elsewhere. The more she thought about it, the clearer it was these problems were emerging out of the limitations Rick had imposed in their initial deal.

She could just break the deal, but the point was to earn the mortal’s trust.

Leaning back to look at the cloudy sky, Kiara couldn’t help but draw a line from her internally wounded state to her sullenness. Every time she was hurt, it took longer to come back to her full strength; these moods just left her thoughts leading to her goal: ascension. After all, this was the closest she’d ever been to achieving it. Maybe it’d take a generation or three, but it was so close she could almost taste it.

Once she became a Dark Queen… the scars within her body ached and screamed, begging for the time when she would not need to hold back a flinch every time she used her powers.

Kiara shook the thought off before she ruminated any longer. Something had stirred the city; it hadn’t been large enough to warrant her attention, but she’d been sinking too deep into her thoughts and needed an outlet. She pulled out a whistle from her dress, giving it a soft blow, then followed it with two others. To her ears, it barely registered, but there were a few Mousegirls nearby that flinched.

After a few minutes, Eli emerged out of the shadows around the corner.

“What is the news?”

“The wildlings shot some arrows with a message written in it, my Lady,” Eli reported, bowing her head in deference. Her energy had a mild bored taste to it. “The Lord appears to be preparing to visit the prisoner. Guarded, this time.”

“Did he not call for me?”

“He has not.”

Kiara’s brows creased ever so slightly. Was there a reason for his continued refusal to let her interact with the prisoner? His insistence on her not using her powers was concerning. At first, she thought it to be some cultural morality, maybe religious, but it was becoming clearer he might have intended it to keep her in check.

“Lead the way.”

The command was clear, and Eli’s momentary hesitation turned into a servile nod. The Hound took point and moved through the city with Kiara in tow.

“There’s no rush,” Eli said in an attempt to break the silence. “He is still waiting for Monica.”

“Of course he is.” Kiara ignored the lemony taste of concern from the Hound. Her pets were loyal, but they needn't worry over her own emotional state. Having them distracted with irrelevant things wouldn’t help anyone. “What did the wildings send, by the way?”

“I know of the dark ascension.” She didn’t look particularly invested in the statement.

Kiara’s steps slowed. “Anything off about the arrows?”

“They were as tall as I am, and there was some residual energy on them.”

Eyes widening ever so slightly, she came to a complete stop. “Bring me one. Preferably one that hasn’t come into contact with someone else’s powers or enchantments.”

Catching the urgency in Kiara’s tone, Eli bowed quickly. “Of course, my Lady.” And vanished into the shadows.

Kiara headed straight towards the tiny hut where they kept the Malumari. Her steps were hurried, every footfall bringing certainty to her destination. There would be a very short amount of time before Rick got here, and she wasn’t about to waste it.

There were a couple of Orcs and mice keeping guard over the wooden hut, the quaint little structure plastered in that gap between the city and the wall. The guards saw her coming, and moved to put themselves in the way. Kiara didn’t bother to slow down, pooling her power into her hands.

“You either let me through or you’ll wake up in each other’s arms in a day or two,” Kiara spoke loudly before they got close enough to start the fight.

The Orcs tensed, unsure whether they were allowed to escalate.

The mice bolted, probably to warn Rick about this.

“Last warning,” she growled. “The Father will not fault you for stepping aside. He knows what I am capable of.”

The greenskins hesitated, then stepped aside. Kiara dispersed the energy and moved past them, opening the door to the room where the Malumari resided. Without wasting any time, Kiara closed the door and began to cast a silence spell to wrap the room.

The dark-skinned maiden was hiding her flavor, an expert control over her power that put her comfortably into the position of being a Champion in every right. Just a glance left Kiara rather certain that fighting her would leave her at a disadvantage, at least not without figuring out a way around those defenses.

“You’re the Succubus.” The maiden sat at the edge of the poor excuse for a bed. “I was wondering when he’d send you.”

“He’s been trying to keep me away. I respected that.”

“Something’s changed.”

“The Pinielf.” Kiara checked one more time to ensure the ‘prisoner’ wasn’t using her power to poke holes through the privacy spell. “Was she a High Elf?”

Pale brows knit together. “Does it matter?”

“A High Elf loses their agelessness if they ascend into a Pinielf,” was the answer. “I thought her some runaway sage from the Pirate Queen’s domain, but if she was a formerly sleeping High Elf… it changes things.”

A part of her hoped the answer would be a denial, that this was no maiden woken from her infinite slumber. But it was impossible to miss the way the maiden before her tensed. She might be talented in hiding her energy and tucking it away, but her expression was an open book.

“You managed to awaken her with one of the otherworlders that came with Rick.”

More silence. The Malumari kept studying Kiara’s expression, trying to peer straight into her skull. “How old are you?”

The question caught Kiara off guard; she frowned. “I’m older than this blotch of a kingdom that’s been tucked away in a forgotten corner of the world.”

“Is it true, then? That the Northern Empire is at war?” Embla gripped her knees. “That their hold wanes? Barry came to us under odd circumstances. Messengers from Conclave had found him on their way to us. They sought to establish trade for collars. They brought news of these things.”

“Conclave.” She rolled her eyes at the name. “They’re an isolated bunch. They live in the wildlands, the ferals and mountains their only real protection against conquest. It is true the Northern Empire is showing cracks, but it is not the sort of weakness that would bear fruit within your lifespan.” She shrugged. “Perhaps in a century or so it will finally splinter. It will depend on how the Emperor dies and who inherits what.”

The maiden caught on to that. “But it will fall.”

“Eventually, yes. And whatever comes next will fall too. As will what comes after that.” Kiara cocked her head. “The Endless Greens, first of its kind, led by ageless maidens, once covered most of the known world, and it too fell.”

Something changed in the maiden’s demeanor. She lowered her face to stare at the floorboards of the hut. “That is who we sought to awaken.” The words were heavy with remorse, the posture tense in every way. “That is who sleeps in the grove deep within the forest. The Empress of Green.”

Kiara knew well of that particular figure even if it had been well before she'd been born.

If one were to believe the tales and myths, the Empress of Green was one of the original maidens, born out of the Creator's own hand. A maiden that had once ruled all that the sun touched, whose forests and jungles bowed to her every whim, whose presence could be felt from the other side of the world.

It was a tale chock-full of exaggerations and mysticism. Nothing too unexpected when the current Northern Empire had gone to such lengths to erase her existence from history alongside every other maiden of importance. Kiara was also certain the Empress of Green was the reason why every two-bit maiden slapped the title onto themselves when given the opportunity.

“You don't say?”

As far as she was concerned, it was impossible that this was the literal Empress of old. The records were scarce, but she'd stumbled onto her fair share claiming the Elf Queen in question had been assassinated. The ensuing infighting only hastened its eventual collapse.

None of the texts had made mention of Succubi or their ilk among those holding power, so her interest in this portion of history had remained brief.

“She can't be allowed to awaken.” The Malumari spoke with fervor. “I'd kill her, but that would be impossible. The grove is too well protected.”

Protected? Kiara cocked her head at this proclamation. Perhaps this particular grove had some former figure of importance. If the message in the arrow was to be trusted, then there could be information there she would want.

Something in her periphery twinged, and she knew their time was almost up.

“Whatever deal you plan to strike with Rick, insist that I must come alongside you.” She gave the young Champion a pleasant smile.

“And what if I do?”

“Then I will tell you of the wider world, of the places where maidens walk as people and not as property.” It was a simple enough thing, not like she was asking the girl to do much.

“You will teach me some aberration manipulation as well. I can sense your technique is not one I am familiar with.” This maiden was desperate for something to cling to, and tall tales of faraway truths always were a good source of inspiration. Indeed, the girl was tempted by the offer, nodding along as she considered it. “And the Pinielf dies, no matter the cost.”

Kiara reached out to take her hand. “Reasonable.” So long as it was the Malumari’s life and not her own, she wasn’t about to put a stop to a martyr looking for a pyre to jump into.

The door opened, and Kiara tightened her grip to prolong the shake. She basked in the looks she got from Urtha and Rick, in how the Orc oozed spicy confrontation and how the human was all fizzy and bubbly shock. She took the time to enjoy the taste before letting go. “It is a deal, then.”

She turned around to meet her human’s gaze firmly, wondering how he’d react. Suspicion? Anger? Fear? Maybe disappointment?

His shock turned to confusion as he glanced from Embla to Kiara, expression impossible to read, but emotions glowing with deep concentration. “You got her to agree to help, then?”

Kiara’s right brow twitched; was he pretending this was according to some pre-established plan? Fine, she’d play along. “She’ll lead the way. Only the details need hashing out.” She ignored the mild tomato anger out of the prisoner, turning her focus to her human. There was none of the expected emotions out of him; in fact, she detected some… relief?

“I appreciate you doing this.”

The declaration was simple, direct, and Kiara did not sense a shred of dishonesty.

She kept from showing any surprise or confusion. “Of course. We’re partners, right?” A simple rhetorical statement to create the impression of comprehension. But she sensed the barest flicker of shame from him, and its mere existence was completely out of place as well. “You owe me one.” She quickly blurted out, perhaps out of habit.

Shooting her a grin, he nodded. “It’s a date. Tonight?”

A date?

Kiara just blinked, discreetly trying to understand what he meant. Next to them, Urtha appeared no less baffled than she was, looking between the two as if trying to pick out whatever had been missed. For once, Kiara felt sympathy for the brute; she wasn’t too sure what was going on either.

This whole interaction had not gone as it should have.

“... sure…” she nodded, if only to keep the silence from stretching indefinitely. Kiara watched Rick turn and leave without another moment of hesitation.

All three maidens remained in place, watching the empty doorway where the human had stood a moment prior.

“I thought it was just me.” The prisoner spoke with some form of vindication and amusement. “That man seems to make the world lose its balance.”

Kiara begrudgingly agreed.