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Overlord: The Clockwork Empress

i dind't make this im only transfering this fan-fic from fanfiction.net all credit goest to {Dark Gear} the author of the fic. the cover art is Vill-v from honkai impack 3rd.

RS_1 · Anime & Comics
Not enough ratings
126 Chs

Small Miracles IV

An auto doc walked up with hastily fabricated underwear, with two-piece white medical gown and pants added in. There was no apparent fear of the metal man carefully lifting her arms up and pushing the clothes on her body as she just kept staring at the woman in front of her. "Um… hi." There was no response from the girl as the dev looked at Robert for guidance.

"She's still probably acclimating to this whole experience; her brain is still trying to fully activate as if coming out of a deep slumber. Give her time." Tests were done quickly, with the question as to her hair color already answered as a random trait. Almost none of them were invasive, with what little needed to be done completed without complaint. Her immune system was verified as fully functional, capable of defending against colds or viruses. Selene slowly picked her up by the armpits and brought her to a table to sit at, waiting for a clean bill of health. "Physically, she's a healthy young girl. No abnormalities."

"All materials inserted into the system are exhausted. A sample would have to be inserted each time a player would reuse such a feature… interesting… some may forget if they're in a hurry to get back into a fight…" Nikola spoke to himself as he rubbed the metal mustache he had, studying the aftereffect of the whole experiment carefully. Robert, on the other hand, stayed next to his creator, as the young girl was read a few words and shown the alphabet. There didn't seem to be much effect on her, acting curious yet numb to the world around her. No emotion seemed to register on her face, trying to understand what was going on.

"We'll give it a few hours, keep track of her vitals. Then, if there is still no response, we can –"

"Are you my mommy?" the girl suddenly asked, interrupting the science leader. Selene blinked at her, not knowing how to respond.

Say yes. Say Yes. Say YES. SAY YES. I can traumatize her if there is no one around she can link to!

"I…" her mouth stayed open, with no words escaping. Her mind was still coping with the fact that this child was born from a machine, not directly from her. While the technology was already developed, a feature of one of the recent Intersolar tiers she had already reached, the concept of having a daughter she didn't adopt or had to go into labor for was alien to her. As the empress sat there looking into her eyes, not even having a name for the six-year-old, she could see the worry slowly building on the young girl's face. Her emotions were slowly coming back under control, as fear could now become a response in the future. "I… am."

The child slowly raised her hand up to her face and touched it, making Selene realize she was just staring at her with confusion etched in her eyes. The girl's hand dropped as she leaned in, hoping to receive a hug; the dev gave in and held her close as she just looked down… at her new daughter. "Congratulations, ma'am," Robert commented, receiving a glazed look from the woman in response. This caught her off guard, something she wasn't expecting from her science division. The look in her eyes quickly went away as she just took a deep breath and calmed down.

They can't answer all my questions, I have to understand that. They're searching for facts as well. Still…

"I'm going to take her back to the castle. You're sure there is no inclination of the you know what from before? She's completely clean?"

Nikola returned from his examination and gazed over her shoulder. "None, empress. This wipes the slate clean and –" he stopped speaking as her daughter's stomach growled. "–It seems prudent to get her fed, given that there most likely is nothing to digest in her system right now." The empress released the child and stood up, holding out her hand for her daughter to take hold of. The girl's fingers were so small in her palm as the auburn-haired woman walked slowly with her out of the lab deep in the ARC. The patience she had to show now as they headed back to the landing platforms was incredible, as the distance seemed minuscule before, now stretched out to take over half an hour. The automated walkways helped, though eventually, the child's gait slowed down.

"Tired?" Selene asked. She nodded in response. "Ok." With that, the empress lifted her up and wrapped her legs around her waist, carrying her the rest of the way out to the waiting transport.

"Mommy… what's my name?... I don't remember…" The dev stopped midstep, already thinking about that dreaded question and many others, trying to work up answers to each. Her mind was moving a light year a second, coming up with different responses to relieve her daughter of any worry. As she looked into the girl's blue eyes, innocent beyond compare, she didn't know what to say.

What do I tell her… I have no idea? Come up with your own name? Like hell that works… I might be good with other people's kids, but that was because of the e-reads I looked through so many years ago… she's my first child… first…

(Recommended Song: Two Steps From Hell – Miracles)

"Eve. Your name is Eve." A smile curled up on the girl's mouth, rolling the name around in her tiny head as they continued to board the helibot. Eve was strapped in as her mother sat down next to her, waiting for liftoff.

"Where are we going?"

"Home."

"Home?"

"Yes, we're going home." A quick request to the advanced core situated inside the transport to take a bit of a scenic route back, then a call for Jeeves and the maids to get everything prepared quickly under short notice. While the helibot flew along the coast and headed down, past the dragon eyrie, Eve got a chance to look out the window and watch some of the empire's citizens flying around. She marveled at what she got to witness, noticing they didn't try once to attack the empress's private aerial vehicle. Meanwhile, the castle was a bustle with movement as clothing was made for the new princess, food was prepared, the red carpet was rolled out for the landing along with her bedroom readied. While normally the trip would take only thirty minutes on a direct flight, this one gave them enough time to have a welcoming party waiting outside.

As the girl's eyes watched in awe as two young dragons rolled and played in the skies, they continued on, eventually reaching the walls of the castle. The dev had asked for a pass by to give Eve a good look at the palace where she would live from now on. "We stay here? Really?"

"Yes, really," Selene responded with a slight chuckle. The helibot circled twice to give her a good view of the entire area, with the walls and secondary buildings included.

Better than a cave, or a fort.

The landing was smooth and effortless as the door opened up, and stairs shifted down. What awaited them both was a double line of maids on both sides of the carpet with their hands clasped in front of them. "Welcome home," they said in unison. Adesha, Briane, Cameron, and especially the other battle maids were all arrayed at the end. Dahlia Blue would be the new princess's escort from now on, ordered to tutor the girl while Selene dealt with important business. "Wow…" Eve whispered out as she looked around at the size of the place as they walked down the red carpet flanked by all the help. Each face was smiling and bowing towards her as she had her hand held gently by her mother. That was when she shivered, her feet having no shoes and her clothes not meant for the snow falling. The heat lamps nearby could only do so much against the harsh wind blowing temporarily.

"Let's get you inside before you catch a cold, sweetheart," the dev told her as she nudged her lightly from behind. The woman put her hand on the princess's shoulder as they both walked to the doors, entering to find luxurious warmth envelope their bodies… at least for the girl. The empress didn't really feel any heat or cold these days unless she did everything she could to lower her resistances in a bath or exercise. Eve was brought up to her room and changed to a warmer shirt and sky blue sweater with matching pants, accompanied by socks and slippers. A black headband was put on her head to push back some of her long white hair, leaving her bangs to cover her forehead, parting down the middle. Her mother tried to push down the single antenna, which kept popping back up within seconds, eventually casting a spell to keep it down. Somehow, it broke through, shooting up and arcing forward in defiance, confusing the hell out of the empress. A slight growl was heard from her abdomen. "Right… you're hungry, sorry."

"Lunch is served, madam," Jeeves informed them as he motioned for the elevator to head to the dining room. Once they reached it, the girl was helped to sit at the table while Selene figured the easiest thing to give as a meal would be a grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup. She waited patiently as Eve picked up one slice and took a bite, almost holding her breath as the girl swallowed and nodded; she liked the taste, at least for the nonliquid; the crust was cut off as an added measure. Once she took a spoonful of the soup, the empress at least knew what her new daughter would eat in an emergency, assuming some things didn't agree with her.

She's going to need more than that to stay healthy… and a chance to become comfortable here… and a slew of other things… I need time to bond with her too… there's going to be a need for play dates with other kids so she can somehow make friends and not be hidden away all the time…

Thousands of thoughts shot through her head as she watched Eve eat, almost forgetting to take a bite of the dev's salad. Regardless of her attributes, pounds were pounds if she didn't watch what she ate now. "Why do we live here?" her daughter asked, curious about the castle.

"Because I am the empress of the Clockwork Empire; that means you're an imperial princess." None of that seemed to ring a bell in the young girl's mind, her eyes clearly showing she barely even understood what an empress is. Selene smiled and turned from her food for a moment, hoping to give her a small lesson. "An empress is… a ruler above all rulers, like… above a king and a queen." Still no idea, the information was flying over Eve's head.

I'm an idiot. Of course she doesn't know what I'm talking about; there's no knowledge of titles, she has no education beyond the basics.

The dev gently put her hand on her head and gave her a soft pat. "I'm a very powerful woman and your mother, we'll leave it at that for the time being." Her daughter seemed to enjoy the pat as they both continued to eat. Halfway through, Eve spilled her glass of milk all over her sweater, panicking for a moment as Selene calmed her down. "Easy, easy, don't worry. Here." With a quick snap of her fingers, the milk was cleaned up by using [Scrub], quickly getting rid of the spill entirely. "See? It's alright." Another glass was poured for her as the princess settled back to eating. A request to speak over coms from Will popped up on her Hud.

"Greetings, ma'am. I've just received the notice of your… next of kin. It took a little longer than expected given how fast we all communicate, and the fact we've been dealing with so many issues."

"Issues? What sort of issues?"

"Nothing to be concerned with, we've dealt with them as you need us to, there is no trouble at the moment. I've heard you seem to be a natural at being a parent, not just looking after our new princess."

"I've read the books before and… I…" there was a long pause while she decided what next to say, watching Eve finish her glass as Dahlia Blue walked up and knelt next to her, two chignons popping out from her blue hair along with twin bangs coming out from the middle of the top of her forehead like antennae. They seemed to share that similarity, easing the child as the maid smiled.

"Hello young highness, my name is Dahlia. I'll be tutoring you and providing for your education. Do not hesitate to ask any questions, alright?"

"Ok," Eve replied quietly, nodding in acceptance.

"Let's just say I would have had previous experience, now no longer a factor. I've done enough research to know how to act around a child…" the empress finally finished through the direct channel to her chief of staff. Her answer was dancing around the question, though never really keeping any secrets from her automatons either; there were things even she didn't want to talk about involving her past. Some memories were a little too painful. It didn't matter much, as Will quickly understood what she hinted at, yet didn't exactly know how much information was given.

"I understand. Well, to continue forward, perhaps you should spend the next few months building a relationship with her. Beyond that, the reason why I called is the meeting the nobles have requested to have with you has been… authorized on your behalf during the ball… by Duncan."

FUCK.

"Alright… and when did I give him the authority to… you know what, never mind. It works, though I'm going to have to teach him how to use that damned communications stone to call me before making rash actions like that. He isn't running the show, merely keeping the palace in order and Aureos from descending into chaos. The police already have everything in hand, so that is doubtful, but still… for someone who is supposed to be lawful good, he's kind of annoying."

"Paladins, in many stories, have been of the same alignment and still been obnoxious in their actions ma'am. Speaking of which… multiple invitations were sent to other 'heroes of Artinia' that survived the Demon War. They'll be coming to the winter ball as well." Selene scooted her chair over to the side of the dining table as Dahlia answered some basic questions about the castle, with a few involving the princess's mother. Eve glanced up at the dev's face to receive a quick smile and her back rubbed gently, returning her attention to the battle maid instructor. The empress was trying to ignore some of the scanner information about her daughter, one of which showed a level 1 registered. She was all too certain that was just a placeholder, with the more advanced features not allowing it to go into decimal points just yet; it was more than likely Eve was closer to 0.2 or lower right now, barely able to take care of herself if even that.

Now that I think about it, Tariq was the same. All children are probably below level 1, given some of their parents I've noticed never raised above it, even some ex Artinia soldiers.

"Some survived?... I take it they aren't like Morlan or Elsei, are they?"

"We'll have to wait and see. There's no dossier on them just yet, with most just coming back into the borders from overseas trips. There are six in total, with the potential for two others that are MIA."

That's a lot of names and faces I won't recognize as I sit on a throne watching people dance and eat… maybe this wasn't a good idea after all… giving a speech in front of citizens is one thing, having to act proper and pomp in front of all those nobles, on the other hand…

"Mommy?" Eve asked.

"Yes, dear?" the response was almost immediate, not even having any hesitation, which surprised the empress slightly. This girl had been alive for roughly three hours and she was already getting used to the responsibility added to her shoulders, with it feeling as natural as breathing.

"Can I go outside?" the white-haired girl questioned her mother. Selene opened her mouth, no words coming out for a moment before curling up in another smile.

"Why do you want to go outside? It's cold out there right now."

"To see the white stuff."

She doesn't know what snow is like yet.

"Sure, let's get you bundled up first." They both got up as Dahlia followed behind, Adesha leading the entourage to a closet with some quick additions for the child. Some snow overpants were added, along with a pair of gloves and a pink hooded jacket with fur lining. All Eve had to do was lift her arms and feet while she was dressed properly, with her mother holding out her hand. "There, now you can go outside." A grin appeared on Eve's young face as she ran to the grand foyer, Adesha and Dahlia keeping up handily. "Don't run! You'll trip!" Selene shouted out as she hurried after, watching as her fears were justified. The battle maid leader quickly caught the falling princess without so much as a misstep, bringing her back to a standing position.

"Sorry," Eve quietly said as the empress kneeled down and put her hands on her daughter's shoulders.

"It's alright, just don't run inside, got it?" The princess nodded in response. As they left the palace, the girl walked over to a smooth, untouched layer of snow and picked up a ball of it, having the frozen water fall apart around her glove. Then… her eyes landed on the wolves playing around. Blue noticed her almost immediately, bounced through the white powder partways, and stood there staring at the small thing. Eve quickly turned tail and ran towards her mother, afraid. "Don't worry, don't worry, they're friendly," her mother cooed as the girl jumped into her arms and was picked up. Then Luna showed up, launching snow everywhere.

"Eek!" the princess cried out as she brought up one gloved hand to block some of the cold white stuff from her face. Selene called to the massive white wolf to come over as Ash came out from near a bush, shaking off a layer of the frozen fluff covering her winter coat. The giant animal padded carefully over to the empress and looked at the young girl in her arms, trying to hide her face and holding onto the woman's neck for dear life.

"See? She's nothing to fear. Go on, look."

The princess turned her head and glanced at the white-furred creature sitting there gazing at the small form in hand, with Luna eventually leaning in to sniff her. "She's not bad?"

"Noooo, she's good. Luna, this is… this is… my… this is my daughter, Eve." The dev looked down at the girl's face and back up at the huge canine. "It's ok, try petting her." The child reached out tentatively, extremely hesitant at putting her arm out with the thought that it would be bitten off in one snap of the wolf's jaws. The animal just leaned in to sniff her glove a little more, looking at Selene for guidance, before the little hand touched her nose and rubbed the top of her snout. "See? They're family too."

"Family?"

"Yup, family." Eve gave Luna some more attention as the empress hugged her daughter closely for a moment while carrying her, giving a small kiss on her forehead. "Will, sorry; please continue," the dev said quietly over coms.

Gotta get the pack out on a hunt soon. They're getting a bit rambunctious.

"At the current moment, there will be nine major heads of the noble houses from both Silvinholm and Aureos, with one that survived the collapse of Paldos, coming to the meeting. You can still say no to this; we, your cabinet, are all certain that they'll try to leverage some sort of power in their direction from you, in hopes of keeping themselves above the law." The list ran by on her left eye as she put her daughter down, letting Blue get a chance to see who she was, then being educated by Dahlia on what snow was and why it was cold. One of the names spoken by Will hit a nerve… Alain Reysor.

The main reason the mad king sent an army to lay siege to Silvinholm, just to prove a point by attempting to slaughter half the population. The only reason I didn't have him executed was that he technically didn't raise a hand against anyone, just had the missive sent. While his hands are covered in blood in other regards, he didn't actually have his mercenaries fight anyone.

"Do we have any predictions on what they'll want? Just to humor me, of course."

Adesha packed a snowball and threw it gently at a tree, letting it splash apart as Eve did the same, though her strength barely got the ball beyond fifteen feet. The princess was at least laughing, something that seemed like music to the empress's ears as it relieved a lot of stress and fear that the girl wouldn't be able to live a normal life… normal enough, at least, given her circumstances. "Currently, what we believe they'll ask is for more power to do what they want, thinking they can somehow control you with demands," Will responded.

"Wait, demands? Oh… I see… because of how most kingdoms tend to be, with having to gain the support of the nobles and their knights, funding, they think I'll acquiesce to their partial control. I've had to negotiate with people outside our borders, inside is entirely another matter; if they want more power, they need to just move out, start a new life somewhere else with none of the benefits of my empire." Eve stuck her tongue out to catch a falling snowflake, then another, before a being almost covered in snow by a running white beast playing around, the backwash knocking the girl over. "Easy! Luna! Don't do that!" she chastised the wolf as the princess got back up from the small tumble, getting patted down by both maids. While the empress was worried her daughter might have gotten hurt on her first day, Eve just continued on, being led to the stables where horses were kept, not a single tear dropping or cry out.

She's a bit of a bruiser beyond the initial fear of the wolves. Good.

"It's only nine of the houses, ma'am. The rest of the nobility are doing whatever they can to adapt to your rule, with many using the new laws to increase their wealth. With better pay, their employees spend more; therefore, the economy keeps chugging. That, in turn, allows the barons and viscounts more opportunities. These nine simply want more, as what power they had was taken when the king was eliminated."

"And this is where they dance for a position to fell those who were previously above them. I guess this is also why they are throwing a tournament to build up such weak for… er…"

"You dislike the idea of insulting the Orc Destroyers."

"Mhm. While not exactly my friends, they were colleagues during my trip to Silvinholm and the abbey, now citizens just like everyone else. Dina is being a bit of a fool for joining in the competitions held by those pompous nobles. Seriously, what is she thinking? It's going to end poorly for her in some form or another; at least everyone could have waited until there was an official championship sponsored by the empire, with certified rewards for all tiers." Eve was picked up by Luna in her jaws then carried back to the group in front of her mother. She shivered a little as the day slowly turned into evening. "Alright, munchkin, let's get you inside. There will be time to play again tomorrow, I don't want you catching a cold."

"Okay." The girl raised her hand up to hold Selene's as they both walked inside, followed by the entourage, letting the wolves run around a little longer before they would come in.

"Would you like us to place the tournament on hold until it can be inspected? This way, we can show the adventurers and mercenaries that they don't have to rely on the nobility to win the lotto or backhanded actions to compete against each other," Will asked through the channel.

"I'm thinking about it… I'll be giving them a surprise visit before the ball anyways; it will give me a chance to see who is who amongst the best Artinia had that are still alive. It might throw a massive monkey wrench in the noble family's recruiting drive if I suddenly swoop in and provide alternatives to taking contracts. It might also give Morlan a chance to check over the dossiers and cherry-pick any who might work in his agency. Besides, that team hasn't exactly joined the group combat trials, at least from what I read; it's mostly solo events with a show of skill and form anyways, with a few cavalry duels. There's one 'monster defense' in there, but that's non-lethal anyways."

"Understood ma'am. We'll see about getting some initial reports from the signup sheet the adventurer's guild has, their personal reviews on the delvers as it were. It should give us an advanced warning on anyone we should keep an eye on. Now, if there are any found that might be… how should I say it…"

"Disadvantageous to have drawing breath in the empire? That depends on the dossiers… and their willingness to change their ways. I'll read the recommendations before deciding on any assassinations," the dev replied, gently running her fingers through her daughter's hair, who seemed to be enjoying the attention. The young girl moved closer and held onto her hip, getting used to the woman as family. The empress had gotten so used to planning one thing through her internal coms while showing a different side of herself to those around her physically. Many would be frightened at what was happening in the background, with the military giving updates on potential threats, intelligence agents prowling around and offing those who could terrorize the empire, and ambassadors still interacting with the two kingdoms they had just negotiated with. During that time, the empress could be all smiles to everyone nearby, with new plans of action flitting between her ears on what needed to be neutralized.

I wonder what my alignment is right now, given it just has a dash in my character sheet still. Lawful neutral? Chaotic good? Hell… lawful evil? I'll do what I need to protect my empire… and my daughter. It probably fluctuates on a daily basis…

"Mommy?" Eve asked quietly.

"Yes, honey?"

"I like it here."

Selene smiled at her as they both headed inside, with the empress placing an order for the naval shipyard to construct a yacht with submarine bay capability. Her daughter was going to get a very impressive education throughout the years, with Dahlia planning out everything quickly. In the meantime, there were a few days to spend bonding until the tournament, followed along with the ball.

Meanwhile

Multiple forms snuck towards the temple, trying to use the low light of the sunset to mask their presence. One by one, they slipped inside through the weakened door ward, seeking out three women somewhere inside. The last one of the five never got a chance to clear the doorway as there was a sound of breaking wood, a crunch, screams, followed by each body of her sisters being flung back out. None of them were dead, though they were clearly beaten very quickly. Each one slowly got back up with the aid of the fifth, looking towards the temple as Hrist walked out and dusted her hands off, rotating her gaze to each of their faces. "Next?" she shouted out, waiting for another attempt to attack them.

An arrow was shot from near the corner, which she caught effortlessly and snapped in half. Her eyes shifted to the archer, who slowly slunk back around the stone wall, attempting to lead her into a trap as the Valkyrja stomped off. Skuld came out with a cup of soup ready, indifferent towards the amazons lying bruised as they all heard the sounds of a scuffle; more bodies of their sisters were flung one by one around the corner to join the pile, with the raven-haired woman stepping back out and ripping a lasso from her chest. "Having fun?" the brunette asked, noting that her battle maiden sister glared a little at her and blew away a stray lock of hair trying to land above her eyes.

"This is getting old," Hrist replied, "it is the third time today. Don't they understand I'm not even wielding a weapon yet, and they're still getting flattened like wheat stalks? If I was really serious, they'd be dead on the first round this morning." The leader of the group slowly rose up and tried to brandish a dagger, but her wrist couldn't really support it. The rest of her troop clustered around her, all staring at the Valkyrja as Bryn came out with an electric lantern. Each and every face was battered amongst their team as the bringers of the dead just stood there, unscathed. "Go on, run away with your tails between your legs; maybe this time you'll get the hint not to start something."

"Grrrr… I'll prove I'm the strongest and take down a battle maiden once and for all! Just you wait!" the leader shouted back, growling a little after as they turned to run back to whatever village they came from. Hrist just sighed and shook her head.

"If you come back a fourth time with the intent to fight, I'm not holding back again…" she muttered out, with Skuld smirking.

"You've given them enough chances to give up and just talk. Besides, it wouldn't just be you getting serious; don't forget about us after all," the brunette remarked.

"I'm really surprised that they even started something with us, to begin with. The fact they know of us speaks volumes right now, that and the symbols they're using for their jewelry. They worshipped Freyja, yet they decide to pick a fight with Valkyrja. I guess intelligence has been bred out of them over the centuries," Bryn yelled out from inside the temple.

"I'm thinking they were hoping to either somehow prove their mettle, or become Einherjar. Maybe… maybe it's a rite of passage? Pick the strongest on this land and defeat it, or at least show they have no fear?... could be for a ritual to… what is it… lead their tribe?" Skuld commented, thinking up the reasons for the almost comical amazon incursions.

"You're justifying their actions?" Hrist asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Not justifying them, trying to understand why they are constantly coming back to be thumped in the head. Frankly, we've already tried to speak, it failed. The next time, I really don't care if you kill them, negotiations seem to have long since died off before they even began. Anyone who refuses to converse with words instead of a sword when the former is offered makes me have no compunction about how their lives end." Skuld handed her the cup of soup then headed back inside, noting the sensor placed on the doorframe to act as an alarm in case there was another attempt during the night.

There wasn't just food and sleeping bags in the equipment cases; the empress made sure there was a slew of defensive gear ready to install if they needed to protect the temple, one of which was a man-portable auto turret. It still used gunpowder ammunition, though it was at least caseless. While not as powerful as the more advanced weapon emplacements, the machine was more than enough to take down a good hundred troops by itself, more if it was positioned at the end of a hallway. It also would get rid of the massive abundance of spare ammo in storage depots near the military bases judiciously sprinkled throughout the empire. All automaton forces were going to start using electromagnetic weapons as standard given the "Rifle+" project that the empress had hinted at one time with Will and Dominic. Hrist just happened to overhear some of the new upgrades being put into production. It made her wonder if melee was ever going to survive the transition, with ranged becoming the end all be all with the military.

Both women walked back inside and sat down in their camp room, lights attached to the walls as the burner didn't provide much illumination. "Shouldn't we call? You know, to let the empress know we're here and still ok?" Brynhildr asked as she sat back and ate a spoonful of her own soup.

"A report would be advantageous to give her. There's a slight caveat to that, though. We should give it in the morning instead of this evening. If she knew about the amazons… well, we don't exactly know how she'll react," Skuld warned.

"If her majesty speaks with them, they may try to attack her for being weak. That won't end well, and I'm fairly certain the two brain cells they seem to have to rub together between the lot of them would allow the feeling of utter terror to flow through their feeble bodies when Selene gets angry" the blonde replied, chuckling a little after.

That's if her honor guard doesn't counter the attempt in the first place… or allow me to end their annoying lives…

"Hrist?" Skuld questioned as her sisters both looked at her.

"I cannot believe we ever considered using amazons as prime Einherjar candidates. They've really gone downhill since we've last seen them." Bryn tried to stifle a giggle at hearing that, only for all three of them to break out laughing. "I mean, there is no reason for them to descend this far from what we are used to. It's almost shameful."

"Perhaps, once we've offloaded all of the books onto the ship, we can sneak around and find this city or village they come from? They cannot all be as… untrained… er, inept… oh to hell with it, buffoons, as those ten. Maybe what we are seeing are just rebellious teenagers?" Skuld said, attempting to provide an alternative to ending their bullheaded existences, even if she didn't care about their deaths for the fourth and final encounter. From what they remembered, amazons should be tall, proud women warriors just as capable as any man, many times much stronger than any knight from some far off kingdom. Brynhildr knew of one instance an older Einherjar she had called upon that threw her spear straight through two soldiers and impaled the tip through a stone wall. Of course, they still would rather prefer the berserkers or other Vikings compared to these wild females fighting with spear and loincloth. The warriors of the frozen north were a fairly hardy bunch in almost every regard, even if they weren't mainly one gender.

"Perhaps. There's no guarantee we will have enough time to do so unless…" Hrist looked out the window towards the ship they had traveled on. While her eyes couldn't see the lone frigate, it was there, hiding and waiting for them to bring whatever tomes they decided to carry out. She had seen firsthand what the automatons on board had access to, the equipment available to the marines stationed onboard. From what she knew, there was access to some sort of red gem attached to their chassis, a way to dispense gear or send it back from somewhere unknown. When questioned in the past, the soldiers simply responded with information regarding a specialized inventory system set aside for their use by the empress. Hrist had no idea it involved something directly connecting to a tab the dev had set up for her troops to pull resources from.