Winter Ball II

"Afraid they can't handle themselves?"

"I'd like to keep them from picking a fight with each other. The discourse between adventurers is a great way of later having a city block set on fire and panic due to a violent rivalry in the streets. The last thing the cities need are feuds that damage public property, which I'm sure the adventurers can cause."

"Do you want Dominic to send troops to the area? I believe the 92nd security can provide a few teams. What am I saying? They can probably just go as an entire division," Will asked, smacking his forehead lightly with the palm of his hand on the other side of the com line. There was a very dull metal sound from the impact, his own shields, and plating not keeping his palm away.

The empress cupped her chin for a moment, thinking carefully. There were so many soldiers, both security and military, that there wasn't much of a reason to not send them. "Of course. I want every quest inside our borders cleared. The only direction adventurers have is to go outside the empire. Have payments given out for all groups, we need a restriction on anything inside the nation as it will cause them to stumble into restricted military zones. I don't need one of them stepping on an active spider mine. The Corby nest… eh, low threat, let the Orc Destroyers deal with it this one time." Selene brought her hand up in a facepalm and just shook her head, continuing with a groan. "I swear, I don't know why I keep looking in on that party so much. Is there anything special recorded about Dina? Like, she isn't human or something, a magical girl, or whatever?"

"Nothing we've detected really, a blood test previously documented might reveal some… hmm… interesting… this slipped by doctor review…" Will went silent as the empress brought up a registry of births for all citizens. Most didn't have any sort of paperwork, so it had to be recreated from the ground up with a lineage or gene chart. A surprisingly large number of civilians didn't even know how old they were, just trying to remember how many moons had gone by. Dental records and medical checkups eventually rectified that. What they both were looking at was a peculiar gene sequence noted, something Gabriel had as well. "That… can't be a coincidence."

"I wonder what it's connected to? Gabriel and Dina aren't related, are they?" she asked.

"Negative, there is no relation. This is rare, though it doesn't put them at risk of any disease. We should send this to the ARC for review, they'll want to analyze the data for a full lineage mapping. Morlan has it too… and… Elsei? It could be…"

"What are you thinking?" she questioned him.

"Huh? Oh, nothing too promising, just a theory of my own looking at this. What if that sequence tells someone they are related to a player?" he replied.

Selene stood near the digitized wall and dropped her hands back onto her hips, cocking her head back and furrowing her eyebrows. "That… could explain why I noticed Dina in the guildhall back in Silvinholm instead of walking away… but her level is… well, I mean it was five or six if I remember correctly. Do descendants of players share the same level, or get half of their attributes? That's a whole research branch we need to work out. Hmm, something to think about. We don't have enough intel on children of players given we haven't even had the chance to talk to one that is alive, let alone understand who is related to them here."

"Agreed. It was just a theory, after all, make of it what you will," the chief of staff told her nonchalantly.

"I know. I'll keep that in mind with her, though."

"Understood ma'am. Oh, you've read the new research and construction report, correct?"

"I have. They figured out how to keep new rifts from being created. Well, that's a step in the right direction." The dev rolled her shoulders and cocked her head to the side, feeling a knot in her neck. Her pre-workout exercises weren't extensive enough, it seemed. The report itself was mainly improvements to what she was already getting from tech tiers, fine-tuning them alongside regular R&D to understand the world they were on. Miniaturization, energy efficiency, material usage, reliability, adjustments were being made with a slew of designs and altered schematics. While they already understood how to make a railgun, there were new ways of making it smaller, more powerful, with less waste or heat. One was a single shot creation made of a mixture of wood with iron filings brushed through the barrel and an array of potato batteries. Usage was not advised due to the high chance of the holder being killed at the same time as the target.

Tier magic was now officially nullified with the highest quality resistance film applied to armor. Newer designs of automatons and androids were now being updated, including the more massive mechs and special military units still dormant under the Clockwork Castle. There was a new research facility opened in where Southern California would be on their continent, built entirely for experiments with diseases, gene splicing, and medical in mind. Everything inside would eventually be moved upstairs to a space colony once they were able to build one far enough away from the planet for safety reasons. The space elevator was almost complete, the official start date would be when the winter ball happened, barely at midnight.

"Indeed. This would bring up something else that you might find interesting. Now that we can 'vaccinate the land' so to speak, there have been sightings of demons that are actively attempting to integrate as immigrants into society."

Selene seemed surprised, blinking rapidly as this new information was told to her. "What, wait, how – h-hang on, you're saying… what kinds of demons? I know there are multiple types, obviously. Why weren't they shot on sight?"

"Succubi and incubi, a few imps. No devils it seems, though our research into whether they truly could alter their ways has been fruitless. The reason they weren't killed immediately is that they willingly surrendered. It appears there are outliers in all races that don't act the same way as their brethren. Even without being different, I believe there have been many stories in all written universes that have told of love, or survival, becoming the main reason a creature that normally would be considered evil to alter their ways or seek redemption. They were tested in their responses with [Truth From Lies]."

"That… that can't be possible… are they killing anyone or pulling little twisted plans to destroy the empire?"

"The succubi and their male counterparts are usually opening brothels, with the requirement of no soul siphoning allowed; also, they are restricted from causing the patrons leaving to be completely exhausted, or it will cause health issues. Then we come knocking and close down their shops. It's the equivalent of a bar cutting someone off who has had enough. This, in turn, requires large amounts of mana to be crystallized for sustenance to replace souls; in essence, it is acting as an alternative food source… they are voracious eaters if it is not the primary diet they normally subsist on. It also seems to be a wealth of intel due to pillow talk. We might be able to use that."

Hiring a succubus lady of the evening to send heads ups on little plans in their cities? Hmm… keep them tracked while also getting things that could slip through the cracks… no, send that intel to Morlan and his fledgling agency.

A thought crossed the dev's mind as she tried to figure out what they'd even eat beyond souls or human flesh. It stood to reason that there would be exotic resources out there that were particular to otherly realm creatures to ingest or absorb. She suddenly snapped her fingers at remembering what someone else was currently using in their mountain fortress. "Holy shit! Mana steel! Can they eat that?!"

"Apparently we, and others, have been creating a supply of fine delicacies for them to buy, provided we put any of it on the market. There is a 'flavor' that is dependent on the vessel that once housed the mana, with potions being potential major sellers with added ingredients. They don't actually eat the material, more of a drain from the item as it becomes inert or damaged; this would warp the metal and make it require a recasting without the imbuement. Even regular foodstuffs have a minuscule amount of mana in it, becoming immediately rotten once siphoned from, though it is highly doubtful they'd buy poor quality edibles that humans would ingest. This brings up the question 'will they absorb the essence from a mana generator used to produce mana steel, or will it be considered bland in flavor?'"

The bigger question is, 'if they did siphon from a generator, would they blow up?' Those things are designed for supply in mass manufacturing and farming, not for individual usage. It' be like drinking from a fire hose.

Selene looked up at the ceiling and just blinked, dumbfounded by the prospect. Succubi and incubi, imps, no devils though… they were living in her empire, not harming anyone. It was insane, but there was so much misconstrued in tabletop games about what was allowed and what wasn't. "Their alignment is lawful evil or lower, though. I mean, how are they not trying to subvert anything or cause corruption? If they change alignment, doesn't that make them dissolve or something? I thought the… wait, that was D&D lore that was vague from the beginning… what the hell am I thinking, new world… are they trying to throw old antics out the window? Or do we just not understand the concept of an infernal creature?"

"Alignment we've figured doesn't actually exist here, karma does. We've been using it to discern how a person reacts to most situations, showing in our optics and your Hud akin to their hidden demeanor. A paladin of lawful good could be a giant prick and yet still trying to do the 'right thing.' For the demons, we're unsure how they are managing; however, what we can say is that beyond some annoyance with mortals being at times quite incompetent when they interact with them, i.e., 'stupid sheeple,' they've been rather civil in most regards and following the laws, especially the imps who want to… become lawyers for the judicial system. There is no fact provided that states they cease to be what they are if they decide to become productive members of society instead of the essence of evil. Be advised, this isn't all of them. Quite the contrary, only a tiny fraction of the suspected population that is still running wild, roughly 1% or less, have decided to put down their weapons or claws and started new lives here. You may see, at best, a couple hundred sprinkled throughout the empire of over 13 million, less even. The chances of many even meeting one are slim."

The dev just couldn't believe what she was hearing. A succubus brothel would probably be a very popular place for the working man to visit in a city. Given that prostitution was legal, along with some limited recreational drugs and nonlethal combat sports, there were probably plenty of areas for the infernal races to find a job, more than likely starting new companies with their capabilities. She just couldn't believe that they weren't evil; the fact was there was no hard lock on that rule here. What was allowed and what wasn't had generally been up to Dungeon Masters to decide in their various game campaigns, regardless of if it was D&D or otherwise. "I'd like for them to be kept an eye on, please. Not until they've had a probationary period of – I'd say a few years at least – I think the mortally challenged can ignore the wait time. Are there any other races that suddenly decided to integrate out of nowhere that I haven't been made aware of? I know about the vampire."

"Should they be working towards their green cards? Grey and Felix have the necessary assets to track what they're doing ma'am. As for that last question, the new census report is out due to this."

The empress was wide-eyed. There were Oni that were working as chefs, gnomes opening up repair shops, even a few insectoids with professions as prospectors. The census report continued with rare finds just trying to live. A family of animal folk decided to permanently immigrate up from the Seong Neow Republic, sneaking away to start new lives. They were an extremely small minority compared to humans and even elves. Still, they were there, sifting through Clockwork society and working the 9 – 5… or overnight, for vampires and the succubi. How any of that came to be, she couldn't figure, given that she believed the insectoids should have been looking for a hive to incorporate into or starting their own. The vampire had to be drinking blood from something living. At least she knew they could provide the required nourishment from the trees. That made her wonder if a new market for exotic foods would start to build up, selling crystallized mana or other specialty foods for their dietary needs.

What's next? Undead accountants? Goblin bankers? Orc rock stars? That last one might become a thing if we found a tribe that didn't want to be man-eaters. "Hey Grog, how are the orc kids?" "They're doing fine, Bob, going to see the doctor about your bones?" I… I just… my brain… I never expected this! Elves, sure, dwarves, fine, gnomes… yeah, whatever. Vampires, demons, and… what is this… A FUCKING MEDUSA?! HOW IS SHE NOT PETRIFYING PEOPLE?! CAN SHE CONTROL IT?!

There was a long list of experience and qualifications each had in their quazi-resumes, some of it gruesome, other parts not so much. Details were explained carefully as to their capability and understanding of what was required of them to fit into society. The medusa could, in fact, control her petrification, which defied everything Selene thought was possible. The snake hair was probably going to terrify people still until they got used to it. She also had a sister who did not have the snakes, causing confusion as to how their anatomy worked; the medusa even knew of one that had flames for hair.

The vampiress had an eidetic memory as well as a profound understanding of cardiology… for obvious reasons. That made her wonder if anyone would go to see a vampire doctor, provided she was well fed. For all Selene knew, the woman could easily pick out heart conditions on the fly, just like a good mechanic for a car. The files on the new immigrants all had their alignment register something in between chaotic neutral all the way up to lawful good. One imp was lawful evil, but his view of how to act seemed much higher. In his belief, greed was helpful only when those who needed his assistance were indebted to him, so he would donate funds gained and time to the community in hopes that the town or city he lived in would owe him. It shouldn't have been possible, at least she thought that was the case. Karma ratings were all over the place, even for the ones who were trying to be somewhat decent.

Something changed them after being stuck here, cut off from their plane. I would assume if found out, the outliers would be killed for being too weak in a place other than here. Must play havoc with their mental faculties, unless most of them are 'young' by their standards.

"Where did they come from? Is there an origin for most of them, like mountain ranges we haven't fully mapped or villages we missed?"

"A healthy chunk of them are from mountain ranges or the small regions of the Underdark that we've added into the empire. Most of them are curious about how our nation is developing and improving, providing better living conditions to the ones they had. Regardless of any race, one could surmise that quality of livelihood outweighs racial loyalty, and in many cases, overcomes old hatreds. If they prosper by living next to humans day in and day out, without fear of racism or classism that would go unpunished, and proper nutrition without having to do battle for it, then why should they stay hidden away plotting an attack that will ultimately fail? They must be thinking if they can't beat us, join us."

"The problem with that is the humans have proven that they are very much capable of being racist assholes even if the other side is willing to cooperate. Very intolerant, imbecilic assholes. A few outliers aren't going to change that," Selene mumbled out.

Earth is proof of that. There were just humans there, and just because of the color of your skin, you were considered lower on the totem pole. No wonder species everywhere pick fights with each other.

"We're allowing them to join, correct? Ma'am?" Will asked.

Selene just facepalmed and shook her head. It was an opportunity to prove humans, and other races can live side by side without any issues; even outsiders were accepted, literal outsider races, if only just a few rare like-minded individuals. If she turned them away, it would just prove that race had too much control over who could be friends with whom. The dragons were an excellent example to this, along with some stories she had read for research that told of lawful good demons, evil angels, and even some undead that just wanted to be left alone. There didn't need to be one alignment stuck for each race, it was just what they tended towards, not what they needed to be always. Besides, she knew that alignment could change depending on how one acted. "Yeah… assuming they don't start anything, yes, they can join. The empire is turning into a bizarre melting pot."

Less D&D and more Shadowrun. I can't believe I remember that tabletop even after all those iterations it's gone through over a century and a half. I think it's up to what, 56th edition?

"Understood ma'am. There are over one hundred requests from some of these new faces to even join the academy."

"Oooh, Skuld is going to deal with that, not me. I'm not touching that with a ten-meter pole," she responded, throwing her hands in the air. She blew air out of her mouth and closed her eyes for a moment. As long they didn't start anything and were productive citizens, there wouldn't be a problem. "Anything else?"

"I had a question, two questions, in fact. The first involves the ex-nobles. You aren't looking forward to this ball, are you?"

"I'm not. I've read up on what they're doing. The younger up and comers are enjoying the empire and working hard to follow the laws. Sadly, they aren't the main chunk I need to deal with. A few of the older generation are genuinely decent people, but they're few and far between. The rest are… well, let's just say I could do without them being here."

"We could eliminate them for you quietly, ma'am."

"I know, I'm just trying to keep from ending lives without some proper reasons. Killing someone just because they annoy me isn't the proper response, it means I can't control myself. If they've gone too far, eh. Then it turns into either death to just get rid of the problem or Limbo Vats for ARC. Frankly, we haven't seen them do anything that would cause me to choose either sentence. Our judges haven't had any of the aristocracy, at least the families themselves and not their children, get into a situation that requires they be sent to jail."

Will raised an eyebrow. "You are actually considering the Limbo Vats they've created? Is this the same empress that created me?"

The dev smirked. "Hah hah, funny. Yes, I'm interested in the usage of those. For the violent hardened criminals, they already are sent over for Nikola and Robert to test on. They can't be rehabilitated anyway, too stuck in their thinking or aggressive tendencies. Why waste their minds in death these days with those around. It makes execution all but pointless now beyond not taking prisoners in a war. Of course, it technically does lock them in a personal hell… fair game honestly with what they've done to others. I'm seeing the usage as a way to learn to counter those crimes before they are committed. Why waste perfectly good brains we can model training off of?"

"I'm impressed."

Selene pursed her lips and waggled a finger at the screen. "Don't think I've changed completely. I just understand now that there are necessary evils I need to partake in to keep the place going and the lights on. I don't consider the people just toys to play with, that's why I haven't just outright blown the aristocracy to pieces and forced all of them to be loyal or die. You know, I remember Orlo once quoting Machiavelli to me, about it being better to be feared than loved if you can't have both."

"Do you believe so, ma'am?"

"I'm getting an idea of what he was telling me. I can't just be nice and friendly, handing out money for sponsorships or helping everyone with their problems. Sometimes I'm going to need to kick people around to drag the empire into the next era. I'm just still a little hesitant with doing that just yet, at least inside my borders. There's a set of stairs I'm going to need to walk up soon just to get things going, I just don't know what. I would like to have both love and fear if possible, the best of both worlds. That might not work out, but I'll try all the same."

The empress's chief of staff received a small paper report sent in, the thing written up by Mayor Alfred from Silvinholm. It had passed through the hands of the auto governor of the province, giving a heads up of the repair of all trade routes and the economy now coming back. It also informed him that most of the mayors from neighboring provinces were going to be traveling with him to Aureos to stand with the empress if she gives a speech. "That brings up the next question."

"Oh?"

"Yes. Involving the next era… have you had a chance to speak with Grey about a plan he's concocted with Nikola and Robert? I caught the short end, cut them off, and told them to bring everything up personally with you during the ball. It's… well, it could revolutionize how to get everything running quickly into rapid advances."

The dev furrowed her eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

"I can't say honestly, as I didn't listen to the entire explanation. I wanted to hear it alongside you so that I didn't spoil anything. It's just an idea they have."

"If it is about how to move into the future, the education level of the people isn't up to par yet. By the last report, only 20% of the population has an elementary education right now, with less than half that any higher. It's expected to grow by double within a year, slowly tapering off. Within a decade, the entire population will have at least an elementary degree, possibly up to a high school degree if we play our cards right."

"Which brings up what Grey has developed. I don't necessarily understand what they have created, but you should have a sit down with them. I'll join, obviously, as will the rest of your cabinet."

Selene stood there for a moment, blinking, running through what he just said as her eyes darted around the room. "He – wait, he didn't bring this up yet, this plan?"

"If you don't approve it, then the whole thing is canned. They haven't done anything just yet, at least directly. Nikola and Robert have been developing more than just ways to protect the empire, these are personal projects they want to bring up."

"Well, hell, I knew that. They bring them up all the time, though I'm starting to look into their previous ideas again. Look, we've had this discussion before, about the cultural shock of giving too much too fast. Their brains wouldn't be able to handle it, with their understanding of math or… anything really. Most don't even know about other lands outside ours; I doubt they'd even be able to conceive of other planets, let alone of galaxies."

"The picture we're getting from reports is that the people want to desperately forget the culture of Artinia or the old medieval setting. Most of what was remembered does not bring fond memories for most. The fashion has all but been erased within a matter of months, with everyone desperately embracing what we've brought. They're learning, you have to give them a chance to show what they can do."

"I know, I know. Ugh, food for thought, my main issue was that cultures evolve over centuries for most countries, creating their music and art styles, home designs and the like. People see that uniqueness and connect it with the empire. But I guess if most of what they had is turned to ash, brings bad memories and wants to be forgotten… I'll take a look. Another problem is Tal Salunbal would be left in the dust, could destroy their economy if we don't really need anything from them."

"Or, it could help Sultan Gazi to reach the stars faster, his dream. Could nudge them in the right direction, build a close friendship with the neighbor, eventually integrate them just like King Weren and Queen Ynshael. They control their nations under your rule. Gazi would simply be another royal listening to you. They could, along with Gold Pine and the west coast, become tech powerhouses. Gazi could become the representative of the humans."

"And the dwarves?"

"We can all get these off our chests during a meeting later, these are just suggestions for how to go forward, ma'am."

"And I'm listening. That's what you all are for, obviously. I surround myself with smarter people so I can fix all this. Well, if we're having another meeting after the ball, we can rework some more of our plans of action… again…" Selene replied, scratching at her hair.

"Won't that be after 10? Won't you be tired?" Will questioned. She could easily use [Greater Rejuvenate] to keep awake and go to bed early morning, but he didn't want to push.

"If it gives me some new ways to focus where we're going, I'm willing. The ball shouldn't stress me out too much. Start of a new year, we've been around for about 3 months, I've been on this planet for I think six, and I have no idea where my goals are now that we are a sleeping superpower. So far, everything we've set out to do right now has been met, but I feel like it's a slow start that'll eventually stagnate. Touching base with everyone while we wait for those three fleets to make landfall, then scheduling a meeting with the emperor of the Seong Neow Republic, and –"

"They don't want to speak to us, ma'am."

Selene paused mid-sentence, wondering what that meant, her mouth agape as she blinked rapidly. "Gala sent an ambassador already? Oh, right, the report was… wait, they don't want anything to do with us?"

"None, not one single thing. Apparently, the ambassador insulted them with opening borders for commerce, didn't follow proper customs… it was a gynoid, they don't feel that a woman can speak on behalf of men in their positions."

"I don't have that kind of plumbing. I'm not about to have a gene splice and genital mutilation just so they take me seriously."

"Gender inequality is still a thing for feudal Japan, on which the Seong Neow Republic is based. Back on track, the people want open borders for trade, but the government rules with an iron fist and bass ackward laws to punish those who leave the nation. They do so anyways now, sneaking away where possible. Some get caught, execution is… well, it's a thing for 'shamefully abandoning the country' so to speak. The people may be the government; the government is not the people."

The empress facepalmed. "That sounds more like North Korea than Japan. They must have a mixture of all the Far East. Just… whatever, fine, we aren't dealing with them then. They don't speak to the ambassador, I'm not going to fly out there and waste my time. They aren't my problem until they decide to become one, we're not here to bring democracy to the world like the U.S. wanted to. However, if their people come over our borders, they start something here we end it, got it? I'm more than willing to clean their clock just like with the Be'arkeln Grand Tribe."

"Dominic is way ahead of you on that, ma'am. By the way, we did find other tribes of orcs living on the island grouping we consider Hawaii. They live with pig men… initial meetings are completely different from the Grand Tribe."

"Hawaiian culture?"

"Samoan for part of it. They don't really care about meeting you, but they're willing if you decide to show up."

"Pretty easy going, I take it?"

"Very much so, but just don't try to piss them off. Artinia was fended off in a few books, on multiple occasions. Their isolation from everyone else has made them pretty good at water hedge magic, which they're surrounded by obviously."

"Good to know. Might be a time to talk shop with them later." Selene brought up pictures of the tanned creatures covered in tattoos smiling at an automaton drone walking on the beach. A subtitle was added with the phrase 'hey brudda, you ere for da coconuts or da fish?'

"Just remember, they are pig men, which means don't make any jokes about bacon."

Selene felt awkward at hearing that. There was at least one other reason why they were laid back.

Early Morning, 5th, January

Miyuki woke up to see Luko sharpening her katana carefully, cleaning and oiling the blade. It was a specially created sword made with the capability to launch foxfire with each swing. She didn't need to be within melee range to hit someone trying to jump back, usually catching the attacker off guard. It was also anointed with a hardness enchant, to lower the need for maintenance. To top it off, it could naturally be set on fire with no oils, merely using a small striker attached to the tsuba. The princess's ears rotated and flicked as she came out of her groggy state, wondering why the guard was so calm. "Is it my time to keep watch again?" the young teenager asked.

"Not yet, and honestly, the sun will be up in a few hours anyway. We're close," the wolf woman replied, wiping off all liquids from the katana and sheathing it. Her next weapon was her wakizashi, somewhat ignored for the past few days. She had to abandon her Nodachi at the palace, along with the bow due to carrying constraints, both much more preferred weapons for the open fields ahead of them.

"That's good to hear. We might finally be free to relax for once."

The wolf woman looked up at her from her blades. "Don't get your hopes up, we still need to get jobs to pay the bills, blend in where we can, and even before all that… unload the caravan. We're still labor last time I checked."

Miyuki's ears flattened as her mouth became a thin frown. "Ugh, don't remind me."

Luko chuckled at that. She'd have to get used to supporting them both with what was needed to survive in her new life unless, of course, she wanted to go back to being pampered in the palace… and married off against her will, having no say in anything happening to herself. "What do you think it'll be like? I'm… I'm a little afraid and… also a little excited."

"Who knows? A different society from ours. The caravan leader says that racism isn't allowed in the empire, at least public displays of it that is. He told me that it's only 3 to 5 Ri more to the border, with a few friends he made with some shops they've bought and sold goods to. They might be able to point us in a good direction, somewhere that –" Luko paused mid-sentence and looked around, her ears twisting like radar. It was quiet outside, being quite peaceful… too peaceful. No sounds of birds slowly waking up nearby, no slight shift of rodents scurrying in the tall grass.

"What's wrong? What do you hear?" Miyuki asked as she tried to listen to whatever it was that alarmed her protector. Her ears were far better than any human, but she wasn't used to the signs she needed to look for that something was wrong. The samurai got up slowly only to push Miyuki low to the ground and popped the katana with her thumb against the tsuba. The design of the handguard looked like a rising phoenix surrounded in flame and curving to the top. As she pulled her weapon out carefully while looking around, the caravan leader walked out of his tent while rubbing his eyes, a large orangutan humanoid of a man just waking up to relieve himself.

"Ah, you two are awake. Good. We're almost there, shouldn't be long before we pack up and –" that was all he could get out before an arrow slammed into his shoulder and sent him reeling back into the tent. He yelled out in pain as his wife screamed, a firebomb used on the canvas as others rushed out of their small portable abodes to figure out what was happening.

"We're under attack! Bandi- argh!" was heard by one of the drivers before he too was struck down by an attack in the darkness, his adult son rushing to help his mother and instead receiving a blade to his chest.

"Assassins. We need to run!" Luko snapped at her charge.

"Run?! What about the others?" Miyuki asked as her hand was grabbed and jolted upright as her arm became taut, struggling to keep up with her protector as they just shot towards the north as fast as they could. The young teenager looked back at the camp, seeing the destruction of the killers trying to catch them all and end their lives. It was to make sure there were no witnesses to the princess being this far away from the Jade Palace. Luko had already theorized it was to somehow bait the emperor out of the safety of the palace if there was no knowledge of where his daughter had gone… or whether she was even alive.

The wolf woman went full sprint forward, dragging her charge with her the entire way, her lamellar armor barely heard as they dodged through the destruction and ran for the border. They dropped to a shallow river without realizing it, wading through the cold water and forgetting about the bridge that was still somewhere west of their position. Once to the other side and a few hundred feet more, Miyuki pulled away and dropped to the ground, taking deep gasps of air and trying to recuperate from their frantic run. Both of them were soaked, with a small cast of a minor spell to dry their bodies. "We left them…" the princess said in sadness, commenting on the fact that those people were going to not only get them to this new empire but also give a little help in settling in. They abandoned them.

"We would have been next in line for our deaths if we tried to help. Come on, we have just a little bit more to go." Luko put out her hand and wiggled it a bit, motioning for Miyuki to grab on and continue. They heard sloshing sounds behind them, multiple pairs of legs heading through the water, with one of them falling at one point. "We need to go… now!" the teenager grabbed her hand and stumbled back to her feet quickly, her kimono torn and damaged near her legs, the cloaks forgotten back at the camp and most likely incinerated. They could hear the footsteps closing on them from behind, with the girl not quite capable of moving at the same speed that her adult friend could. The kimono tripped her at that moment, dropping the princess to the ground and causing a small bruise on her cheek. That gave the assassins all the time they needed to catch up, surrounding the two of them.

Luko skidded to a halt and prepared for a battle, growling at the attackers with bared teeth, mostly looking the same as any human. Every murderer in a circle around them wore a black mask, their own weapons ready to engage. One leapt at her, was sidestepped quickly, and received a slice across his stomach that melted through the armor, only to continue into another trying to catch her unaware. The samurai wasn't a royal protector for nothing, clearly showing it would take a combined effort of at least ten to stop her with two of their brethren dead on the ground. They rushed forward, receiving a frenzied defense, trying to keep them away from the princess and cutting the tips off of spears trying to keep range. She was doing well, getting a few cuts and gashes in that set on fire the outfits they were wearing and lighting up the area as they struggled to put the flames out. A whirlwind spin to send a wave of fire to get some breathing room allowed the woman to fall back for a moment. She felt almost honored that they sent at least one hundred just to take her on, with possibly more she couldn't see.

One of the assassins finally got the upper hand and knocked the guardian to the ground, with another turning around and heading back to the still prone teenager. "Luko!" Miyuki screamed as the woman blocked a dagger with her blade slowly being pushed down towards her throat with gritted teeth, the poisoned weapon starting to heat up in the attacker's hand. Just as the friend of the one who had the girl's protector pinned came towards her with a wakizashi, an armor-piercing arrow slammed into his head, immediately causing the man to crumple to the ground. In the distance, a woman was holding a bow, a hawk launching from her shoulder with some friends charging forward.

Another assassin tried to attack a female pink-haired paladin, who wasn't having any of it. Her sledgehammer caught him mid-swing and launched him through the air, cartwheeling across the river with incredible strength. They had a rogue in their group, and they weren't running alone. A second team was with them, a dark elf blade dancer and half-orc berserker among their number. A second paladin defended against four different assaults, looming over Luko to keep the murderers from finishing the wolf woman off with a kite shield.