Book 5, chapter 19

Exhausted, covered in bug ichor, nasty bug bites, and bruises, Zee returned to Lorocos aboard her rented skimmer. Searching the clackson hive nest hadn't amounted to much, aside from getting her filthy. To complete the contract, she had to destroy all the eggs in the nest, and collect the queen's corpse as proof.

Collecting the queen's corpse body was simple, she just put it in her spatial storage. Destroying the eggs was a process that wasn't difficult, just disgusting. It was like squishing sacks filled with goo underfoot, goo that reeked. It left an unforgettable stench that was burned into her nose. 

Zee blanched at the memory, as the skimmer shot over the treetops, the wind whipped past her. No one ever talked about the dirty side of being an adventurer. She smelled like she had rolled in a month old latrine and hadn't even gotten anything worthwhile from searching for a nest. The payment for completing the contract wasn't that great either. 

This contract was meant to be completed by a squad of early E grade cultivators. Thirty Ether crystals might be a sizable amount to them, but not to her. After arriving back in Lorocos, the bad news just kept coming. The reward for the contract might barely cover the cost of renting the skimmer for a day. And to top it off, Zee was forced to pay a cleaning fee for the skimmer. Zee handed in the contract and a bunch of mangled corpses to a startled clerk at the jobs hall in the academy. The man held his nose as he eyed the wretched state of her combat gear. 

There wasn't much left of the hive queen's soldiers' corpses after her wanton slaughter. Even the sturdy clackson hive queen had been turned to a charred pile of meat and carapace by the decaying flames of Avatar of Dominion. 

Zee was only a little upset about turning all the profits to dust. It was still an eventful outing. It was just too bad that she ran out of monsters before she could test her new Gravity Well skill. That was okay though, she would have plenty of time to test it out in the upcoming weeks before the expedition.

Her train of thought was derailed as she turned to leave the jobs hall. A spearman in a gaudy set of gleaming war regalia walked in the door. It was Draveroc, one of the emperor's great-grandchildren. His masterfully crafted boar's helm was held under one muscular arm, and he held a wicked-looking spear in the other. 

He had his long brown hair tied in a cue, his scarred face was clean-shaven and expression guarded. After doing a brief once-over of the hall, his gaze landed on her, and he made a Beeline in her direction. Zee swore internally, wondering if she should flee out the back. Sadly, it was not meant to be. Before she could come up with a plan to avoid the man, he called out to her. 

"Hello, I don't believe we have met, I am Draveroc al Farsaic," He greeted, stopping just in striking range of that wickedly sharp spear.

Damn it, months of hard work avoiding him could be undone? Zee glanced around at all the curious onlookers in the jobs hall. They were no doubt wondering what someone from such an elevated station was doing talking to such an infamous person as herself. She carefully weighed her options, before deciding to see what he wanted. Not wanting to cause a scene, she put on her best fake smile.

"Good to meet you Draveroc, I'm Zee," she replied, not bothering with the surname. Addressing him so casually could be considered rude, but she didn't care. 

Her tone was polite, but her body language was tense, as if ready for a fight.

"Have I done something to offend you?" He asked, cocking his head curiously. 

"No, you did nothing. It's my fault. I just prefer to stay away from high nobility," Zee replied evasively. Better to throw herself under the cart, and say it was all her fault. People with an inflated sense of ego like this man should buy her excuse. Contrary to her thoughts, Draveroc didn't look convinced. 

"Really? Hespa Mulnac speaks highly of you. Also, Elvot Danma also considers you a friend. Not to mention Hespa's little cousin who is on your team, Taylor was it?" Draveroc asked.

"Seems you already know a lot about me," Zee said dryly. 

He cracked a disarming smile. 

"With all the waves you make, I would be a fool not to look into you," Draveroc replied.

She rocked back on her heels, not buying his pleasant facade. If there was one thing she knew, it was that people like Draveroc always had an agenda. 

"So, what can I help you with?" Zee asked curtly. 

"I'm getting a sense that you don't like me," Draveroc replied, with a disarming laugh and a wide smile that would make most women weak in the knees. All it did was make Zee raise an unimpressed eyebrow.

"I have good reason to dislike you. You did try to bully me out of my prize from the auction," Zee said mildly. 

Behind the princeling, she could see several of his retinue watching her closely. They had followed him into the job hall, but were keeping their distance. One of them looked offended by her comment. 

Draveroc waved a hand dismissively, his smile not diminishing in the slightest. 

"That is in the past. I hold no animosity for your slight," Draveroc said.

Zees' dislike of the man grew even more at those words. Yup, just as she suspected, he was a stuck up prince who never saw anything from anyone else's perspective but his own.

"That's good to hear… So, how can I help your lordliness? It looks like you already have a polisher for your armor, and someone to wipe your butt. What could you need me for?" Zee asked. Her tone was sweet, but her words were quite insulting, directed towards his retinue.

"How dare you say something so insulting to the prince!" One of his aids said angrily. They looked like they were going to say more, but were cut off as Draveroc raised a gauntleted fist.

"Calm yourself, Baldric. Zee…Can we speak in private? It will only take half an hour at most," Draveroc entreated.

Zee had no desire to talk with him at all, much less in private. Still, she couldn't just refuse without consequences. She could flash her own black token, and reveal her relation to the emperor, but that would cause her even more headaches. In the end, she decided to just get it over with.

"Alright. Come to my place in say three hours. I'm in desperate need of a hot bath and a change of clothes. Ohh, and you may bring one person, preferably Ellena. If you bring bucket face over there the gate is not going to open," Zee said.

With that, she walked right past him, and his clearly upset retinue. It wasn't the most graceful exit, but she was tired, filthy, and smelled like the backside of a lizard. Zee hadn't planned on being so insulting to the princeling, but her patience was frayed and she didn't care to filter her words. 

The day just kept getting better. Now she only had three hours before she had to meet with that guy. Three hours wasn't long to prepare. Still, she was determined. Boarding a rickshaw, she sent a few messages to her team, informing them of what was going on.

Mostly, it was to get advice from Allison and Malden. More importantly, she was hoping Taylor knew what this meeting might be about. 

The cart rattled as the agile porter navigated the heavy traffic in the bustling academy streets. 

She hadn't even made it to her home in district one before she got a response. Allison's voice came over the comm crystal, sounding a bit distorted.

"Zee, if someone from such a high station approaches you in public, that is like making a statement to his rivals. He is essentially saying you are fair play, and that he has a claim on you. Since he wants to meet with you in private, he will doubtless try to get you on his side for the upcoming expedition," Allison said.

This was why Zee had contacted her friends. Some of them were far more politically adept than she was. 

"Any advice?" Zee asked.

"Don't agree to anything right away, tell him you need to think about his offer. Now that he has approached you, his rivals will do the same. Who knows, his rivals, whoever they are, may offer you more to help them," Allison suggested.

"Thanks Allie, I will keep that in mind," Zee said. 

Maldens' reply came next. 

"Do you have any blackmail on this guy?" Malden asked without preamble. 

"No, this was my second time ever meeting him," Zee replied. 

"That's not ideal. Since he initiated this meeting, he will doubtless have some dirt on you. Be careful not to reject him outright, or he may decide to use that blackmail to force you to comply. Make it seem like you are willing, but it may take some time to consider his offer," Malden said. 

Knowing he would have blackmail wasn't very helpful but it was good to know. Hopefully Taylor had more to share.

The blood witches voice came over the comm crystal nearly ten minutes later. 

"Sorry for the late response. You said you are meeting with Draveroc?" Taylor asked.

"Yes, In about two and a half hours. Do you have any information about the guy that I should know?" Zee asked. 

There was a long pause, with the only sounds being the shouting of passersby and the rattle of the cart beneath her. 

Eventually, Taylor responded. "Draveroc is one of ten of the emperor's great-grandchildren. Out of the ten, only five have been officially recognized as potential heirs to the throne. Draveroc is not one of the five, though he is trying to change that. He is talented, and is attending the upcoming expedition in hopes that the emperor will recognize him as one of the heirs. 

There can only be five heirs at any given time, so he is doubtlessly trying to outshine, defame, or get rid of one of the current heirs," Taylor explained. 

"That sounds like a huge mess... Is there a way for us to stay out of it entirely?" Zee asked. 

"The only way I can think of is to back out and stay out of the expedition," Taylor suggested.

Zee swore inwardly. 

"So, if we go on the expedition, we will be forced to choose a side?" Zee asked.

"Undoubtedly. On the surface, this expedition is a contest to get a key to the Eternal throne. More importantly, it is a contest between descendants to prove themselves to the emperor. It is well known that the emperor is looking for a suitable candidate to be his successor. I personally think Tavza will succeed. He is popular amongst the people, has fiercely loyal followers, and is a terror on the battlefield. More importantly, he has awakened two of the three imperial bloodline talents," Taylor said.

"Has no one awakened all three?" Zee asked curiously. 

"No, but it is speculated that is why the emperor has refrained from choosing a successor until now," Taylor said.

"Thanks for the information Taylor, it's a huge help," Zee said. 

"No problem, and good luck. Don't be afraid to message me if you need anything," Taylor said.

She put away the communications crystal, her expression thoughtful. 

The implications were not lost on her. 

The way she saw it, It looked like the emperor was trying to set her up, and make her his successor. It was so obvious now. He had been so willing to give her whatever she wanted to go on the expedition. And no wonder he was willing to give her an insanely valuable bloodline treasure.

She already had two of the imperial bloodline talents. What's more, the emperor had also admitted that they shared the same aspect of decay for the Avatar of Dominion.

The emperor appeared to be making a gamble, betting that she would have all three talents.

Zee's face scrunched like she swallowed an angry Willow Jack. Why was everyone trying to manipulate her? First her grandpa, then the bone lord, the emperor, and now this Draveroc. Did everyone think she was just going to lie down and give them what they wanted? 

They all had another thing coming. There was no way she was going to become the heir to the empire. Being an empress sounded awful! Honestly, she would rather go back to being a farmer. 

Amidst her angry thoughts, she hardly noticed her surroundings until the rickshaw came to a halt. She tossed the porter a pouch full of ether crystals for his troubles and leapt down.

It was ten times the usual rate, but that was because she felt bad about smelling up his cart. 

The rickshaw rattled off, and she trudged up the well maintained street towards the front gate of her mansion.

Soundlessly, the gate swung open as she approached, and she walked in. The yard was immaculate as always, with the statue repaired. The grass and the fountain were in pristine condition. They looked just like they had been before she made a crater in the ground when she evolved her spark of compression to an ember. 

Zee was more than a little curious how that happened. 

Something fishy was going on in the mansion. First, her uniforms were being washed and hung up, and now the fountain, and its statue were fixed as good as new. Even after months of living here, Dern and Kur Zul still hadn't found a trace of the culprit.

Either they had a sneaky butler who hated to be noticed, or Bastion was playing a prank on her. In either case, finding out wasn't important at the moment. She had other things on her mind.

As she was walking up the white marble stairs to the intricately carved double doors, they swung open. Dressed in his gray combat uniform, Bastion walked out, with a heavy pack over one shoulder.

"Oh, hey Bas, where are you going?" Zee asked. 

He scrunched up his nose as the wind blew her fragrant stench his way.

"I got your message. I figured you would want the house to yourself, so decided I should be elsewhere," Bastion explained. 

"Are you sure it's not because you have some highly questionable things in that bag?" Zee asked with a teasing smile.

He laughed softly. 

"You caught me. So, do you need backup? I can stay if you want," Bastion said. 

"I appreciate the offer, but I will be fine. Dern and Kur Zul will be nearby if things go sour," Zee said.

He nodded, clearly pleased not to attend the meeting. 

"Alright, well, don't have too much fun with that love. I'm off to meet a few prospective business clients," Bastion said.

Singing a jaunty tune in his native Arminian, Bastion sauntered out the front gates. Zee could only shake her head.

That man was always up to some sort of mischief.

No point in thinking about it too hard. He would be fine. Besides, she still needed to get clean and prepare for the upcoming meeting in a few hours.

It took a whole bar of soap, and several tubs full of water to get the stubborn gunk off her body.

Once she was done, she tossed her uniform, vambrace and leather chest piece into the corner to be cleaned later. Dawning a fresh, formal gray uniform, polished boots, and belting on her sword, she felt like a new woman.

Her wet hair was a tangled mess, but a brush and twenty minutes did the trick. She almost felt presentable by the time Draveroc showed up. Common courtesy dictated that the host should offer food and beverages to guests.

Depending on the situation, and the image the host wanted to give off, they should offer higher quality food and rarer vintages of wine. 

Zee didn't particularly care about that custom, nor was she willing to put in so much effort for someone she didn't like.

Therefore, she did the absolute minimum that custom allowed, which was tea. Given the circumstances, serving tea shouldn't be considered a slight. 

As expected, Ellena showed up with Draveroc. She had her long black hair in an intricate braid, and her formal uniform was immaculate.

Her aura was far more compressed than before, making her dominative frame seem far more imposing. 

In comparison Draveroc was about a half a head taller, with wide shoulders and an incredibly potent aura. Being so close to him felt like she had a sharp spear aimed at her throat. 

Zee poured them both tea, before taking a seat across the table from them. Ellena broke the awkward silence first. 

"That is some delicious tea, what kind is it?" Ellena asked.

Zee gave the woman a bright smile. 

"It's called nightbloom tea. My dad loves to grow plants, and this tea is something he has been working on for a few years," Zee said.

"It is quite delicious. Not to mention the surge of pure energy entering my body when I take a sip," Ellena praised. 

Zee nodded. 

"Dad is a skilled herbalist. Spiritual plants are his specialty, he just grows the tea for fun," Zee explained. 

"I didn't know that. I hear you are talented with the sword. Was it your grandfather, Julian, who taught you to wield your sword?" Ellena asked curiously.

She shrugged. "Not entirely. My mother knows her way around a sword, and dad isn't a slouch either. Their teachings are how I survived alone for years when I was trapped off world," Zee said.

Ellena's eyes lit up with wide eyed curiosity.

"Is it true what the rumors say? Were you the reason Julian ventured into blood gorger territory?" Ellena asked. 

Zee was well aware of said rumors, as they had been going on for months now. Still, that didn't mean she had any desire to confirm or deny the rumors.

Especially since the rumors had gotten a bit out of hand. There were some pretty crazy ones floating around. Some people thought she was spying on the blood gorgers, while others thought she had run away. One rumor even suggested that she may or may not have had illicit relations with a lizard.

 On second thought, it might be to her benefit to set a few rumors straight. But then again, people would come up with new rumors even if she said the other ones were wrong. 

Zee let out a regretful sigh.

"Sorry Ellena, I would prefer not to talk about that at this time," Zee said in reply. 

The woman's excitement faded, but returned just as quickly, 

"What about your mother, is she a combat cultivator?" Ellena asked.

Zee could only smile and shake her head.

Making small talk was one of the most tedious customs, but it was expected. According to custom, getting into serious talk couldn't happen until the guests had finished their tea.

When food was involved, the real conversation couldn't start until food was eaten. 

That's another reason why Zee chose just tea. She wanted this meeting to be over as quickly as possible.

Well, at least talking to Ellena was nice. The woman was a fountain of excitement and endless questions, while Draveroc sat in silence nodding and smiling when proper. Zee was relieved the princeling didn't try to make small talk. 

Eventually, the tea was gone, and Zee took the plates and cups. When she sat back down, that symbolized the real meeting could start.

This was another reason Zee didn't want to be the empress. She hated all these little rituals the nobles had to endure. 

Meeting her gaze, Draveroc finally spoke, getting straight to business.

"It has been brought to my attention that your great grandfather has invited you and your team along with us on the expedition." Draveroc asked.

 Zee nodded. 

Draveroc took a deep breath. "I am not sure how much you know about our destination, but it is extremely dangerous. A small group like yours may be slaughtered if you venture into the storm alone," Draveroc said.

Zee raised an eyebrow.

"We are aware of the dangers and have been preparing. Who's to say that a larger group will even save us if we run into a random anomaly in the storm?" Zee countered. 

He didn't look phased at all by her words. "Surely the rest of your team would appreciate a substantial pay for their services. If your team works for me, I will ensure you get a sizable pay, and if you find a key, there will be a huge bonus for the entire team." Draveroc offered. 

The offer was tempting, but Zee had no desire to be the man's lackey. Plus, Zee knew all too well that handing over a key to someone else wasn't possible.

The living book, and the spire in her inner world were both keys. Try as she might, Zee couldn't get rid of them. Not even the bone lord, her grandpa, or the emperor could help her get rid of them.

In fact, they seemed determined to force her to get more. She had no idea how many she needed to gather, but time would tell.

Zee still didn't want to gather any more, but she was being pushed into it.

Her grandpa, the bone lord, and even the emperor were going to use her to gain access to the eternal throne when it emerged. 

Speaking of which, she had an emperor to go yell at after this farce of a meeting was over.

She wasn't going to just sit on her hands while he tried to make her his successor. 

The meeting with Draveroc didn't really anywhere. He had already made his offer, and she pretended to consider it.

After a bunch of pointless deliberation, she gave him her response.

"I will need some time to think about your offer and discuss it with my team," Zee replied evasively..

Based on his sour expression, Draveroc knew she was stalling, no doubt waiting for a counteroffer by his rivals, but what could he do? 

Zee waved at Ellena as the two left. Draveroc looked unhappy. In contrast, Ellena happily waved back, having a pouch of nightbloom tea leaves in one hand. 

Once they left, Zee shut the door. Dern appeared from under the couch, and leapt up onto the caution with a small metallic object in his gauntleted fist. 

"Your friend left us a present," Dern said, his voice echoing in her mind.

"What is it?" Zee asked. 

"It's an array that picks up voices and transmits them. I'm assuming the princeling has another one to hear what we say," Dern said.

Zee wasn't worried they would be overheard, as she spoke with Dern, mind to mind.

"That was sneaky. I didn't even notice him putting that there," Zee said.

"He is not as clever as he thinks. My arrays in the mansion are quite delicate. They will detect the smallest energy fluctuations. Even a fly won't be able to sneak in here unnoticed," Dern said.

"And yet you still haven't caught the person who keeps washing and hanging up my clothes. Nor the person who repaired an entire statue and the fountain," Zee said dryly.

"That is not just my fault. Zul hasn't found anyone either," Dern said defensively. 

"Don't bring me into this. It's not my fault your detection arrays don't work properly," Kur Zul replied, phasing into the room from a side wall.

"My arrays work just fine! I don't see you making any better," Dern retorted grumpily.

Zee decided to butt in before they said things they might regret.

"That's enough you two. Dern, sorry for making fun of your arrays, they work just fine. They detected that hidden spying device, even when my sensory skill didn't," Zee said.

Dern grumbled something, but thankfully dropped the previous subject.

"So, what do we do with this thing?" Dern asked.

Zee cracked a half smile. "I'm sure you can find a lizard pen that should suit it nicely," Zee said. 

Dern let out a maniacal laugh. "I know just the place,"