METAMORPHOSIS.

As soon as Nya stepped onto the bridges, Morgan broke the defensive line and pounced on her mother, embracing her strongly.

"Oh my god, mom." She sobbed silently, "I thought I'd never see you again."

"Easy now, Morgan," Nya wheezed, "Even I'm not strong enough to withstand your bear hug."

[It's good to have you back, Nya,] Merlin said rubbing her eyes

"I didn't know jinn could cry?" Nya smirked

[I can still feel, can't I?] Merlin said

"What now?" Eli asked

"Good question," Nya said as she put her hand on a panel, "Hmm, something has canceled out the energy running through the ship."

"That's why everything stopped working except the critical hardwired systems" Eli mused

[It's an origin.] Merlin revealed, [the leader of this attack is in possession of an origin.]

"Let me see here," Nya said as her hand turned the same dark grey as the panel and sunk inside. All of a sudden the ship came back to life.

"What did you do?"

"Shifted the frequency of the oscillation shields, canceled out the origin signal." Nya said as she removed her hand and walked towards her chair. Then she accessed the intercom.

"Attention crew of the Black Excalibur, this is Nya Crimson. I've been gone for the last eight years but now I'm back, and what do I find? Elves have invaded my ship and torn up my hull. I am very displeased, so if you are still the same crew I raised, then throw these long eared fucks back into space."

She then turned to Merlin, "what's the status of the ship?"

[I'm reading multiple breaches on various levels. Forward guns are inoperable and the hull armor has been compromised.] Merlin said, reconnecting with her shard AI

She then looked sternly at Morgan, "you let them break my ship."

"It wasn't my fault, they had those things." Morgan defended, pointing out the view screen to the leviathans.

"Grand Marshal," an officer reported, "we're getting confirmation from the repulsion teams that the elves are withdrawing."

"They're leaving?" Aria wondered

"Is it because they're scared of you?" Eli asked, looking at Nya

"No… this is too easy," she mused, "something else is up."

She closed her eyes and used her omniscient to scan the ship, then she opened her eyes, "where's Astrid?"

* * *

Onboard the command ship of the elven forces, the High Priest is in the detention cells looking at their newest occupant; Astrid Crimson.

She is unconscious, with her hands and feet secured in black restraints. Even now, the High Priest can feel her power, raw and untapped, like a lightning storm trapped within a bottle.

He reaches into the cell and caresses her sleeping face, "You are exquisite."

After she was captured by a squad of elves, she was immediately taken off the Excalibur, and once Nya made her announcement, the order to retreat was given to the remaining elves on board.

"High Priest, the enemy ship has restored power." One of his clerics informs him

"No matter," he said, "withdraw, have the rest of the fleet handle the enemy ship."

"At once." The cleric said

"The Supreme Pontiff will be pleased," The High Priest mused to himself

* * *

"Grand Marshal," one of the pilots alerted, drawing her attention to the elven ship that just entered hyperspace.

"They've got Astrid," Nya said, her eyes turning red, "We're getting her back."

"The other ships are advancing." Another officer said

"Even like this, we can take those ships," Nya said

Through the view screen, they saw the energy leash the restrained the leviathans fade and the cosmic monsters surge forward.

[With the ship in this condition we can't engage those things.] Merlin informed, [we may have to withdraw ourselves.]

"NO!" Nya roared, "I will handle the leviathans myself. We are going after them"

"How can you handle those monsters?" Morgan wondered

Five minutes later, Nya was outside the Excalibur, wearing her reinforced combat suit.

"This is crazy mom," Eli said over the comm.

"I agree," Morgan added

"Oh kid," Nya chuckled, "watch and learn."

She stretched out her hands as her blood aura ignited around her,

She tried to use her telekinesis, but it just seemed to slow the beasts briefly before they broke free from her grasp.

"Okay then, how about this?"

She activated her [Gates of Purgatory: Ares' Blessings], and a huge red fissure opened behind her, from the rift, bolt of red lightning shot out at the advancing enemies, unleashing a surge of pure devastation onto them.

Only two of the beast were destroyed by the onslaught of her divine sanction, the rest were injured to varying degrees.

On the bridge, everyone silently watched as a lone Grand Marshal face several cosmic beasts and appeared to be winning.

"That's… not possible." Aria said, eyes wide with utter disbelief

"That's my mom," Eli said with a grin

Her blood aura then formed her massive angel wings and she flew straight into the gathering of leviathans, ripping into them with the power she had amassed.

For a moment there, it seemed the she could kill them all without issue, then four of them unleashed their breath attacks. Against just one, she might've been able to defend, but the combined force of four breath attacks proved too much and overwhelmed her.

They couldn't hear it, but she was screaming as she burned, still surging forwards to fight the beasts, who continued to attack her with breath, tentacles and claws. Eventually, it was too much for even her.

After been blown away by yet another breath attack, Nya stopped moving. Her combat suit was destroyed and she was burnt beyond recognition, floating helplessly in the emptiness as one of the leviathans closed in on her.

[NO!] Merlin cried, [I just got her back, I won't lose her again.]

She hijacked the controls of the ship and pushed the engines forwards, trying to reach the fallen combatant in time.

As Nya's burnt body drifted into the open maw of the leviathan, the others could only watch helplessly as hundreds of sword-like teeth closed around her, piercing her body and tearing her apart. After the horrifying event, the only thing left of Nya is her severed hand floating from the bloodied teeth.

"No!" Morgan cried as she held Valla, looking for comfort.

"Mom, you can't die again." Eli said in tears, "come back."

The mood on the bridge was grim as the leviathan that had just eaten Nya drew closer to them.

Then, the beasts six eyes glowed crimson red as the mane on its head burst into red flames. The leviathan screamed and convulses as its long serpentine body began to glow, spurts of blood aura began to burst from its body until the beast was engulfed in scarlet flames.

It crashed onto the hull of the Excalibur, writhing in agony as its body began to compress, shrinking to the size of a person. When the red flames went out, on the spot where the leviathan had crashed, lying naked and dazed, but completely unscathed, was Nya Crimson. She looked good as new, she was taller now, just shy of seven feet, her porcelain skin was as smooth as ever, and her vampiric eyes glowed a bright blue, her bright red hair floated wildly around her.

There were two things that were noticeably different about her; she had a bright red gem embedded in the middle of her chest, just above her breasts, and she had two arms once again.

As Nya regained her senses, a message flashed in her mind;

[NOTICE! YOU WERE CONSUMED BY COSMIC BEAST [LEVIATHAN]! YOUR SKILL [TAKE OVER] ACQUIRED FROM [MAJA] ALLOWED YOU TO OVERRIDE THE LIFE DATA OF THE COSMIC LIFEFORM!]

[ALERT; YOU HAVE NOW EVOLVED INTO A COSMIC LIFEFORM! YOU CAN NOW SURVIVE IN THE DEPTH OF SPACE, SUSTAINED BY COSMIC ENERGIES!]

Nya took a deep breath, realizing how weird it felt in space. There didn't seem to be any issues with her surviving, she then flexed the muscles on her right arm.

She looked back towards the bridge, where she could see everyone's flabbergasted faces through the view screen, then she smiled and waved.

[Nya,] Merlin called in her head, appearing beside her, [Are you okay?]

"I'm more than just okay," Nya said, telepathically, "It worked just as I planned, I took it over and evolved into a cosmic being."

[That was insanely risky] Merlin said as she wrapped Nya in an embrace, [Never scare me like that again.]

"Whoa, I didn't know you cared that much," Nya joked, "I'm sorry for worrying you."

[It's okay,] Merlin said, then she looked out at the other leviathans [so what are you going to do about the rest of them?]

"I want to test out this new evolution," Nya replied, with the flick of a wrist, her body is covered in a flattering red dress made from blood aura.

The two of them then floated off the hull of the Excalibur towards the coming beasts

She held out both hands and closed them into fists, farther away, two leviathans were suddenly crushed by an invisible force.

Seeing all its brethren massacred, the last leviathan tried to flee, only to find itself bound in burning red chains that pulled it into the red rift of Nya's [Gates of Purgatory: Pandora's Box.]

She then absorbed the remains of the slain leviathan into her Crimson Void.

[Cleaning up after yourself?] Merlin asked

"Waste not, want not." Nya replied as she was suddenly struck with a bolt of energy originating from one of the elven crafts that had begun their advance.

"Right, I forgot about them." Nya said as she looked at the wound it made, that blew a hole right through her abdomen, burning away all the flesh and guts until just her red skeleton remained. Immediately, the bits of flesh that still clung to the bones quickly grew, reforming the flesh, innards and muscles, healing the grievous injury in seconds.

"There may be a bit too much of them for me to fight barehanded." Nya noted

[Then how about getting yourself a weapon?] Merlin suggested

"Nothing I have is strong enough," Nya said

[Then why don't you make one?]

"What do you mean make—?" Nya started to say, then information suddenly flew into her head, ideas she'd never thought up suddenly became tangible in her mind.

"Was that you?" Nya asked Merlin

[Consider it a welcome gift, my Regis,] Merlin said as she bowed respectfully

"Thank you, pretty lady," Nya winked at her, then she suddenly flew off, leaving a red trail as she flew towards the nearby sun.

Clad in her crimson aura, she plunged right into the sun, skimming across its surface before fly off, her charred body regenerating once more. She then made the return trip to the battlefield she had recently left.

Between her hands was a huge orb of blood aura, that glowed brighter and more radiant than ever before because, within it, was material harvested from the heart of the sun. Sparks of red energy passed from her fingertips to the orb as the orb began to warp, fusing with material within.

[NOTICE! YOU HAVE DECONSTRUCTED ITEMS STORED WITHIN ALTERNATE SPACE [CRIMSON VOID]! TRANSFERRING RECOMPOSED MATTER TO NEW CONSTRUCT! INITIATING ALCHEMICAL FRAMEWORK!]

[ALERT! YOU HAVE ADDED THE LIFE DATA FROM COSMIC BEAST [LEVIATHAN] TO CONSTRUCT! APPLICATION OF LIFE DATA TO CONSTRUCT HAS ALTERED ITS COMPOSITION!]

What she wanted was a mighty weapon, something that could devastate her enemies with one swing, and she was forging that weapon at that very moment, using the vast reserve of raw material from her Crimson Void. The orb now took on a distinctive shape

[ALERT! CONSTRUCT HAS BEEN RECONSTITUTED AS MAGITEK! ICUBATING!]

[NOTICE! MAGITEK INCUBATION COMPLETE!]

Now, between her hands was a large katana, from the tip to the base, it was almost as tall as Nya, the blade was double the length and width of a normal katana blade and the hilt was longer than normal as well.

The hilt was made of polished ivory and leather, and the guard was fashioned in the shape of a leviathan head with its maw opening to the blade, which was bright red. Made from blood aura, and infused with solar matter, it was tempered and forged into a strong red metal now known as blood steel. The blade glowed faintly and as it moved it released burning trails of blood aura.

[NOTICE! YOU HAVE SUCCESSFULLY CREATED MAGITEK WEAPON; SUN KILLER [AMATERASU]! THE USE OF LIFE DATA IN THE CRAFTING THIS MAGITEK HAS GIFTED YOUR CONSTRUCT WITH SENTIENCE! IT HAS NOW ATTAINED A SPECIAL CLASSIFICATION; CHIMERA!]

"Amaterasu," Nya mused as the sword flew into her open hand. Her slender fingers fit into the grooves of the grip perfectly and her energy harmonize with the weapon. With it in her hands, she could feel it, there was a consciousness within the blade, it was alive. She also felt its subservience to her; it existed to be her tool.

[Impressive workmanship.] Merlin commented.

"What's a chimera?" Nya asked

[It's a classification of magitek, one that was forged with the soul of a living creature, making it even more powerful.] Merlin explained, [chimeras are artificial lifeforms, the ultimate alchemical creations, often seen as abominations as they are living tools that possess a level of sentience.]

"Hmm, interesting." Nya said as she looked at her reflection in the red blade.

Another bolt of energy shot at her, causing her to refocus her attention to the enemy before her. With one slash, she released an arc of burning red energy that split an elven craft in two. Where the craft was cut was still burning with crimson red flames.

"Whoa! Awesome."

[Careful with that thing] Merlin advised, [It carried with it the power of a sun.]

Activity behind her, attracts her attention to the Excalibur, and she sees another Excalibur dropping out of hyperspace.

The reinforcement open fire on the elven ships, pushing them back,

In her head she hears a familiar voice,

"Nya?" Terror says, "Why are you out in the middle of space holding a burning sword?"

* * *

After returning to the Excalibur, Nya and her inner circle convene in the executive lounge.

"I can't believe you're back." Terror says as he wraps her up in a crushing hug. "I missed you,"

"I didn't even notice I was gone for long until I saw Eli," Nya said, "My little man was all grown up."

"And you evolved?" Kiva asked cautiously

"Yeah," Nya said, "got my arm back, and this thing."

She opened the front of her top, showing her cleavage and revealing the red gem that was now embedded in her chest.

When she saw it, Kiva's eyes nearly popped out of her head, "Holy shit, that's a mana core!"

"What's a mana core?" Amara asked, she was sporting a new set of artificial legs, they were a sleek and slender cobalt blue color, utilizing the same technology as Merlin's android body.

"It's a concentration of mana so dense it takes physical form." Kiva explained

"Isn't that like mythril?" Terror wondered, since mythril was also made from condensed mana energy

"Mythril is vastly inferior to mana cores." Kiva said, "it is pure cosmic energy. No mortal creature, not even the elves can withstand the concentration of mana it would take to manifest a mana core. How did you survive this?"

[She absorbed a leviathan.] Merlin informed

"A leviathan?" Kiva gasped

"Yeah," Morgan said, "we thought it ate her, then it burst into flames and turned into her."

"I'm also now categorized as a cosmic being." Nya added

"That's incredible," Kiva said, still keeping her eyes on Nya's chest, watching the red gem shimmer in the light

"Also, I made this." Nya said as she summoned Amaterasu from her Crimson Void. As the blade bathed the room in its warm glow, both Morgan and Valla recoiled as their skin started to sizzle.

"What… is that?" Morgan hissed as she backed away from the glow.

"It's called the Sun Killer [Amaterasu]," Nya said

[It's solar properties are weakening the vampires.] Merlin stated

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry," Nya said as she sent the sword away.

[Since Nya's evolution, I'm sure the members of her court have also felt an effect of this.] Merlin said

"You're right," Terror said, "I did all of a sudden feel stronger a while ago."

[That's your connection to Nya, strengthening you with her power.]

"So that's what it was?" Kiva said as her hand glowed with energy

"So what's the plan of attack?" Terror asked Nya.

"I don't really have much of a plan," Nya shrugged, "more like a series of goals; get my daughter back, kill this high priest, and take his origin, maybe take a few elven prisoners along the way to experiment on and spread some mayhem among those pompous pricks. We'll see what happens."

[Before that,] Merlin said, taking Nya aside, [Nya, you need to add your kids to your court.]

Nya just looked at her, then nodded.

"Eli, Morgan, come here please," Nya asked, she then turned to the others "Guys, can you give us the room?"

The others nodded and stepped out, except for Valla.

"That includes you as well," Nya told her

"With all due respect ma'am; I'm not leaving Morgan." Valla said, "I love her and have chosen to share her fate; whatever happens to her happens to me."

Nya stared down the amphibious vampire, black eyes to black eyes. Then Nya blew a sigh and looked to her eldest daughter,

"You've got yourself a keeper here," Nya grinned as she pat Morgan on the head,

Morgan took hold of her girlfriend's hand and squeezed it affectionately.

"That was really brave of you," she whispered into Valla's ear

"I have never been more terrified in my life," Valla shuddered "thank god I didn't piss myself."

Nya looked at the two, "We're in a bit of a rush you two. The three of you, kneel."

They obeyed and Nya started,

"Morgan Crimson, Eli Crimson, Valla Nepton. You have all shown your resolve to stay by my side. On my authority as Regis, I welcome you to my court."

In their minds, a window flashed with a message;

[ALERT: YOU HAVE JUST CONTRACTED [MORGAN CRIMSON] [ELI CRIMSON] AND [VALLA NEPTON] TO BE A MEMBER OF YOUR COURT! THEY HAVE MET NECESSARY CONDITIONS TO BE APPOINTED AS A PALADIN, WISEMAN AND SENTINEL! THEY HAS VOWED TO SHARE YOUR FATE AND CAN NOW BE NAMED YOUR SUCCESSOR!]

[ALERT! ADDING YOUR PROGENY [MORGAN CRIMSON] AND [ELI CRIMSON] TO YOUR COURT MAKES THEM MORE ELIGIBLE TO BECOME YOUR SUCCESSORS! THUS THEY ARE GRANTED PROBATIONARY ACCESS TO THE HORIZON THROUGH THE REGIS SYSTEM!]

"Whoa," Eli said as he looked at the crest that had formed on his bicep

"I've never felt this powerful before." Morgan said

"The rest of you can come in now," Nya said as they returned, "We have a lot of planning to do."

* * *

When Astrid opened her eyes, she found herself on a lavish bed within a luxurious room. The scent of wild flowers wafted in the air and the soft satin sheets gently caressed her body.

It was all so comforting and relaxing that it almost lulled her back to sleep, but then, her mind reloaded her last memories and she sat up, wide awake.

This was not her bed and this was not her room, where was she?

She got out of bed, finding herself dressed in a thin silky see-through negligee. She was in a lavishly decorated bed chamber, with a canopy bed sprinkled with flower petals. The walls were pure white with gold decorations. An open curtain led to a balcony from which could be seen an expansive metropolis. Instead of a lightbulb, the room was illuminated with a floating orb of light that was suspended from the chandelier.

"You don't need to be alarmed," a voice behind her spoke

She instantly turned around, ready to fight, summoning mana into her hands… only, mana didn't gather in her open palms. In fact, she couldn't feel mana anywhere in the room.

"If you're wondering what happened to you gift, don't worry," the voice said, "we merely sealed it temporarily."

Astrid glared at the owner of the voice, he was an elf with fair skin, grey hair and multicolored eyes. He looked middle aged –which to elves could mean thousands of years old— and had a long grandfatherly beard. He was dressed in elaborate robes and had an odd looking staff by his side which held a black sphere the size of basketball.

"And who, the fuck, are you?" Astrid asked, she found it creepy that he had been here just watching her as she slept.

"I am High Priest Arov, of the Alfheim Theocracy." He introduced, "I am the leader of this small chapter."

"Okay, where am I and why am I here?"

"You are on the world of Piety, the forward headquarters of my chapter on our missionary expedition." He explained, "I brought you here to save you."

"Save me?"

"You are the 'blessed child' you belong with those who can properly hone your gifts."

"I belong with my family; with my annoying little brother, my bitchy older sister, and my mom,"

"Your old mother will mean nothing to you once you see all that your new mother can offer you."

"New mother?"

"Yes, the mother of us all, her glorious eminence, the shining light of the elven people, Supreme Pontiff Titania Vaux Oberon." The old man pontificated

"Look, I have no interest in the Theocracy and I certainly have no intention of joining your church," Astrid said, "So if it's all good, I'm gonna go…"

"I'm sorry but you cannot leave," the man said, "the accommodations are lacking, but this is just temporary, when I take you to Alfheim, the chambers the Supreme Pontiff shall have prepared for you will be more appropriate."

Astrid looked around, this room was good enough to be considered a presidential suite in most high-end hotels around the galaxy, but to the elves it was barely adequate?

"And why would the Supreme Pontiff be so keen on meeting me?" Astrid asked, trying to coax information out of the old man

"She is in need of an heir." The High Priest said, "and you will fulfill that need."

"Pardon?" Astrid choked, "I don't think it works that way, plus I'm into guys."

"No," the old man said, "you will be her heir."

"Still don't see how it works that way?" She said, "I'm not even an elf,"

"You may not be a full elf, but your eyes reveal your heritage," he said, "a half-elf of your caliber has never been seen outside the Theocracy before."

"What do you mean half-elf? My father was human and my mom's… something else." Astrid protested

"When you meet the Supreme Pontiff, all will be made clear." He said

"And when will that be?" Astrid asked curious

"Today." The high priest said, "preparations are already on their way."

"So that's why you sealed my powers," Astrid guessed, "how did you manage that, by the way?"

"With this, the Orb of Thassah," he said brandishing his weird staff, the orb at the top glowed with green energy, "your gifts will be returned to you when we arrive at Alfheim."

"Aren't you worried I'd kill the Supreme Pontiff?" Astrid asked, "she did just sanction my kidnapping,"

The old elf laughed like she had just told a funny joke, then all of a sudden, an intense force drove Astrid to the floor, the High Priest stood above her glaring dangerously

"Try not to make jokes like that when we reach the holy planet. Not everyone has as much of a sense of humor as I do."

"N-noted," Astrid groaned as she was allowed to stand

"I will take my leave to finalize travel plans, I leave you in the care of these clerics?" he said as he opened the door and three young looking elf boys walked in, they looked barely out of puberty.

"What am I supposed to do with them?" Astrid asked

"They will attend to your needs, bathe you, feed you, dress you?"

"Don't you have maids for that?" Astrid asked

"These are my personal servitors," the old man, "Only the best is suitable for you, Lady Astrid."

"You know my name?"

"Of course, we know everything about you."

After the High Priest left, the three elven boys bowed at her respectfully, "Lady Astrid, how may we be of assistance?" the first one asked, an elf with golden blond hair

"How about helping me escape?" Astrid asked

"Surly you jest," the second said, he was a dark elf with a buzz cut of red hair

"Thought as much," Astrid sighed, then she noticed how they were still facing the floor, "it's rude not to look at people when addressing them."

"Forgive us, Lady Astrid," the lest elf, with pale blue skin and long green hair, said, "But um… your state of dress is…"

Astrid looked down to her negligee, it didn't do much to hide her figure, it was pretty much see-through. From their reaction, it seemed that these clerics didn't have much experience with women. An idea popped into her head that made her smirk.

"I take it you don't serve a lot of women here?"

"The male and female have different responsibilities." the dark elf said, "There has never been such person of high standing, such as yourself, on this planet, so, the service of the maids may prove lacking. However, we have been trained to service you to the best of our ability."

"Then look at me." She ordered

When their gazes shifted up, they gasped as they saw Astrid, the silhouette of her naked body visible beneath the negligee, a body she flaunted as she came closer to the elves, swinging her hips and trying to be as sensual and arousing as possible.

She had mastered how to use her body as a weapon, in every sense of the word, and these young elves had no way to guard themselves against her attack. She noticed a bulging in their pants almost immediately, they really were inexperienced. This was going to be fun.

"If I were to tell you that I felt horny as all hell right now and needed you three to fuck me silly, what would you do?" she asked, carefully emphasizing her full pillowy lips and long slender tongue to sound each word out as suggestively as possible.

Her life as an outlaw had taken her to some of the seediest places in Hyperion, and she had learned the art of seduction. Her shapely ass, thick thighs, thin waist and perky breasts were assets she could use to distract and sway the minds of the men she wanted to exploit. She was no stranger to sex either, shortly after her escape from Avalon, she'd spent several years as a part of the Menagerie, the most infamous pleasure station in Hyperion, where she'd been trained in the art of sex by the best prostitutes and concubines in the cosmos. During her time there her sexual experience quickly surpassed that of her mom's, but so did her lust. By the time she had escaped she had come to accept the fact that she was now a slut and loved sex.

Against such a superior slut as Astrid, these three meek elves didn't stand much of a chance, and they quickly lost all sense of reason. They shed their clothes and pounced on the enticing Astrid. What they lacked in experience, they more than made up for in passion. Astrid gave them carte blanche to do whatever they wanted to her, and boy did they.

As she sucked one of them off, another was going balls deep in her pussy while third played with her tits as she stroked him off. When each penis spread her pussy lips and plunged into her depths, she felt jolts of pleasure as her walls quivering and convulsing around the girth within her, she could identify which elf was in her by the shape of their dick as they filled her up. Eventually they wanted to plug all her holes at the same time with their throbbing fuck rods, and being no stranger to anal, she gleefully agreed, what followed was as glorious as she had always imagined it'd be. She relished in the ecstasy of being used as a sexual object for these strapping young elves to let their pent up aggression out on, they did not have nearly as much stamina as some of her previous partners, but they had still brought her to climax half a dozen times already and by the time they reached their own orgasm, she had them plaster her face with in a thick syrupy bukkake. Swallowing mouthfuls of cum, she let herself revel in the post orgasmic bliss.

Astrid rapidly regained her faculties and left the three elves utterly exhausted and passed out on the sex-stained bed. She didn't really need to fuck them so thoroughly, but hey… slut, and during their foursome, she had extracted a host of useful knowledge about the castle and its inhabitant from them, so bonus.

She cleaned herself up as best as she could and left her room, feeling a bit sorry for the young elves for when they'd have to explain how she escaped under their watch.

From what her recent lovers had told her, she was able to avoid most of the roving patrol guards, and quickly made her way down the castle.

As she skirted across a long reception hall, she suddenly felt her body stiffen and she collapsed onto the ground.

"You should not be here," a female voice said

"I agree, that's why I was trying to book it," Astrid said

She looked up to see a group of women in see-through robes and veils. Seriously, what was it with this place and dressing women up in see-through clothes?

"How did you get down here," the leader of the group demanded, "Where are the servitors the High Priest prepared for you?"

"What can I say, I had an itch, they helped me scratch it." Astrid said with a slutty smirk, "they weren't bad, just inexperience. Well not so much anymore,"

"So you seduced them?"

"It's one of my gifts." Astrid said with a shrug, "next time; don't put innocent virgins to guard a wanton slut."

"We cannot allow you to leave," the leader said, "we have seen…"

"Seen what?" Astrid said,

The lead woman did not respond, then suddenly she screamed, it was a wail of pure fear and dread.

"She comes." She said with trembling voice, "the angel of death descends on our world."

It was at the time when the High Priest appeared down the hall, approaching them with haste

"How did she get down here?" he demanded, "where are my servitors?"

"Arov," the head of the oracles wailed, "The great catastrophe approaches."

"What is this? A new oracle?"

All the women nodded their heads frantically, even daring to remove their veils –which was forbidden outside their sanctum— so they could show the terror in their eyes.

"The scarlet star shall plunge her sword of nightmares at our feet and silence the land."

Astrid wasn't sure why, but that sent a chill down her spine.

"What does that mean?" the High Priest demanded

Then, as if by pure coincidence, another cleric came running

"Your grace, enemy forced detected just outside our orbit." He reported, "and they are approaching fast."

* * *

The plan was guaranteed suicide. Something so insane, no one in their right mind would even conceive it. But since it was Nya who proposed it, no one disagreed.

The first part of the plan was to transfer the rest of the crew over to the Excalibur Blue, which left only Nya and her court, save for Eli, who was staying as far away from the insanity as possible, by Nya's decree.

"Alright, let's get ready." Nya said from the captain's chair.

"I can't believe we agreed to this." Kiva said from one pilot seat

"I can't believe we think it'll work." Amara said from the other pilot seat.

"I can't believe how much I missed this," Terror hollered enthusiastically from one of the inactive stations

"Your mom knows what she's doing, right?" Valla asked worriedly

"Too late to ask now," Morgan replied

[Engines are at full capacity.] Merlin reported, [Hull armor is compromised, and main weapons are offline. This is one hell of a plan.]

"I need to carve the fear of me into their very souls," Nya sneered, "all systems are go."

With that, the Mk 2 stellar drive was pushed to the limit, rocketing damaged ship towards the elven planet at light speed.

How did they find the location of this planet? Nya used her newly upgraded mesmer abilities easily enthralled the elf commander who pissed herself, and then pumped her for information.

Traveling so fast, there was almost nothing that could stop the approach of the Excalibur, the defense platforms that tried to stand in the way were quickly destroyed. As the ship pierced the atmosphere, the sheer friction of the air coming into contact with an object moving so fast caused the entire hull to combust. Like a flaming arrow, the Excalibur continued it descent, plunging down at impossible speeds.

The city underneath had only seen the incoming Armageddon too late, and by the time they had already sounded the alarms, there was nothing anyone could do.

Instead of sloped decent, the Excalibur plunged down at an almost 90-0degree angle. When the front of the ship made contact with the ground, the shockwave was enough to pancake anything within an immediate mile as it ploughed into the earth, but that wasn't the end of it. Mere moments after the crash, an explosion of unmatched devastation expanded out of the ship, and that was it for the city.

The moment the stellar drive, which was already being overworked, ruptured, it exploded with the accumulative force of several dozen nuclear warheads. The bright light of the mana bomb obliterated everything within the city limits instantly. In that region of the planet, it was like a second sun had descended for five minute. People in settlements hundreds of miles away felt the tremor beneath their feet and were blinded by the bright flash that lit up their horizon, brought on by the destruction of this mountain city.

After the explosion faded, in the center of the crater that was at the heart of this desolated area, was a burnt husk that served as the remains of the Excalibur. From it, a single red orb, descended, it was the size of a bus, and seemed to resemble a gathering of wings into a tight ball.

Shortly before it crashed, Nya had gathered her crew and wrapped them up in her ultimate defensive barrier, [Mother's Embrace].

When the massive barrier protecting them came undone, the members present looked at the new wasteland around them. The air was still charged with mana as dust particles danced around them in odd patterns and formations. They were spared from the searing heat of the collision by the personal forcefields within their combat armors.

"We… we did this?" Valla wondered in frightened awe

"There were tens of thousands of people here," Kiva said

"They all died instantly if that's any consolation," Nya notes with an apathetic shrug as the window opens in her mind;

[AS A COSMIC BEING, YOU ARE SENSITVE TO SOUL ENERGY! THE WANDERING SOULS WITHIN THIS AREA HAVE BEEN ABSORBED BY YOUR MANA CORE, INCREASING YOUR COLLECTION OF LIFE DATA!]

[NOTICE! YOU HAVE ACQUIRED THE TITLE [SOUL EATER] AND [ANGEL OF DEATH]! [SOUL EATER] HAS ALSO ALTERED YOUR PHANTASM!]

[We're shy of our target a few thousand miles] Merlin informed, materializing beside Nya [The capital city is that way] she pointed east

"I was right on the mark." Nya said, "A big cataclysm happens right next door, that wipes out the city, so you have to send someone to check things out."

As if on cue, they could hear the sound of aerial crafts quickly approaching.

"Places everyone." Nya orders as she looks up at the nearing crafts.

With her evolved stealth skills, she could render herself completely undetectable to the senses of others, even if she standing in the middle of a brightly lit room. Only people with strong sensory capabilities or people of appropriate power could find her without sensory technology when this skill was in use.

When the crafts landed and their occupants disembarked, several of them walked right past Nya without even noticing. She observed them for a time then she briefly made herself visible to the one who seemed like the leader, forcing them to look into her eyes, which had turned red, a moment later the elf's eyes also turned red, signifying that they were now enthralled.

"Nothing is amiss here," she ordered, "you will leave your team to continue scanning while you return back to base."

"Yes…" the elf said in a trance, then he turned back to his compatriots, "You guys stay here and keep searching, I'll return to base to request additional help."

"Yes sir," the other elves said

The enthralled elf went to the craft, followed silently by Nya and her team.

"Have you ever done that to us?" Terror asks once they're off the ground

"If I said no, would you believe me?" Nya replied cryptically

"So what do we do from here?" Morgan asked

"Once we touch down you cause as much chaos as you possibly can, I'll make a b-line right for that palace." Nya said

"Can we try to keep the casualty count low this time?" Kiva asked, even if she hated the Theocracy and all it stood for, these were still her people.

"Okay," Nya promised, "I think I've already made my point painfully clear, there's no need for another massacre."

"Thank you," Kiva said heaving a sigh of relief

As soon as the craft touched down, Nya ripped the doors apart and let her crew loose on the surprised elves. Terror, with his premonition ability, was a precise and dangerous fighter, using blades made of nuform to spread chaos and panic, while predicting enemy movements. Amara lacked any powers of her own, but her intense physical training had made her into the ultimate soldier, added to the power boost she got from Nya, she was a beast on the battlefield. Kiva was less enthused about spreading chaos, so she focused on quickly disabling her opponents and keeping casualties down. Morgan and Valla were completely in sync, Valla would freeze the enemies around them and Morgan would use her collection of copied abilities to disable any stragglers.

While this happened, Nya floated of the ground, shrouded in her blood aura, then she shot forwards towards the massive castle in the distance.