Book 3, chapter 32 interlude

An aide burst through the door, urgency crossing his deathly pale face.

"Lady patriarch, I have dire news," Glendel said. He was a flesh golem of considerable power, in the celestial grade, his inner realm close to reaching its limit.

"What is it?" Terlashar growled, purest death radiating from her body, filling the air around her.

Her long-time aide let the waves of death wash around him, unfazed, continuing without breaking stride. "The purgatory church just sent a full battlegroup into blood-gorger territory. They have already secured one wormhole, and are pushing to take another while the gorgers are busy."

"What! How long ago?" Terlashar asked.

"The news is about two months old, our scout ship just returned," Grendel said.

Excitement boiled through her, her ichor rushing through her veins.

"What about Caldas and the thorn hill clan?"Terlashar asked.

"Caldas and his battle group have been absent of the area for over half a year, off chasing that Lorocan lunatic Julian of the Viotti clan," Glendel said.

"What does the defense on the wormhole cluster look like?" Terlashar asked, her ichor boiling with excitement.

Glendal beamed, his excitement radiating past his usual reserved façade "They have twelve early celestial grade cultivators, with only two that are middle C grade. None of them is anything noteworthy. Caldas took all the elites with him." Glendal said.

"Send word to Hersar. I want his battle group to pursue and harass the purgatory church. No pitched battles, delaying action only.

Also, Alert the first fleet. We are going to attack the colic wormhole cluster with everything we have." Terlashar order, rising, waves of death swirling around her.

This was great news. If they captured the colic wormhole cluster, they would have access to another two hundred planets. It was an area of space called the Kelvish dominion.

It would be a huge gain, converting all those planets and trillions of people to the unliving. All she had to do, was claim those planets before those self-righteous priests scoured them of life.

She might have to pay more taxes to her backers in the undead empire, but that was expected.

Depending on how many planets she converted, and if she could hold them, this could be her chance to become an established force in the empire. It might take a few centuries, but she might be able to move away from being a fringe clan.

Getting access to the resources and cultivation havens of the empire might also be possible.