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Vael sighed slightly as she leaned on her spear. When will I find a suitable partner, she thought. She was musing on what her perfect partner would be like and look like. Preferably Duskari or Ari, with a stern disposition. Shifting her gaze, she set her eyes on Admiral Naila, the newly arrived Ari. Now that\'s a woman, she thought. Tall, bronzed skin from hours spent in the sun, a powerful build that could crush her. Vael\'s eyes glazed over as she imagined the things they could do to each other-

A Duskari ran into the council room, interrupting the meeting and bowing deeply. "Lady Rivers! I apologize for interrupting, but a special visitor has arrived."

Lyn sat up a little straighter on her throne, "Show them in."

The servant bowed and ran out of the room. Lyn barked several orders as the relaxed nature of the council chamber shifted, and everyone sat or stood upright, papers were shuffled to look more orderly, and within a few seconds the room was pristine and courtly. Vael straightened her posture, as did Gael. Right, have to impress new people, she thought. Lyn normally let people relax and act less properly and courtly if they did their jobs well, but first impressions were important, and everyone here knew that.

A portly, balding man with swarthy skin entered. Heavily tanned and with a jiggling to his every step, the smiling man entered the chamber and bowed deeply. He spoke in perfect Arinol, "Lady Rivers, the Destroyer, ruler of the Valley of the Volcano. I request an audience."

Lyn nodded and waved him forward, "Approach," Vael stated, acting as her mouthpiece as they had practiced.

The man stepped into the marked-off space for those who were in audience. "I am Zebed Ba\'n Azir Shedai, of the Shedai merchant family from the Free City of Bashinol. I am here to seek terms of trade with your new kingdom."

Lyn whispered to Vael, and she nodded. "This is an empire, not a kingdom," Vael stated. "An empress sits above all petty kings and queens."

The man bowed deeply, "Of course. Forgive me, Lady Rivers." He waved his hand, and a pair of soldiers brought forth a treasure chest. "A gift, to show our intentions." Lyn waved her hand, and Gael walked forward, opening the chest to reveal golden coins. "Two thousand Gold Eagles, Lady Rivers, as a sign of goodwill."

Lyn whispered to Vael, and once more she relayed the information. "Lady Rivers accepts your gift." Gael shut the chest lid and whistled loudly. Two servants dashed from the hallway behind Zebed and his men, grabbed the chest, and dragged it back into the darkness. Lyn whispered in her ear once more. "Lady Rivers asks what terms you request."

Zebed nodded and stood, "I am authorized to speak on behalf of the merchant republic, and we have heard of your intentions through information brokers and your proclamation. I have seen this amazing Valley…but it appears to be depopulated. Ah, but that can wait. I have here documents proposing trade agreements." He pulled a sheaf of documents from his robes, and Thane Mol, the Sloren Steward, stood up and walked over. He said something to Zebed in his language, and the merchant responded in kind. Thane Mol went back to his desk and said something to Lyn in the same language. Lyn then whispered back to Vael in Arinol.

"Lady Rivers states that you shall work with her Steward on these trade endeavors. But she asks why you felt the need to insult her lack of citizenry," Vael stated.

"No insult was meant, merely an observation," the man stated with a smile. A forced smile, even Vael could tell that. "I know of people who have been displaced. I propose putting together an organization. The Free City will find people who wish to relocate and will bring them on secure ships to your Valley. In exchange, you would provide a fee for their transport and associated costs."

Vael leaned over to Lyn and whispered to her, "I don\'t trust this guy," she muttered.

Lyn nodded and whispered back, "This is how all merchants from the Free City talk. It does not sound genuine, but it\'s just him trying to make a sale. And we need more people. Tell him this…"

Vael nodded and faced Zebed, "Your proposal intrigues Lady Rivers. You will speak with Chancellor Vehenna and Steward Mol about these ideas. She invites you to stay within the fortress, where quarters have been made available for you and your men."

Zebed bowed deeply, "I accept your generous offer, and only ask that word be sent back to my ship moored outside your river-fort on the Azure Divide that I have arrived safely."

Vael nodded and glanced at Lyn who gave her a small nod of approval. "We will arrange that." She stated.

Zebed smiled and stepped aside, "I have also brought with me a representative of King James Marshall, ruler of the kingdom of Khrelardia."

One of the guards walked forward and Zebed switched places with him. The guard pulled off his helmet and swept his blonde hair to the side. He was handsome. Gorgeous, even, with calm, hazel eyes and a chiseled jawline. He spoke in Khrelardian. Damnit. I can\'t understand. Lyn tapped her fingers on the throne. Shit, Vael thought. That was a bad sign. She did that when she was torn on a decision.

Lyn stood up and walked down from her dais, her voice dropping to the draconic growl as the messenger tried to maintain a confident pose but quivered in fear. She said something to him in Khrelardian, and he nodded rapidly. Lyn turned to Vael and swapped to Arinol, "Take him to a squadron of Duskari. Get him to the Azure Divide and send him down river back to Khrelardia. Then, come to my chambers."

Vael nodded and walked over, grabbing the man by the shoulder, turning him, and pushing him. She could feel the sweat that had permeated his clothes from fear. "You must have pissed her off," she said.

He responded in his language, and she just shook her head. "Can\'t understand you." Not that I care what you have to say, she thought. She reached one of the ready-rooms and called up a group of the Duskari warriors in a squadron. "Take him to the Azure Divide and send him down river." The group nodded and took custody of the man, pushing him outside.

Vael turned and went back to the council chamber, finding it abuzz with conversation between the various councilors. "Did Lady Rivers retire to her chambers?" she asked Antiquarian Menora.

The Duskari woman nodded, "Yes, Guard Vael."

She made haste to Lyn\'s chambers and knocked. There was no noise from within. She tested the door and found it unlocked. Opening it, she saw the clouds of steam that were coming from the bathing room. She closed and locked the door behind her and went inside.

Lyn was sitting in the scalding bath, staring up at the ceiling. She glanced sideways to Vael, "We have a problem," she stated. "Khrelardia has requested a non-aggression pact. Basically, they won\'t attack us if we won\'t attack them."

Vael pulled up a chair, leaned her spear against the wall, and sat down facing Lyn, "That sounds like a good thing."

Lyn frowned, "It\'s not. It means he views himself as my equal instead of a lesser. That my empire and his kingdom are at the same level. Development-wise? We have better infrastructure, and the codices of law I am putting together, along with the various programs we will be implementing for the citizenry. The only thing he has that is greater than what we have is numbers. Sheer manpower. That\'s all. He would be asking for subjugation if he saw us as his greater."

Vael shook her head, "And a larger army?"

Lyn looked at her with a keen eye, "I can destroy any army he throws our way." She sighed and submerged herself into the water before popping back up and pushing her hair back. "The issue is numbers. This Zebed has a good idea to import people who are seeking a new lease on life. It will be a nice way to rapidly increase the population of the Valley proper." She looked at Vael with a wan smile, "It\'s a lot of work figuring out how to run an empire."

Vael nodded, "I can imagine." You must have so much weight on your shoulders. She stood up and walked behind Lyn who gave her a curious look. "Relax," she said, as she gripped Lyn\'s shoulders and massaged them. The Destroyer let out a sigh of relaxation and grinned. "Thank you, by the way."

"For what?" Lyn asked.

"Letting Gael and Bolvon be together."

Lyn giggled, "Of course. Who am I to stand in the way of their love."

Vael nodded, "May I be frank with you?"

"Go ahead."

"I\'m jealous of him. He has this person he loves, and I\'m just…drifting alone."

Lyn frowned and looked up at her, "Hey. You\'ll find someone."

Vael nodded, "That Admiral interests me…" she trailed off.

Lyn laughed, "Oh? Then just go for it. Ask her out to drink."

"I will," Vael replied.

Morning came and Lyn took a deep breath as she left her chambers and headed towards the part of the fortress that had been set aside for the heroes. They had all arrived the day before, and she felt mixed emotions in her chest. She had avoided them, citing her duties of finishing the Valley expansions via terraforming, but she couldn\'t put it off anymore. It\'s time, she thought as she reached what used to be the Demonic Dragon\'s throne room.

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The room had been cleared, and she had an enormous, circular table of obsidian sitting in the center. It was polished to a black mirror, and she had seats of obsidian equally polished with soft cushions placed around the circle. Her seat at the far end was the most prominent, with a spiked top. Lyn used the internal shifting spell to suppress her draconic features. Taking the seat, she gestured to Vael, "Alright. Bring them in."

Vael nodded and left to fetch the heroes. Lynn glanced over to Gael, "Bolvon is ready?"

"Yes, Lyn," Gael replied, gesturing up slightly. Lyn glanced up, and saw nothing save for the ornate, obsidian chandelier with lit candles providing illumination to the room. "He\'s ready in case your will needs to be enacted."

Lyn nodded. She wasn\'t taking any chances. Brad wouldn\'t betray her interests, but she had not seen Trisha or Ben in quite some time. I need to be cautious, she thought. And I\'m not taking any risks. She didn\'t want to kill any of them, and Bolvon had strict instructions to only incapacitate if required, at her signal.

Brad entered first and sat at one of the seats near Lyn. He spoke in English. "Damn, you really cleaned up this place!" he smiled and pointed under the table, "Trisha was able to fix me up."

Lyn laughed lightly, "Good. Happy you got a bigger dick."

Brad casually flipped her off before turning as the next few people entered. Lyn recognized the broad shoulders, calm disposition, and stern eyes of Ben Baxter. He was walking hand-in-hand with Trisha, who looked like she was calm…but there was trepidation mixed in her appearance, the way she walked and hugged tightly to her husband, the tension in her shoulders. She\'s on edge. They both took seats across from Lyn. They were more mature and had aged well. Neither looked older than their mid-twenties, despite having to be in their mid-thirties.

"Hi. Long time no see," Lyn said.

Ben cracked a small smile, "So, you\'re Lyn?"

"That\'s right," Lyn replied, kicking her legs up on the table. "The same punk-goth rocker chick that would constantly beg for your extra protein bars."

Ben chuckled a little bit, "Indulge me. What was the flavor I always gave you because I hated it?"

Lyn grimaced, "Banana. Didn\'t taste at all like the real fruit. Fucking disgusting."

Trisha\'s demeanor and posture relaxed, "You…you are her," she said softly.

Lyn rolled her eyes, "Yes. God, how many times do I have to say it to convince you all?" She looked at Brad, "You told them, right?"

"Oh yeah. So did Volio when he was there."

Ben looked around, "Where is Volio, anyways?"

Lyn winced internally. Fuck. Didn\'t think it would come up this quickly. "I\'ll get to it. But first we\'re waiting on Thomas."

As if on cue, Vael brought Thomas into the room before shutting the doors and standing guard at them. The lanky Knowledge hero looked familiar to Lyn, but his hair was shorter, he was younger, and his skin was covered in scars. Lyn looked at the few she could see. Elenthir scarring? The fuck were you up to? Thomas sat down and looked at Lyn, "I\'m sorry about last time."

"What?" Lyn asked, caught off guard.

"I\'m sorry I didn\'t believe you. I should have." He leaned forward and glanced at Trisha and Ben, "I did something stupid. I should have given you a chance."

"I accept your apology," Lyn stated. "You made it here, and you\'re willing to hear me out. That\'s progress."

He frowned, "I smashed the statue of Aelor, the hero core-"

Lyn held up her hand and interrupted, "I know. Zack told me."

This earned looks of surprise from all but Brad. "What?" Ben asked.

"One moment." Lyn focused on pulling up the recorded message from Zack and felt the Rogue mana core breach the surface of the roiling lava within her Destroyer core. She let the message play aloud, and all but Brad – who already heard the message – were open-jawed. Once it stopped, she smiled, "I\'ve also freed Nami and Elias."

Trisha heaved a breath of relief, "I had no clue that when we died, we would be trapped in our hero cores. I mean, your letter said that you didn\'t see any of the heroes when you returned to Earth. But…" she shook her head, "It\'s good that you freed them. Can you free the rest?"

Lyn nodded, "When I find a dungeon, I can shoot off a spell to draw their attention." She smiled and held her wrist up, willing mana into the bracer as the map of Ghomar appeared. "And thanks to this, I know where every dungeon is."

Thomas grinned, "That\'s good. And with Volio\'s help, you can get there. Just use Zack\'s ability to use storage spells to make a space, your wind elementalism to provide oxygen, and have him teleport with the bowshots."

Fuck. Lyn stood up and put her hands on the table. Bite the bullet now and just get it over with. She took a deep breath before stating, "Volio is dead." She glanced up at the chandelier and her waiting backup plan before forcing her gaze back to the group.

Ben sat up straighter in his chair, as did Brad. Thomas continued to stare at Lyn, and Trisha gasped. "How?" Ben asked.

"I killed him." She stated matter-of-factly. Devoid of emotion. Why feel emotion for the man? He had done wrong and was punished. Good riddance.

The Guardian hero clenched his teeth, "Why?" he growled.

"I know why," Thomas said, his gaze never leaving Lyn. "He tried to do something to you, did he not?"

Lyn nodded and looked at Ben, "He tried to thrall me." She looked at Thomas, "I give you permission to use a mind spell on me to look at all memories I have of Volio."

Thomas stood up, walked around the table, and placed his hand on her head. "En ethiel an le / thalion min / an thio nin i rem en hain / a leithio nin en-gwevin hain / sui i hain na nin." Lyn felt his presence in her mind. It was an odd feeling, as if something was pressing on the side of her temple, and she could visualize him perusing the memories that were pushed deep aside her psyche. He pulled his hand away and nodded, looking at Ben. "She\'s telling the truth. Volio tried to mind-slave her over several days. She gave him a trial, and he was found guilty." He went back to his seat and sat down.

Ben\'s defensive stance relaxed, and he looked at Trisha who had a mix of emotions on her face. She seemed distraught, relieved, and anxious all at once. "He was a creep, but he didn\'t deserve death. Couldn\'t you have imprisoned him?"

Lyn shook her head, "How can you imprison someone who can teleport? I would need the mana-suppressing dungeon in Kor\'s Hold." Or the ones I learned we have in the Conclave here that none of them know about.

Thomas nodded, "She had no choice. Fucking with someone\'s mind like that…what Cecily did to me and Brad," he said, glancing at the Alchemist hero, who nodded in confirmation. "It\'s fucked up."

Trisha sighed, "Well…at least he\'s not dead for good. What happens to the…souls inside hero cores when you consume them?"

Lyn smiled, "They get two doors. Either another chance on Ghomar – whether that\'s rebirth or something, I have no idea – or back to Earth."

Trisha looked to Thomas, "Is that accurate?"

Thomas nodded, "When I died, I saw those two doors, but I also had a third door because of what I\'d done to prepare." He stood up, pulled his shirt up, and Lyn finally could read the text he had scarred into himself. "I was able to escape death by transplanting my consciousness into a prepared vessel. It took an outside source of mana – Misty, in this case – but I pulled it off." He pulled the shirt down. "I found a way to escape death. And I could do it forever." He smiled and looked at Lyn, "I\'m basically immortal. And…it took a while, but my Knowledge core is still within me. I wasn\'t sure if I would get that back, but I still have it." He leaned back as Ben, Trisha, and Brad all looked at him with shock. "This is what Cecily has been trying to get her hands on, by the way."

Lyn narrowed her eyes, "What?"

"Right." He leaned forward, "I spent years of my life scouring the Ruins of Elent. I found every single piece of information, collated it in one location, and then memorized all of it. I also sealed that place." He tapped his head, "I have lots of information up here. And I know what Cecily is planning." He held up a finger, "She is looking for what I\'ve achieved, a way to transfer her consciousness or soul to a prepared vessel, along with her mana core. To obtain the pseudo-immortality I\'ve achieved. To be an eternal ruler of Valagonia, and eventually, the world." He shook his head and put his hand down, "But she wants to purge any non-Human. She\'s using that to rally people to her side. Playing on their insecurities due to racial disparities. Amplifying the divide with fear of the \'other\'. Classic dictator playbook."

Ben shook his head, "Can she pull off that spell? What you did?"

"No. Only I have the knowledge. And none can get to the Ruins without a way to bypass the endless storms. With Hector…" his voice drifted off for a moment as his eyes glazed over. "We flew over the storms and came in from above. She can\'t get to it."

Lyn tented her hands. She seeks to become an immortal ruler of all Ghomar, just like me. Lyn put her head in her hands and sighed. "Fuck." She raised her head to look at the heroes. "Well…that\'s a problem."

Trisha nodded, and Lyn saw anger cross her face along with a helpless stare, "What can we do about it?"

"For now? We build," Lyn stated as she stood up. "I was sincere in my desire to rule this world and make it a better place for everyone. I want all of you to help me with this goal. Ben, I would be honored to have you advise my Marshal, Remora." She turned to Trisha, "You and Brad would make excellent Court Physicians. One able to instruct and teach in magical healing, the other in more widespread alchemical and medicinal practices."

Brad smiled, "I\'d be happy to get an official title."

Trisha looked at Brad and nodded, "As long as I have autonomy with my school for healing…I am okay with helping out."

Ben stared down at the table before looking up at Lyn, "I need to know something," he said. Lyn gestured for him to continue. "What are you going to do to the Valagonian citizens that Cecily has practically brainwashed?"

Lyn walked around the table to stand next to Ben. She gently put a hand on the back of his chair. "To be honest…I\'m not sure. My diplomat is in talks with Trisk about having their king vassalize under my imperial authority. I hope to keep doing a peaceful takeover of Ghomar, and just change institutions to match my vision." She frowned, "But if they refuse to change…ruin will come first, and we will have to rebuild from the ashes. I can assure you that I don\'t want any more death and strife than the bare minimum necessary to accomplish my goals."

Ben shook his head, "You don\'t sound like Lyn at all anymore."

Lyn went back to her seat, "I am not Lyn Rivers, the classmate you once had. Nor am I Lyn Rivers, the Scout. I\'m Lyn Rivers the Destroyer; inheritor of the power of Raevan, the deity of destruction, and Yheron, the Demonic Dragon." She sat once more. "If you cannot accept the new me, too bad. Old me is gone."

Thomas nodded, "I will advise you in your goals," he muttered.

Ben shook his head and stood up, "I won\'t be on this council of yours," he muttered. "I\'ll keep training up my boxer-bodyguards and open the doors of my school to anyone else who wants to join. But my family comes first. I refuse to be involved in any more bloodshed."

Lyn nodded, "I completely understand. Thank you for coming here." She smiled gently, "I\'d love to meet them."

Trisha smiled softly, "You will soon enough, I\'m sure. We\'re still getting settled into the suites you\'ve provided." She stood up and grabbed her husband\'s hand, "I will serve on this council, but like my husband, I won\'t be involved in violence. We have simply moved our schools to your Valley; nothing more."

"And I\'m happy you have," Lyn said as she smiled at the couple. "You\'re safe here. No one will ever harm you or your family. If anyone so much as dares to try I\'ll crush them in an instant."

Ben nodded and gently smiled, "Thank you." He grabbed Trisha around the waist, and the two left the chamber as Vael opened the door for them before shutting it once more.

Thomas got up and went around to sit closer to Lyn and Brad. "Brad, do you mind letting me talk to Lyn alone for a few minutes?"

Brad shook his head, "No, I don\'t mind at all. I\'ve got to check in on my apprentices anyways." He stood up and shot a grin at Lyn, "Good job bringing them all in. Sorry to hear about Volio, but, well he got what he deserved."

When he had left, Lyn looked at Thomas. The Knowledge hero had a face that was inscrutable. "What did you want to talk about?" She asked.

He switched to Elenthir, "A few things. First, Cecily has been harvesting mana cores. Lots of them. She\'s probably as strong as if not stronger than James or Misty. She might even rival your strength. Second, she is going to keep trying to get into the Ruins of Elent until she succeeds. I must go back there to secure the tomes so she can\'t get her hands on them." He shook his head, "When I was her prisoner and she had thralled me…I saw things. If she comes to rule Ghomar and acquires immortality through this convoluted transference spell, it\'ll make Stalin\'s regime look tame in comparison."

Lyn nodded, "So you need to get there quickly."

"Since you have Volio\'s core, you can travel quickly and bypass the barriers the Elenthians erected. I can come along thanks to Zack\'s core. This is urgent. It has to be high on your priority list." He sighed and grabbed her hand, which surprised her because he was not a physical person at all. He stared into her eyes. "There\'s something else you need to know. A piece of information that I learned while I was there."

Lyn felt her heart beat faster. The Destroyer core inside her rumbled slightly. A feeling of anxiety crept up her spine. "What did you find out?"