My sleep that night is plagued by thoughts of laying eggs.
Cracking open my tired eyes, I look around with blurry vision. It takes me a minute to remember where I am, the bed inside the palanquin every bit as comfy as my home bed. Enna is still where I left her, sitting at the table. One, the traitor, is sitting in her lap while she gently rubs his tummy. I need to get used to the immortal lifestyle, I suppose sitting in one place all night is nothing for someone who lives forever, sleeping for months on end isn’t a problem either now that I think about it. The thought makes me smile, I can sleep all I want without remorse, it won’t even affect my XP gain.
Enna looks over at me, “Good morning honey.” One adds his own ‘good morning’ with a spirited yip.
I would love to stay in bed, but my aching bladder has other plans, forcing me to leave my sanctuary. After taking care of that, I sit down at the table, still half asleep. While I am busy rubbing my eyes, Enna disappears for a moment, reappearing with a bowl of food. I mumble thanks and eat while listlessly staring out the window.
“Something bothering you hun?”
“Mmmm” I struggle to form the words, “Trying to get used to being immortal, I guess.”
“Oh, it’s nothing.” My caretaker easily replies.
“For you.” I mumble, shoveling another spoonful of food into my mouth.
Enna tsks, “Don’t talk with your mouth full dear.”
I mumble again around my spoon.
“Someone is grumpy today.” She says in a sing-song voice.
“Not a morning person, ugghhhh do you have to be so cheerful?”
“No,” Comes the expected chipper response, “But it definitely helps when dealing with grouchy, little Vess.”
It is way too early for this back and forth. Finishing my food, I quickly crawl back into bed for some much needed rest. Just as I am settling in, a shiver runs up my spine, danger! Before I can react, the attacker scoops me out of bed, arms far too strong for me to break out of.
“I’ll use my claws!” Going on the offensive might be my only chance, I menacingly brandish my natural weapons.
“Sure, give it a try sweetie.” Enna gives me a peck on the cheek.
I hesitate, “Would that hurt you?”
Giggling, she answers, “Oh sweetie, that is sooo cute.” More laughing, “Your little claws are adorable.”
“Ok, ok, I get it, I’m defenseless.” Pouting seems to be my only defense, and the more I pout, the more I get cuddled. “I surrender, just do whatever you want.”
My caretaker rolls her eyes, “Oh don’t be so dramatic, you can go back to sleep.” She lays me back down, tucking me into the covers. One jumps onto the bed and curls up next to me, letting out a little huff.
I eye her suspiciously, but she just smiles, turns, and steps out of the palanquin.
+5,000 XP
The door opens and Enna steps back in, licking blood off her claws. “Don’t worry honey, just a stray.”
“That was a high-leveled stray.” I observe.
“Mhmm.” She agrees, “We accidentally disturbed a creature, an old wyvern. Grumpy, like you.”
I barely suppress an eyeroll, “Well, thanks. I don’t want to lose any Vess before we get to the actual battle.”
“It was nothing.” She demurs.
After the teasing relents, things settle down, the palanquin plods ever onward. I return to my favorite pastime, lying in bed while I watch the world through my summons.
We are passing through a river valley, lush and full of life. The terrifying army of Vess soldiers couldn't stand out more, not that their dead silent march would give them away. Most monsters have enough survival instinct to flee from the unstoppable force, those that don’t are torn to shreds by countless blades, filled with stingers, and dragged away by my loyal hunters. I watch a poor hobgoblin fruitlessly swinging a club at a soldier, only to be bisected at the waist by a single swing of the scythe arm.
A group of archers circle above a handful of trolls, shooting spike after spike into their bodies, until one successfully connects with an eye socket, dropping the troll instantly.
Goblins sprint away in absolute terror of a knight, its back blades whirling in a cyclone of death. The knight easily overtakes its smaller quarry and minces the whole group in a blink.
It’s going to be impossible to make friends with humans. The Vess are objectively terrifying. I let out a frustrated sigh. I’m really counting on Lotheris being exceedingly grateful to me, hopefully saving them from losing a war and having their kingdom destroyed will be enough.
“Enna.”
“Yes dear?”
“Am I doing the right thing? Getting involved in this war?”
Enna scoffs and waves her hand dismissively, “There is no ‘right thing'. You are the Vess, and thus, whatever decision you make is the path that will be followed. Every soldier, scout, and whelp are behind you.”
I squirm around in bed, trying to find the comfiest position. Is Enna even capable of understanding what I am worried about? Ever since I was reborn, I have been doing an incredible job of keeping the world at a distance, only interacting with it through my summons. Sleeping away the days, only waking up to eat and occasionally bathe, none of this feels real. My past life is all blurry, nothing there to hold onto or feel sad about. It has all been so cozy.
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
All of my physical needs are being met, my social needs have been covered up and smothered by my blankets, it hasn’t really been a problem, and I do not need self-actualization if I just sleep!
See this is what I am talking about, all of these nasty thoughts are creeping into my mind, making me feel things. It’s all so uncomfortable, it makes me want to go back to sleep, I am exhausted. Talking to Enna has made it harder and harder to ignore the world. A conversation necessitates active thoughts, I need to think if I want to have a meaningful conversation, if I want to connect to her, really talk to her. I can’t put the genie back in the bottle now that Enna has become a part of my life, I cannot go back to being alone, the cold comfort of sleep has been thoroughly soured. I desperately need someone to talk to, someone who loves me. I need to mean something to someone. Enna is the closest thing I have to a family now, even if she is absolutely under my control. And I need more. I want friends, if I am to be awake, I need more people in my life, I need to embrace the world if I want to stand a chance at being happy. Oh god, am I sad? Something is missing in my life, so I must be sad! Stupid thoughts.
I’m starting to think I was deeply troubled in my past life.
Blinking tears out of my eyes, I reach out for comfort, “Enna.”
“Mmmm?”
“Will you tell me a story or something? I’m worried and I can’t sleep.”
Enna makes an ‘awww’ sound and gives me the ‘you are too adorable’ look. “Of course, sweetie.”
My cheeks burn, but I get what I want. Enna sits at the edge of my bed and begins a story. It takes me a moment to realize the story is from a movie I barely remember, I think I only watched half of it, forcing Enna to fill in the gaps with whatever nonsense she can. It’s familiar, and nice.
Sleep takes me.
“Ren~, wake up. It’s time to get up.”
Peeling my eyes open reveals my caretaker standing over me, hands clasped in front of her. “Mmph.” Tumbles from my mouth, not enough sleep.
I am picked up and carried over to the window. The sight of a city under siege wakes me up instantly. “We’re at the capital already?”
Enna lets out a huff, shifting me in her arms, “Yes, it’s been two weeks, sleepy head.” She ruffles my already messy hair. “Let’s get you ready for battle.”
By getting me ready for battle, naturally she means getting me dressed and brushing my hair. My two strength would not be seeing combat, of course. Enna says something about needing to impress the humans and puts me in my fanciest dress, braids my hair, and wraps the braid around my head to form a crown of sorts. My caretaker steps back, nodding to herself, satisfied that I look regal enough.
Enna leads the way outside, stepping down from the raised platform and resuming her natural form. She turns and retrieves me from the palanquin, gently placing me down on the ground.
The capital stands tall against the onslaught, towering ramparts of white stone protecting the people of Lotheris from the Karnakan invaders. A massive metal gate adorned with iconography of twin wyverns, once beautiful, has been marred by swaths of scorch marks and deep dents. Trenches, ladders, siege towers, and countless bodies further deface the once magnificent city. A sea of enemy soldiers stands before the walls, with devastating magical spells soaring through the skies, breaking chunks off the defender’s walls and wiping out whole squads of invaders at a time. On the far side of the invaders, their base camp can be seen, a sea of tents standing defiantly against the majesty of the capital.
“It seems we have arrived well into the battle.” Enna sweeps her arm out, gesturing towards the chaos, “While your grace slumbered, I have dispatched an invading force to cripple the enemy's base camp, as discussed.” She continues, a bloodthirsty smile spreading over her face, “We have taken position up on this hill, off the enemies flank, a perfect location for the ballistae to rain their missiles upon thy foes.”
She pauses, “Ah, good. The Karnakan base camp is in disarray. Tents have shredded, carts lay broken, supplies scattered and trampled. Our losses are acceptable.”
As she speaks, she continues to direct my army. Ballistae form up into firing positions, squires ready to reload them. Soldiers stand in a defensive line at the bottom of the hill, swarms of archers hover overhead to provide supporting fire. My knights surround my palanquin in a defensive bubble, ready to be thrown at the nearest high-level opponent.
“I feel like I shouldn't have slept through the sacking of the Karnakan camp.” My lips drop into a frown, “Like, there should be a limit to my laziness, right? I can’t just rely on you for everything Enna.”
Enna looks totally unconcerned, “And why not, little queen. My actions are your own, my thoughts as well.” She sweeps her arms in a grand gesture, “I am but an extension of your will, allow me to act as your voice, your hands.”
I have come to find that Enna has two modes. Mommy mode and fanatical servant mode. Not sure which one is preferable, the constant teasing and babying, or the overly grand and flowery speeches. At the end of the day, she is under my control, and she has only done things that we have already discussed. I can’t help but feel uneasy all the same, she ordered my Vess to kill people while I slept. Could she get overly ambitious and do something I wouldn’t want? A part of me wants to keep a close eye on her, maybe restrict her more. Buuuuut the much larger, lazier part of me wants her to just handle everything.
In the end, I shrug. “Okay, prepare to fire on the Karnakan army.”
Bolts click into place and are aimed towards the invading army, my units are completely still, awaiting the order to rain death. A bothersome thought tries to enter my mind and kick up a fuss, this is going to kill a lot of people.
The thought is apprehended and squashed immediately. My face sets into a grim expression, I give the order, “Fire.”
I don’t pretend to understand the inner workings of my creatures, my ballista launches their bolts using pressurized gas from their swollen abdomens, I think. That is to say, when all of them fire at once, a blast of released gas washes over me, the actual process being completely silent.
The bolts soar through the air in a firing arc. The cloud of deadly spears slams into the Karnankan army, killing a dozen soldiers, wounding and disorienting two dozen more. My scouts allow me to see just how effective the attack was.
My squires use their tendrils to insert fresh spikes into my artillery, as the ballistae themselves begin to pressurize gas. It only takes twenty seconds before the second volley is launched, to devastating results. Having completely silent artillery is kinda unfair, the Karnakan army has been caught completely unaware. Volley after volley of ballista bolts slam into the enemy, some are blocked by magical barriers, but most make it through, even shattering one barrier with the force of the onslaught. Most mages are busy protecting their charges from magical attacks and either don’t have the skill or mana to block the fire from my Vess.
Volley after volley of bolts are sent into the enemy's ranks. We are hitting their eastern flank, with the castle being north, and the lines of soldiers begin to buckle. Some flee in confusion and fear, others bunker down and try to protect themselves, few continue to push up the ladders and siege towers. The ballistae are proving to be as effective as I hoped. If I can keep up the pressure, the eastern flank might collapse completely.
I stand next to Enna, watching the chaos unfold. We are a surprise and a completely unknown element; the attackers are having trouble mounting a defense against us.
Still, it is only a matter of time. My scouts spot a man in gleaming silver armor, holding up a giant sword, he seems to be rallying his men. It takes them a bit, fumbling to keep everyone together, probably trying to figure out what the hell I am, but eventually, horses are acquired and mounted and a responding force charges towards the defensive line of my soldiers.
