Proceeding to the inner rooms of the secret space below the factory, Elinor waited at each entrance as Audrey searched for the former gang leader; there were five in total along the hallway, yet only two held corpses, and quite a few of them.
The stench and sight didn’t bother Elinor as much as they should have; it was as if she’d been accustomed to death all her life, which was possibly a hidden affix of [Monarch of Death].
Other than the signs of bullet fire, blood stains, and seemingly recent litter strewn about in the panic of the sudden assault or internal conflict, the space was relatively tidy. Of course, Audrey might have been the reason for that, given her OCD tendencies.
The rooms held the repackaging location, chemical mixing area, security, a storage room, and what appeared to be the boss’ private office at the end of the hall. Most of the bodies were inside the repackaging and security spaces.
It didn’t take long for Audrey to find the teenage girl she wanted to be resurrected. She was probably a year older than Elinor, by her looks, and the woman had been right about her execution with the bullet through her chest.
Elinor directed the maid to keep searching for the leader as her butterfly hovered down to examine the girl’s potential. Butter remained nearby, observing many signs of violence on the deceased while talking privately to Carlos.
What was her name, Audrey? she queried.
The girl had shoulder-length black hair with a right cowlick that she had swept to the left, with her bangs tucked behind her ear; she was thin and a bit taller than Elinor, but it was clear by her well-worn hands and the light muscle that she did physical labor.
Her clothes were generic and had likely seen use for a few years. It was a bit sad to see the way some people lived, yet she saw people like this all the time on California’s streets.
“Adoncia Vences, Empress, and her brother’s name is Sal; she has spoken to me a few times about him having a girlfriend, as well. I believe her name was Alisa. I don’t know much about her, I’m afraid.”
More than I was expecting… Her parents aren’t in the picture much?
“I’m afraid not… Like me, they were hooked on drugs, as were a surprising number of residents in this town. Adoncia’s parents are addicted to codeine… Well, if they’re alive.”
Elinor took one of the seats nearby to stare at the dead girl, crossing her legs. Every time she studied a new body, she discovered more and more about how her abilities functioned, and Adoncia was no different.
Adoncia’s Grade and Tier was Poor-B, which she was learning was quite high for an average soul, yet the categorization was the key. She was a maid candidate, but unlike Audrey, this teenage girl was teetering on the edge of tilting from the Serving Court into the Military Court.
A combat maid? Elinor mused to Butter.
“Oh? That could be useful. A petite girl like her staying by your side that is disregarded by an enemy would be an ideal one to have close by. Discovering anything new about your System?”
You could say that… The specifications for where each of the undead I raise is more nuanced than we first thought. Between the Serving, Military, and High Court, all undead can act within them, but their compatibility with those roles differs. Their Grade and Tier can also increase based on a combination of them while showing where they would best fit.
“How compatible is this girl?” Butter asked, hovering over to land on her nose. “Mmm. Almost fifty-fifty. She is a server and a fighter. Interesting dynamic, which bumps her up to a higher Tier. She also has a temper; Audrey?”
The woman paused in the security room, indicating to Elinor that she’d found their target. “Adoncia is very good at following orders and going above and beyond in any task she is given, but she did expect compensation for it, and if cheated, she would speak out of her labor—quite vocally, too.”
I see no problem with that, Elinor said, rising with Butter to join the maid in the other room. As she passed, her gaze lingered on three dead ri’bot that the gang had killed. Well, it seems the time has finally come.
She stood over the man that had ordered her kidnapping, taking in his appearance as Butter rested on her shoulder and Audrey awaited further instruction nearby, hands folded against her stomach.
Armando was smaller than Elinor thought he’d be, possibly only a few millimeters taller than Adoncia, but whenever she pictured mob or cartel bosses, she always expected them to be above two meters and built like a train.
“Not very impressive, is he?” Butter huffed, sending one of her minions to scan the corpse. “Poor-A in acting as an underling in the High Court. Carlos outstrips him by quite the margin.”
Elinor’s ethereal veil drifted to the left with her head movement while examining him head to foot. He’d been shot four times—three in the chest and once in the head—which left much of his features hidden by the gore.
To be fair, Carlos was enhanced by his own Seed that we ate upon resurrecting him; he had superpowers. Whatever gave us these powers has boosted our spiritual capability by a large margin, which means we must find anyone who died that had one.
“Right… Ooh, yes! We can make swift gains through incorporating more of these Seeds,” Butter agreed. “We will have to keep our eyes open. How many do you think changed within the town; can we make speculations yet based on the technology in this facility?”
Hehe. No, Butter, Elinor laughed, finding it funny her goddess-like twin was so ignorant regarding things so basic. We’ve only heard about a few thus far—less than five—so I’m guessing it is quite rare.
“A shame. So,” the blonde chimed, “should I break the news to our most senior, feet-dragging minion?”
It should be done by The Empress, I think, she returned, calling Eduardo to return from his lookout position.
The swirl of fog slowly materialized through the ground and walls to hover nearby; if he could show his face, it would be a dull, bored expression. “You called, Empress… You found Armando? Wait… You can only have four Intelligent undead, and… and you already raised Audrey. Heh. Do… we need to find more toads to kill? I can find more toads!”
Elinor showed him a small smile, and the plans she’d had involving a ghost army made her giggle inside; in hindsight, all they could really do was perform rather minor and obnoxious, non-lethal curses at this Grade and Tier.
I’m thrilled you’re feeling so proactive right now, Eduardo. Unfortunately, I’m not sensing that you’re enjoying this life. Why not?
Butter sighed from a private connection they shared. “Must you torture him?”
I have to understand precisely why he is so resistant to avoid future failures, she responded, and the thickness of the fog increased, showing the stress and sweat now breaking out across the ghost’s ethereal form upon realizing what kind of ‘exit interview’ this was.
“Heh, Empress, I, umm… I do miss hands… I want to e-eat something—feel the warm touch of a woman, even…”
Elinor lifted a curious hand. Is my touch not warm? Hmm.
“N-Not like that, Empress! I know I can be useful! I just… I don’t want to, I, umm… I don’t want to die—eh, again… Where would I go? Do I just… cease to exist?” he asked in a panic.
Stepping forward, Elinor placed a hand on where she knew the man’s shoulder was, making the phantom flinch as he felt her touch.
I honestly don’t know, Eduardo, and I am grateful for the foundation you laid in helping me destroy one of the Hub-Crystals and killing Mika, but… I can’t have unwilling or resistant soldiers. I do hope you find peace on the other side… whatever is there.
She expected him to scream, yell, curse at her, yet all she heard was a terrified whimper as she let the chains binding him to her go, and he was drawn deep within the abyss inside her soul. The only noises that broke the still atmosphere were the sounds made by the undead hauling equipment upstairs to the trailer.
Elinor sensed Carlos’ approval of getting rid of the complaining criminal, searching for any more hidden caches that may have been tucked away. Audrey was indifferent toward the man’s cries, patiently waiting for when she would be needed.
For a moment, Elinor wondered if they were the odd ones and not the resistant ghost; she’d become so desensitized in such a short amount of time, yet it felt so natural to her as if relearning how to ride a bike she’d used countless times before.
What will Mom and Dad think of me? Elinor whispered to herself, sending her butterfly to ignite the cartel leader’s corpse in its emerald flames. It doesn’t matter until I save them, I suppose, and I will have answers for them.
Cold fire in her jade-green irises, Elinor watched flesh and muscle burn away to reveal the man’s polished bones as the skeleton twitched with the spirit dragged out of the void to be once again tied to them.
[Raise Undead - Advanced to E-tier]
“Ack—wha…”
No need to get comfortable, Armando, she informed the quaking figure, letting it be known through her voice that she was not pleased with him. You will kneel before me and only speak the truth of what I ask you… Nothing more, nothing less. Do you understand?
Resistance was instant but futile as she exerted her will onto the cartel boss, and, for the first time, she brought an iron fist down on a spirit, shattering the man’s attempts to disobey. Pain and fear replaced confusion and hatred as Armando prostrated himself before her.
“I… I-I understand… Immortal Empress of the Dead.”
In his mind, he saw herself, a towering monolith of death—dark, wicked, and obscene—darkness awakened, exerting a hand over his head to sink her claws into his tiny, frail, mortal spirit; she would not be denied. His terror twisted to horror upon realizing who stood over him—what he’d ordered done to her.
Who paid you to kidnap me?
Burning skull pressed against the concrete, unable to so much as look upon her feet, Armando’s voice was steady, but it wasn’t due to his own will with her fingers gripping his soul.
“I was contacted by an occult organization that calls themselves the Scarlet Hand. My only point of contact was a dark-haired woman; she gave me all of the information regarding your parents, including tax records, schedules, and family history—everything… more documentation than I’ve ever seen for a kidnapping job. All I could uncover was that this particular branch operated in Florida.”
Florida? Elinor whispered.
Butter’s wings fluttered at her questioning tone. “Is that significant? Is it a rival to your nation of California?”
Heh. No… It’s just all the way across the continent. Why were they interested in my family?
“This planet is so foreign to me…”
“I don’t know,” he replied, fear coating his tongue as she dripped poison on it for every unsatisfactory response.
Rather than getting into a loop, Elinor took the seat Audrey offered her, the maid moving without being prompted as if sensing her desire. Crossing her legs, she took a different approach.
Tell me what you know about everything involving me and this… dome we are in.
Bony fingers quaking against the ground, Elinor knew from his raw emotions in the Nexus that he wouldn’t be much help.
“The Scarlet Cult hired me for this job, Empress… I grew interested in who they might be; they were very well funded, and they’d already given me all the information about you, but… they did not tell me you were the Empress of the Dead. Eh-haha. I wouldn’t have believed them in any case,” he half laughed and cried.
“You were just some moderately wealthy family from the United States that someone wanted dealt with, as far as I knew, but the cult woman was very specific on what day, time, and place the kidnapping had to happen… She had to have known, Empress! She had to have known this would happen—the toads would attack us—the impassible dome… All of it!”
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
The last part drew her interest. You’ve tested the dome?
“Yes! It just teleports you to the other side of the barrier, however far across that is. You can’t feel it or see if anyone is on the other side—I’m sure there are, but all we could see was the environment… Nothing living. Our flashlights would be teleported to the other side, as well—the light, that is. When it started to snow, we bunkered down here.”
Hmm. Elinor’s focus went to Butter for a moment as she thought; the blonde was asking a load of questions to Audrey about Earth and various cultures, not wanting to embarrass herself by opening her mouth further.
In essence, what you’re telling me is that someone set me up to be pitted against these ri’bot… As I figured, none of this is random, but a staged event to take me and… Were there others that you were supposed to bring here? she questioned, realizing she might not be the only one who this Scarlet Hand had been trying to rid themselves of.
“Yes, Empress! A nearby prison warden—eh, Yesenia—yeah, that was her name! Yesenia was supposed to be here, and… and there were others the cult wanted me to bring to another small town to the far east of Colombia. Umm. There was an old retired military general, as well; I’m not sure if he got on the right bus, though… I wasn’t given a report from Eduardo’s group.”
Elinor wanted to curse, but she kept her poise, and she sensed an internal groan from Carlos as he listened to the report while processing the goods. Unfortunately, everyone connected to that part of the operation had either been used for Death Orbs, killed as a spirit, or released to the void, and a quick inquiry told her she couldn’t bring them back.
That’s… unfortunate. So, three people by name were sent here? Yesenia, the retired military general, whose name was…
“Umm. I had his report! A-All the information that was sent should be in my office!”
Much better, Elinor smiled.
He took it as a sign and scrambled to his feet, bones clicking frantically against the hard ground as he raced to get her the files. When he returned, she took them from his shaking hands. It was laughable; Elinor was practically a giant in the man’s mind after she’d shown his spirit a firm hand.
Taking the pieces of paper, her mouth drew into a line upon seeing the writing in Spanish; she spoke passably, but reading was a bit of a challenge. Studying it for a while, she got what information she needed from each.
“Talk to me, Priss! I’m dying to be a part of this discussion,” Butter pleaded. “I am affected by this change, as well. Was there anything on me? Did this cult have plans to snare a goddess or something along those lines—there has to be something!”
Haaa, Elinor sighed, turning a dull look to the agitated butterfly. Your main-character syndrome is showing, Butter. No, there is nothing about a blonde girl, and you might be jumping the gun on the whole goddess fixation. Let’s enter this with a level head and work off what we know instead of our imagination or ego.
“Humph. I know in my soul I am a very, very important person,” she huffed, frustrated that she was throwing shade on the subject, no doubt.
I’m sure. Still, I am working with facts, not how you feel right now, buttercup.
“Hmm?! Buttercup? A new nickname? Why does this sound cuter… Do you know something you’re not telling me in these files? I’m confused,” she cried. “You’re doing this on purpose!”
Elinor let her stew on the new name as she tried to get answers from the others; Mika threw up her hands, saying she had no clue what a buttercup was, and the answers Carlos and Audrey gave her only further bewildered the blonde.
Done teasing her fuming twin, Elinor sat back, fingernail tapping the paper as she privately considered all the information present.
Report cards, cheer final and gymnastic competition photos, pictures taken with my friends, and the same with Mom and Dad… Financial reports and bank statements… We were a lot more wealthy than I thought, but I suppose most of it is in savings for retirement. Mom and Dad were planning everything really well…
Business quarterly reports and tickets pre-purchased for our trip back, even a surprise vacation to France to see Mom’s family. Our entire lives, put on display… We’ve been stalked since before I was born. This Scarlet Cult has had their eyes on me as if they knew precisely who I would become before Mom or Dad even met. How?
Her gaze drifted to the skeleton maid beside her, suddenly a bit flustered after Butter huffily mentioned she wasn’t wearing anything to cover her bones; Elinor waved her hand, indicating she was fine to go find something to wear.
A question like that doesn’t mean anything when I’m literally a dead girl walking. It doesn’t matter how, since it is reality… What do I do with this information? Obviously, Butter had to be a part of the plan his cult had in motion. They’d orchestrated so many impossible things that it’s improbable to think her invasive appearance wasn’t due to their machinations.
Was it a combination of these circumstances that forced Butter into me and weakened her? Is the cult here in this dome to make sure things go as planned? It sounds logical, Elinor reasoned, flipping it on its head to present another thought. Then again, if they knew I would be able to raise the dead, they wouldn’t want any members nearby…
Her focus drifted to the prostrated skeleton again, and he flinched as if sensing her silent glare, obviously intimidated. Their entire conversation had been in total silence, which must have looked bizarre from an outside observer.
They wanted me to know it was them… Armando confirms it. If they were as well-funded as they say, and these files are evidence enough of their influence, then they knew he would look into them and give them just enough information to let me know they were the culprit.
She imagined a hooded woman in a scarlet cloak, blowing and wearing a smile that was just noticeable beyond the shadows cast by the cowl. Furious at what she’d done to her family, Elinor wanted to grab her throat and squeeze the life out of her.
A parting goodbye. She’s telling me there’s nothing I can do to change my fate. If that’s the case, I’m sure my parents are beyond the gateway by this point. The cult does have people here… lurking in the town, and with how far they plan, they could have been planted here for decades.
Narrowed eyes fixating on the papers held loosely in her grip, Elinor took a deep breath and let it stream out; so many things were now beginning to fall into place, and she had to believe it was by design.
Her first instinct went straight to Gwen, the redhead that her mother sacrificed herself to let get away with a few others, yet, at the same time, she had to remind herself it was only a suspicion, way too obvious of a ploy to make her paranoid.
Right now, it didn’t matter who the moles or spies were—there were bigger bones to pick. they were in this mess as much as she, and it was doubtful that the cult would want to risk them dying and being brought back, which meant they’d try to minimize risky situations that could call for her returning them to life. Her parents were her priority—bait or not, they had to be on the other side.
Resigning herself to a full war to win back her mother and father, Elinor’s heart filled with cold fire. Butter…
“Oh, finally giving me the grace of day, Priss? What do you mean by calling me Buttercup?! Please, I’m so confused about how butter and cups mix into something cute or sweet! I have no clue what chocolate is either.”
We have so many joys of life to catch you up on, Buttercup, Elinor said, showing a smirk she didn’t feel. So… what would you say if our downfall was due to a seemingly omniscient cult that has been planning for this moment since before I was born?
“Well… if that were the case, then our opponent is more formidable than I believed. Are these pictures of you when you were a child? You were adorable! Oh, but of course, you would be; heh, we do take after each other in many regards… You don’t think I’m a clone… of you, or you are one of me?”
Elinor lifted an eyebrow, not knowing where she got an understanding of a clone, but suspecting it had to do with one of her conversations with the maid or staff sergeant.
We’re getting off-topic.
“That’s because I’m completely out of the loop! You shut me out,” Butter accused. “I’ve been left trying to piece things together from my own knowledge, which is quite limited regarding this planet. So… if this is a complicated plot, then the best thing to do is to go against the predicted narrative. What wouldn’t you do?”
Elinor was surprised she’d come up with a rather simple, yet ingenious counterplay on the spot. Obviously, the big thing would be leaving her parents, but she could never do that, which meant she needed to find more, less drastic approaches.
Hmm. What wouldn’t I do? It clicked in Elinor’s mind. I wouldn’t trust random humans to take out the other Hub-Crystals on their own or act as bait.
“Bait?!” Audrey suddenly asked in alarm, jogging back into the room wearing a summer dress that was tied to her collarbone; it looked rather baggy, considering she was all bones. “Empress, surely there is another option than to put yourself in harm’s way!” It was the first time she’d heard such emotion in the woman’s voice.
“I agree, Empress,” Carlos said, while Mika remained quiet. She was all for it, however, thinking she would see the power of a ‘Surpeme Chief.’ “Do we have to be so reckless to pull the rug under these cultists’ feet? Won’t they just use that as an opportunity to throw you to the wolves… unless that’s what your plan is, to expose them?”
Butter snickered. “How can you continue to counter my name for you at every turn, Priss? It’s almost as if you’re doing it to spite me. How are we going to identify the culprit, though? Yes, it will be unexpected, but won’t that make them throw up their hands and be done with it?”
Elinor shook her head with a short chuckle that made Armando shake again. No… When dealing with plans so fine-tuned and calculated, anything that goes against that narrative will cause a seed of doubt, which will then sprout, and all we need to do is watch for it. It’s not as if I plan to go unprepared. I need you to go hunting again, Butter… I need to be full on Death Orbs.
“Okay… Explain it to me as I’m out slaving away because you have me curious, Priss.”
Watching her go with her flock of butterflies, Elinor kept one with her to fill up the rest of her unintelligent slots and dismissed the quivering cartel boss, sending him to the void now that she was finished with him.
She took one more glance at the files, memorizing everything she could about the other two people who had been selected to participate in this invasion.
Yesenia has a rather… twisted personality, it seems, she whispered to Butter, going over her sheet with interest. She loves torturing prisoners and does her best to keep them in prison… A sadist who enjoys inflicting pain on others while remaining squeaky clean to the public. Frightening… She also has a hobby of collecting venomous serpents to use in said practice.
“Someone you can surely use,” Butter noted without enthusiasm. “It’s not my kind of hobby, though. So I leave that to you.”
Soft as butter. Hmm… The general is decorated… a lot, and has never lost a battle. She fixated on his photo; he had been on the bus behind them, but she wasn’t sure if he was there at their last stop. I’ll have to keep my eye out for him.
Getting up, Elinor returned to the other room. It seemed that Carlos and Audrey were against the plan but wouldn’t question her decision.
Standing over the corpse of the teenage girl, she initiated the resurrection process, saying, Smooth her into the role and what is to be expected of her, Audrey.
[Raise Undead - Advanced to D-tier]
Twice? Elinor thought to herself as the maid curtsied to her in the new summer dress she’d obtained. It appeared she had to re-evaluate the experience gained through raising intelligent undead since it appeared to give far more than unintelligent.
“As you command… Can we at least accompany you, Empress?” she pressed, wanting to at least be nearby in case she was needed; in a way, it was self-preservation since if her diamond was destroyed, the whole network would fall apart.
Naturally. I want to talk to their leader anyway. Mika… Elinor prompted with a smile, turning away from Adoncia as she shakily got to her feet with Audrey’s help.
“Yes, Empress? I see no movement outside.”
That’s not what I wanted to discuss… We have a lot to talk about concerning your customs and religious rites. Where should we begin?
Elinor sat at the table she’d used before, entering her diamond to process her level while her new maid was brought up to speed and Carlos finished getting all the supplies they’d need to arm their growing army. Mika explained much about their culture—it would be needed when negotiating or coming to an understanding.
Her primary objective was to get as many Death Orbs stored as possible, which was currently capped at twenty-seven; therefore, her Stat Point went into Constitution, bringing it up to thirty-eight with her butterfly storage banks.
As for her Feat Extension, she took a minute to ponder the options:
[Phylactery: Death Shield I - Generates a field that rejects a small amount of all damage. Modified by Defense and Constitution.]
[Butterfly: Extra Wing II - Permanently adds one butterfly [New Max: 4] to the total available to be summoned.]
[Artificial Body: Sturdy Build I - Slightly increase the construct’s Defense and Force.]
[Replacement] [Butterfly: Extended Wing I - Increase range by five meters.]
“I can only have one extension per Feat, hmm?” Elinor whispered to herself, releasing a short sigh. “The answer is without thought on this choice… Butterfly II. What’s this?”
She frowned, sitting straighter as the [Extension Maxed] screen popped up, showing a requirement next to it as Butter squealed with excitement, likely sensing she’d gained another flying death insect to boss around:
[Butterfly: Extra Wing II] Extension Maxed: Level 10 required for further advancement.
Interesting, Elinor whispered to herself, ignoring Butter’s reaction while continuing to hunt for more energy to restock their reserves. I seem to get Extensions every three levels, but I can’t put any more into [Butterfly] until Level 10, huh? I have to choose another Feat to extend next or save the point, which doesn’t make much sense right now.
There’s also the possibility a better Extension comes along, which means I might need to invest in it and abandon the previous one… Will that waste the points I’ve already invested? Abandoning it does… Unfortunate and worth taking into consideration. Can I swap them? Hmm. Not so far as it will tell me since I haven’t tried, I guess… That could be concerning.
Level six hadn’t given her nearly as much as her previous level, so it was obvious that the levels weren’t exponential. Then again, with how stacked level five had been, she could see why there would be a semi-blank spot.
On the plus side, once exiting and raising the rest of the minion pool, she capped her unintelligent at twenty. She was disappointed when nothing seemed out of the ordinary from her two tier increases; yet, upon further investigation, she realized her newly resurrected young bloods were slightly closer to increasing their tiers from D to C than her previous minions of a similar rank.
It becomes more efficient, and my power imbues them if I level up the Feat? That can be useful in the long run. I’m getting closer to the advancement Feat, and the strength of the minion should also affect the tier level…
So far, I’ve raised six intelligent and twenty-seven unintelligent; nine more intelligent and thirty-three unintelligent until I get [Raise Undead II]. Hopefully, I can raise Rare-Grade undead at that point.
Finished with their preparations, Elinor left the facility and entered her skeletal vehicle that now had a decent cover with the maids’ work, and she invited them to join her inside. It truly was taking shape; they’d even provided flaps that could be pulled back to view outside, and a sort of floor with mats that were tied to the crocodile-toad’s ribs.
It was time to return with the spoils of her labor and to see how many soldiers she’d have to execute the plan she’d developed with an excited Butter and nervous Staff Sergeant.
