"A candlelit dinner to romance our kingdom," Bice said.

  "covered in the darkness of night, you're still as silver as the edges of a wine glass, Bice. should we start with our ritual?".

  "That's seance fiction Joselyn, just give me an army and show me the enemy,".

  "Is this the project manager idea you said in my toast, darling?".

  "Engineering Bice engineering, i was thinking of things like projectiles, you know like slingshots and stuff," Landon said.

  "Kou, you looked confused?" Joselyn said, "In the city, there's light during a night and dreams during the day".

  "I think we should start the negotiations," Amanda Magellan said.

  "it would last five minutes with bice here," Kou said, "Negotiations are for rapid fires in the battlefield,".

  "Woah, now i'm curious - do it brumehilde," .

  "I've already started darling but maybe let's take it a bit slow, Amanda can start, Amanda Magellan - go ".

  "My sister and i got honored by the wolven castle and that led us to an underground grotto..."

  "It must've have not been so long since you were a foghorn blower, shouldn't you be thanking Kou?".

  "Yes, Thank you Ma'am - we would've not made it before or after we saw it... if it wasn't for Kou".

  "It was a bird, not bigger than that eisbein this old man is chewing on, it used my strategies against me and got as big as the size of a goat".

  "Kou, deliberation rules!".

  "Wait! Joselyn too fast - what does it mean to be honored?".

  "The castle bestowed an essence to the twins".

  "Our bank does the same thing. Gerda didn't papa go to the bank to get you an essence?".

  "I don't know papa but i'm running out of time".

  "You've been in the city too long, honestly I've only been a jeweler for three days but you've got to get a hold of yourself".

  "I'm serious... brumhilde, you have to believe me, i know you've never been to the city since it was just a camp...".

  "Bice, what is she talking about? i can see that you're worried, Bice...".

  "Shh... Gerda, what are you out of time from?".

  "When when i came out from underground, we had to walk for so long and we got lost... the offworlders - the people from far said they had to go and and

  julian left with them but when they talked they realized that julian lied to them but now big sister amanda... i was supossed to walk back to the bank".

  "Joselyn did you see it in city? -Amanda, what were the conditions of the honoring of the castle?".

  "You don't think the bank is a castle! I never saw it at all, it's a maze in there,".

  "Ma'am bice, you need 8 hours to choose and deliberate - if honored you receive a series of objectives - my sister and i have to head to the high seas but we agreed in 5 seconds, also the party you enter with decides the difficulty".

  "no, don't clear up - just Gerda and I ".

  " i need to know what's going on".

  "darling, just sit tight. there has to be one person registered that has the surname - this is a king's ascension table, the others' are relying on you"

  "but..."

  "Gerda, sweety let's go. ejection seat A1-1 and -4"

  "yea..."

  "go to my driver, red cabriolet..."

  "Joselyn what are you talking about?".

  "My carriage outside the proximity line,".

  "Gerda will show me everything,".

  "but but i've only been to the city once,".

  "You're a smart girl,".

  Being careful around people the size of my hips is my specialty, ecletic with different types of people all over the world but i've never seen someone like Gerda.

  She mirrored me, clasping her hands together in my signature, i normally dropped my right hand into my left, fingers steepling the palms,

  i couldn't feel my legs but they sauntered by themselves but even with her short legs, she kept up to me with the same subtlety.

  It's nice, Billowing wind, tumbling tent and the crisp fresh air before battle, it's nice... where did she go?

  "don't look, i'm peeing!"

  "Oh! just point me to that cabriolet place"

  I compassed to her gesture as i squelched through the mud - the difficulty was light but for my last night on this earth i just wished for an unbloody moment!

  I was going to die tonight - that was my calculations - there were three new words i learnt today; underground, off-worlder and objectives.

  not only that but a castle grew in the middle of the city and considering no one knew what it was, it remained well hidden.

  It was necessary to go over the threshold today, the possibility of being mother, no no - i would do this for any of my denizens.

  "Hello! Hello, is this joselyn's red cabriolet?"

  "Yes, Lady joselyn hired me for the day,"

  "I need you to take me to the city, so what do i need to do - just climb in here like a carriage,".

  "noo, no can do lady - Joselyn is a smart lady, she opened a store that is in demand so the wolves hadn't come out... but no can do lady,"

  "your kindness is particular, is that the Niveal Wars i hear,".

  "You... You seem to young to know of that,"

  "i was four years old, stationed by the snow mountains i sang,"

  "those explorations were tempestuous, jolly! that would be a brazen remark if anyone actually knew of them unless you were there,".

  "You had someone you know there?"

  "I'm sentimental, i put all i learned from them in my ways as a token - i lost the token given to me, i had to sell it.. I... I... I feel weird.

  "Congratulations, you just got dozens of levels, that's level 36 - not many people get to war with me,".

  "Oh my negotiations... 30 levels in less than a minute... You are..."

  "A passenger. Here - this token meant a lot to me but i have a few more, one such as yourself should have coined a mark on that mountain"

  "It won't take long then - i'll break the manifolds for you!"

  "Wait, i have someone coming with me - there she is, get her attention,".

  *Click-Click* - *Click-Click*.

  "Shouldn't someone like her be at school or by their grand mother?"

  "You wish is for me to talk more but shouldn't i be the one to hear a new level 38 also please don't talk down to my compatriot,".

  *gulp*

  "are you comfortable little miss?"

  "Uh-huh - Big sister Kou's jersey gets warmer the colder it gets,"

  "I'll rush to the city but whatever happens, stay in the car - both of you,".

  "We the last of our breed with masters degrees and after I capture the last of these thieves you'll hear laughter, im back on my path let me breathe,".

  "I'll turn that off. that's just the radio,".

  "Frequencies? where is it coming from?"

  "The Road ma'am - it vibrates to this component here - those thugs and ruffians do whatever they want - at first it was gravel but even when it smooth, they voice things hard,".

  "Gerda this is dulver - a sediment attribute that sucks hope and echoes - you need Carmine to offset and balance it as an attribute,".

  "Sorry Ma'am - are you saying there's more than the four attributes?"

  "Uh...Okay,".

  "Sorry driver, What are those lights in the sky?"

  "That's the city. Those are skyscrapers Ma'am - we've built houses on top of houses, plenty of establishment and shops as well".

  "There has not been any slack in exports of food - the reports wouldn't lie - when did the people find the time to do this?"

  "Seven years ago. someone created a building and we reverse engineered it - we had already had so much grain we began fermenting it, Ma'am it was war,".

  "That's why you said the town wasn't safe?"

  "Yes... but may i ask something, why Landon?"

  "You're asking because he survived under my name?"

  ...

  The citadel echoed broken glass and heckling - the vibrations shook the tinroof of the cabriolet in cadences and everywhere sounded like the bloodiest warzone beyond comprehension. the women wore carmine on their lips and i recieved predatory stares that were of the abyss of the forests. this was a jungle.

  we got halted a few times but the driver was acknowledged, they monitored and assumed i was lady Joselyn but these were the low-tier.

  i couldn't hear what they spoke about - they spoke in skirmish which meant that they had been scuffles, clashes and possibly assaults.

  this was more dangerous then other areas in the chessboard and i let it fester simply from a few letters.

  "you don't like my papa's science?"

  "I beg your pardon? ... my negotiations, i'm even speaking like them,".

  "that's what papa said, science fiction,".

  "Gerda darling, you mean seance but i like it that way, you make sure to constantly remind him of it,".

  "My lady, the man spoke and said that the bank has been robbed by Eamon and Moll cutpurse and that they hid in one of the buildings, they think it's the end of

  the world and everyone has lost their minds, they drinking and looting but it isn't their way, Eamon is dangerous but wouldn't mess with our..."

  "Our what? spit it,".

  "... The bank was our way of ensuring everything is sent properly,"

  "So that you can farm once a week and have three weeks to splurge your riches, youre not a driver, your a farmer, you all are!"

  "I'm scared..."

  "Ma'am just focus on talking care of your wee girl, let the men handle this - we'll ensure that bice's order are taken care of,"

  "No huh uh, you're scaring me."

  "We're here - the world bank. no need to be scared of girly,".

  "She can smell your bloodlust. bring who you must, by my own hands or your own conception, all your ways will be annihilated tonight,".

  "I didn't do anything wrong!"

  "I'm the last of my breed with masters degrees and after I capture the last of these thieves you'll hear laughter, i'll be back on my path when i breathe"

  cursed people, if i had known they'd give me a death flag i would've thrown him out that cabriolet.

  "what were those adversing lights on the path, i think i got a headache,"

  "Haheehee adversing, i like that - your word is adversing mine is science now we're equal plus you liked it,"

  i exhaled my trepidation of death as we walked up the staircase, it was true - i did like everything but they built it using strange material and balanced it off perfectly

  but it seemed cumbersome but i had a strange yearning to walk those routes where there was no mud.

  The bank loomed an echo of darkness reverberating the distant night of the howling wind.

  Gerda led the way in a fast saunter as if she realized again that she was running out of time, we turned different corners

  and i could see that the bank had not been robbed, the minerals had exploded from pressure.

  Gerda finally stopped into a room that had a hole in it, i wondered how she survived such a fall - did the offworlders help her?

  I held her under the arms as i slipped into the darkness and i could feel the pressure distending as i landed in mud.

  after a few adjustment, Gerda frolicked freely as i walked through the jungle - there was a galore of minerals on the roof

  "Gerda, wrong way - it's that way,"

  this feeling was unmistakable but luckily it was just one person.

  "Oh, i wanted to go to count tepes, he'd help me."

  "there's only one person here but with the air here?"

  "It's fog of war but it was worse back then, the reason you can sense her is because of this,".

  Her interface was strangely purple but it didn't emit any charisma at all - Gerda... she was an ominous child - if all this happened today, no...

  it's beginners luck but if that's the case, she has a hard road ahead of her.

  "She must be expecting you, do you know her name,".

  "Letty uhmm she has leaves that's part of her body, like plants,".

  we entered the dissipating mists of harrowing darkness i could hear creatures but they didn't sound intelligent but i knew this map very well.

  this place was created to line the hunting grounds and then crossbred with the dark hill forest and by Gerda's description of Letty. means i'll be competing against,

  an enchantress.

  "I was really hoping it wasn't the child that was honored, i had told her that i would war with her and she didn't let me down. She brought a monster with her,".

  It was my first time my heartbeat was pulled as i inhaled. the shock electrified my spine as i stared starkly at something that was more powerful then i could ever concieve

  that wasn't even born yet; An egg.

  a huge egg translucent enough to see whatever was inside in a fetal position.

  Letty stood in front of it with four legs, front legs and hind legs and a mountable lower back, a haunch and a normal denizen's back with a spine of valor.

  It was an enchantress - half woman, half mount and dangerous spellcasting.

  "Bice Brumhilde, Level 185 - i declare war, no matter your level,"

  "Letty isengard, Level 297 - though i decline, you're clearly unhinged and stronger then me,"

  "Eh? but the numbers are higher, brummie you're stronger?"

  "the levels is how much we've invested in ourselves, it is our wealth - Letty here hasn't assorted herself, she most likely has only three skills,".

  The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

  "And you Bice, have a shrapnel of self and are made of currency that constitute you - I've never seen a monster like you out of all the revenants,

  those that came from the sky and those nestled in shells in the depth of the abyss. unfortunately I am immortal in these training grounds,"

  "The effigy behind you - you've slabbed it as a circle, i've seen it, i know how to destroy it,"

  "you're an effigy incarnate yourself then, then i know how to destroy you as well but i don't want to do that, there's something else i want,

  I want you to take the objective and die with it, it's too much for one person,".

  "don't make me bellow in laughter, my wealth isn't only here but the bank above us and all the attributes that has imploded to dust,

  I'm telling this very clearly so you understand. My compendium is without equal, in complete order and as chaotic as the land itself."

  "I feel strange, i leveled up from conversation?"

  "This is how we war, enchantress Letty, you should now have four skills - your purpose now, is to cast everything you know in explanation,

  show me your experience but discourse what is going on and what that egg is, you might survive by doing so,"

  " Little girl - go to the observer room - i can't believe this is happening but if this is the case i'll show this child everything and then she will also implode

  as well, you came here to help her get an honoring yet you've never received one yourself but i will find out who you are with force,".

  "Let's get on with it, you're horrible in our type of war - i know what it's going to ask, the conquering of vast array of lands irrespective of what would be said,

  but assure you there's going to be major upset,".

  Letty surveyed the landscape - there was nothing left for her to do but protect the effigy - she was clearly a strategist so i did something unexpected.

  i walked to the forest myself gesturing to her that we fight her way. i stared at the vaulted structure overhead, mud laced with purple amethyst in was essentially strongly

  fortified and the castle above it meant it couldn't be destroyed.

  I don't have any power over the castle but if i keep attacking the hole with with a vacuum - it will drag the mineral powder and my aura will pull it.

  i needed to attack the effigy and the crater in the bank while this enchantress has the jungle domain.

  My death has been certain, i just hope she serves her purpose. my walk increased in pace as the leaves soughed. the fight was on.

  "Wind blowing east, clouds moving west - Susurration Explode!"

  "interface reveal and shield,"

  "calculating... damage taken"

  "lores and laws unite once more turn fire into bonfire plumes - may the forest burn a chimney for the people to know a new papacy"

  "bramble!"

  "good casting enchantress, i'm stuck - now explain what that small tunnel leads to, and that egg before the oxygen runs out in this place,"

  "There entire land are those tunnels and they sprout the castles, the entire purposes are those eggs and they roll around everywhere learning,"

  The brambles had a gravity effect as it sucked my blood. her best move must be gravity.

  i tapped my fingers on a bramble weed, calculating.

  granted there were incidents everywhere with their own rules and temperements. so the land itself is raising this eggs.

  though its strange, instead of more eggs over the years, there was only one but more people were called here, off-worlders ventured the city and enjoyed it.

  could they have pretended to enjoy it - Letty wouldn't have such comfort if that were the case unless they didn't know.

  "Wind blowing east, clouds moving west - Susurration Explode!"

  "bonfire plumes crisped the ashes of ether, let your density suffocate,".

  "your planning to choke out the effigy and everyone in here, you have no parity in your wages!"

  "That's the spirit letty, if only you had you casted - my turn i guess. Wind blowing east, clouds moving west - susurration explore dulver and ha(y)ven"

  The fumes headed two directions - diffracting between the leaves and smothering the effigy and heading towards the routes of the city.

  by doing so the connection would allow the dust to move.

  the temperature gradient will decide which is cooler the street or the forest but the effigy is made from golden straw attribute.

  something that gets colder the more heat it has but smoke doesnt have heat... i only trust that it's alive at least in instinct.

  this alone will help me survive until it extinguishes.

  Letty had stopped hiding and juxtaposing in the burning forest as she looked at me with a new bloodlust of awe.

  "you have practiced and trained at my expense Letty, the treadmarks here shows thousands of creatures for just under a decade.

  you've allowed at least one off-worlder here and for that you have a legacy a tenth of mine.

  I've put millions to their deaths and those i respect on the royal road; an opportunity to resurrect and you will share my coffers,

  so explain so this child can understand and maybe one day we can rise again, and you possibly as human, so decide,".

  "they are element beings - they deal in logistics and they will have to fight each other *cough *cough* they replicate everything that happens in land of their minds.

  they are suns like our suns but before that, they are called phoenixes birds - that's why your ruthlessness was too much and there was an intercession.

  people like are intolerable, you destroy, exploit when there is enough in the land *cough* *cough* and now you wish to make me a dirty human.

  i tell you this because i can tell you're going to die not because your human because your the most neurotic person i've ever laid my eyes on."

  Letty collapsed as the effigy broke. the egg was long gone possibly rolling through veins of tunnels by instinct like magnets to possibilities and learning.

  this must be a process of elimination but if these birds, phoenixes are in the air and Kou was correct, that means the castles were taunting us.

  they'd sprout and furled...but wait?

  My continuous walk in the poisonous fumes prompted something in me.

  Dulver - the mineral attribute that sucked hope and sent frequencies,

  wasn't this a tactical way of ensuring a castle doesn't sprout - this isn't average intelligence, it was almost done nonchalantly.

  so that two castles don't grow near by and the the routes to the farmers area.

  The driver said Landon was somewhat in charge... which means a woman, an affair, that would explain the hidden child until today.

  Landon didn't take this child to the bank because he was suffering, he took it to hide it from me and this must've coincided with the plans of others.

  the chain of events... i geuss i wont know what Landon is hiding but at least there is a certainty that i will be resurrected by this child.

  Gerda was hidden in a purple shell because of her interface protecting her, overall i had already calculated this and reasoned it.

  the interface was versatile, self-moving and calculating - Gerda was only half a denizen of this world.

  what would her objective be, or how long until we need to shield ourselves from the sky.

  "I hoped you learned a lot - the attributes are dead here so it was just you".

  "Yeah, Count Tepes did what you did as well... and and the table with papa so that's why we have dinner talking,"

  "Yes Gerda, but the finale of this is the giving of talent, you see fighting like Letty did hardens you, negotiations percolates obtained attributes...

  and talent is the emblems you can place on your shield interface which allows survivability.

  my talent as far as interface is concerned is three strength but born as an intelligence, shh - not many people know that, in fact its frowned upon.

  the strength itself has different attributes such as speed, turning speed but i transmigrate them into spells, physicality's,".

  "Yea, you're not normal, i heard everything - i can't be like you, aren't we suppose to go get honored? why are we heading to the entrance?"

  "So many questions, questions, you going to deal with that a lot as a leader before you get honored, you have one more lesson,

  Letty was preparing for a different war, come everyone is waiting.".

  the smoke and ash was not from combustible fire and as such lingered an interaction of dew coolness from the smothered effigy that responded in an unbelievable chill.

  it had dripped like dew perforations through the halls and down the steps of the castle and unto the ankles of citizens, thousands of them.

  some holding candles, some fermented beverages and other blades of the smaller variations.

  pinstripes, overalls, armor and even my powerhouses not making a scene intermingled with wax on their hands and liquor on their lips.

  Kou even wore carmine on her lips, she was already quite angsty, she didn't need the dulver grogging her emotions with it's gravel frequency.

  though none was more gravel then the driver who stood behind the pinstriped men,

  Men who must have been the self appointed leaders.

  "That's the one! She going to call The Bice before we have a chance to recover!"

  They had even brought children and grandmothers as meat shield - the driver told everyone he possibly could.

  "You know, old man, you practically told me the story of how your friend from niveal met his end with you, it was a cold lonely winter, he had only wanted a friend,

  it was your friendliest distinction,".

  "Now now, me and the boys wanted to do negotiations, don't mind the driver missy - the whole of brashtilia want to have a negotiation with you,

  your words - hear me out - your words will affect children and the elders so don't you dare do any foreign discussions.

  we here to discuss terms and that they'll stay the same, you tell that to Bice you''ll be affirmed by Landon's letter and we're all square,".

  "My lady, I am not with them, i run an apothecary store, we love our stores, we love the city - we let people have their splendors,

  Bice must know we let Landon have that as well while we take care of our elders and children.

  there was smoke in our world bank; black smoke, now white smoke,".

  It was easy for my powerhouses to blend in and i could see from their faces there were dangerous parties to still show up.

  ...and there it was. the agriculturalist, those who came wearing overalls.

  " Toil... hunger, young lady, you may wear that armor but with good rations going to soldiers, you don't know what we've suffered.

  When there was enough food, we were found insufficient once again. the army sent green money like it was nothing! nothing!

  so what if we do the same, are their any farmers amongst you?

  Bice has not allowed us to import and expand our currency and we've tried, all we ask is for your silence,"

  "You have stated that i must have negotiation but not discuss in my science, as my fellow compatriot would put it.

  you state that you love your city and that i do not know hunger, starvation or toil.

  all i wish to say is that Eamon and Moll cutpurse are innocent and that you should stop looking for them.

  You wish for my silence, you have received it - listen to this little girl and what she has to say and driver, i request my token back,".

  I bellowed my voice much lighter then i would've with my army.

  Landon must have still been sitting in his king's seat in the banquet, with Joselyn, Amanda and hopefully Miranda joined.

  this driver threw the niveal token back at me and i nodded gently as Gerda walked forward wearing an filigree of dead attributes and leaves

  on her jersey and hair that was coated with frost and ash and skin.

  she definitely had to shout.

  "We built this City, We built this City!,".

  Good girl. it echoed in their mind.

  "It will be in our heart, wherever-Wherever we go, but but we have to go,"

  She didn't mention i was Bice and divided them.

  "We need to be everything once again, like-like dealing with different vegetables and grains but but in the city".

  different roles she doesn't understand but they do.

  "we need to build and live as we once have without The Bice - we have the way of the bank, we don't need the castle but we need to build"

  An mass amount laughed at her, though there was silence - this made her anxious but she still didn't reveal who i am.

  the dozens and dozens of material as Gerda sees it wouldn't fit the bill of uniformity - their powers had been in numbers in terms of stock.

  the question of dynamics with limited resources would be much better handled.

  "Gerda go get your honoring now and drop this castle. my battle isn't over with the enchantress, Letty",

  Gerda ran as i felt a seething rage trample with hoofs.

  "Goodbye Gerda, Goodbye Landon, you are the only denizen that don't need my blessing"