Derg stood on the outermost wall of the city his sect — as there was no more point in calling them a clan or faction — had conquered from the Letairry, and he had to admit to a certain elegance to its construction. There were no opulent designs or carvings on the walls or anything that even approached that category. The wall fulfilled its purpose, no more and no less.

  To bring anything down to its bare minimum while still being effective in its purpose is not as simple as most thought. Now that he was considering it, the Triad was similar to this… Looking down at the squealing of steel, the Sect Leader of the Crescent Moon sighed and dropped the now twisted and bent sword he had been toying with.

  The thought of the betrayal that fox orchestrated mad— No, the weak-willed always turn on the strong when given half a chance. And to think we considered ourselves a single people for so long… that forest burned long ago. We were simply using each other out of necessity. I guess her actions were a blessing in disguise as they finally severed the last link holding us together.

  Still, the events that transpired in the area had soured everything about the fortress for him, which seemed like a pity now. The large wolfkin barely even looked at it after the battle, let alone actually stayed the night in it. Now, though, he could appreciate the construction of the Olimpians.

  Derg's ear twitched as he picked out a nearby click hidden among the screams and wails of the thousands of Olimpians being processed deeper in the city. Turning, Derg saw the Blood Witch walking up to him, a look of ecstasy on her face. "Can you feel it?" She squealed.

  "Feel what?" Derg asked, turning back to the field in front of the city. He didn't pay much attention to the scenery as he focused on his mate's voluptuous figure. She strode around confidently, giving orders to the mages around her on the placement of the materials to construct a half-mile round spell formation. Seeing her in her element and knowing she was his alone lit a fire inside him. More so than any other woman he had ever been with.

  "Destiny!" Hissed the old wolf, her voice taking on a manic edge. "The weight of our actions, coming to fruition! From here, we will forge an army unlike that which has ever been seen upon this world! My golems will be as numerous as trees in a forest and as powerful as a bolt of lightning! Your warbands will herald our advance, sweeping away those in the open and herding those who resist into their slaughterhouses, ripe for the plucking!"

  "Do not get ahead of yourself," Derg said calmly. "While our warband has risen in strength to heights I could have never imagined, we are still trapped. Even now, the Call takes its toll. Going any farther south will turn us into beasts, which is why we had to let part of the harvest escape. Marching North will take us through barren lands, in which the Letairry will never directly confront us, choosing instead to harass us until we are weak from starvation and lack the mana to defend ourselves. Going east is the sea, and west will bring us into direct conflict with the Factions and Olimpians, which I am confident of defeating individually, but together, they will inflict unsustainable losses. For now, we must be patient."

  "You think I am unaware of the challenges before us?" The woman's voice abruptly shifted to menacing, and the air, already stinking of blood, became so thick with her power that Derg sneezed. "I have been keeping up this fight longer than your line has been enlightened! I have been scheming and planning for this for centuries! My disciples and I have been the ones constantly persecuted for the crime of protecting our people! I knew full well what it means to be patient!"

  "I did not mean to insult or demean your efforts, Elder," Derg said placatingly, giving the witch a dip of his head. "I am simply preaching caution. Being hasty can lead to as much of a disastrous defeat as being late. And I would say that haste was why we failed in the attack on the Council."

  The Blood Witch's face soured at the new topic, but the sense of danger Derg felt abruptly vanished as the woman's mood shifted to one of contemplation, so he counted it as a win. "You aren't wrong that I might be being hasty, though I would suggest you learn to enjoy victories when they come, as they can be ever so fleeting at times."

  "Oh," Derg smiled with contentment, "I have little to learn when it comes to enjoying victories."

  “Yes… I am well aware you know how to enjoy a night of passion, but that is not the same as enjoying a victory. Regardless, it was not the haste that undermined our plan, but the elf. Their psy reacts poorly with the golems. He somehow disrupted my control and mentally followed the tether that was allowing me to control the constructs. I'm not sure how he did it, but it is one of the issues I am working on. Though there is something about the man that bothers me…"

  "He does seem to have a knack for being where he is unwanted," Derg suggested indifferently.

  “…It is more than that. He should not have had the psy to overpower my golems. From what I have learned, elves are not ones who have large reserves on average."

  "A mystery, that is for sure, but does it warrant your attention and time?"

  “…No, it doesn't." The blood witch sighed, her voice going back to a relaxed rumble. "Though, it does remind me that I originally came to inform you that I believe I have a path for suppressing the Call's effects."

  Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  At that, Derg looked away from one of the many hoards of Lost that his warbands from the northwest had gathered with the help of the Golden Feather clan on their way here. Currently, they were herding the near-beasts into the massive enlightenment formation his mate was creating, but he suddenly lost his interest as he faced the most notorious woman in his people's history. He flashed his teeth at the far older but still youthful-looking woman in a savage pleasure as he rumbled, "Excellent. What do you require?"

  **********

  An elven woman was sprawled over a chaise, her right arm up on the armrest, and ribbons of black silk draped over her youthful body, concealing the intimate parts but leaving most of her skin visible. Around her were mounds of pillows, trays of half-eaten food and wine, and the naked bodies of dark elf women and men. Some of them were still engaging in acts of passion, but after a week of such activity, even the most tenacious were finding it hard to muster the energy and desire to continue.

  The far door of the room opened, and a figure in a tight-fitting, full-bodied, layered dress in the colors of back and purple slipped into the room. The dress had a hood with a veil to conceal the face of the figure, and they even wore gloves, preventing any sight of the person underneath.

  The only things that could be known for sure were that it was a woman, as the hips and bust were hard to ignore, and that she had a pendant around her neck on a chain that settled on her cleavage, which looked like a half-open eye. Like she was nothing more than a shadow flittering over the wall, the woman danced through the bodies until she reached the one lounging on the only furniture in the room.

  "Matriarch," breathed the woman in a soft voice after she knelt and pressed her head to the floor.

  The Matriarch of the Letairry, who had watched the younger woman approach and lower herself, said in a musical voice, "Speak, daughter."

  "I bring news of your daughter Luna orchestrating the diversion to the northeast."

  "Hmm?" Humming in thought for a few seconds, the Matriarch's face lit up in realization. "Oh, her. The cunning one. Likes to conceal her strength and intellect took after me in that sense, I suppose."

  "Yes, Matriarch."

  "Go on then, give your report." The leader of the Letairry sighed, waving her hand in the air.

  "She was allocated — after the scheming from her sisters — fifty thousand goblins, five thousand dregs from the 3rd Corps, a squad of night singers from the 7th Night Corps, and an understrength company of chevaliers. She was able to buy and coerce another seven thousand assorted troops, comprised mostly of engineers. The only other notable resource she procured for herself was a jade thrown. Over the last year, she tunneled her way into the territory of the Olimpians and began putting agents within the two major cities on the northeastern border of the Republic. She then began construction efforts underground to supply her force long-term by digging wells to aid in the cultivation of…" At this point, the kneeling woman trailed off, her voice becoming more uncomfortable as she shifted.

  Her interest peaked, the Matriarch leaned forward, an elegant eyebrow raised in question. "Continue speaking. You will not be punished for what you are reporting."

  From how she writhed, it was apparent the messenger would rather not say anything, but she had to obey the command of her Matriarch. The veiled woman continued slowly, "She had the goblins cultivate their shit-rooms."

  A delighted laugh filled the chamber as the Matriarch threw back her head. After she calmed down and wiped the tears from her eyes, she began to ruminate on the idea, "Even for the goblins and lower casts, surviving on such fair alone could be considered a punishment, though it is ingenious in solving her food supply problem. I will have to pay closer attention to the girl. Continue."

  "As her facilities and construction grew, she decided to grow the jade thrown under the western city within the tunnels. When it was time for her to begin acting, she took the eastern city with her infiltrators in a single night, but the other city proved more difficult, as the beastials were pushed into the area around it, putting the Olimpians on alert. Unable to confront the beastials directly, she tried to remain concealed but was quickly discovered. The chimeras attacked her along the river miles from the eastern city, forcing her to retreat west with her army after inflicting serious casualties. By the time the force arrived at the western city, her carefully laid plans had either been discovered or destroyed, along with the Jade Thrown, negating nearly all the advantage she would have gained from them. Her army still made it into the city, decimating it, but Luna decided the battle was a lost cause. Instead of weakening the goblins further, she had them scatter into the tunnels and caves to remain a nuisance rather than having the threat end after one battle. As of now, she is moving south with the remaining dark elves that were in her force."

  "What is the opinion of my marshals?"

  "She performed what was expected and showed her capabilities. Given the odds, she did more than what could be reasonably expected, and few would have been able to match her. Luna should be given further command and slack to see how she performs."

  "Hmm," The Matriarch hummed, a finger tapping against a cup she picked up from a side table. "I agree. Contact her when she reaches whatever destination she has in mind. Offer her support and integrate her into the plans we have for the area. Is there anything else?"

  "I hear and obey. But there is one more matter, Matriarch." The bowed woman said in a sour tone, her voice dripping with disgust.

  "What is it?"

  "The," The servant started speaking, though she suddenly sounded like she had bitten into something rancid as she said the next word, "emperor of the Imperium has finally agreed to work for us. He will start a war with the Republic within the next couple of months, but he demanded a union of blood for his son."

  "Must I remind you to let him think he is in control?"

  There was no inflection on the words, but the bowed woman flinched as if she was stuck and stuttered out, “N— No! Matriarch! There is no need for that! I have given him every courtesy. And every deal he has the better end of."

  "Good, my child. Good. I would hate to have to lose a servant such as you this soon. It is so bothersome to train an Eye properly, and you are much more competent than the last one. As for his demand… well, I was going to grab his seed anyway. Give him… Gurtrud is a good choice. See what she can make of the situation…" Letting out a yawn and stretching her languid body, the Matriarch waved for her Eye to leave. "Go on now. I must rest… it is so exhausting destroying nations from my chambers."