The animated carriage hurtled through the air, a mimic made of ice formed out of compressed snow. The crystalline vehicle raced across platforms made of glowing transparent glass, each one forming in succession as the wheels turned. Teyva rested her hands in her lap and stared out the window to the right as they travelled over the Wildlands. Her eyes were sunken and worn, emotional exhaustion already settling in. She hadn’t been able to stop and properly wish the dead wardens farewell. It was the least she could do to ask Deshan to intercede and bury them. She sighed and rested her head against the glass, rubbing one thumb over another.

Nephral sat on her shoulders, the cold surface of the interior of their transportation made his paws ache. His tail wrapped around her neck and he purred in silence, watching the world fly by with her. Teyva’s lips formed a thin line, she couldn’t even imagine how many people were going to die in the next few days. The wardens were clearly only the beginning. How late would she be? She cursed that being that called itself ‘Fate’ under her breath and clenched her teeth. Not just fate, though, Katal was a problem that she would be dealing with when this was over. One way or another. She pressed her thumb into her palm and took another cleansing breath.

“Strange,” Nephral murmured, peering through the window.

“What?” Teyva asked a bit gruffly, she hesitated and then stroked Nephral’s head, “Sorry, lost in thought, what?”

Nephral nodded at the window, “Are those rilks? Out in winter?”

Teyva cleared her throat and peered out as well. There were several small shapes making their way through one of the splotch-like clearings amidst the fields of wildlands grains. They were dragging something from the looks of it. “Bring us down,” Teyva ordered the carriage. The mimic growled its affirmative and the carriage began to dip lower to the ground, eventually coming to a stop along the side of the snow-swept barren. Teyva slipped out and landed on the packed snow, the faint crunch riding her nerves even as the cold didn’t so much as faze her. Nephral curled in closer around her and she drew her feet out of the snow, using [Glasswalker] to traverse the terrain instead of trudging about.

Ahead of them, a trio of rilk drones were dragging what looked like a body in armor through the snow, their own bodies covered in scars and battle damage. Teyva tilted her head, “That’s not Azar armor,” She muttered, drawing a bit closer. She had nothing to fear from a few rilk drones. One of them chattered irritably in her direction but kept its focus on dragging the body toward what appeared to be the entrance to its nest. Teyva glanced around, taking note of dozens of small mounds in the snow. Corpses. Human and Rilk. “There was a fight here.”

“We should leave them be,” Nephral urged, his tail flicking in agitation. “If they are desperate enough to come out in the snow, the Queen must be quite rattled,” He said. Teyva pursed her lips and glanced to the west where Osan waited for her, as well as an army of humans. She glanced back at the trio of rilks and turned towards the entrance to their nest. “Mother?” Nephral pressed, growing tense on her shoulders.

“Quiet a moment, love, I had a thought,” She said soothingly, walking past the Trio of Rilks that shied away a bit when she got too close. Could they sense the danger? Interesting. Most rilk drones would attack on sight.

Teyva came to a stop about fifteen feet way from the opening and held out her hands. Nephral grew even tenser, his body coiling and ready to flee. Teyva cleared her throat and switched over to [Mana Manipulation], closing her eyes and drawing up her enormous presence. With a grunt of concentration, she pushed her presence down into the soil beneath her feet, a roar of power that rippled through the ground. “Show yourself,” She demanded evenly. The ground immediately trembled in response, the surface shuddering as cracks began to form in the snow and soil.

Teyva took a few steps back and was rewarded with a sight few would survive to remember. The massive form of a Rilk Queen burst from the soil, letting out a terrible roar of challenge. It raised both of its bladed limbs into the air and thrashed about, incensed by Teyva’s challenge. Teyva had to tilt her head up to continue following its massive bulk as it rose higher and higher, eventually rising tall enough to block the cloud-covered sun from her vision. It looked down at her and opened its multi-faceted mandibles, bearing rows of arm-length teeth. Teyva looked its body over. There were scars here and there, injuries from a recent battle.

“You poor thing,” Teyva said quietly and looked up at its face, it roared at her again, trying to warn her away. She watched the snow begin to collect on its carapace. Its movements were sluggish as well, the cold doing more harm than what Teyva had expected. Regardless, Teyva whipped her right arm out and up towards its head. Her chain arm launched in the creature’s direction and wrapped around one of its mandibles. She retracted it, pulling herself up in a flash and picking up speed. She released her chain and caught some air, hovering a few feet above it before casting [Glasswalker] again. She landed on her feet, standing above the Rlik Queen and opened her journal.

[Viiranavalar] - [Wildlands Rilk Queen] - Hostile - Level 14

HP: 100% MP: 100% SP: 100%

It opened its mandibles again and roared, something gurgling in its throat. Teyva released another burst of her presence in the creature’s direction, “Quiet!” She demanded, “I’m not here to harm you or your kin.”

The creature shuddered to a stop and shook its head, trying to resist her will. She began to walk across the air, stepping down to get a bit closer to the creature until she was near enough to touch its hardened body. She reached out and pressed a hand against its carapace, closing her eyes and using [Mana Manipulation] one more time. “Talk to me.”

SOUL LINK ESTABLISHED!

Teyva felt herself get pulled into the creature’s soul, the strange space opening up to her as easily as a book. Unlike Batel and Conrad, though, it wasn’t a cohesive open area within roiling clouds. It was a dark, crowded place. Teyva felt a tightness wrap around her followed by a hissing rasp inside of her head. The rattling voice that permeated her senses would have deafening if it had any actual sound to it. Instead she felt the pressure inside of her own skull, thousands of tiny voices screaming out at her all at once as one larger voice, feminine and proud, seemed to guide their chorus.

Why? It asked.

You must be Viiranavalar. Teyva said.

What do you want? It shrieked at her.

You.

Teyva didn’t bother with arguing, the creature’s simple mind was so chaotic and disjointed she could spend an eternity here and it wouldn’t comprehend what she was trying to explain to it. Instead, she just cast [Embrace Monster] now that she was inside.

O Mother of Monsters, will you accept the wretched soul in your grasp?

Yes/No

Time to come home to mother.

Teyva took in a deep breath of air as she pulled herself out of the creature’s soul, blinking rapidly as light burned her irises. She took a few steps back and caught herself on the platforms of glass beneath her feet. Before her, the mighty creature went limp, its body trembling as a faint glow washed over its form. The glow flowed into the ground and spread out across the snowy surface beneath. The three rilk drones that had stopped in their approach shuddered as well, their bodies twitching and spasming as whatever change was taking place took hold.

Teyva waited patiently until the mighty creature’s eyes fluttered open again and it turned an expectant gaze on her. No hostility in its posture. That was a relief, its mouth was as big as she was. Her lip twitched and she held out her hand again before casting [Uplift Monster]. Another glow, another tremor, and the creature grew just a little larger than it had been. The Rilk Queen shook its head and actually stumbled as the second jarring change rocked its way through her body.

“There we go,” Teyva said breathlessly, pulling out her Journal again.

[Viiranavalar] - [Greater Rilk Queen] - Loyal - Level 14

HP: 100% MP: 100% SP: 100%

Teyva grinned, “Nice. How do you feel, Viira?”

The creature turned fully towards her and leveled her with its gaze, Awake, for the first time. We heard your song when you ascended, mother, but in our wretchedness we could not articulate our own song in response. Primitive. Broken. Brought low. I hear your song now, Mother.

“You heard me?” Teyva asked, tilting her head.

Before the cold came, your song rose up from the west, a shout across the land. We were called, but could not respond.

Teyva blinked and glanced at Neprhal, “She’s saying that she felt it when I manifested my Sovereign aspect. Do you think that means that other monsters felt the same thing?”

“I do not doubt it,” Nephral mused, “You may very well be the first being to manifest such an Aspect, of course those who would resonate with it would sense it.”

Teyva turned back to the Rilk Queen, “I need your help.”

Viira raised her head and roared to the sky, The cruel cold winds no longer bite our flesh, the chill does not still our joints, we will serve however we can, Mother!

[Mimicry], Teyva thought, “I am pursuing the human army that came through here, I may need your support in-”

Evil hunters of my children! Wretches that scorned our peaceful sleep! Blades swung only for pleasure! I will delight in their suffering! Viira screamed, thrashing her bladed arms.

“Great!” Teyva laughed hesitantly, “That’s the plan. After that, though, I have a more important role for you,” She said, her expression firming up a little. The creature turned to look at her again and tilted its titanic cranium in curiosity. She smiled, “You will have two duties. The first is to be my Daughter, Stella’s first servant. She is your kin.”

A queen among queens! The monster shrieked.

“Right!” Teyva nodded, “With that… The Lydan is dead.”

The great Lord of the Wildlands is no more, yes, we know.

“Replace him,” Teyva said, “Conquer the other Rilk Nests in the wildlands and bring them into your brood. If another army like the one that marched through and hurt your children comes through again. Annihilate it.” She paused, “You are the new Lord of the Wildlands.”

The creature paused, staring at her for a long time before throwing both of its bladed arms up into the air in jubilation. It roared at the ground and rilks began to pour through the cracks in the surface. Soldiers, Drones, they all shrieked and roared, clattering their mandibles in eager bloodlust. One Queen for the Wildlands! The other nests will bend the knee or die!

Teyva let out a breath and turned away, using [Glasswalker] to descend back to the ground and make her way towards the Carriage that waited for her. “Glad you like the idea,” She called at the rising army behind her, “Now follow me.”