“...Conquers all!” Nua punched the sky as she addressed the congregation before her in the pavilion where Raymond died twelve years earlier. “That is the nature of strength! That is the nature, the true nature of justice! If you would not be prey, you must endure all, only through your willingness to bear anything, can you conquer anything! When I came here twelve years ago, I saw a broken people! I saw a hollow people… empty of the spirit that once made their kingdom strong!”

She walked the stage, allowing their eyes to follow her, but staying close to the center so that they needn’t move more than their eyes, she felt them locked on the golden glow of her pupils. The smile was kept within as her voice echoed over the thousands.

“Mu’Ulm, the Great Second, has spoken the truth of this, and he has sent word to you from the east, would you like to hear it?!” Her slender elven arms shot out in front of her and opened wide with invitation.

Minotaur hooves pounded the stone, and she reached into her pocket in response to take out the letter. “On the fourth month of the twelfth year after the return of Kiril’s Angel, Devor Harvesters crossed the border. They came, one hundred in number, to a village. The village saw their coming. The village knew of their coming by their sight. The village told me of their coming and called for our aid. We came, Death’s Horsemin. We spoke with the Harvester leader and they spoke with us. We gave them words of death if they did not go. They did not go. Our Death’s Horsemin fought the Devor Harvesters, we surrounded them with our mounts, and killed them with our axes. The Harvesters died, the villagers live. They do not go to their homes, instead we send a gift to you of the heads of those we killed, to decorate the houses of the followers of Kiril’s Angel, the true servant of the god of strength!”

The huffing, lowing, cheering sound of minotaur citizens was chaotic, and the stomping happy hooves against the stone only added to it all. Nua allowed her smile to shine out to them, it was an alien expression for the most part, a much exaggerated version of what their mouths were capable of, but after twelve years, her pride of followers knew the happiness of their priestess.

“The heads of the Devor Harvester party, will be awarded as prizes for those who excel at the games at the end of the month. A head will be reserved for the highest producing farm and the highest producing smith, but all others will be given a chance to win one of the remaining ninety eight… however, I have news.” Nua’s voice dropped low and the crowd began to quiet, her voice was rarely grave, and so they leaned forward as one in anxiety of what was to come from her next.

“I am leaving you.” Nua whispered, the enchantments and acoustics carried the whisper from the nearest minotaur in the long stone seat, to those who had standing room only at the back.

Mouths fell open. Silence ruled as god.

Her golden glowing eyes watered up, and she wiped them briefly. “For twelve years, since the Dark Savior came to this kingdom in the fight of her life, I have served as your priestess, it has been… my honor. My privilege, to guide you, my precious pride. But… I have a task I must complete, one far from here. I go east, beyond the Triumvirate of the Beastmen Empires. I go to the demon-elves and the humans and others. I go to right the wrong that was done in this very place.” She unconsciously looked, and decisively pointed, to the place where the gallows had once stood, where Raymond had died in front of her.

“In my place…” She swallowed and wrenched her eyes away from where they were briefly forced, and lowered her hand back to her side. ‘No… not yet, build up a reminder of their pride first, make them anticipate it…’ She thought, and began to recount their doings…

“As you know, the great undead farms are now producing, the Mute Merchant’s great teachers and in concert with our temples, the national Bank of His Majesty, has trained and funded the first great Minotaur Merchant guilds and banking houses… and our treaties have ensured new prosperity that is now spreading throughout your kingdom. In ten more years you will be wealthier as a kingdom than you’ve been in the previous two hundred combined!”

Their mouths had closed from the shock of her announcement of her departure, and now they were quiet in anticipation of what was next. She let the silence of her last statement stretch out, “...So in my place, I have appealed to the Pope herself, to Kiril’s Angel, to send among you one of her own. One taught by Neia and Skana themselves! One carried lovingly in their arms, who lived in the house of the Dark Savior, who embraced our god as grandfather and king! And she has agreed! She sends to you, one of your own! The flesh of the Minotaur Kingdom, born of Minotaur soil, one ripped out of the mouths of the Devor when she was but an infant, in the first great slaughter of the Harvesters! Whose mother was avenged by the Scourge of God, his Red Hand, who led her out of hell, and forged this child of your people into a child of terror!”

Not a hair on the bodies of the crowd stirred, not even beneath the breeze, as if fearing that a single sound might interrupt the flow of their priestess as the anticipation grew.

“Mu’Trieu Baraja! Mu’Trieu Baraja will take my place, the first minotaur acolyte of god, she comes straight from the papal estate and will be here in a matter of days!”

The thunder was deafening as minotaurs shot to their feet, their stomping hooves and clapping massive hands shook the stone pavilion in the center of Menowa.

Nua raised her hands to call for silence, and gradually it was given to her, and her pride, her body of followers, seated themselves again. “I do not know if I am going to my death, but I am going to fight for my justice! My heart’s desire! I am going to risk everything, to right a wrong perpetrated here, I do not know that the divine will grant my wish. But… I know that unless I am willing to reach out for my Justice with my own hands, I have no right to expect it to simply be given to me! I must be strong, or wrong goes on!”

“So let me say at the last… thank you! Thank you for everything! For every day of my time here, for your faith, for your trust, and for the unrivalled joy of getting to watch your kingdom come back to life before my eyes! I do not know if I will see this place again, but if I live, I will think of you always, and with joy in my heart when I do so. I will drink beer made here and tell others that you make it better than the dwarves! I will tell others you laugh louder than humans and longer than elves! I will tell the world that across the world, here in the Minotaur Kingdom, there grows a power that anyone should fear to wrong, because…”

She let the words hang again, savoring the silence before they finished it themselves.

“WE CAN FIGHT BACK!” the crowd of black clad minotaurs shouted, again and again as Nua left the place in front of them all, and ascended the long stone steps with their powerful shouts striking her slender elven body until she made her exit.

She walked across the street as they continued the chant that had electrified their people like a battlecry.

‘They’ll be at that for a while, such a passionate people, minotaurs.’ She smiled at the thought, the little corners of her lips turning up as she made her way into the office of her temple across the street.

Mu’Sula was sitting in front of her ornate, dark wooden desk already.

“Welcome back, Nua.” He said pleasantly and stood up. He inclined his head politely and she thrust out her small hand to his. He took it and shook it firmly.

“Thank you.” She said as she gestured back to the seat from which he’d risen. “Please, sit down, thank you for coming so early, I hope I didn’t keep you waiting.”

Mu’Sula laughed, “No, of course not, but why would I complain to the Mistress of Pain even if I had been? You’ve made me rich beyond my dreams these twelve years, I’m not going to complain about a little wait to say goodbye.” He blinked a few times that she noticed as she took her seat.

“Softy.” She laughed loudly, throwing her head back as she did so, “You don’t have to pretend to be worried anymore, I’m not going to sell you out, my friend. “No Black Justice operatives are going to take you in the night, you’ve met every expectation I had of you. As far as I’m concerned, you paid your debt to your society through all your hard work for me. Without you and Mu’Ulm, I couldn’t have brought the criminal element of the Minotaur Kingdom under control, or down, where it wouldn’t submit. Or at least, not nearly as quickly. You’ve been an enormous asset, and you know what?” She leaned forward and rested both her hands on the desk, one atop the other.

“What?” He asked, leaning forward and matching her posture.

Her right hand went out with the palm up, “I’m going to miss your fondness for my stories, you may have begun as a tool I had to scare the piss out of, but, I like to think we’ve become friends these last twelve years. I hope for nothing but your prosperity, even though I doubt we’ll see each other again, I’ll think of you fondly for as long as I live, whether it be twelve more days, or twelve hundred more years.”

He hesitated, staring down at her hand as if it were a viper, recalling the scars he’d seen on her back, and the voice of death that had come out of those delicate small lips when she’d said, ‘...try to kill me…’ the golden glow and her absolute confidence, and the stories of the killers in the west had been endlessly entertaining, and in that moment he’d understood, ‘She’s not exaggerating, I’m ferrying death’s agent in my cart…’

He reached out and took her hand and gave a slow nod, “You’re the scariest and smallest person I’ve ever met, both at once, and yes, I like to think I couldn’t have asked for a better friend.” Mu’Sula said sincerely, “I hope you get everything you’re after out there, and I’ll be keeping my ear turned east for word of your exploits, while I sit comfortably in retirement here.”

“Thank you, all I ask is that you stay on long enough to train a replacement for Mu’Trieu, when she gets started, after that, enjoy your retirement, I’m leaving a letter for her on what gifts I’ve set aside for you in the counting houses, a little bonus for the risks you took for me early on.” Nua said with a teasing wink that made the whites of Mu’Sula’s eyes widen ever so slightly with greed.

“Th-Thank you. Even after all this, I wasn’t expecting a severance… truly you serve the god of generosity.” Mu’Sula said and clapped his hands together and rubbed them eagerly.

Nua chuckled as their hands came back to themselves, “He is the god of many things, but he rewards good service, and so I imitate him in that. Why don’t you go ahead and get going, enjoy the day, I don’t have any other final tasks for you, just meet Mu’Trieu here when she arrives. She’s young, barely eighteen summers, but…” Nua fixed her eyes upward on the tall minotaur.

“Don’t underestimate her. You could probably hear my speech out there, I wasn’t exaggerating. Never… ever underestimate a Baraja, even an adopted one. The mother of terror still lives, even if she’s in her thirties, she’s personally trained her children. They grew up under the bow and sword of that house, most people don’t start learning the ways of spreading the Justice of our Overlord until they become adults. But she’s been steeped in it since childhood. Trust me, do not revert to your old habits. You got one pardon, but if you go backwards, you won’t even get a chance to ask for another.”

Mu’Sula bowed his head low, “Your words have the weight of gold, I will remember them, my retirement will be peaceful. I promise you.”

Nua stood, and Mu’Sula did the same, they bowed to one another, “Then I wish you all the best, I’m going… I’m going to go see Raymond again, before I leave.”

“Right… him, well thank you, thank you again, for everything, I mean that.” Mu’Sula said, and he turned to walk out the way he’d come, closing her office door behind her.

Nua took long, slow breaths, and then turned around to the back door of her office, and taking the key from beneath the shirt that was itself beneath her dark armor, she unlocked the door and exited. There on the grass square, thirty square feet around, in the center of the area, was the above ground coffin. Nua approached it and looked back at her office door, glassy eyes blurring briefly as she listened to the silence. She then turned to the stone, atop the lid was a perfectly lifelike stone statue of the man who lay within, postured just as he was.

“Raymond… Raymond it’s time. I don’t know if you can hear this, I don’t know if there’s anything beyond this life for anyone, human or elf. I just, I need to think that right now you’re watching over me. I did all that I said I would do here, and now it’s time to go. If I can take power in the east, if I can hand a kingdom to my god… he might… might give you back to me. I’ve met often with teacher in the last twelve years. She comes every year and stays with me for a few weeks. Maybe you know that?” Nua laid her hand over the hands of the statue that were folded together over the sternum as if in sleep. Nua looked down at the knives that were laid at the grave like offerings. “Yeah, all these knives are hers, I’ve left you flowers, she left knives for you, her favorite demon in human skin.” Her laughter came out like the peel of silver bells.

“How like her, right? I know what you’d say if you were with me now, you’d tell me not to go, you’d tell me to live and just be happy, to just visit your grave now and then. But..” Her hand tensed over the stone, “I can’t do that! You weren’t supposed to die out there! Not like that! I thought I’d have you back! That I could finally repay you for everything you did when I was just a helpless slave in that twisted city…” She bit her quivering lower lip and the stone pinky finger cracked at her pressure.

“I ‘will’ hear your voice again. I’ll cut my way through armies if I have to.” Nua whispered to the unmoving, unfeeling, uncaring corpse beneath the stone.

“I swear it on the blood of my right hand.” Nua whispered, and taking out a knife from beneath the black cloak she wore that hid some of her throwing weapons, she drew it over her palm without changing her expression. She then held her fist over the chest of Raymond’s status, and squeezed, so that some of her blood fell where the heart would be.

“That sounds determined, but are you sure you can manage it?” Nua turned behind her to find the buxom blonde woman she called ‘teacher’ smiling sadistically.

Nua’s golden eyes fixed on the ocean blue of her demonic instructor and she answered boldly. “Alone, maybe or maybe not, but with your assistance? Definitely. So, are you going to help me, or what?" Nua asked with the blunt forcefulness her teacher expected.

Solution approached and laid her hand over the bloody spot, letting the blood stain her hand while still wet and warm.

An inhuman grin came over her, with her human features twisting as a smile that no human could have managed, took over most of her face and curling savagely before it froze in place. “Your blood…” She said as it sizzled, dissolved into the false skin that concealed her true nature. “So good.”

Nua tossed the knife she still had out, up and down in a steady rhythm, at ease with the monster she called ‘Teacher’. “Thank you, Lady Solution, I guess. But that doesn’t answer my question.”

The maid demon grinned inhumanely wide. "Prove to me you're serious."

"I got all the undead farms established, I had Mu'Sula get all the bandits in the area to either turn themselves in, or kill those who didn't, I got most of the capital converted and a new priest in place, and I'm about to leave to get started. How much more serious can I get?" Nua demanded crossly as she furrowed her brow at her former teacher.

"Feed me. And I'll help you. His Majesty has already given me approval, but nothing is free and if you can't do this much, I don't believe you'll succeed." She cackled lightly.

"Feed you what?" Nua asked with blunt forcefulness in her voice and approached the maid demon.

"That." Solution said, and pointed to Nua's left hand. "Give me that, and I will guard the rest of you."

"You always have a high price for your help, don't you?" Nua asked with a deep breath.

"Yes, but I always deliver the goods." Solution pointed out with a teasing finger raised.

"Fine, take it." Nua replied and held out her hand and raised her knife to sever it.

"No... I want it fresh, still on the bone." Solution replied, and Nua relaxed her arm to let the maid demon take her forearm with surprising gentleness between her fingers.

"You can bite down on something, I'll give you that much." Solution said with the kind of magnanimity only a sadist offers.

"Gee, thanks." Nua replied sarcastically, and snatched up a stick from the ground, she shoved it into her teeth and bit down.

Nua watched as her arm was slowly brought up to Solution's chest, and her hand placed on the maid demon's breast. It was fascinating in a way, intimate, and the softness of the maid demon's skin was enticing even to her. Her eyes could not tear away from the sight of her fingers disappearing into the flesh, and then... the pain hit.

Nua's eyes flew wide open and she howled into the stick as her flesh, nerves, and bones were dissolved all the way to the wrist, her entire body shook, she dropped her knife and held onto the stone with her free hand, landing by chance on the folded hands representing the way Raymond's body rested within. It felt for a moment to her as if he was holding her through the pain, and then it was over.

She withdrew her arm as Solution's grip eased, and stared at the stump where her hand had been. Her body was still shaking with pain and with tears of agony rolling down her face when Solution smacked her lips.

"Wow, you really do taste good, I really did wonder, but... now what to do about your ruined hand..." She tapped her cheek in an exaggerated fashion as if she had no idea.

'You've got something in mind... I know you do... it hurts still... oh my god that hurts...' Nua thought, her arm shook and she couldn't look away from the cauterized stump that still sizzled and popped.

"Ah, that's right! This!" Solution laughed, reached into her body, and pulled something out, she moved too quickly for the elven priestess to respond, and suddenly the pain was gone. Nua stared uncomprehendingly at what had been placed there.

"Try it out, tell me how you like your new hand?" Solution said smugly. "I knew you could do it, so I had this made for you, a present from teacher to student.

"What is it?" Nua asked as she moved her forearm around and tried to work the 'object'.

"A magicine hand out of the Understone Empire, with some collaboration from the Runesmiths. Heavily enchanted doesn't even 'begin' to describe it. Perfect for seizing power." Solution's inhuman smile didn't leave her face. "So, are 'you' ready to go?"

"Yes, the city states of the demon elves east of the Triumvirate will know His Majesty's Justice. Or my name isn't Nua Calen Aiwenor." She said with a determined voice as her heartbeat began to race. "Now are you coming with me, or not?"

"Do I get to eat?" Solution rubbed her hands together ravenously and revealed her salivating mouth.

"No. If what I gathered is true, you will get to feast." The priestess replied sweet as a demon to Solution's ears.

The [Gate] opened, and they never did settle on who rushed through it first.