--------///----Losine's POV From her last ch----\--------

The discussion with Ulvian had been... Intruiging to say the least. From the start he hadn't interrupted until the very end, which he then began to give his piece. He showed his experience as he hadn't asked any simple or redundant questions and managed to plan accordingly to my answers, especially to the news of the sudden goblin populations. He had managed to keep the questioning short and proceeded to begin measures to inform the other colonies of the news. Despite his figure he kept the professional air about him. However Emily was a different story. During the meeting she had been going through a crisis of emotins ranging from disbelief, fear and then panic.

Ulvian didn't let the panic coming from Emily interrupt him. But her panic had begun to become an interruption which Martiq and my little ones took care of. When the meeting was over we began to head out but Emily stopped me for a moment.

(Emily) " Is that really true? "

Despite the comfort provided by Martiq and my little ones she was still afraid. I didn't have much in the way of ways to help her but i did what i knew would help her the best. I nuzzled her for a second and prepared to answer her in the best way possible.

(Losine) " Unfortunately, yes. The future where these things will happen is certain. But instead of living about it in fear, live in determination to survive. Live, grow, prepare. There is time. Take advantage of it. "

She just stared at me for a moment before she begun to stare at the ground. I wasn't sure what to make of her gaze but she took her time to recollect herself.

(Emily) " Will i ever get to see any of you again? "

I had to think about that. Outside of coming here to drop her off, we had no reason to return here. I didn't know what to say to that but unexpectedly i didn't have tooo as i was interupted by Lily.

(Lily) " Definetly! Right mama? I can come back here right? Papa said they can teach me. "

That was true. Lily would be able to come back here for training about her nature element. At the same time she would be able to visit Emily. She was still young but as long as either me or Martiq accompanied her then there shouldn't be any issue.

(Losine) " Yes. You'll have to be a little older but you can come here as long as either me or your father accompany you. "

Lily was ecstatic with my answer as she jumped over to Emily and just bounced around her. Having Lily jump around her seemed to calm Emily's nerves and lighten her mood. Despite how much i wanted them to stay happy, we had to go sooner or later. Lily didn't like having to part with Emily but she accepted it only after constent reminders that she could come back. We also had to promise her that she would be able to come once a month to recieve training and talk to Emily. They were both happy with the arrangement and didn't fuss about it.

(Emily) " I'll be waiting! "

(Lily) " Me too! "

They had gotten attached over their shared nature element and became friends. Which for Lily was a good thing. Emily can help her when it comes to interacting with the right and wrong kinds of bipeds.

~ Just because an apocalypse may be upon us that does not mean i have to forget about teaching my little ones about valuable life lessons. ~

After they had finished saying their goodbyes, we began to make our way out of the forest and resume our trek towards the empire. Eventually we fell back into our routine of running, hunting, eating and relieving ourselves. The day and nights became blurred as not much had ever happened that would required my full hyper focused attention. The most that happened had been us running through random settlements but since we hadn't stopped in any of them there was nothing to mention of it.

The days had passed as soon as they had started, until we reached a massive earthen wall that felt stronger then the one that surrounded Argustus' kingdom. The wall itself seemed to not only be reinforced with various elemental protections but there was also metallic reinforcements and structures inside the wall. As we got closer i begun to form doubts on how we were supposed to enter... There was no gate, doorway, or entrance. So how were we meant to enter? I was curious on finding out but instead of trial and error i opted for asking Ulderria herself.

(Losine) " Ulderria? How do you enter your empire? "

I didn't even have to wait before i was met with an instantaneous response. However she did sound a bit flustered.

(Ulderria) " M-MISTRESS!? YOU'RE HERE ALREADY! W-W-WAIT I'M NOT READY! "

I wasn't expect her to be shouting a response at me so i flinched. Martiq looked to me with a smirk on his face while Morrius and Lily looked at me confused. The line which i spoke to Ulderria to had gone somewhat quiet... Until we heard a massive boom which sounded as if it came from far beyond the walled off city infront of us.

(Lily) " Mama what was that? "

(Losine) " I'm not too sure myself... "

(Losine) " Ulderria? Has something happened? It sounds like an explosion has gone off in the distance. "

This time she was prepared for my message and remained calmer then she did the first time.

(Ulderria) " I'm sorry Mistress, I didn't mention what i was going to do. The sound of the explosion came from me. I'm currently making my way towards where i sense you. "

I had to process what that meant for a moment. Whatever she had done had been the result of the sound... But what did she do to have the result be a sound rivaling a massive explosion?

(Losine) " What did you do? And why? "

(Ulderria) " I shot myself out of a canon. And because it's Mistress. Because of you everything i have today was possible. How could i not personally see you through the empire that would not exist if not for Mistress? "

Her logic was... Solid? But her process in following through with that seemed askew in multiple ways.

(Losine) " Well... The sound we've just heard was my disciple... She is coming to us at this moment. "

Having to tell them what the sound truly was felt very... Awkward. Martiq was the only one who knew the implications about what that truly meant. The little ones didn't completly understand but Martiq explained that for me.

(Martiq) " Ok little ones, here's a question for you. "

That grabbed their attention and saved me from the confused gazes.

(Martiq) " When i go realyyy fast, what noise does that make? "

At that, the little ones started thinking and Morruis seemed to have the answer but he was interrupted by Lily who blurted it out faster then he could.

(Lily) " A sonicboom! "

(Morrius) " No fair! I was about to say that! "

Lily stuck her tongue out at him and pointed her snout to the sky in a very Martiq like way. He seemed to enjoy her doing that as he smiled at her.

(Martiq) " Yup. Now what we just heard was basically that, but way stronger. Your mothers disciple is coming to meet us. That's what the sound was. "

(Morrius) " What's a disciple? Why does mama have one? "

(Martiq) " Do you want to say why Sile, or should i do it? "

(Losine) " I can answer that. A disciple is someone you take an interest in and teach them. All the races, aside from the monster races, take others as disciples. However as beasts we do it differently. When your older you'll understand what i mean by that. And i have two however the one coming to meet us proved to be strong so i took an interest in teaching her. "

(Morrius) " Ouu! She's strong? How strong? "

(Losine) " Hmmm. To give you an accurate gauge you can compare her to me or your father in strength. She's capable of defending everything beyond this wall on her own. "

Morrius seemed to like my answer as he started thinking about something. Given the speed his tail was wagging the thought was obviously a positive one.

(Ulderria) " I'm sorry Mistress, because of my haste i miscalculated my trajectory. I'll be firing myself again in a moment so please cover your ears. "

That was a sudden warning but an appreciated one nonetheless.

(Losine) " Martiq, cover the little ones ears for a moment. "

Despite the confused look he did what i requested. The little ones looked confused but after the next sonicboom which was closer and exuded a shockwave similar to a small earthquake.

(Losine) " Thank you for the warning Ulderria. "

(Ulderria) " Think nothing of it Mistress. If i'm right then i shall be coming into your view in a few moments."

That was intruiging so i looked up to the sky past the wall and began focusing my gaze at where i sensed Ulderria to be coming from. As i did my eyes began to focus on a small figure that was approaching as fast as Martiq runs. The figure was as small as a dot but became clearer that it was in fact Ulderria.

(Martiq) " Is that what i think it is?.. "

(Losine) " Yes. That's her Martiq. "

(Lily) " Really!? Where? "

Looking over at her, Lily seemed to be squinting and looking where we were in order to find Ulderria. Morrius seemed to be doing the same thing yet she was still too far for them to see her with their eyesight. Despite her speed it would take Ulderria a minute or two before to reach us. As she got closer i noticed her fur had substantially changed. Yet until she was here that was all i could see.

As Ulderria got closer she seemed to spot us and began changing her trajectory accordingly. She formed gauntlets of earth and seemed to do something to them as they began coiling back into themselves. I was curious about what was happening but i found my answer when she spun around and punched the air behind her with one of them. Something happened that resulted in her trajectory being changed as she began falling at an angle directly behind us.

After she had done that she came dangerously close to hitting the ground, however before she did, she turned towards the ground and used the last gauntlet and shot it towards the ground. As she did i heard the gauntlet shoot out air that had been compressed inside the gauntlets and used that power to not only counter the momentum from her fall but also flip herself to land on her feet.

(Morrius & Lily) " WHOA! "

Before she could say anything, Ulderria was swarmed by Morrius and Lily who ran circles around her. Ulderria seemed unsure of what to do and just dematerialized her gauntlets as she kept following them with her head and just looked to me with a heartfelt smile on her face.

(Morrius) " What was that?! How'd you do that? How? How? "

(Lily) " You smell like mama! Why do you smell like mama? "

(Losine) " You can ask her about those later little ones. Now can you both move apart for me please? "

They stopped running circles around her and looked towards me. They wanted to keep running around her but reluctantly gave up at my request. I walked over to Ulderria and looked towards my second disciple for the first time in centuries. Aside from the change in her fur, she didn't seem to change much. She was still just as tall as the day i found her in the savanah. However she was now wearing a pure black regal robe that seemed to tear at a few places but was slowly fixing itself. She wasn't wearing any shoes or other kind of footwear and just let her feet dig into the ground. Her hair seemed to be somewhat disheveled yet considering what she just did then it was to be expected. Her hair had been flowing past her shoulders and seemed to become of her natural brown and my black.

After the general inspection of her i began to appraise what lay beneath. Unlike Argustus, Ulderria had muscles that didn't show any signs of deterioration. She seemed to be as fit as a beast and had the vitality to spare. Her youthful appearence didn't seem wasted on her at all. As i kept looking at her muscles, i began to notice something that brought a smile to my face.

(Losine) " You've become a mother haven't you, Ulderria. "

Ulderria had kept the smile on her face the whole time i was appraising her, and when i brought that up, it grew even more. She knelt to the ground just as she did the first time we met and began talking.

(Ulderria) " Yes Mistress. I've become a mother recently yet it's the most arduous task i think i've ever faced. "

(Losine) " Hmm? Recently? Why is that? "

(Ulderria) " Yes Mistress. I prioritized the stabilization of my people. When i managed to unite the tribes i had begun focusing on creating a kingdom and safe haven for my people. First it began as small farming villages, then a city, and after decades a full kingdom in population only. Next i had to begin organizing a government, schools that would later become academies, to grow the knowledge from the previous and next generations, which in itself was difficult as the majority of beastkin were savages who hunted and moved not knowing anything else. The education system was difficult to say the least, at first i had to find elders who could be capable of teaching from all the tribes, stamping down on the prejudice those of other tribes had for each other, and then i had to work on teaching a people how to manage academies without my direct intervention.

Then when the education situation was done i could finally recruit those with the highest marks into my cabinet to help manage the government, economy, better farming. So many things in order to create a self sufficient kingdom. That process took ages. Then i had to worry about other kingdoms across the continent that began taking interest in my kingdom. I wasn't able to completly rely on my people to fight them off so i had to topple them on my own until we had a viable military. By the time that was done i had atleast 1 kingdom under my control which i would then have to start reforming and so on.

The process would keep repeating until i had a full on empire under my control. Then there were the issues of supply chains, trade routes, alliances, wars. I had far too much on my plate to worry about starting a family. However recently times have been peaceful enough for me to explore that side of life. I've been married for just about thirty years and i've mothered seven children. My oldest is twenty eight and my three youngest, which are triplets, are two years old. "

(Martiq) " Hey! Just like ours. "

(Ulderria) " Huh? "

(Losine) " Haaah. Like my husband just said, our children are two year old triplets. "

Ulderria's ears and tail immediatley shot up at the revelation and she began to look at Lily and Morrius.

(Ulderria) " But i only see two? "

(Losine) " Our last daughter is being trained now so she can't travel with us for now. "

(Ulderria) " I see. Well i haven't introduced myself fully yet so allow me. "

Ulderria stood up and dusted off her robe as she began to prepare herself.

(Ulderria) " My name is Ulderria Matsun, it is a pleasure to meet the family of my Mistress. I hope you all enjoy your stay in my empire. "

(Martiq) " I'm Martiq, from what i've seen and heard so far i approve of you. Little ones, introduce yourselves. "

(Morrius) " I'M MORRIUS! "

As if to take revenge against Lily blurting out the answer to Martiqs earlier question, Morrius essentially shouted his name out as fast as he could. Lily obviously understood what he had just done and started pouting to which Morrius responded with a stuck out tongue of his own. Ulderria had no clue about what was happening and just looked on confused.

(Lily) " I'm Lily... "

Lily was still pouting as she said that so her lack of enthusiasm was obvious. Ulderria didn't let that get to her as she crouched down to Lily and began to scratch her chin. Lily enjoyed the attention which made Morrius somewhat jealous yet he tried not to show it.

(Losine) " Actually Ulderria, why haven't any of your people come to assess the situation of your landing? I doubt any of the races would just be ignoring the sounds that you created as you landed. so where are the defenses? "

(Ulderria) " When you told me you would come to my empire i had a widespread message ready to be transmitted at the press of a button. When you informed me you were here i pressed that button and sent out a message that would inform my people not to worry about any sudden loud noises that may occur. It may have been a sudden occurance, yet the majority of the empire recieved the message so i'm not that worried. "

(Losine) " I see. Then how about we begin making our way through your empire. "

Ulderria smiled and got up. She had to stop scratching Lily, which made Lily pout but she was still content with what attention she had. Ulderria came up to my side and walked just a bit ahead of me and Martiq. When we came to the wall all she had to do was place her hand against the wall for it to open. It seemed the wall had a function of opening a passage by having the wall itself split apart. She kept opening the wall just enough for us all to walk through side by side and not have any issues.

When she was done there was a passageway big enough for us to go through and see the other side. However there seemed to be a massive crowd waiting on the other side. Just based on what i could see, this crowd was the exact opposite of Argustus' crowd. There were beastkin, dwarves, elves in the vast majority of the crowd while humans were essentially the minority. Yet, thinking of Augustus.

(Losine) " I forgot to mention, Ulderria, i've taken another disciple. He's the king of the kingdown to the south of here. "

Ulderria seemed to pause at that and seemed to think on where i was mentioning.

(Ulderria) " The one close to the forest? "

(Losine) " Yes. "

Ulderria looked towards me and gave me a look of astonishment and reverence.

(Losine) " Ulderria? Why are you looking at me like that? "

(Ulderria) " Because Mistress is truly amazing. "

(Losine) " Huh? "

(Ulderria) " Mistress is responsible for the birth of an empire, the birth of the Warforged who became king and now another kingdom is under Mistresses watch. "

(Losine) " I-... "

She was right. I knew she was. Yet i couldn't dispute it.

(Martiq) " Oh. Sile's speechhless. I like you more already. "

(Ulderria) " Thank you? "

(Losine) " Anyway. Mentioning him, has Valderin made it to the empire? "

(Ulderria) " Not yet. He set off weeks ago but he's facing some issues in the ocean. "

(Losine) " Issues? Did he say what they were? "

(Ulderria) " He complained about icebergs and the ocean experiencing some form of flash freezing. "

(Losine) " Hoh? I'll check on him as we walk. "

(Ulderria) " Understood Mistress. "

The little ones were just looking back and fourth between us. They seemed to want to interject but they stopped themselves from doing so. We had started walking towards the crowd and were met with a massive applause and an eruption of cheers. The reception must have also been the exact opposite of Argustus' kingdoms reception. The people themselves seemed to hold me and the rest of my family in the same regard that Ulderria did. However i could look at these gazes later, now i had to get in touch with Valderin. Considering he was far closer then the first time i contacted him, it was easier to get a connection formed with him this time.

(Losine) " Valderin, how is the journey towards the empire? "

(Valderin) " Ehh. Shiet if i put it bluntleh master. I've hadda break through icebergs and ice sheets that are thicker then they should be. It's irritaitin more then ya know. "

(Losine) " Do you have any speculations as to what they come from? "

(Valderin) " No i don't. I had been hoping that you'd have the ansa to that question for me. The only thin i could attribute this crock of shiet too would be some old legends or myth. "

At the mention of legends, my interest peaked.

(Losine) " Do tell. Legends are sometimes born from truth. "

(Valderin) " I don know em in detail but they're about some kind of aquatic serpent that freezes everything around em. "

That had me intruiged until i thought about the origin of this legend. If my memory had served me correctly then the one beast that would come to mind would be the elder of the aquatic species. Glacium.

(Losine) " There is a beast that fits that legend. The current elder to the aquatic species, Glacium. I believe he should be preoccupied with other affairs so even if the ocean is freezing in some areas he should not be an issue for you to be concerned over. "

(Valderin) " Ya fuckin serious master?! There's actually a creature like that in the world? "

(Losine) " Valderin, i am serious. Back on topic, how long do you think you will be delayed for? "

Valderin had to take some time in order to answer me. While i waited i noticed Ulderria had started a conversation with Martiq yet i was unsure of what the conversation had started from as i was focused on Valderin.

(Valderin) " If the rest of the way is like this then i'd give it week te get there. If it's just this part of te ocean that's freezin over then it'll only take three days at most. Are ya there master? "

(Losine) " Yes i am. Currently i'm walking with Ulderria. "

(Valderin) " Tch. Lucky. I'll let ya know when we're pulling into port. I've got another goddamned sheet of ice to break. "

(Losine) " Very well. Next time we speak i expect to hear good things. "

We cut the connection after that and i tuned back into what was happening before me. We were still walking through a crowd of applauding and cheering people, yet it was still something i was not used too. However the Fine chisled stone that made up the roads, the buildings, there were residential areas with atleast four floors yet those buildings seemed to be in better conditions then i first thought. The people themselves seemed to all look healthy and happy.

There was more to observe yet there was a platform that Ulderria wanted us to go towards. We walked over to it while her and Martiq kept talking and begun to activate it.

(Ulderria) " Now everyone stand still and keep yourself from using any elements in the circle. "

(Losine) " You hear that little ones? "

(Morrius) " Yes mama. "

(Lily) " Yep. I listen! "

(Losine) " Good. "

(Ulderria) " I'll be activating the array now. "

As soon as Ulderria said that, the array that was carved into the platform began to glow. The light was blinding but it lasted for a moment before it ended with us being transported to a completly different area. When i looked up i saw a palace made of black steel with red spires laying ahead of us. I turned to Ulderria and saw the the proud look on her face.

(Ulderria) " Welcome to the capital of my empire Mistress. "