Tichaona trotted back to the spot where he had landed, whilst carrying the bodies of the two unconscious girls. The sting of the wound on his chest had subsided, but it had put him in a slightly gruff mood. The breach in the air which showed a distorted appearance of the Ethereal Woods, drew near him until it was an elliptical shaped passageway that he could enter. Tichaona stepped into this portal and was soon in the presence of the dark figure.

The alien goddess gazed upon her henchman, raising her hands to applaud his efforts. Her clapping had a loud boom sound as if plastic bags, filled with air were suddenly popped. Tichaona didn’t think much about her endearing action and simply brushed it off as one of her usual quirks. He placed the bodies of the girls, side by side on the ground. He then went on to ask her, “So I came back with the girls, goddess. What do you wish to do with them now that they are here?”

“I would like to engage in a briefing with them. You managed to handle them in less than half an hour. Though it seems like your prey put up a fight, considering that the chest area of your body armour is pretty much burnt. Interesting. They managed to do this much despite having inferior levels, in any case, that was still a beneficial experience for you.” she said, as she got close to Tichaona, examining his body.

“So tell me, what does this girl have that makes her important to your cause?” asked Tichaona, who gazed at the incapacitated Isabella, curious about her abilities.

“Direct to the point, I see,” she said, kneeling down and picking them up one by one and tucking them into her arms, “she is the point of precision that I need in executing my plan. I will explain more to you after I have talked to these human women. I have cooked a delicious meal for you that you may enjoy in the kitchen. It’s in the warming compartment. Rest now as I deal with these two.”

“So you’re going to tell them basically what you told me?” he asked, wondering how they would handle the truth about Goshem.

“Yes. After her orientation, I will seek your presence. So be patient and rejoice your victory.” she said, as she walked away with the unconscious girls. Tichaona wondered how it would go with them. The dark figure was temperamental and would probably lash out violently towards her captives, not to mention use poison as a deterrent. Tichaona hardened his heart and left their fate to be decided by her. He returned to the ship, greeted by the wolf that had become his pet as well as being glared at by the dragon Mercinia that was roaming near the entrance. Tichaona paid this beast no attention and headed towards the hatch. With the dragon being at level 10 and him currently being at 5, he was probably an insect to this creature. He began to wonder what it would be like to reach those levels as made his way to the kitchen. The young man devoured the food she had prepared for him, thinking about how long he would have to wait before the actual battle with her brother would begin.

The girls were placed near the soul stone garden, with their bodies slightly inclined due to the hedges. The dark figure used the healing solution in a vial and injected it into their bodies. The solution quickened their recovery and both them woke up around the same time. As Isabella gained consciousness, she violently fidgeted her hands in the dirt as she recalled the memory of Tichaona during their skirmish.

When she felt the humid air and dimness of their environment, she thought that she was losing her mind until her upper body was fully erect. Alanza exhibited similar behavior as she came to terms with her surroundings. As soon as they were fully conscious, they immediately got a glimpse of the dark figure who was busy placing bracelets with gems on her wrist and forearm. Witnessing the presence of the towering alien, the girls wished to run on instinct, but as soon as they made their attempt, they lost all their strength and fell to the ground. The dark figure turned around and walked towards them, grinning as she stroked the jewels that were strapped to her hand.

“It seems like my apprentice handled my appearance better than most. If you fear me, then that is good. An awareness of others’ strength is a good survival tactic. You may be wondering what I am and probably whether or not I eat your kind. I assure you, I don’t consume human flesh, but I am woman who wishes to take one of you as my 2nd apprentice. Especially you, the female who is tall and decorated with leather.” she said, as she got close to them.

“You’re the goddess of the man who abducted us? Are you an evil spirit?” asked, Isabella who was petrified by her existence.

“A transubstantiated creature I am not, however I can become one. I have weakened both of your constitution with my onyx soul stone, just enough to immobilize you two,” she said, as she stretched out her hand which showed the gem glowing, “I don’t wish to be interrupted during my exposition of this place, so for now listen attentively to what I am about to tell you.”

The dark figure went into detail about the truth about Goshem, her plans for Tichaona and them, without hesitation. The information came as a surprise for these girls who were now flustered and conflicted by this information. As soon as her dictation was done, she relieved the power of the gem stone’s magic and waited to hear what the girls had to say. Isabella was quick to ask, “If this isn’t the afterlife and everything about this god Sedulous is true, then why won’t this god intervene on behalf of your plan? Is your alien brother still a threat to all of the people on this planet? Am I really that necessary to your cause?”

“Even after explaining it all, did you fail to grasp the gravity of the situation? Sedulous is not a fantastical being that entertains prayers or requests like a religious god. He simply created this planet to yield evolutionary results. It has no intention of intervening on behalf of any intelligent life form that exists here. Besides, there is the looming threat of my sibling who wiped out most of my people. If he were to set his eyes on the humans for experience points, things could get worse on this planet.” she said, a bit peeved that the girl didn’t immediately go with her story.

“But everything is already worse on this planet. There are terrible human beings that are enslaving others to gain power, creating systems that gain from those who are slow and unfamiliar with the rules of this world. The world hasn’t been right from the get go and I feel like you’re planning on using big sis!” remarked Alanza, who didn’t trust the dark figure.

“It’s true that those who are slow on the intake on how the technology in Goshem works tend to be victims of those who quickly become well accustomed, but you need to realize one thing, human female with a peculiar dressing sense. Your ally will benefit from helping me. You and the man who brought you here are key components to my plan. Through my training, which will be a trying experience, you will grow stronger than any of the human settlers on this planet. It’s a mutually beneficial arrangement, which you need to comply to.” she said, darting back and forth at Isabella and Alanza whilst giving them a charismatic smile.

“What if I and my sister wanted to not be a part of your grand plan? Would you try and stop us from living our own way in Goshem?” asked Isabella, who gazed closely at the dark figure’s face.

“I see that reasoning with you may not work out for the best after all. I will cut the niceties short. I am not asking you to join my cause. I am commanding you to do so. You seem to value the life of the girl with the unusual attire so I will bargain with you. Oblige me and I will let her live.” said the dark figure, whose face had become stern and fixed. Isabella became threatened by her remark and Alanza fell into manic fear.

“So you are willing to go that far to recruit me? You’re a monster.” said Isabella who was now glaring at her.

“Neither of us will be staying here you alien freak!” screamed Alanza who quickly made use of her power. She wished for another lightning bolt which Isabella directed with her ability. The forehead of the dark figure had a glowing star shape appear and within a matter of seconds, the bolt was deployed and immediately struck her on the head. The dark figure took the full brunt of this bolt, standing without flinching.

Isabella hoped that this time, unlike her mishap with Tichaona, a bullseye to the head would make difference. However, even without reinforcing with energy, the strike only made her hair stand. The dark figure’s face grimaced and then she made use of her onyx soul stone. The girls began to lose strength and their bodies were drained of energy. The dark figure moved in closely with her fists tightened. Isabella and her associate became terrified at the sight of the towering figure.

“You there, human female with the unusual attire. You’re the one that summoned that bolt of lightning. You’re conjurer, I see, it explains where you outfit and the goods you had on you came from, but you made a mistake. You thought you could kill me so easily, but I hope you’re prepared for the consequences.” she said, reaching for Alanza.

“No, no, no, no! Don’t kill her, please! I apologize, it was me. I struck you with the lightning, not her. Punish me and let her go.” she pleaded.

“You seem to have forgotten that I need you and not her. If you friend was willing to draw blood then she should be willing to have hers drawn as well.” Said the dark figure who struck Alanza with her right hand. Like a huge nail that was hammered by a nail gun, her hand pulverized Alanza chest, breaking all the ribs and totally blowing away the spine area of her back. It was instant death and Alanza’s health bar quickly disintegrated to 0%.

Isabella screamed in horror as she witnessed her friend’s murder. The dark figure used her left hand to push away the corpse from her right hand, which seemed to be wedged in the flesh. After she tossed her body to the side, a spherical glowing amber ball appeared on top of her corpse. This was what made up her experience points. Isabella cried, helpless as she curse the dark figure and lamented Alanza’s death. The dark figure then glanced at the amber ball and said to herself, “I think I should add another rock to my collection.”

The dark figure stretched out her hand and began to emit a ghostly aura. Her body slowly began to phase, transubstantiating. The dark figure got a hold of the amber ball and plucked out what looked like a wispy version of Alanza. Her soul was extracted from her experience points’ remnants and soon the dark figure became solid. After reverting back, she held the soul in hand as Isabella dread the experience. She could sense her friend but had no means of actually seeing her soul. The dark figure then concentrated her energy into her right palm and it began to glisten as it cooked Alanza’s soul.

After a couple of seconds, a gem that resembled a diamond came out of the process and thus Alanza was turned into a soul stone. Isabella lost her shit as she cried over the Alanza, seeing her dead body which was treated with irreverence by the dark figure. As she wailed she glared at the dark figure and told her, “I will kill you for that!” The dark figure chuckled and then glanced at her as she let out her aura. The weight of her power was overwhelming and it made Isabella go from vengeful declarations to trepidation.

With her overwhelming aura made clear, the dark figure then stated to the girl, “For the weak to make bold declarations is a laughing. As my apprentice, I will have you know, you were incapable of saving your friend so do not reach for the stars and assume you can kill me. You’re far too weak to be making meaningful threats. Know your place and realize that I am the only one who can make you strong.” As soon as she was done exhibiting her abilities, Isabella curled into a ball and shivered. She had come to accept her fate and capitulated to the dominance of the dark figure.