As the night set, Tanuki was expecting to see lights from his base. He had taught Maduka the art of making a campfire and he knew she couldn't go to sleep without knowing her friend is well.

However, when Tanuki left the rocky mountain's biome, dozens of small lights circled around the base. They were moving, and unlike any firefly.

"Were we attacked?" The thought slipped through Tanuki's mind, followed by a rush of fear. "M-Maduka!"

He rushed towards the base, Diablo running after him while heavily panting.

Their home was surrounded by tiny brown buildings. They were coated in a white glaze and decorated with small edible berries. A path of cookies connected the buildings, which gingerbread men walked with hefty weights on their backs.

The gingerbreads were sentient.

Diablo was disgusted by their sight.

"What a perverted joke of nature! Tanuki, do you have any idea how this infestation might arose?"

He was confused as to how his guardian angel wouldn't know of Pam. Then, he realized, that he was the only one capable of seeing the Gaia Core's system.

"Oh, of course. They must be the friends of my friend."

"Huh?"

Before he could've explained more, the cabin's door burst open. A proud Maduka appeared on a throne, held by twenty different gingerbreads. She wore a beautiful dress, made from dark-brown cookies.

There was a crown on her head, in which hid a small octopus.

"Pam?!"

"Jolly day to you!" The tiny creature waved her arms.

"What are you doing here? When did you––"

Tanuki walked up to them and reached for the crown, which Maduka answered by kicking him in the shin.

Tanuki fell to the ground, cursing from pain.

"What the hell, man?!"

"Maduka is da new queen! Bow before her!"

"Sure, just shut up! Pam, how did you end up in my––"

Maduka bonked him on the head with her gingerbread staff.

"Gahh!"

"Watch thine mouth when ya' talk to da queen!"

Pam climbed onto the crown, hugging it with her arms.

"Didn't you know, young Hachiro? When you pact with a god, you invite him into your world! I thought I was welcome to join. Oh my, was I not?"

"N-No, it's fine! I just wasn't expecting you. Or your family, for that matter."

Pam scratched the back of her large gingerbread head.

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, they aren't exactly alive…"

"Excuse me?"

"Think of them as a hivemind. Like a group of ants. I'm their ant-queen, whom they follow and serve. They are mindless drones, whose purpose is to support the collective. Not that I don't love them! Every one of my children is important to me. Though just don't expect much of a conversation with them, teehee. ~ "

This explanation made sense, though it didn't answer one of Tanuki's questions.

"And the cloud moon gave you enough power to raise a gingerbread city in the span of an hour?"

Pam was confused by his question. Then, she remembered.

"Oh yeah, no! The flower is important, but not as of now. It was the fairy spice that gave life to my children. Your friend was helpful enough to give it to my children. Because of that, they deemed her as their second queen."

Maduka smiled smugly.

"Da pawns needed stuff, so Maduka showed the food corner!"

When Diablo heard that, she thought it was funny that they stored their food in a corner. However, when he saw Tanuki glance over to an empty part of their room, she couldn't help but laugh.

"Maduka?" Tanuki asked in a gentle voice.

"Speak, pawn!"

"You know that was all of our food supplies?"

"Maduka is a generous queen!"

Tanuki leaned close to her. There was killing intent in his eyes.

"Maduka…"

"Y-Yes?"

"You know that without any eggs, I cannot make you breakfast, right?"

A chill crept up Maduka's back.

"Does dat mean… No omelet?"

"Say it again, let the pain sink in!"

"No omelet…"

Maduka was left broken. It was merely by luck that her brain hasn't gone into a vegetative state just from the mere shock.

Tanuki returned to Pam with a smile.

"Can your children fight?"

"Of course! But they are better architects than anything. Their specialty is the construction of giant fighters!"

"Do you mean mechs?"

"I'm unfamiliar with that word, but if it means titans made battle, then yes!"

These were good news. Not only because that would mean another wall of defense against an attacking wave, but also because Tanuki thought mechs were cool.

His inner nerd escaped as he jumped to the initiative.

"Awesome! What more do you need to make your titans real?"

"Ah, young Hachiro, you're such a sweet man! For the next ingredients, you have to delve underground."

"I know a good opening into a cave! What do we need from there?"

"How about you take this crown and grab a piece of paper? The list is far longer than before!"

"No problem!"

Tanuki took the crown off of Maduka's head and walked into the cabin.

Diablo was about to follow, however, she found the fear-frozen Maduka far more interesting. She looked dumb and easily manipulated, the right kind of woman for a "guardian angel".

Diablo snapped her fingers before Maduka's face, consequently snapping her out of her frozen state.

"Yo." Diablo smiled, ready to play with her.

"Huh? Who is ya'?"

"I'm your long-lost sister, Queen Diablo!"

"Maduka has sister?"

"Yup, it's me! We got separated when we were just babies."

The goblin touched her chin.

"Maduka does remember something like that…"

"Exactly! It's so good to see you've become a queen yourself! I'm so proud of you, little sis!"

Maduka's eyes glittered with joy. She always wanted a sister and someone who was proud of her!

This was a dream come true.

"Ah, sister!" She lunged forward to hug her. "I love you so much!"

Diablo was filled with disgust as the goblin's tiny hands wrapped around her. She wanted to scream at the dirty being for how dare she touch her.

Though she realized, this could be used for her benefit.

With a gentle push, she shoved Maduka back into her throne.

"Hey, little sis! You don't know about our royal greeting, do you?"

"Ah, royal greeting? Sister, please! Teach Maduka!"

Diablo had a hard time hiding her grin.

She took a step back and bowed.

"You move like this and say "Your face makes me puke!" This is a gentlewoman's way of letting others know that they look wonderful!"

Maduka was so filled with joy!

She jumped off of her throne, took a step back and bowed.

"Ya' face makes me puke!"

Diablo couldn't believe her.

What a fool! Does she not know what puking means?

She patted herself on the back for not laughing and turned to fly away.

"Good work, little sis! I'm very happy we've met. Unfortunately, I got some royal tasks to do. See you again in—"

As her body flew off the ground, Maduka's tiny hands grabbed her ankle and pulled her back, right into her tight hug.

"Ah, sister! Please don't go!"

"What are you–– Kuhh!"

Maduka was pretty small, but she bore a strength that could not be looked down upon. Diablo hadn't realized that until Maduka's arms were wrapped around her throat.

"I love you, sister Diablo!"

"Lhet gho of meh… you… kuhh… fhool…!"