Kate held little Betty between her paws as she played with Pixel. If, fortunately Pixel could be saved, Betty did not have this chance but was reincarnated in Kobold with all its memories.

As a Kobold, her blood inhibited any fear of the dragons and, on the contrary the dragons represented for them, safety, comfort and family.

On the other hand, the dragons loved the presence of the Kobolds who were always complimenting their great master, hoping for a little attention, a favor and sometimes a dragon's blessing. For the lucky ones, the dragon would awaken their ancestral blood and open the way to dragonification, the ultimate reward for a lifetime of servitude and admiration. Such was the life of a normal Kobold, but Kate showered them with love and affection like a mother. They adored her in return for that. They loved me too. I never racially discriminated against them and respected them as responsible adults. At least I was sure of their loyalty and it was unthinkable for a Kobold to betray his dragon master. It would have taken regular mistreatment and daily humiliation... and then some. The few who could have betrayed were mutilated in their flesh or had escaped their master's predation. And it was only to go and serve another dragon.

They had a bipedal posture like humans but with inverted knees, a tail for better balance, horns and scales like a baby dragon but no wings. It was extremely rare.

They were as intelligent as humans but with smaller claws than dragons, proportionally, their "hands" allowed them to excel in art and industry. They were also master blacksmiths and the dwarves reincarnated as Kobolds had no problem returning to their former lives. Except that they were oviparous and liked sex much more than the dwarves. .... Their reproduction rate was much higher...

They kept their original language but draconic became innate, which favored the communication between them and me and Kate.

But I used to speak English with Kabal, Star and Kate and I forced the Kobolds and all those who served me to take lessons. In the temple of the Abyss, the worship was in English and all the dwarves, in fact all my allies, took the classes... And the temples, apart from the service on Sunday, served as a classroom.

Back to the Village, the next day,

The humans settled in and had almost nothing to do.

Of course, there was a round trip between the ship and the village. With the buses being driven manually by the men, Bello gained some confidence.

He hugged Sarah, his ex-girlfriend, but her husband was not so lucky.

Raven had the colors of her father, who died in an accident at work.

She hated Bello and even less that her mother could have had such a relationship before she knew her dad.

But, for professional reasons, they remained in contact... too much for her taste. And mostly because he was a ruthless sheriff.

"Chancellor Sarah... I believe we have arrived at our destination, back on earth and not proxima."

"Yes, I hope this yuri crashes into a beautiful red star somewhere in the universe."

The chancellor smiled and kissed her daughter on the head.

Bello: "They are strong heads like their mother..well I have a lot of work to do and I have to organize the defense of the perimeter and I have to meet a certain officer "Star" a robot. or a cyborg...

Indeed, an hour later, the security officers and the surviving soldiers were gathered in the main hall near the main square, next to the Church of the Abyss.

They were all worried about the statue with the multiple heads that seemed to follow each of them with its eyes, as if it were alive.

Bello was intrigued by the statue, waiting for the officer to come.

But he was surprised by my silent arrival at his back.

"Professor Reinhardt, I didn't feel you coming...my senses must be dulled, or maybe it's fatigue. I can't thank you enough.."

Me: "It's not you, but this is also a demonstration. The world we have known is no longer the same. Everything is different. You must consider that you are on another planet. You have certainly seen the horror in orbit.... It protects a fragment of another world. And it generates magic... a form of energy that encompasses and transforms this world into a different world.

You like this statue, I see...."

Bello: "I am intrigued and what is this creature???"

"The statue... it has energy and its own will... It follows you with its eyes and it also reflects your soul. It is not really a statue but a golem. "

Bello began to be frightened...

"Don't worry, only his eyes can move...."

Bello and the church?

"It is my pride and joy but also I am the bishop of it.... The cult of the abyss is a mixture of ancient religions. From Judaism to Christianity as well as Buddhism and Islam. It reveals in man what he has of divine but also shows him his weaknesses. Each head represents a religion in itself and all together reflect your soul. Forgive me but it is very philosophical. "

Bello: "Then why a hydra and not symbols???"

"Because unlike religions, the Hydra Goddess is real and alive...She is here and omnipresent..."

Bello knew that this was a sensitive subject.

Me: "Our subjects worship at sunrise and sunset on Sunday.

The other cults can also occur here and lessons on geography and the dangers that await you will be given by the Kobolds. I suggest you attend the worship, which is more of a plan for organization and rotation of tasks than a brainwashing class.

I will only ask one thing, not to desecrate or insult our goddess. Ah... I see that STAR has just arrived... I'll leave you to it... "

And I took the stairs in the temple.

Bello wanted to follow me but fell into a black and dark cul de sac.

I thought: "This Hans... he is mysterious ...."

A non-human robot voice called the attention of about 80 people sitting in an amphitheater in one of the rooms of the main hall.

"Hello, humans... I am Star... an AI just like our Commander Kabal. we serve Professor and Guide Hans Reinhardt.

To be blunt, we are not subject to any government or nation.

We follow the Church of the Abyss and its guide.

We are allied with the Vespalian people and the dwarf people and their king Cranedur.

As you know, we are at war with the incessant assaults of the elves and faes. Basically we are at war with the creatures of Tyrant...

And he showed on the board / TV, the saucer of Minos and its 2 dragon heads that protrude.

It keeps the Akashic stone... Source of the power of fantastic creatures and allowing them to come back to life again and again."

He lowered a lever and a staircase appeared, hidden behind a pivoting plate.

"You have hiding places like this everywhere and underground . Follow me!"

And a parade of men entered a new room.

This is a command board. You have a view of the whole village and every corner.

And this is the control panel for the spherical turrets. Each one has a flak system, machine guns and flame throwers.

A corridor and access galleries are at your disposal. You will organize the defense and access to your city.

The north is a forbidden zone reserved for us. It serves as a buffer in both directions in case of invasion by the elven armies.

In case of retreat, you will be informed.

There are shelters under each house and you have a large workshop under the hall to do your constructions or repairs.

We ask for free passage and free trade with our allies and the Kobolds.

Know that the Kobolds, for some of them, were dwarfs that our goddess gave back to us with their memories and personalities.

If a misfortune should happen to you, she could bring you back to this side of life if you think a little of her. She loves offerings and sacrifices. Of course human sacrifices are forbidden, taboo. A service in her name, a contribution or simply a delicacy, fruits, pastries are also appreciated.... Don't forget that our goddess is here and alive.

A hubbub started to spread but Bello and Sarah kept their heads on their shoulders...

It was all different, disturbing, but considering the situation, the installation and the command given to the humans had advanced things greatly considering their situation.

They had gained almost 50 years of development...

The required sacrifice was not demanding and slowly, life was settling down....

2 weeks had passed and the humans had taken possession of their homes and were enjoying the infrastructure and, slowly, businesses appeared.

Some with Kobolds and dwarves who associated with the humans.

A form of trade began between humans and dwarves. The dwarves brought raw materials and the humans synthesized in 3D all sorts of products that the dwarves were crazy about... generators, drills, planers... but also all sorts of everyday objects, from toilet paper to cans of cola.

After their crushing defeat, the elves sent horsemen and a mage to the gates of the Village...

"INTRUDER ALERT.."

Immediately, the humans and guards stood on the passageway and the top of the ramparts giving access to the village.

The three elves did not move. They were in ceremonial armor and covered at the back with a white cloak and a jeweled helmet.

They were showing that they belonged to a level of nobility.

The first one stepped forward and a door opened.

Sarah and Bello stood back, hand on a machine gun, and met the riders.

The first dismounted.

He took a luminous sphere that enveloped him and coughed a little.

It was a sphere of communication... to translate Elvish into English.